I've always liked New England. There's a big High-Tech area on the I-95 corridor, but I really like to drive around in northern Massachusets, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine ... that's close to the sea, too, you know.

The "Old South" deserves a bit of attention, too, though I avoid places south of the "Mason-Dixon" line, myself. I you want a real view of the entire country, you have to give those two areas a look, if for no other reason that their historical/cultural importance.

RE