> Ithaca, NY

Miserably cold in the winter -- the city nearly ceases to exist during Cornell's winter break. However, Ithica Falls are really neat to walk over, frozen or not. There's also several vineyards in the area.

> Urbana-Champaign, IL

I think they still have a Flying Tomato pizza franchise there. That is the best pizza franchise ever. A full-on college town. Lots of stuff to do for the student population. It's in the mid-west, so it can be miserably hot during the summer and freezing during the winter. We're talking about 100 degrees plus hefty humidity for about five or ten days in the summer; wind chills up to 40 below in the dead of winter. Probably as much snow as Ithica gets.

> Austin, TX

You can't go wrong with Austin, TX. Warm, friendly atmosphere. It's a college town disguised as a large city. You've got many more options for things to do in Austin than you do in the other two towns listed above. Austin has over 1 million people in the city and outlying areas. It's the most liberal of the Texas towns. In many ways, it's like Seattle without the crappy weather.

You'll be wrapped up in Texas Chauvanism if you move there. Most states I've been in, I had no idea what the state flag was. Everything is gung-ho Texas in Texas. It's a really neat feeling. I haven't felt as much pride for a state as I have when I was there. People in Illinois don't think of the state as a great thing. People in New Jersey, same way. But people in Texas -- Hell, that's wrong, they're Texans -- they love their state. It's an amazing thing.

If I had my choice of where I could live, Austin would be it.

-

I've visited Ithica during the winter, I've driven through U/C a time or two (although I've lived in Illinois for about ten years), and I've lived in Austin for over a year as well as visited it several times when I lived in Bryan/College Station for about eight years.

I hope that helps.

-FP