I grew up in a Washington, DC suburb (VA) and lived in DC itself for 7 years. My husband grew up in Brooklyn, NY and also lived in DC for 7 years.
7 years ago (7 year itch, anyone?) we moved to CO. We spent a year in Boulder and have lived in Denver for the rest of the time.
However, CO was supposed to be a "temporary" location for grad school.
What we love about Denver:
-We live in the Highlands neighborhood, which is friendly, great for young families like ours, and walkable.
-The sun!
-Standard of living, cost of living
What we don't love:
-We are NOT snow people. We've never been skiing while we lived here and don't really have a desire.
-Being landlocked. As East Coasters, we're used to being able to drive a few hours to a different city, the beach, etc. and we VERY much miss that.
My family is currently in nomadic mode, so while we'd like to be close to them, we have no idea where they will end up (AZ? DC?). My in-laws will always be in NYC.
We are looking for:
-Close standard of living to Denver
-Warmer than Denver (ie less snow)
-4 seasons (but, ahem, an abbreviated winter would be just fine)
-Proximity (ish) to NYC
-Proximity (ish) to water - ideally the ocean but we'll take a big lake
-Ethnic diversity
-Good public or charter schools (also ethnically diverse)
-City culture: theaters, art galleries, museums, etc.
We both work in education, which makes for a somewhat easily transferable job.
Currently on our radar is the Raleigh-Durham area. I think Austin seems great, but not too much closer to family than Denver. Are there any gems we don't know about?