Well as far as LHE is concerned this topic was greatly discussed in this thread
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showfl...part=1&vc=1
The top 5 for mid limit holdem ended up like this
1)LA
2)Northern CA
3)Arizona
4)Minnesota
5)Atlantic City
I live in MN and agree that it is a nice place to live and raise a family and also the games at CP are loose and yummy but I think Phoenix AZ would be the best overall for LHE for many reasons;
1) Great and plentiful LHE at Casino AZ and many others
2) Nice place to live and low cost of living compared to anywhere in CA
3) 5 hours away from Vegas provides opportunity for many road trips out there and great games in CA not that much further away.