Yep. Asheville. Although Hendersonville is OK, but it doesn't have the downtown and the Center for Creative Retirement, which is on the north side of town. We shopped around a lot and fell in love with Asheville within fifteen minutes.

Michigan has a lot to offer. You can be by the water, in the country or in the city if you want.

I relocated from NJ to Myrtle Beach, SC several years ago.

But, and I think this is extremely important when relocating, try out wherever you're considering to relocate for 6 months. It would be terrible to relocate and then hate the place.

My DH and I did this - rented an apartment for 6 months to see if we liked the area. Luckily, we loved it...and bought a great home once we knew it was a good place for us. Property taxes are low, especially compared to NJ. It's a beach town, lots of touristy things to do, which is great when the 'grands' visit.

I used to live in NY, Long Island, Upstate, Queens Village, and now I live in Wichita Kansas. I love it. We are near the airport, mall, quilt shops, all of it and we still have our country home and a large yard. In fact, this weekend we are building a chicken coop so we can have fresh eggs again. Love it here. Also, the traffic is nothing compared to LI. My sister is in Massapequa and it is crazy there compared to here.
Good luck with your decision.

For me, the culture of a place would be more important than the weather. My husband and I have lived in a small town in Ohio for nearly 30 years and we have nothing in common with anyone around here. We are looking forward to retiring in the next 2 years and moving to a more urban environment where we can share some interests with others. It has made our marriage strong because we are each other's best friends but it would be nice to go out with other couples now and then and have some common ground for a conversation.

I vote for TN but NC is great too. I love the mountains and streams and rivers and waterfalls and farm houses.... I live near Knoxville, and I find out about a different fabric/quilt store every time I talk to someone! My family and I love to do "road trips" but after my son was hit by a car, we had to make them much shorter. We discovered lots of things to do closer to home. The only place we are planning on going to that is more than half a tank of gas is Wythville, VA. Awwwww.. now I want to go to NC!
The cost of living is pretty good here too. We have 2 houses-a two BR in the city that I bought in 2007 for $40K and a four bedroom in the country for $65K. Right now, we rent the 2-br out for $550. It's really cute and not in a bad area. OTOH, we bought a trailer last year and fixed it up and it cost a total of $4k. It is set up in a park that rents for $200/month. You can spend as much as you want, though, there are plenty of lakeside houses going for 100 times more!
Jobs are available, no state income tax (sales tax is 9.75%), and decent property tax. You can drive down the road and see a multi-million dollar house and go around the curve and see the "stereo typical" house/trailer with a rebel flag and cars on blocks in the yard... But I think that kind of diversity is everywhere... Going to Walmart goes under "Entertainment" in the budget!!

This is fun! Good luck!!

I find this thread extremely interesting!!! I am visiting my friend and her husband who have a mobile in Sarasota Florida, that they go to every year. I am in the market to buy something like this for my retirement but the park they live in is way too expensive for me. There's 2 of them and only 1 of me. I live in Nova Scotia so I really don't know too much about areas of Florida but I know I hate the winters here!!!! I am somewhat a dummy when it comes to trying to find things out online, so if any of you Florida know of places at a reasonable lot rent, I'd love to hear from you. Thanks, Wendy

Of course I love VT but I don't stay there in the winter!! I know a lot of people who retired to FL years ago "re"-retired to NC, the mountains area. Better climate I think is the reason. Best of luck in your search!!

I agree with Scraps. Look around a bit before you take that expensive step. Almost any place you might want to go has a website to give you some further info. Check on guilds in the area. Some are welcoming but a few are not. If there are no LQSs, probably not a good bet.

We are also looking for a park, or pvt lot, to leave our 5th wheel year around in South Carolina, Georgia, or further south, must be safe, near major medical center, and affordable. Pleast pm me with any suggestions. Judy