So you're kind of like me. I am from massachusetts, but have a few connections to michigan and minnesota. No family yet, so I am not really tied to a certain location. So I am thinking about trying a new place in the country to live and work for awhile, although the path programs in my state are hard to beat.
But I kind of looked all over for potential places, with the stipulations that 1) I need a winter, and 2) there are certain places that I want to avoid, including California, texas, and NYC.
I only considered large university-type programs. The smallest places I visited were Dartmouth and Vermont, and they aren't really that small. My top 9 favorite places around the country, in alphabetical order (bear in mind I have an anatomic pathology bent but want good CP training also):
Chicago (U Chi), Dartmouth, Iowa, Johns Hopkins, MGH, Michigan, Penn, Utah, Vermont
I also like UMass but have been in Worcester for enough time now and would like to move on.
I have also heard good things about Univ of Washington although I decided against applying, Wash U, Virginia, Emory, Indiana. Places some people have told me are wonderful, and others have not: Brigham, Duke, UNC, Yale, Missouri, South Carolina, Pittsburgh, Northwestern, Mayo, Georgetown, Vandy, UAB, Cleveland Clinic, Rush, Minnesota (which, apparently, used to be #1 in the country until a couple decades ago).
Best to ask other people if you want to know about california, texas, or NYC as I didn't even start thinking about any of the programs in these places.
There are also fellowships to consider - many programs are desirable because they offer lots of fellowships. Some places might be great places to do fellowships but not residencies. Lots of things to consider.