The Nebraska panhandle, where I live now, isn't too bad. Great fishing, hunting, etc. It's not flat and covered in corn. That's the "other" Nebraska, along I-80. I'm just south of the Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota (less than a 1 hour drive), and dozens of other cool places. There are a lot of historical sites around here. Unemployment is among the lowest in the country...3rd lowest last time I checked. The cost of living is low. The only downside is that around here you're likely to drive between towns almost daily for one reason or another. For example, my wife teaches on the reservation and has to drive 45 miles each way, and I drive 25 miles to and from classes. Much like AZ, there is a ton of open space and a lot of distance between towns. The county I live in is 1 1/2 times the size of Rhode Isalnd and has about 5000 people. The next one to the east is bigger than Connecticut and has even less people. There are plenty of bigger towns though. If you don't mind smaller towns, it's a good place to live. Crime is low. The keys have hung in the ignition of my truck for three years, and we haven't locked the house in so long that my wife and I honestly don't know where the keys went!

Even though the cost of living is a little higher than eastern Washington, I'd say anywhere between Bellingham, WA and Ashland, OR, is a good place to be. My top choices would be Portland, Grants Pass or Astoria Oregon, or anywhere in the Puget Sound area. My absolute top choice would be my native Whidbey Island, preferably Coopville or Oak Harbor, or Anecortes on Fidalgo Island...basically anywhere in Island County. Second would be Port Angeles, or almost anywhere on the Olympic Peninsula. Seattle-Tacoma and Olympia are okay. The reason I'm not there right now is employment and cost of living. It can be a tough place if you don't have a degree, and even then as well. If you have a decent job, there is almost too much to go do and too many places to explore. Once I finish my degree, I'm planning on moving back to NW Washington. I went around the world several times in the Navy. I'd have to sit here for too long to count how many countries I've been to and how many times, but I can sum it up by saying that I've walked on six continents and have seen the coast of Antarctica three times. With all those places, some interesting and exotic, and some just plain nasty, I can tell you that IMHO, NW Washington is paradise!