Perhaps I am reminiscing about growing up, but it seems like for me, pre-08 things were better. The economy, job situation, income, culture somewhat (although there has been an up tick in decent shows), Google was not as pro big sites, and things seemed more optimistic. Again it may be me projecting my childhood on to the interweb, but it seemed like even though we had a debt fuelled economy , tangible growth and tangibles were able to be had, where as now the debt based economy is a hindrance (rent in booming metros is waayyy through the roof). After reading The Complacent Class and realize things are stagnating, I am kinda wondering where it goes from here.
I think you are loooking for Charlotte, NC.<p>Still growing fast, still green trees everywhere, still boring, still friendly people. Still a mix of hospitality and hard work.<p>Avoids most coastal drama and fads. Still half conservative, half not.<p>Still has horrible public schools. Still a great place to raise a family if you are outside the county limits. Still houses under $150,000 within 30 minutes of the city center. Still has most companies constantly looking to hire people.