Yes, I think this would have to be a deal breaker if you can't get him to deal with at bare minimum the hygiene aspect.

I dated a guy in college who had some serious dental issues that he was actually unaware of -- some visible cavities in molars. He had not had good or even regular dental care throughout his life. I of course explained to him that he was going to be in pain and maybe poor health soon if he didn't get them taken care of. Because of $$ issues, he ended up going to a free clinic, and unfortunately, they had to pull the teeth; It was the best option available, though, and he told me he would have never gone if I hadn't insisted.

But, he'd always done his best to care for his teeth and his health on his own, and definitely practiced good hygiene.

I know implants for example are extremely expensive, but taking care of the brushing and any (probably many) cavities and decay in teeth that are still able to be saved should be the priority. He may not mind missing 4 teeth. Ask him how he'd feel about the next 4 being pulled because he's been lax. And the next 4. While he goes through the repairs on the teeth he has, and keeps up that hygiene, he can save for repairing the open spaces. And visit dental schools and various dentists/oral surgeons in the area to figure out a way to finish that he can deal with.

I've seen people mention Cincinnati and Columbus, which are OK (not for me, though, Cinci's too hot, Columbus is too bland), but Cleveland is totally underrated, in my opinion. We live right outside the city, and while my husbands job is quite moveable, we really wouldn't choose anyplace else. Much of my family has moved to California, and it's nice to visit, but I wouldn't live there.

I live in a lovely home built in 1921, we have great neighbors, my kids go to a great school (public), and there are cultural and artistic things abounding. Within an easy walk from my house are Vietnamese, Indian, Lebanese, Italian and Mexican (authentic) restaurants, and a few Irish and British pubs. Within an easy drive are more of these but also Japanese, Chinese and Ethiopian restaurants and markets that serve all of these populations. We have the West Side market in Cleveland for year round fresh (if not always 100% local) produce and meats.

In my city of 50,000, we have three studios that teach instrumental music, and 2 dance companies, plus a large community theatre that gives lessons, four art galleries with frequent shows and large openings, and countless places that showcase local bands and performers. There are moviemakers and authors doing very well from this area. Plus, in the actual city of Cleveland (which we can get to in 10 minutes or less by car, about 20 by train, the station being .3 miles from our home), there's the Museum of Art and 2 major theatre companies, countless smaller galleries and at least 10 smaller theatres. Oh, and the Orchestra. And the Opera. And the Cleveland Institute of Art and Cleveland Institute of Music.

The weather is bad to some people, but it doesn't bother me. There are a lot of outdoorsy type things to do within easy access. It's always hard to fit in at a new place, but I've heard 3 years is the time you should give it to feel like it's home. It took less time for us in this community (but we did move from not too far away), and we are not white or Christians.

I do think a lot of the plusses to our city come from being close to many colleges and universities (Case Western, Cleveland State, plus about 6 smaller liberal arts colleges within 15 miles). If you choose a spot near higher education, you almost can't fail (diversity, education for the little ones, interesting people, interesting food, etc...)

Best of luck!

(I do agree with Cary in thinking ahead a little bit regarding older family members. My parents moved here to be near us!)

It's simple to get the evidence of how easy it was to pitch perfect games in the World Series, just print out the list of people who did so in the 50's. Oh, wait, that was just Larsen. So, go back to the 40's, when the hitters were even worse ... still, just Larsen. Well, let's use that plucked from the air year of 1975 -- take a look at all the World Series perfect games up until then, or even all the no hitters in the World Series up until then, that'll show how easy it was. Still just Larsen? How about no hitters in the World Series since 1975? Hmmm .... Maybe we could run a statistical analysis to prove that no hitters (at any point in the season) are becoming less frequent as compared to total number of games played -- but it would prove the opposite.

I'm sure it was neat to watch that game, I'd have loved to, but I don't think we have that channel on my cable system. Regardless, I know that whatever it may have looked like, however easy or different or not at all modern, there's something about the World Series that makes it more challenging. Every year. And that was Larsen's second start of the series. King, you know this stuff. I wish you would have chosen a more rational thesis for this article. You're usually pretty reasonable.