how to judge the veg-friendliness of an area you don't know?

[Yogini]

I get my master's in May and am currently engaged in a nation-wide job search. Is there any one website I can use to check any given area in the U.S. for natural foods stores, veg*n restaurants, and the like?

Thanks.

[DancingWillow]

the west coast is noticeably more vegan-friendly and eco-conscious that the east coast and midwest. also regardless of region, there's always plenty of options in big metropolian cities.

i found this site for you:
http://www.vegetarian-restaurants.net/Newsletter/BestUSArest2004.htm

for smaller cities, the way that i'd check is to go to www.superpages.com and search for health food stores and vegan/vegetarian restaurants, and see how many come up.

you can also go to Yahoo Groups to check if there are any vegan groups in the city. if there are, you could even join the group and ask the group members for their opinions on the vegan options in that area.

i don't know how helpful this is, but it's what i can think of right now.