When people think of a thriving, up and coming city, they don't usually think of Houston. People tend to associate the city with the smell of oil refineries, oppressive humidity, and the perennially under-performing Astros.
They should take another look. Houston's an economic juggernaut.
It's by far the country's number one job creator, the home of America's booming energy industry, is more diverse than New York City (PDF) and lets you stretch a paycheck farther than anywhere else in the country.