It’s not always feasible, but if you can, buy a camper to suit your needs and travel all over to make an educated decision about where you want to live.
My family and I did that, sold everything, moved into a camper for 2 1/2 years, with two younger kids, we were able to provide them with experiences not many others get. We got to travel all over to see where a landing spot would be and aligned with our beliefs and values. Since we were in a camper, we weren’t tied down anywhere, so if we didn’t like it, we’d just hook up and down the road we were.
There’s plenty of work camp spots out there to where you can bounce around to different areas while still making money to live off of.
I most definitely haven’t looked back and if I never had to step foot in the state we left, I never would but we’ve got family there still so we go back to visit for holidays.
Not exactly the “norm” of a way to figure out where to live/move, but I think it gives people the best option to make a decision, where they can spend extended times in areas without being tied down to a house/lease.