i tried to turn austin into a goot place to live for 5 years; it's only good if you also believe that the 1990's were also a good time to live.

Tulsa and OKC as well. The countryside is flat, windy and hot as fuck, so if you like going outside a lot it's probably not for you, but both metros in OK are pretty nice.

As for Arkansas, Little Rock is severely slept on. Not as pretty as Fayetteville and Bentonville, obviously, but I was surprised in visiting recently how much it had grown since I had lived there.

Of course, in all of those places, the fact remains that you're living in goddamned Oklahoma or Arkansas, and that's an experience I simply don't recommend.