My blacklisted cities: Los Angeles, Detroit, Miami, Washington DC, Dallas, St.Louis, Atlanta, Sacramento, Chicago, Boston, Tampa, Las Vegas, Nashville (wasn't actually that bad, but not great.), among others.
Reasons for blacklisting:
The only places I have been to that satisfy my dream location are Denver, and more-so, Boulder Colorado. Then again, Denver is large and has more opportunities, and it's rare I would love a city with so many people.
Boulder, isn't a big city, but I feel like it's just enough to give me great opportunities. Also, I have always been a fan of all things Colorado, it's a great vacation spot. I am applying to Boulder and Denver programs for Graduate School. I kind of have my heart set on this program as well as Boulder; it's just one of those cities that I loved so much the couple of times I have visited. FINGERS CROSSED! I would also consider some areas in Northern California (though it's pretty iffy), Oregon, Washington, (namely Seattle), but I haven't visited those areas yet. They appear to be more my style. I'd say I am more of a LL Bean kinda guy, sort of earthy/rustic hippy minimalist laid back semi-conservative something-or-other. XD
All-in-all, I want to make this decision count for next year by setting roots and networking while in grad school without needing to relocate and start my life over afterward. So, it's really important to choose somewhere I could see myself living for many if not all my years and be content. Plus, if I go manhunting and succeed, I may not really want to move from where ever I go to grad school, even if I am not terribly fond of the area.
I would love to live outside the city. NOT IN SUBURBIA! Rather, I want to live in a greener area, just as short 15-20 minutes from a decent size city so I can enjoy having all of the resources available to me from the city as well as have the comfort, privacy, and tranquility of the outdoors! Crickets > Cars/Siren while I am trying to sleep. I don't want to live in a huge home, though I would like a spacious home with a large yard to house a family one day after I land a great job or if I land myself a doctor :p ...So, I Googled for a pretty good visual of what I had envisioned in my mind. A rustic-modern lake house just outside of Boulder.