The grass often isn't greener
Atlanta...spent almost 8 years there. Winter is grey, damp, depressing [[Detroit w/o snow and with dampness which makes the temp feel colder than it really is). Every few years there's an ice storm that damages property, takes down trees, etc. and ties up everything. The traffic is impossible, the layout is confusing, the hospitality is a myth, the summers are miserable [[no one goes out if they can help it--heat, humidity, mosquitos). I call it "the city that doesn't work" and I'm not talking about city govt--passivity, laziness, lack of curiosity, it's difficult to get anything done. Culturally, a joke. The art museum gets a good traveling show every year, but has a lousy collection. The area has grown despite the declining quality of the employment base---good jobs like those in IT have vanished, new jobs pay less and companies relocating there have been those in decline [[NCR, Rubbermaid). The real estate market has had a big decline and the area is seriously losing its water. Racial climate is as bad as in any classic segregated northern city. It's a dull, unsustainable place, with a feudal social and economic structure. Basically, it encapsulates everything that's easy to mock in sunbelt cities.
Raleigh...nice town, but surrounded by strip malls, not close to the mountains or the water. Dull place. My friend who lived there used to drive to DC for fun.
LA....have gone there regularly for over 20 years, spent several months settling an estate several years ago. Winters are surprisingly dreary although they usually don't get into the "North Face" level of cold. Traffic is truly impossible. If you don't live and work in the same area, it's easy to spend hours in commute and rush hour now runs through most of the day. Trips to the beach and the mountains can be done, but will be a hassle unless you actually live near those places. Real estate remains expensive relative to Detroit. People tend to be superficial. A common complaint is the difficulty in making real friends and ecnounters with flakes. If you people watch, you notice a lot of unhapppy looking folks. The weather can't fix a screwed-up life, but people have migrated there with that expectation. San Diego is a little closer to being the SoCal dream, if that's what you want.
Miami...horrible racial climate. Anglos have never gotten over the migration of Hispanics. First, Cubans, now a more diverse group. You'll probably wind up is some characterless suburb in a crap house that can't make it through a hurricane.
For economics, DC [[where I live) has weathered the economy better than any other major city. If that's your concern, the the DC area cannot be beat. It's expensive to live here and you don't want to live far from where you work, but it has culture, it has access to other places [[mountains and bay are close; NYC is an easy trip by bus or train). The climate is mild, although it does does get windy and can get below freezing in winter. Lots of parks, good place for hiking, biking, just about anything outside. The city is alive and a real urban place. Much better place to live than Atlanta, which is an over-promoted joke.
Whatever you don't like about Detroit, there's plenty not to like about a lot of other places.