Thanks for all opinions!
I still have a good feeling about Columbus. I'm drawn to it for a few reasons, and the main one is the people. Second is affordability and job market. Seems to have a lot going on atm and I need a job when I get there more than anything.
Also, the weather and location seems great. For example, Columbus gets 500+ hours of sunshine more than Stockholm. (check this out
http://www.columbus.climatemps.com/vs/stockholm.php ) There's a lot of cities and amenities nearby. Coming from a rural town out in the woods I think I will be kept busy for a long time. Just being able to watch an NHL team is huge for me.
I met one person that said it has all the perks of a big city with none of the drawbacks. I understand that's slightly exaggerated but still.. I find that tempting
I still want to visit Dallas, Raleigh and SoCal (just because I've never been there)
And hopefully I can take a trip for a few weeks to visit all the places that I find interesting, but I will start with Columbus.