Youâ(TM)re doing yourself a disservice by discounting Kansas out of hand. Your ideal mixed liberal/conservative suburbia with great schools is a perfect description of Johnson county, the economic and tech center of the state.

I grew up in South Jersey and had the same preconceptions about the area before I met my Kansas native wife. I was shocked at how much not different things are there compared to my suburban NJ life. Average commute is less than 20 minutes, $70 gigabit Google Fiber is plentiful, average fare for a flight out of MCI is only $7 more than Philly. Check the place out next time you get an offer. It would solve your problem of finding good BBQ.