My choice would be outside of Charleston, SC.
- Riding / Scenery : The local terrain is not all that interesting. It is pretty flat to say the least. It is great for interval training, but the scenery is pretty much trees and swamps, that is until you ride down to the beaches and see the pretty female scenery there. You are only a four hour ride away from the Great Smokey Mountains and close enough to attend the annual Assault on Mt. Mitchell.
- Climate: The climate is hot in the summer and mild in the winter. It is really humid in the summer time, just right for taking a long, hot ride and then jumping into the ocean to cool off. There are also local swimming holes along a lot of the rivers and lakes, and there are a lot of rivers and lakes around there.
- Cost of Living: The cost of living is pretty reasonable when compared to other areas. Of course, the farther you are from Metro-Charleston, the lower the cost of living gets.
- Surrounding area (cities, culture): The Charleston area is one of the most historically diverse areas in the US. It is where the Civil War started so there are many historical sites and museums dedicated to that period of US history. There are also vast historical attractions from the colonial period up to WWII. Besides the historical draw, there is the annual Spoleto Festival which is an arts festival that takes place in May(I think). There are many other small art shows held during the summer months. There are stage productions at the Dock Street Theater on a regular basis, and there are a large number of jazz and rock music clubs in the down town entertainment district. Also the College of Charleston offers a large number of entertainment attractions. The sports fan is not too hard up for action. While there are no major league base ball teams in the area, there is a minor league team, the Charleston Rainbows. If you enjoy football, there is the Citadel(yea, I know), and the Unversity of South Carolina is just a couple hours away. Clemson is about four hours. If'n ya like Nascar, Darlington is 90 minutes away, and a weekend trip to Loew's Motor Speedway in North Carolina is an easy drive. As with any seaside city, there are all kinds if water sports, swimming, diving, sking, boating, fishing.....
- Other stuff (raising families, economic outlook, or anything thing else the place has going for it...) Small town charm meets suburban education. The schools are great. Southern hospitality is alive and well when you get away from Metro-Charleston.
- Drawbacks?: There is a decided lack of jobs in the area. What used to be the best kept secret of the South has been found out and there has been a large influx of Northern Urbanites immigrating to the area, bringing thier views of how things should be with them, and trying to bend the native born citizens to their will. They have put up housing complexes, malls, and even torn up the ocean front to build sea side resort communities. I can remember when you could four wheel out to the beach on Kiawah Island and you would be the only person on the beach for miles. Now you are lucky to find a place on the beach to sit. Plus, there is Hilton Head close by with it's transient residents passing through. Myrtle Beach is to the north and a lot of the vacationers from up there travel to Charleston to sight see and clog things up down town.
Well, so much for my rant. It is still my favorite place.
