Where do you live and what do you like most about it?

[Stackmama]

I'm a single mom of two little girls and am considering a big move, away from my family and everyone/everything I know to start fresh after a bitter divorce. I've considered Georgia, North Carolina, New York mostly... but where do you live and what do you like most about it? What don't you like? Thanks! :thumb

[deethai]

South Phuket, Thailand

- great food
- cheap food
- always available ready food only meters from the house, never have to cook myself
- variety of food
- healthy food
- warm weather all year round
- maid included in rent, never do housework
- smiling people
- big private swimming pool at home
- beach 700 m from house
- lake with running track around it 500 m from house
- fruit and veg shops 50 m from house
- pharmacy 5 meters from house
- ok infrastructure (hospitals, ADSL, Sat TV, cheap mobile calls, roads, shopping centers)
- not much bureaucracy
- pretty cheap healthcare

[alysmommy2004]

Raleigh, NC. The weather is nice here, milder winters (we came from the DC area), slower pace. It's nice to be able to drive somewhere and not being sitting in "rush hour" for half the day. Recreational activities, lakes, parks, walking trails, etc. I can almost always find some sort of family activity going on every weekend. We have some pretty cool museums here too. Sorry this sounds so rambly, I didn't get a lot of sleep last night.

[OhMel]

Cleveland Heights OH -- very child friendly, super crunchy environment. The winter is long but the summers are pretty mild. Traffic is light but the cultural institutions are top notch.

[willowbean]

I'm over in Spokane, WA (far Eastern side of the state near Idaho)

The good:
This is a pretty kid friendly town. There are a ton of parks, many outdoorsie things to do, a river running through the middle of town, and a small but active progressive community.
Traffic is not bad at all, it's pretty cheap to live here, and it's easy to get local produce when it's in season.
We have 4 full seasons with cold (but not too cold) and snowy winters, and toasty summers.

The not as good:
It sucks to be a teenager here, there's not much for them to do, but it's getting better.
Diversity is pretty limited, though that's getting a bit better too.
You have to actively look for cultural activities, they exist here, but take some digging to find.

[SleepyMamaBear]

i live just outside of Portland Oregon, and LOVE it!
there are great museums, childrens museums, science museums, art museums, etc, there s the end of the oregon trail museum thats pretty cool too. we are a reasonable drive to the coast, and a reasonable drive to the mountains, everything is green. our winters are mild (but grey) and our autumns produce spectacular foliage. spring is lovwely with all the glorious blooms out, and summer isnt so bad if you know of a place with AC :)
everyone know is into recycling and keeping the earth green. i dont know of a single business (other than some fast food places) that doesnt recycle. the convention center even has a living roof!
we have a professional basketball team and sem pro baseball. great colleges are close and the family atmosphere rocks.

plus, theres a HUGE MDCPDX group here. :D

[jtbuko]

Northern Virginia suburbs, not where I'd choose to live, but circumstance brought us here and the housing market kept us here. Given that I have spent a lot of time working out what there is to love about the area:

#1 no human feces at the playgrounds
#2 always plenty of parking at the grociery store
#3 beautiful take your breath away fall foliage
#4 happening local food movement
#5 lots of things to do with kids
#6 very safe