Well, you guys certainly put me in my place. But, I'd be lying if I said I didn't *choose* to move back here because of the issues I brought up. The weather is one part of it, and not a small one, either. I am not as political as you, Oak, but for me, it's a question of feeling like I "belong" somewhere. And, when my parents moved to AZ, in 1971, it was politically quite different. Over the years, the changes were quite apparent, and I saw the writing on the wall in the mid eighties. Yes, I had a very nice life there, a beautiful home that I could not have afforded here at that stage of my life, a good job, and lots of friends. But, I pretty much lived in a bubble of my own making, to avoid some of the political/lifestyle comments I sometimes, no often, heard at work. I lived in a university town, which helped. Most of all, I wanted my kids to be brought up in the same type of environment that I was, because it had a very deep influence on me. My life did NOT change for the better when I had to move to Miami in 1969. Let's see, I got called a "N"-lover my very first week at school there, for supporting a local protest group. When I was learning to drive, and my dad took me out a bit from South Miami, there were KKK signs on the trees. I was in shock.
And part of it, I found, as I got older, was the transience of Sun Belt cities. People move to places like Phoenix because they think a warm climate is awesome, and they can make a "fresh start." Trouble is, they bring all of their problems with them, to a place where they have no social or family support, in a state where there are terrible social and medical services.
Yes, I am a snarly New Englander, and at this point in my life, I'm kind of proud of it.