Where is the Best Place to Live and Work in IT?
Before you assume I'm going to pose yet another knee-jerk discussion prompt about salaries and job openings, hold on. And although you can accuse me of being a nationalist pig, this question is aimed at living within the continental United States (otherwise referred to by military folk as CONUS). I'm really not a nationalist pig, but this is a great place to live.
Let's formulate this like a certification exam question, just for giggles 
...
John, his wife, and his family of four children live in a medium-sized town of Podunk (pick any state actually), where he works as a Systems Engineer in a Windows 2003 environment for a SMB company. John's role is very narrowly defined. John hungers for challenge and working with technology that is newer than 5-10 years old. Things like virtualization, web enabled services, and the latest software. He would also like to enjoy a flexible schedule, and a more loosely defined role that would enable him to explore various technologies and solutions.
The average IT related pay scales in the Podunk region are below the national average. There are fewer IT jobs to be found in Podunk than in most other areas also. John's four children, ages 6 to 16, are all in school and enjoy sports and outdoor activities. John is wondering if relocating to another area (within the U.S.) might be a good idea. Some place where there are plenty of available (stable) IT jobs, good pay and benefits, and a reasonably low cost of living. More importantly, it needs to be a place where his family would enjoy a wide range of "things to do" outdoors and shopping, etc. What should John do?
(A) Relocate to anywhere in the State of _______
(B) Relocate to the city or metropolitan region of ________
(C) John should stay put in Podunk, things suck everywhere
(D) John should consider a career change
Post your comments of what you think is the best answer? Unfortunately, I can't issue you a certificate.