Hi all. Would love advice on where to stay in USA and bit more info if possible!?

I took a year off after finishing high school and i start university in 2011. in october i would love to fly to USA and stay there for a couple of months before i start uni here in aus. I would rather stay in the same place and was wondering which state is a good place to meet new people, relax and enjoy the scenery. I am a artist and would love to do some artwork during my time off. I don't really want to go to California or NYC, Miami and Florida (of course ill visit when im older) because they seem a bit too touristy for what i want to do. Right now i picture more open spaces and relaxing environment. AND if i do stay in a place like im picturing ideas on how to meet people? and types of accommodation? i don't want to stay in a hotel the whole time but is it legal to rent out a apartment if im from Australia.sorry about the long post, I hope this makes sense and answers appreciated.|||This is such a hard question to answer, as I'm sure you know.I wouldn't really recommend California, NYC, etc. The more rural, the smaller the location, the more likely you are to meet people. It sounds like the place you would need would be (1) scenic - you don't want to go to a small town with no interest, (2) smaller - trust me, you will meet people this way. If you know anybody already in the US, I would highly recommend asking them for the name of one of their friends in another town. It will give you a contact who can help you meet other people. Just to give you places to start, though: Colorado is considered very friendly, and it's beautiful in the summer. Excellent scenery, depending on where you are, and if you like mountains/trees/green/rivers/lakes, that's a great choice. I would recommend something outside of Denver - maybe Colorado Springs.If the mountains aren't your thing, and you're looking for a real "American" experience - the Southwest may be the place to go. In October it's just about the perfect temperature, and you'll get all the Western scenery you want. The only problem is that things can be a little spread out, and if you don't know anybody there, it may be hard to meet people if you don't know exactly where to go. I would recommend Phoenix or Scottsdale, AZ (but you may have to know somebody, certainly need to have a car). Texas seems to always fascinate foreigners, but I've never been so I can't comment, really. I supposed I would just recommend a bigger city like Dallas or Austin, but again, I don't know.If you don't want mountains or John Wayne, you could try the Pacific Northwest - Seattle (my hometown) or Portland. Again, if you really want to meet people (and you don't know anyone already), I would avoid a big city like Seattle. You'd interact constantly with other people, but it's hard to get to know them. City thing. I highly recommend a little town outside of Seattle - Bainbridge Island or Poulsbo - where if you just meet one person and tell them you're trying to meet people, they will hook you up. Lots of green, lots of water, etc.If none of those sounds good, go for big old Boston. I would never recommend that to anyone unless they really like the city, though. You could also look into Portland, Oregon. It's also a big city, but I've not met very many people who didn't like it. It's pretty, has plenty of nearby scenery (mountains, hiking, water), and culture. If you're good at making friends out of strangers, a big city may not be bad. But remember, just like any other country, people are more cautious and may need an obvious hint that you are looking to meet people. You also said you wanted to "relax," and you can, but smaller towns are better.I don't think you can rent an apartment here, but I'm not sure about that. You could try couchsurfing.com, lots of Americans are really willing to have a foreigner (especially one who speaks English!) stay over. Another possibility is Googling exchange programs (just home-to-home) where there is someone who has signed up with a reputable Australian or American organization. They can show you around their town, introduce you to people. I hope that helps. Again, just one opinion of many.