Where should I live in the US?

[USADilemma]

I've been offered a job in the US. I need to be available to go to meetings at offices in either Boston, LA or Detroit (head office) every few weeks, but could live anywhere, as everyone is allowed to work from home (forever, not just during covid).

I've got no idea where to start! I've only been to the US a few times (Boston/New York/LA).

Where would you live if you could start anywhere? I'd love to be near a largish city for good restaurants/ events / airport links etc. Good schools and ideally a good university if we stay long-term. I'd love to be near water (lake, river or sea). I'd like decent weather, but it doesnt have to be hot and sunny every day, just no brutal winters.

It would be me and my DD (11 years old), so family friendly. I'd have a housing allowance, so budget isn't too much of an issue.

Any suggestions so I can start to narrow it down?!

I live in Maryland also and I still wouldn't describe it that way. We used to live in Pennsylvania and quite honestly it was worse there.

There's certainly parts of the state like that, but I wouldn't describe it all that way--and unfortunately casual racism is everywhere.

@JesusWeptLady

Northern VA is a tech hub, with a very diverse population.

Also nice is Charlottesville (where UVA is) and environs. Albemarle County has a higher than US average income per household.

I don't disagree that the overall racism is now perhaps a little less blatant, but there are definitely more progressive areas.

[quote mathanxiety]@JesusWeptLady

Northern VA is a tech hub, with a very diverse population.

Also nice is Charlottesville (where UVA is) and environs. Albemarle County has a higher than US average income per household.

I don't disagree that the overall racism is now perhaps a little less blatant, but there are definitely more progressive areas.[/quote]
Charlottesville is an interesting example. We visited some country inn type residence hotels / restaurants when we spent time there. ALL the staff are racial minorities, ALL the patrons, white wasps. And I don't remember seeing a single black face in the whole of Charlottesville, amongst students or local inhabitants. But I wasn't there long. I know you have to spend serious time in a place to really know what's going on, I do take your point.

Charlottesville has voted Democratic by huge margins in Senate, Presidential, and gubernatorial elections since the 1990s.

The city of Charlottesville is nearly 20% Black and the mayor is a Black woman.

Statues of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson were finally removed from Charlottesville today. Four years ago the proposal for their removal incensed the far right, who gathered in the city for the infamous torchlight protest march, and in the course of demonstrations one of the fascists ran over and killed a young woman with his car.

I would rule out texas based on the new abortion laws

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_in_Texas

Portland OR

I would pick the West coast for weather and children. I think you will feel more at home in California depending on where you live in the UK. Boston will be quite cold if you are only used to UK winters - but the summers are lovely.
I would not live in Detroit - crime