Weather and price being equal where would you live

[MrSmith]

If every location in the US had pleasant tempatures all year long and every city in the US had similar housing prices where would you choose to live? In other words factoring out weather and price what city has the type of housing, people and urban landscape you woud choose? and why?

[Recchia]

I'd live in Boston, the only thing holding it back IMO would be weather and housing costs, so if you take those away, I'd definitely pick it first. It's close to my family and you can live car free, so it's perfect for my tastes and needs.

[BigCityAttitude]

Portland, Oregon or Seattle.

Or Anchorage.

[rusthebuss]

Norfolk, Va. because of the history and the Atlantic ocean and all of the seasons.

[citizensf]

San Francisco, Boston, New York or Chicago.

A few requisites for where I'm willing to live:

1) Good mixed use zones and architecture

2) Vibrant streetscapes, neighborhoods and urban cores

3) Good/convenient mass transit

4) A thriving Chinatown

5) Strong higher education -- universities add so much to their surroundings

6) Good cultural amenities

7) Proximity to nature

8) Healthy urban park system

9) Strong sense of place and civic pride

10) Good restaurants, groceries, bakeries, butchers, etc.

If you extended the question to outside of the U.S., I'd pick Paris in a heartbeat, which I, frankly, think has most U.S. cities beat on most of the counts above.

I generally also prefer a more human scale between 4-8 stories in density as opposed to massive high-rises (though I like well executed high rises too).

[MrSmith]

I generally agree with your list, but I don't care so much about a China town -- I would just prefer some diverse neighborhoods whether Mexican, Italian or a china town.

I like you list of cities too, but I would not put NYC on my list. It is just plain too crowded -- I feel like I can never escape the people or the traffic. It actually seems too urban.

I always hear people say how much they love Paris, but i've found other european cities to be more walkable and just as interesting --like Prague. But i guess that what's is great everybody loves something different.

[citizensf]

I generally agree with your list, but I don't care so much about a China town -- I would just prefer some diverse neighborhoods whether Mexican, Italian or a china town.

I like you list of cities too, but I would not put NYC on my list.  It is just plain too crowded -- I feel like I can never escape the people or the traffic.  It actually seems too urban. 

I always hear people say how much they love Paris, but i've found other european cities to be more walkable and just as interesting --like Prague.  But i guess that what's is great everybody loves something different.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

MrSmith, I should've clarified. The Chinatown requirement is b/c my wife is chinese, she needs easy access to chinese vegetables and other foodstuffs ;-)

But agreed, in general some sort of (for lack of a better term) "ethnic" enclave is always a plus whether it be a Little Saigon, Little Tokyo, Little Italy, etc.

I agree with you about other European cities. I guess for me it comes down to the food. I love the food in Paris and all the vendors/markets. I also love the Paris Metro, probably more than any other metro I've been on if just for the pure density of its station arrangement.

[Brickell]

Hell's Kitchen, New York; Miami Beach, FL; North End, Boston;

If we go international Dublin, Ireland