This is a long thread and I didn't read much of it. South Dakota holds almost no interest for me although I'm sure it's lovely. I like Maryland. We have mountains, ocean, lakes, fields of sweet corn, good tomatoes, blue crabs, oysters, and it's convenient. DC is right next door and New York is a day trip. There's plenty of culture, but it's easy to get away from all the hustle and bustle if you like. We have all four seasons and not much threat of natural disasters. Few hurricanes make it here, we are too hilly for real tornados, no earthquakes, and we don't get blizzards often either. It's a very balanced place.
My wife and I came to that conclusion too. I live in a community surrounded by farms yet a 20 minute drive will get into downtown DC. There is subway station 10 minutes from my home.
This is a long thread and I didn't read much of it. South Dakota holds almost no interest for me although I'm sure it's lovely. I like Maryland. We have mountains, ocean, lakes, fields of sweet corn, good tomatoes, blue crabs, oysters, and it's convenient. DC is right next door and New York is a day trip. There's plenty of culture, but it's easy to get away from all the hustle and bustle if you like. We have all four seasons and not much threat of natural disasters. Few hurricanes make it here, we are too hilly for real tornados, no earthquakes, and we don't get blizzards often either. It's a very balanced place.
for a thread just to bullshit it, it got pretty big