[Blue_Runner]

Ok I'll chime in. I live right smack in the middle of North Carolina. I love it. 1.5 hrs to the mountains (less than that to certain trout streams). I've got big impoundments nearby - one 10 minutes (High Rock Lake), another 45 minutes (Lake Norman) and another 1 hr 15 min. (Lake Wylie) just to name a few. Theres also Tuckertown, Tillery, Buggs Island (Kerr), not too far away.

On the coastal scene there's Myrtle Beach SC at 3.5 hrs, Wilmington NC 4 hrs, OBX 5 - 5.5 hours and so many coastal areas in that range it would take the rest of my life to visit them all.

The really really cold of winter doesn't last much longer than a month and same goes for the really really balmy hot summers. It gets hot but not like Florida where the sun is directly above you at 9 am in the morning.
IMO July is as bad as it gets for summer and January for winter. We are also fortunate enough to get some snowfall which is usually welcome since we only see it 3 - 4 times a winter. Kids love it - they will close school in a heartbeat. I can remember at least 3 times when I was in school they closed school down in anticipation of snow only to get pure rain and 40 degrees! ::)

One of my biggest gripes is daylight savings time. I hate to "fall back" in the fall. Can't stand getting off work and its dark already. ::) I wish NC would do away with that crap!

In summary, I think a little bit of seasons are good. The hot makes you appreciate the fall and the cold makes you appreciate the spring....

My perfect setup would be to have a place at the NC coast. When my kids get out of school we would all load up and spend the summer at the beach and move back inland when school starts again. :D