Where are the best places to live?

I am graduating from school this coming December with a bachelors degree in marketing but I want to transition into real estate at some point in time. I am getting to the point that I need to start getting some feelers out there to get a job out of school. Before I can do that I need figure out where I want to move.

Things that are important to me:

A good real estate market or possible upcoming market.
Decent out of school pay with a good job market in the marketing or finance industry (I could transition into finance)
Has a lot of water around it, love to be close to the ocean or driving distance for a weekend by the beach.
A strong wakeboard scene with local cable parks.
A good singles scene. I'm a 29 year old single guy.
Good restaurants or food scene
I enjoy racing, and dirt bike riding.

I would say florida, but I have a little dog and an unjustified fear of alligators. Top places would be Charlotte, Charleston, Wilmington, maybe Austin. I know some of those places have gators, but I don't want to have to constantly worry about my dog like I would in florida. Any places I am missing or arguments why I should choose one of the places I listed.

I am from Northern California and it really fits the bill but some of the politics and people keep me from going back to that state. The politics really just comes down to their firearm laws.