I live near Research Triangle Park in the Raleigh-durham area of North Carolina. Moved down here from Chicago about 9 years ago and don't miss the snow one bit, (I do miss the city from time to time).

Housing isn't too bad, real estate taxes are way lower than the Chicago area and the winters are mild too. The ocean is 2.5 hours east and the mountains are 2.5 hours west. Lots of tech jobs too. Worth a look IMHO.