I guess I find it a bit off-putting that a blog post trying to dispel stereotypes about a geographic region stoops to saying things like "On both coasts, the pace of life is really, really high: you just go, go, go and work constantly." This might be the norm in New York and Silicon Valley, but the south isn't this way, and I have been to towns as far east as MA that have laid back cultures — visit the town of Wellesley, MA if you want to see that. I am not disagreeing that there are great things about living anywhere, but trying to overturn stereotyping by stereotyping doesn't ring very true to me.
Wellesley MA is one of the most expensive suburbs of Boston with home prices above million, most of IT guys would have to work day and night to live in that laid back culture :)
Not arguing that it is cheap, just saying that the generalization that everywhere near the coast is fast moving is incorrect. Cheaper options include Wilmington, NC, Raleigh, NC, and Asheville, NC -- I skew NC because I lived there for several years and loved it (and I am now based in the Bay Area).
