scubalife, most of us who live on the water abhor jetskis. The are such pollution to the wildlife, waters, and the noise pollution is the worst.

I do wish you luck in finding a wonderful place to live and please be careful on your jetski.

PS The SC Coast is not a good idea.

I live in a town north of Austin but I can give you some of the scoop. The lifestyle is very laid back and by that I mean- we have some really nice restaurants but people don't have to dress up to go to them. As far as the music, everyone can find their niche- we have rock, country, alternative, classical, jazz, blues and everything in between. Depending on where you live, it may be "liberal" it is a college town after all. I am just not sure what you consider "too liberal". Some of the outlying areas like Cedar Park and Round Rock are anything but liberal, more conservative. I guess the best thing for me, is that Austin is just flat out a beautiful city with a wonderful combination of beauty, culture and music. People have moved away since the tech boom so the housing market is more affordable than it was in the mid to late 90's. I always tell people if you are interested in moving here come for a week or so and check it out. As far as jetskiing- we have so many lakes including Lake Travis, Austin, Georgetown, Inks, LBJ,and even more.

Atlanta is way too hot in the summer, esp for someone from the PNW! And the bugs, well, Deet will become your best friend if you move there. Some people even put velcro on the soles of their children's shoes to keep the mosquitos from carrying them away. Isn't this right, Starrsville?

I have to agree with Orcas. Shortly after we got married in Portland, OR we moved to Florida. A while later it was SE Georgia. OMG, what a shock to my system! I was used to PNW weather and so the heat and humidity were absolutely miserable for me. I can handle dry heat, but that humidity is a whole different ballgame. Wherever you think you may want to settle, I urge you to go visit first. Of course, corporate transfers are not always optional and many times you may have to live in places that you would rather not. If that happens, just remember that it is all temporary. That got me through a few duty stations while dh was military, lol!

Forget the job for now and take some of that money you've earned through investing and go on a trip to see the world. You may be surprised where you end up living.
-Bill

The Mississippi Gulf Coast. Cost of living is low. Lots of sunshine, but coastal breezes. Mild winters, water fun most of the year. Conservative, but culturally mixed because of local air force base. Casino with night clubs for that type of entertainment.

I was going to reccomend Lake tahoe, but gambling and drinking are traits that can lead to evil liberal ideals...hehehe.
Maybe Utah would fit the bill, Lakes, mountains, and Bush supporters.
I'll stay in Tahoe thank you. More jobs in Lake Tahoe year round though.

Lake Thaoe would be nice. But, I don't think it's warm enough for the OP to like it there - especially during the winter.

Besides, the OP can never relocate there unless there's enough Frito Lay consumption in the area.

How about Washington, D.C., scubalife?

They have a big white house where you can live and nary a hairy-legged, braless woman in sight. And I hear that the jetskiing in the reflecting pool near the washington monument can't be beat. There must be a frito lay office there because pretzels are really popular. It certainly heats up temperature-wise, especially every four years around November. And the abundance of cowboy hats and texan accents will give you that "Western terrain" feel. I can't promise that you won't get an unclean, gritty feeling there, though.

Yep, the mosquitoes are really bad down here. What's worse is that they're LIBERAL!

I can comment on Austin and Colorado Springs. My husband and I currently live in Plano, but as soon as I finish grad school we'll be moving to Austin. It's in a beautiful part of Texas, the weather is good, it's not too big and not too small, and it seems to have a diverse, and therefore fairly interesting population (in part because of UT).

I can also comment on Colorado Springs. I lived in Colorado Springs for 13 years, and I lived in Denver the 18 years before that. If I could, I would move back to Colorado in a heartbeat. Colorado Springs is beautiful. "Hapata" is right about the weather -- while it snows more often than in some areas of the country, it melts really fast. (6,000 ft. in elevation helps in this regard.) I've heard Colorado gets up to 300 days of sunshine each year -- lots of opportunities for outdoor activities. On another note, Colorado Springs does have a healthy share of conservatives. That could be a pro or con depending on your inclinations.

The above post was from Mrs. Roger Hopper. I, on the other hand, grew up in Texas. The big cities in Texas stink. We do look forward to moving to Austin - most likely the surrounding hill country. It has many activities for outdoors fun - lakes, cold-fed springs, state parks, great food and any kind of music...

Of course, I'm biased. I am a Texas-ex.

Hookem!

Roger

The perfect place for you would be the southern Calif. cities of Temecula and Murrieta. Prices are higher than any of the cities mentioned in TX, MN, AZ, UT, etc, but as a college grad you can easily stake your claim. Do some research. Combined population is about 150,000, jet-ski locales, cools off every night during summer, 50 miles to downtown San Diego, 75 miles to LA, 35 minutes to beach, 45 minutes to snow, 3 hours to the CO river, conservative politics, the most beautiful women in the world, plenty of nightlife, Californias biggest and best casino (Casinos actually). The list goes on and on...

I second the suggestion for So Cal. Great beaches and lakes too. The "River" is a weekend getaway. The only drawback is the housing market is difficult for us singles (if you're looking to buy). Which is why Murrieta was recommended. Although, Colorado is so beautiful...

MLGB--what's so horrible about Santee? They have a Target, and even Old Navy right in town now! ; hee hee