I gotta get out of Manhattan. I’d like to move to a place where people are friendly, the views are pretty (and the women), the population is educated and cultured. Oh and the weather nice. I’ve been looking on “best places to live” sites. Some of the rec’s have been Boulder, Santa Barbara, and Portland. Any ideas anyone?
Don’t count out San Jose, San Diego, Reno, Atlanta, and St. Louis. All very pretty areas, great people, nice weather (depending on what you call nice weather).
Considered Stockholm? 
Oh yea, and I’m 33 and single.
Consider Houston. Sure, it’s hot as hell right now, but it’s always sunny, there’s a beach near by, housing is affordable, and there’s plenty to see and do.
Fort Worth or Dallas. Fort Worth is smaller (about 500K pop.), easier to navigate (we don’t have the traffic jams that Dallas has). We have a wonderful cultural center, plus you can always visit Dallas for more. You’ll also find it much, much cheaper than Manhatten. New 2000 sq. ft. houses for under $150K.
Atlanta’s great, I live there now, though on the outskirts. Cost of living can vary according to your standards. You’re close to all kinds of other cities–Chattanooga, Charlotte–so there’s plenty of day trip options. Traffic is horrible, but the public transportation is pretty good. Since the Olympics, there’s a very diverse population. You can fly anywhere for cheap, since Hartsfield is a huge Delta hub. Plenty of stuff to do, inside and out.
Atlanta’s also been called “an island of sophistication in a sea of rednecks”, just so you know.
I’ll second Houston - healthy economy, rich cultural environment with no shortage of stuff to do, many housing options (although there’s a sellers’ market at the moment), beach, hill country and Big Thicket all nearby and many employment opportunities. And, of course, the HouDopers.
Austin’s nice, as well, although it is definitely not the real big town it was when I lived there in the '70s. Hill country and lots of lakes.
I’ve only visited Corpus Christi, so I can’t say a lot about it; but it is on the water and has some eautiful beaches and clear blue water.
And anyone of 'em would put you in Texas.
I’ll second the recommendation of Santa Barbara. It’s within reach of LA, but far enough away that you get less smog, and fewer people. The views are awesome. And when you get tired of those views, just take a spin up PCH and see some more.
And of course, we don’t have weather here in Southern California.
Glasgow? Lovely countryside nearby. Some uneducated people and some very highly educated. Yeah - there’s the infamous, “but British weather is terrible” thing, but I gather from a friend (orig. N.Y.C. , that our summers are not as hot as yours , and our winters are not so terribly cold.
Yeah I am halfway joking, because I suppose you mean only places in the U.S.A, but all the same, you might just feel like wandering far!
Best of luck with your quest anyway!
Montreal. All the way.
(I’m not biased, or anything)
Being in San Diego myself, I have to be honest and say the one major caveat in moving here is the cost of housing. It is simply going through the roof (so to speak) right now, both for new and used, for detached houses and for condos.
If you’re willing to entertain non-cities, then Charlottesville, VA and Charleston, SC are both attractive choices. For that matter, so is Ann Arbor!
I don’t think Corpus Christi is what you’re looking for. Boulder is indeed nice, and close enough to Denver to glom onto big-city attractions, too.
I say Seattle, but you will be back in NYC within two years. This I am willing to bet on. 
Why not Chicago???
I think it’s one of the best cities there is!
Here here, Missy2U. Chicago is a winner.
It’s been a while since I’ve lived there, but Minneapolis was a great city. The winters are a bit extreme, but they know how to deal with them.
StG
Chicago…definitely Chicago. Chicago has world class museums, great food, beautiful people, a great lakefront, architecture, neighborhood diversity, seasons, exiting local politics, MUSIC, big-time schools, the boonies are just an hour or so away, and so much more!!
Boulder is a college town, and being near to Denver isn’t exactly a cultural plus. Everyone is from somewhere else, and it just doesn’t feel like a city to me (I used to live there).
Consider San Francisco. Most picturesque city in the US. You have mountains, ocean, vineyards all within driving distance.
Also agree with anyone who has mentioned Montreal, Miami, Las Vegas, Denver, LA or Atlanta