Having been in the US Merchant Marine for over 35 years and sailed around the world 3 1/2 times, I found that living most anywhere in New England is the best.

My Reasons:
1. West Coast- (California) Too crowded,travel horrible,fires,mud slides,earth quakes,expense, and Oh! the nuts.
2.Northwest- Too much rain (They never see the sun),earth quakes.
3.Southwest- In a drought the past 13 years, running out of water.(BIG PROBLEM!)
4.Gulf Coast & Florida- One word- HURRICANES!
5.Midwest- Droughts,hail storms,thunder storms, tornadoes,dust storms,floods,high winds,etc.
6.South- Everything the Midwest gets + High Humidity (UGH! Talk about Miserable!)
7.Hawaii- Nice but very expensive.
8.Alaska- Spectacular but not sure about living there.

Ok! Why New England
1.Can get to all 5 states within a few hours driving (As long as you can stay off I-95)
2.Oldest part of the country with more history and diverse culture than any other part of the US. Plus great country fare and seafood.
3.Can live in the country yet get to all the activities in the big cities (New York/Boston)when I want.
4.Need a little European flavor-> Drive up to Montreal or Quebec.
5.Hunting-(All I want- from Deer/Pheasant/Grouse/etc.)
Fishing- (All I want- from Great Lakes/lakes and ponds/Saltwater - Coastal and Offshore)
6.Weather is, in my opinion the best.
N.E. sits east of the Applachcian Mountains and it protects us, for the most part, from extreme weather.
7.Nice to have 4 Seasons(Fall is my favorite!)
8.Can put up with 2 maybe 3 months of winter.
Heavy snows will dump on Pa. and upper N.Y. before it gets to us.
9.Rest of the year is gorgeous with only a short period of high humidity (Again UGH!) Don't have to run the AC 24/7 like they do down south
10.IT'S HOME!!!

Seadog1