Brevard, North Carolina is number one. Ashville, North Carolina is number two. I agree, A marvelous city. Both of thes choices tell you just how good is North Carolina.
The Clakesville-Mt. Airy,Georgia area is third. I like Georgia too, but stay away from Atlanta.
Worst of all the places rated--Laconia, New Hampshire. I have never been there, so cannot comment.
Um...........I dunno. I live in Raleigh, NC and have for the past seven years (that's a record for us), but I've lived in many States: California (total of over a dozen years: Merced, Davis, Sacramento), Texas (also a fair number of years: San Antonio, Lubbock, Abilene, Austin), Colorado (went to the AF Academy in C-Springs; four years), Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, Massachusetts, Tennessee, North Carolina........you get the idea.
NC is ok; VERY pretty..........but dull as dirt and Raleigh is, believe it or not, more expensive than Sacramento. That's a fact. Nice climate, etc., but still.............
As for Asheville: It's drop-dead gorgeous..............and home to THOUSANDS of ultra-freaky, Devil-worshipping, crytal-gazing/kissing, long-haired satanic maggots. Think I'm kidding? I wouldn't let my oldest daughter attend university there due to Asheville's well-deserved reputation for such demonic bulls**t inhabiting its core and environs. I really am serious. Damned shame, though; really is pretty there.
Sacramento was pretty cool; hour-and-a-half from anywhere (SF, Reno, Tahoe, Napa Valley, etc.). Lots to do, but crappy State politics (as we FReepers know all too well).
Colorado has its beauty, no doubt, if you live in the right area............but I found the people there to be a**holes (sorry, CO FReepers, but it's true).
If there's anything I've learned living all over the U.S., its that the PEOPLE.......followed by climate.........make or break an area as far as quality of life is concerned.
Coolest people? Probably Texans. I love 'em. Northern Californians are VERY cool, as well. Don't fall into the trap of believing that all of CA is like SF or LA. Far from it. Most of CA is made up of agricultural land........it's a quite conservative State. Unfortunately, the liberal (and HEAVILY populated) Bay Area and LA region trump the Conservatives in elections.........at least for now.
I'd look at Montana. GORGEOUS state. The desert SW? Well......................if you're into desert (I'm not; not by a long shot).
I wish you the best in your hunt.