America is an odd sort of country. It both incredibly homogeneous, yet also incredibly diverse. The idea that you can travel for thousands of miles and will be in the same country, same basic language and culture is pretty amazing to anyone from a smaller country.
So from one perspective, it doesn’t really matter where you live, it’s all America with its drive throughs and Walmarts and cul-de-sacs and strip malls and endless places to get a burger.
From another perspective, we are 50 states, each with its own flavor and history, made up of people from every country, and even every city has its own special vibe. It’s a place where if you have very specific values, interests and wants, you can find a place that meets them. You want to golf 365 days a year? You want to live in an Ethiopian community? You want to speak Spanish with your barista? You want to play in a bluegrass band? You want to eat lobster roll every day of the week? You want to go to monster truck rallies? You want to bag peaks on Saturday?
Most of America is quite nice, some of it not so much. And there are a lot of options besides Austin and Raleigh. So, sit down with your spouse and sort through what you value in life. Money, fame, culture, family, hobbies, weather and so on. Then start narrowing down your options from there.
And once you have some candidates, do yourself a favor and go visit them for a week or a month to get to know the place better before making a big commitment.