Just to give the big props to my town (sunny Weston-super-Mare), I'm filling this out in detail now.
* Urban setting
Moderately urban here, but a short ride/drive to Bristol.
* Ability to find housing with a private yard
Very easy. We looked at several houses, but ended up with a town centre flat, next to the beach, with shared front yard and private back yard.
* Historical buildings/residences (that have actually retained their original character and not been completely modernized)
There are a few, but I haven't really been to any of them. Adam's not into that kind of thing, and I haven't gotten myself together to go on my own. There's a lot of old stuff around here, though.
* Clean, well maintained streets, buildings (no dilapidated structures, spray-painted fences, etc)
Very clean here. A few potholes on some roads, but much better than Northern Vermont was. Most of town is almost funny clean, so that Adam (who lived in London) and I (who lived in LA and NYC) are very amused by the lack of 'urban blight'.
* Low crime rates
Little crime, and what crime there is (according to the police blotter) is generally amusing stuff. Full stats can be found
here.
* Access to very good public transportation
Buses run every 10-30 minutes in the greater Weston area, trains go to London every half hour, and there's bus service from a few stops in town to other areas in the South West.
* Good amount of parks/open spaces within walking distance (dog friendly of course)
From my door, there are two parks and a beach within a couple minutes walk. Going a bit further, there's a huge park that we take our dog to sometimes (that Adam remembers playing in when he was a little kid) and another one we haven't tried out yet, but is supposed to be as good or better.
* Restaurants/shops/pubs within walking distance (not fast food! nice, local spots where I can support LOCAL business owners)
Lots of pubs, lots of restaurants, very few chains. No Starbucks (which I'm sad about), but in town centre there are two espresso bar places and a Costa. The shops here are about 50/50. There are some big chains, but there are also a lot of local stores.
* Dog friendly neighborhood/establishments
Everywhere is dog friendly, except some restaurants, a few chain stores, and part of the beach during the summer months.
* Outdoor markets or local produce market
There's a regular farmers market in town (every other week, I think), many more if you go to a neighbouring town, and regional markets (like an Italian or French one) in town centre about once a month. Because the surrounding areas are farmlands, you get a lot of local produce, even at Tesco.
* Access to healthy food markets/organic foods and goods
Two health stores that I can think of offhand, though I've only ever gone to one. Again, though, with the nearby farms, most of that is prety easy to find.
* Relatively mild weather (no 10 feet of snow, no sweltering summer heat - somewhere in the middle)
I've worn my winter coat twice and felt way too hot in it. Summer was only sweltering for about a day, but that was mainly to do with the oven-like setup of my living room.
* Larger percentage of normal people (basically lower chances of bumping into irrational, self-centered, jerkish types)
Lots of teenage moms, but besides that pretty good. I think we have maybe 5 nutters in town, but they're just a laugh (like the 80 year old woman who was banned from a pub because she got up and stripped down to a bathing suit and started dancing to the music). Most people are friendly and helpful.
* Normal cost of living (don't have to sell a kidney to afford to live there, nor have to have the salary of a rocket scientiest - can be afforded by a normal middle class professional)
I'm a student, Adam's an artist, he works part-time at a pub, and I have a very modest amount of money from the US. We get by fine and live in one of the poshest parts of town.
* Within 1-2 hours of ocean
The beach is across a car park from my front door.
* Within 2 hours of major international airport
Bristol is 30 minutes away, and I get to Heathrow in about 2.5 hours.
* Scenic destinations within driving distance
See my other thread about this. There's TONS to do in the Southwest.
* Good amount of activities, ie museums, organizations, outdoor activities, etc.
There's a lot going on here, and I don't take part in anything, which is silly. The weekly newspaper usually has about four pages of activities and organisations. There's a small local museum, a Lambretta scooter museum, an aquarium, and we're near to other such things.
* Friendly vibe
In a year of being here, I think I've only met a few nasty people, two of whom are sort of related to my boyfriend.
ETA: And on a clear day you can see those Welsh dragons. Or at least their lighthouses and coastline.
