My wife's family is from teh area and I have been up there plenty of times. It seems south of the city is the growing areas. A lot of nice malls and friendly people. Cost of living seems to be dirt cheap and you actually have fresh air. I love it up there because I am a cyclist and I can ride 50 miles without passing a car on some of the remote back roads. I had thought about moving my family up there, but that would mean putting up with the inlaws on a daily basis
Honestly, if I got a job offer that was better than what I have now, I would move in a heartbeat.