What is a nice place to live based on what I want? -

Currently I live about 3 hours out from Chicago and thinking on where I d like to move possibly in a few years. I thought about living around Chicago but I know cost of living can be high for something you could get much cheaper elsewhere. Plus I kind of feel like I want to get out of the cold. I m looking for somewhere where the winter lows are probably 35-40 with highs being in the 40+. Right now, I consider that warm. I do enjoy mid 70 s weather with limited humidity but I don t place too much importance on that. I feel like I want to live somewhere with a great view, but has a big city within an hour or two. A beach would be nice but it s not a must. Oh I don t really enjoy southern accents, sorry. I would guess the average salary for my job is between $50k-70k nationwide, which is just supporting me right now. A decent school system would be an interest but since I currently don t have kids, it s not the highest priority. An issue I am having with myself is I don t know how I feel about moving away from my family. Right now most of us are all around the same area. I had an aunt move out to Nevada and pretty much no one in the family talks to her on a regular basis.I know I m requesting a lot .

OK, you are going south to get warmer. I get that. SW, like California is expensive. Texas, Nevada are generally dry, so forget the beach and you won t see many trees or grass, unless it s planted watered.You may do well in the SE, like Raleigh, Charlotte, Atlanta, where the areas are more metropolitan, and they will heavily dilute the number of local dialects you will hear. Cost of living is lower in the SE as well. At one time, Greenville, SC had the highest number of engineers per capita in the US, and you know there weren t many bubba s in that group.Sounds like it is time for a road trip. Scout around to check out real estate prices. What good is your pool if it is too cold to play.