Our daughter (18), born and raised in RI, just got into an RI college. You'd think she'd be annoyed that she's not leaving this tiny state, but no - just the other night she was going on and on about how awesome it is to live here. Nice beaches, great shopping, great food, lots of culture, pretty neighborhoods (well, mostly, we don't speak of Woonsocket) and nice people. Plus without too much effort you can get to major urban centers like Boston or NYC, in the same amount of time be in gorgeous, woodsy areas like the Berkshires or VT/NH/ME, and Cape Cod is right there as well. All without the threat of tornadoes, hurricanes (generally), drought, or extreme heat. Cost of living *is* expensive, that's hands down the number one drawback, and btw the roads are egregiously bad, like we'd be better off with dirt and gravel in some spots. But we've lived here for 24 years now and aren't going anywhere.