San Jose

San Jose

San Jose is Silicon Valley's anchor city, much bigger than San Francisco by population, and culturally underrated because everyone drives through it on the way somewhere else. The Vietnamese food scene (especially in Little Saigon) is one of the best in the country. The weather is impossibly mild, the Santa Cruz Mountains rise to the west, and the tech money funds a genuinely excellent restaurant scene.

Shreveport

Shreveport sits on the Red River in the Ark-La-Tex corner, with riverboat casinos lining the waterfront and a food scene that runs Cajun, Creole, and serious smoked meats. The Mardi Gras parades here are smaller than New Orleans but just as enthusiastic. Texas is 20 minutes west, which gives the city a regional crossroads feel. Quieter and cheaper than the bigger Louisiana metros.