Which Region of France?

Hi there,

I'm a 32 year old Canadian currently living in Vancouver, BC. I work in international education (universities, non-profits, volunteering overseas, etc.). It's high time I learn French for better work in this bilingual country. I was planning a move to Quebec, but after checking out the weather (some days are -25ºC) I thought better of it.

South of France here I come!

The problem: which city?

Details: I have a Dutch passport. I am a great language learner. My french is a 2/10 and I'd like to get it up to a 5/10. I'd be arriving in mid-January. I plan to stay for 4-6 months, depending. I don't want to work full-time. I don't need to make more than €1000 per month (will be using some savings).

What I'm looking for: friendly atmosphere, great arts scent, somewhat inexpensive, bigger than 50,000 people, but not a huge city (Marseilles is out), and lively.

Is this possible??

Thanks for the help.
Steve

The Montpellier area is nice. We moved here from Van just over a year ago and are loving it. It's a young city and big enough, but not too big. Fab weather (much better than rainy Vancouver weather). It's cheaper than places like Nice, but still has superb beaches.
Friends of ours at Mas Tolosan offer language workshops. Would be worth checking out! (Look up mastolosan.net)