re: Rank the SEC states in order of where you would most like to live

Listed in order of preference and pros and cons

Alabama-
Pros- Mountains and beaches-good climate, great southern food.
Cons- Too conservative at times.

South Carolina- Beautiful state, especially around Charleston. Best golf courses. Laid back lifestyle.
Cons- Outside of coastal areas not much different than Georgia or Alabama.

Tennessee-Love the state from Nashville eastward. Love the smokies in the fall. Chattanooga is one of the most underrated cities in America.
Cons- Memphis....Memphis may be the biggest dump in the south.

Georgia- Take out Atlanta. Not a big city guy but the rest of the state is great. Reminds me of Alabama with the mountains and beaches. Love it around Valdsota over to Waycross.
Cons- Atlanta- Lots of crime, DIrty. Has improved but not where I'd want to live.

Mississippi- Again, much like Alabama landscape wise. Beautiful girls, great southern food, nice, genuine people.
Cons- Same as Alabama

Arky- Love the mountains and state parks. Beautiful place to be in the fall. Great places to camp. Good cost of living.
Cons- No beach or coastal area. Not crazy about the food.

Florida- Preface, anything below I-10 is not the south. Love the panhandle area. Jacksonville is one of my favorite big cities. great climate good golf courses. Good weekend stuff to do.
Cons- Most of Florida is not southern anymore. Culture has morphed into a sub-New Jersey type lifestyle. Miami could not pay me enough to live there. Tampa is OK but not extremely desirable.

Louisiana-Like the laidback lifestyle of extreme southern Lousiana. Great hunting and fishing. Great climate.
Cons- Like Florida a lot of LA is not "southern". I like Gumbo, etoufee and shrimp stew about once a year. Every time I go visit I get fed this stuff ad nauseum when I'm not overly crazy about it. New Orleans isn't a southern city and even Baton Rouge has morphed into a sub northern type of lifestyle with religion and culture. No fall to enjoy as everything just turns brown. Beaches are criminally bad.

Texas- Cool place with some great towns. Dallas and Houston are cool to visit.
Cons- Too dam crowded. Dallas and Houston are great to visit but wouldn't live there for anything. Austin may be the most overrated place in America. Big town that misses the college town flair. If you are over 25 there really isn't much redeeming about Austin.

These places are subjective. A lot of it depends on what you grew up with and are comfortable with. To each his own.