The Glade 4.0

Oh, I forgot to mention that in Dayton, during the springtime, you'll get to know which of the back roads flood and whatnot. Nothing serious or destructive -- just a foot or two of standing water on some (well-known to be prone) roadways and you should be mindful when looking at houses that a lot of them will have damp basements or worse. It's not a haven for flash floods, and there's a good system of levees to control the rivers.

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"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

Is that also mudslide country? and/or sinkholes?

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I have never seen a mudslide or a sinkhole.

The only mudslides down there come in shotglasses.

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Holy shitsnacks!

Only one I can venture a reality based opinion on is San Diego. Gorgeous and family friendly, right leaning, large military retirement population. Too damn expensive. Some really bad area, some iffy but mostly okay area. Heavy Hispanic location, not surprising, it's basically on the Mexican border. Some great food options. Did I mention too damn expensive? San Diego Zoo is fun on rare occasions. Also too expensive. Beaches can be great.

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The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself. B. Franklin

"A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone." -- Tyrion Lannister, A Game of Thrones

Lots of Mexicans means lots of fiestas... and siestas.

just remember: Any place in ND, MN, WI, and most of MI is so **** cold in winter that people in this part of Canada wonder how Americans can stand living in such an inhospitable climate.

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Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves, Scheherezade had a thousand tales
But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails...
...Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me
█ ♣ █

The parts of Michigan you're talking about are fairly mild

I see that you listed Houston, Texas twice. (Given its size maybe that is appropriate....)

Population is 6.3 million in the greater Houston area (out to the Woodlands north, Sugarland west and I believe Clear Lake south).
Race mix is very roughly 1/3 anglo, 1/3 hispanic, 1/6 black, and 1/12 other. (Yes, I know it does not quite add up to 100%)

Weather is sub-tropical. Expect 6 months of hot and humid summer. Winter has rare overnight freezes, and usually a fair amount of grey and rain. Disaster weather is hurricanes. Average a direct hit once every 20 years. Usually have days of warning to prepare. Last hit was Ike in 2008.

Cost of living is moderate. Housing is affordable, except inside the 610 loop. That area has boomed in the past couple of years because Texas mostly missed the economic downturn that hammered everyone else. (Population up 2 million!)

Politics is liberal for Texas. The Mayor is openly homosexual, which rather surprised me.

Friendliness: Generally nice that way.

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Memento Vivere

I have local knowledge.
That sandbar was not there yesterday!

They're really not!

(I have family in Sault Ste. Marie, Canada side, which is no colder than the U.P. that it borders on.)

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Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves, Scheherezade had a thousand tales
But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails...
...Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me
█ ♣ █

PM Sent

Sorry that was "You" = Screeling, not You=Talya. Yeah. The U.P. is cold as hell.
My family lives in Brimley, about 10 miles from Sault Ste. Marie, MI.
However, East Lansing, Kalamazoo, Ann Arbor and Rochester MI are several hundred miles further south and the temperature is moderated by the Lake Michigan (Lake Superior is much colder)

And yet we still had snow on April 15

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I prefer to think of them as "Fighting evil in another dimension"

Well, that went as far south as Dayton and maybe Cincinnati, so Lake Michigan had nothing to do with that. Well, aside from providing moisture to the storm system.

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"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

Thanks for all the input. I got a lot of overlap between here and people outside this board. Was able to cross some places off that I was never thrilled about anyway and am giving others a deeper look.

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The Dude abides.

Yeah, it hit Cincinnati too. I had to brush off my car that day.