[scottmandue]

Jeff, Didn't you spend some time in Portland OR.?
I know they are famous for their rain and cloudy days but it seems to have the positive vibe you are looking for.

RE: Cali... I can't help it, I was born here... I guess if you are born in he11 you grow up not minding the heat.
But yeah, we have our problems...biggest problem being cost of living... yes SD and SF are nice but real estate is $$$$$... and you mentioned Hawaii (my dream retirement location)? Hawaii has a lot going for it but cost of living isn't one of them... it is also fairly exclusive... locals are not big fans of mainlanders. I have several friends that moved to the islands and moved back, sure if you have skills you can find a job but finding a group of friends is another thing.

For me moving to Portland or Boston would be great... but being a SoCal boy I would probably whiter from the cold... as I said Hawaii is my number one but the culture thing is hard to get past. I even had a close friend that was native Hawaiian, even when he lived in Long Beach and we hung out and played music together there was a strange vibe about him I could never put my finger on.

Once upon a time I looked into Oz and Australia... I got the sense that they are not big fans of immigration... same with some European countries, my nephew married a German girl and went through heck trying to assimilate.