Best gay-friendly cities to live in the southern U.S.?

Are there any cities in the south of U.S. where gays are welcomed, or at least well-accepted? I'm used to living in huge cities where being gay is hardly an issue. There may be some job opportunities for me in the bible belt of the south. What might some of my options be? It would be nice if there were a decent gay culture (like Atlanta) too. But beyond Atlanta, I'd like to find out about much smaller cities that might not be so obvious as well. What do you think? Hearing about cities to definitely avoid is helpful too. I'm hoping to hear about less obvious big cities, plus smaller cities in these states: LA, MS, AL, GA, TN, AR, the Carolinas. Thanks!

Public Comments

1. Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio
2. El Paso, Tx
3. David S has it right, the most gay friendly cities in the south are Austin & Houston & San Antonio, Texas; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Miami, Florida... It's the conservative south, you wont have much luck in this area, its called the BIBLE BELT, intolerant xians rule this area, remember these are the states that had gay sex criminalized until lawrence v. texas forced them to legalize it.
4. A friend of mines lives in Orlando without a problem, so you can add that to the list too
5. miami palm springs orlando kissimee ft launderdale key west florida virginia beach virginia new orleans louisiana
6. Ft. Lauderdale is great. The Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area is also good, if a bit more tame. I live in Richmond, VA, and we don't have a big club scene, but there a lots of gay people and we are well-accepted. Savannah is also supposed to be good.
7. There is a good sized gay community on the Southside of Birmingham, AL. There are several gay bars and inner city Birmingham is pretty liberal. Just a few miles outside the city and all bets are off. Asheville N.C. is gay friendly city, especially for lesbians.
8. I read recently that Dallas, TX, has the largest gay population in the South. You might also consider New Orleans.