While there is no definitive place to find "what's really going on" there are certainly many residencies that fit what you are looking for. This site is excellent because med students, and those of us who just finished and will be starting internship in ortho next month, can give the scoop directly. The programs I'm most familiar with are West Virginia and Ohio State. Both match what you are looking for. Obviously Columbus is a much bigger city than Morgantown but Morgantown gets a ton of trauma because WVU is the major tertiary care hospital for the area and gets lots of trauma transferred in. WVU has better outdoor recreation as far as mountain biking, hiking, rafting. The ortho residents have their own Softball team. They certainly work hard but they play hard. Many of the attending play with them. Several of them bike, hike, and ride horses with the residents. At both WVU and OSU the residents hung out on their free time together, were close knit, and friendly. Ohio State has more big city attractions as far as concerts and things. Residents at both places landed fellowships at top places. Some decided not to do fellowships. And these are just two programs. There are all kinds of programs out there. I"m sure if you specify a program you're interested in, many people can tell you where to look or what really goes on. Happy hunting.