I found my current host, with which I am very satisfied, by browsing, and digging, and watching, and asking, at the geeky and nerdy website
Web Hosting Talk - The largest, most influential web hosting community on the Internet - lots of reviews and "consumer reports" based on experience from all over, if you're willing to wade through...
(I don't know whether we're allowed here to advertise our personal hosts...would that be, "advertising"?)