Why Am I Doing This?

I need to find a new place to live. I have certain criteria for the kind of place
I want to live and have developed a list of cities that meet some or all of those
criteria. I want you all to give me your input on my choices and tell me why I
should or should not move to one of these cities. The criteria for my choices
are below in order of descending priority. What I want in a place to live is:

•    Four full seasons including snowy winters  (so I can snowshoe regularly)

•    Decent job market with average unemployment
[Preferably with a healthy mix of public and private employers]

•    Decent housing market  (so I can have a dog and a garden)
[a 1200 sq. ft. house on a quarter-acre lot for less than $200,000]

•    Fairly liberal/progressive community with a local art/music/theatre scene
[I want to patronise local coffee shops, bistros, cafés with a funky home-grown
flair and NOT some chain store shop selling the same stuff as everywhere else]

•    Close to water, mountains, and the great outdoors
[I would like to be able to buy a sailboat and start to sail again as well as be
able to go camping & hiking without having to drive for hours to get there]

•    Close proximity to a Trader Joe’s grocery store
[While this is not mandatory, it is highly desired]

Now that you have seen my criteria, check out the poll in the post below and
tell me where you think I should live. Then submit a comment telling me why
your choice is better than any of the other places on the list.

The Place-To-Live Poll