Your criteria are not possible, especially the one about hot summers. NYC, for example, has equally hot summers to Atlanta, just a few weeks shorter. Most Nor

Your criteria are not possible, especially the one about hot summers. NYC, for example, has equally hot summers to Atlanta, just a few weeks shorter. Most Northern places that meet your weather, distance, and opportunity criteria are going to fail other criteria, primarily affordability. Also most of those cooler places are hemorrhaging population. I would suggest you give up on cool summers because all the affordable, growing cities are in the South and have ubiquitous air conditioning. Then look at the Research Triangle, Atlanta, Nashville, and Tampa Bay metro areas. Nothing near cities is affordable right now though.