Jim I think you'd be pleasantly surprised. It's big enough to have the advantages of a city, but small enough not to have to deal with heavy traffic and such. It's quite modern, and the city is kept up very well. Lots of flowers all over town in the summer, and great parks too. More bike trails than anywhere else in the country. You can drive 30 minutes and be in the middle of nowhere. The winters are long, but pretty mild. You'll feel warmer than Chicago, because it's bone dry. Even a few decent brew pubs.