Where in the United States can one find a very long,(preferably
colorful), autumn season followed by a very short, mild winter season?

Hello,

Listed below are sites providing information concerning specific
locations you might be interested in. All locations are noted for
longer autumns and milder winters. You can also see locations nearby
these places by searching yahoo maps (http://maps.yahoo.com/)

Kamiah, Idaho 
Chamber of Commerce site (scroll down to section on climate)
<http://www.kamiahchamber.com/visitor_information.htm>

Asheville, NC
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Weather Page
<http://www.great.smoky.mountains.national-park.com/weather.htm> 

Prescott, AZ (near a national forest)
Convention and Visitor's Bureau
Weather Info
<http://pnilz.pni.com/prescott/attractions/sunseeker.html>

Arkansas Ozarks
Bulletin Board discussion relating to climate (scroll to paragraph
beginning "I live in NW Arkansas")
<http://varsoon.wireboard.com/~jleitess/countryside/hv.greenspun.com/bboard/Wc2ca727865fee.htm>

South Carolina
In depth info on all 46 counties (including climate info specifically
mentioning short mild winters)
<http://www.ls.net/~newriver/sc/scco1.htm>


Search Strategy:
Google keywords-
-autumn "short mild winters"
-"longest autumn" u.s. weather
-"fall foliage" short winter
-prescott autumn foliage
-ozarks foliage seasons

I hope you find this information useful for your needs. Please submit
a clarification request if you're confused or unsure about any
information presented here. I'll be happy to do some more searching.

rapidreference-ga