Cathryn, if you ever consider moving, check out Oregon (or Washington). We moved to Vegas from Salem, Oregon. We lived in the hills of West Salem and I loved it there. Unfortunately, at the time Oregon (or sometimes Washington) had the dubious distinction of having the highest unemployment rate in the nation. Hence, our move to Las Vegas which is booming and employment in our fields (financial analyst and construction project manager) was available.

But when we retire in a few years, the Pacific Northwet (oops, Northwest) has a lot of appeal. It has a temperate climate -- no extremes of temperature. We lived there for eight years and it didn't often get below freezing. Some winters we might get one or two snowfalls or an ice storm and some winters none. It does rain a lot in the winter, but that's what is responsible for all that green. The grass does not turn brown in the winter like some colder climates and the promise of spring comes early with the crocuses in January, followed by the daffodils in February and tulips in Mar/April. It is absolutely beautiful there.

The summers are gorgeous too with temps rarely getting over 100. We had air conditioning in our house but didn't need to use it very often in the summer.

What I did not like about Oregon: their liberal politics (more so around Portland) and their confiscatory tax policies (not unlike California). However, Washington has no state income tax and Vancouver, just across the Columbia River from Portland, has the same beauty at a cheaper price. The ideal situation is to live in Washington with no state income tax, and cross the river to shop in Portland, Oregon with no sales tax.

Economic things in Oregon's favor: no state sales tax, car insurance is cheaper there, car registration for any car was $35.00 for two years (I think that's gone up a few dollars now), utility bills were much, much cheaper than anywhere else I've lived. The other day, I was shredding some old bills from Oregon from about 5 years ago and I did not have one electric bill that year that was over $30. Also, did you know that Oregon and New Jersey are the only two states in the U.S. where gas stations are not allowed to be self-serve? No getting out of your car in the rain and cold to fill up your car.

Also, I loved living in a city that had a popoulation of about 125,000. I wasn't too big and it wasn't too small. Salem had good doctors, convenient shopping, everything you needed was there. Salem's problem as far as employment goes is that it is the capitol of the state. It's a state capitol without the convenience of a nearby major airport (closest is Portland) and the city is definitely a government town. Employment in Salem is mostly for the city, the county or the state -- period.

But come retirement, Oregon or Washington will be at or near the top of my list.

Barbara