where i wanna be

ok, so for years now, i've been itching to move. problem is, i'm comfortable here, i know here, and i don't know where else i'd want to live. visiting a cool place is one thing, but making it your home is a whole other game. it takes some serious consideration and planning.

what i love about the DC area is that there is just the right amount of city and suburb. the right amount of noise and peace.

there's diversity and culture here. i cannot live in a place where everywhere i go, i see the same colors of skin - no matter what colors they are. i want to walk out my door and see black people, white people, latin people, asian people, indian people. i want to smell diverse foods and hear different languages. i need diversity and culture, period.

but i also need somewhere that has a good job market and great cost of living. DC is expensive, but the job market is good and those like me who can't afford to live right in the city, can live right outside the city and still get here in a flash. i can't live somewhere where my rent or mortgage is as much as my yearly salary. right now, i've got a good thing going in those areas.

i'm not crazy about violent crime so i'd prefer to live somewhere where i won't be dodging bullets on my way to my front door.

and i can't stand snow and would not mind never seeing it again. so i need to live somewhere with mild winters. but i also want the change of seasons. though i love the heat, i don't want to live in perpetual summer.

for those of you who have had the blessing of living in various places, what are some places that you think are worth considering, that fit most of what i've described above?

i don't see me living in NY - though i've never been to Brooklyn and hear nice things about it. but it's expensive, yes?

i've never been to LA but i'm pretty sure that's not the place for me.

i like Atlanta but certainly wouldn't want to live there. i've been all up and through VA from top to bottom - nope.

i like some parts of NC but can't see me living there. DE is too small and too...Delaware. Jersey is not for me;