pinkmint,
I like here. = I like this place.
I like it here = I like the (situation, circumstances, or general state of affairs) here.
Other examples of 'it' meaning (situation,circumstances, etc.)
How is it going?
How is it in China?
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I like here.
This is a perfectly good English sentence.
Example.
Where would you like to have the party, here or in the park?
Ans. I prefer here.
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References:
here....noun...this place. Webster's 11th Collegiate Dictionary.
From the American Heritage Dictionary:
n. here
1. This place: "It would be difficult from here, with the certainty of armed gunmen inside, to bring him out alive" (Howard Kaplan).
2. The present time or state: We are living in the here and can only speculate about the hereafter.
and the Harper Collins Dictionary
noun. here
1. this place
They leave here tonight.