It was a nice break from military life but there was absolutely nothing to do there. Bars were mostly empty, with a few regulars who weren't friendly to strangers. The sidewalks got rolled up at 7PM, or at least it seemed like it. It was also in the dead of winter so it was brutally cold, even for one who was born and raised in New England. Restaurants served up mostly bland food. Their idea of "spicy" food was to throw pepper and salt on it. We went to a Mexican restaurant and they used Cheez Whiz on the nachos and watered down Campbell's tomato soup for their chili. About the only thing we did was hang out at the mall or hang out at the Best Western lounge (where we stayed) where we were often the only ones there. All the rock stations in town played endless Journey, Styx and Men At Work (it was 1982). It was a pretty lifeless place. Don't know how anybody stayed in business in that town.
I agree with Seattle being a lousy place to live. But they didn't even mention the weather, which is cloudy and rainy about 70% of the time. A drab and dreary place to be sure.
Best big cities to live in are Boston and New York - if you can afford to live there. I'll get a lot of flack for that but that's how I feel. Best small cities I have stayed in are Burlington, Vermont and Huntsville, Alabama. Wouldn't mind living in either of those two places.
Agreed, Huntsville is a little gem located at the base of the Appalachian foothills with a great climate, but no nightlife and lots of Christians, so probably wouldn't do well on this list.