[Udo]

I agree with most of your points, but as a German, my perspective is a bit different (and that is really 50 miles to the East of you). For all the things that are objectively better here in Europe, I always felt a bit like I was born in the wrong country, like the US is where I really belong. Of course, me being a scientifically-minded atheist, the idea of really fitting in there is probably absurd in practice, but still the general feeling remains.

Probably it's all more related to the idea of America as a country of free and innovative thinkers. Compared to Germany, where the definition of progress is a carefully hedged illusion of marginal improvement based on immovable foundations, the US still seems like a country where big ideas can be generated and accepted into society. When I'm over there, I also generally get the feeling people tend to be a bit more friendly and cooperative in the Staates.

[sliverstorm]

the idea of really fitting in there is probably absurd in practice

Nah, just pick the right location. The USA has 300M people. A good number of them are scientifically minded atheists.