I really liked Ashville NC when I visited. Lots of artists and great quilters in the area.

I have to tell you about Central Texas, the best ever, inexpensive living, good shopping, the best medical facilities in the South (Scott & White) and at least a half dozen quilt shops all within a 30-35 mile radius. Think Temple, Belton, Waco area....could be the type of area you are looking for!

I am young and have a kid and hate screaming kids also, even when its mine it drives me nuts. Kids are just too spoiled these days which is why they act the way they do. It is very hard to raise a child in this generation where no one seems to be doing so anymore. I like old people, they tend to be more caring and considerate because of how their generation was raised. I think my generation was one of the last that was strictly raised but also sadly the ones that are also not using that for their kids.

For a while we rented a place in a gated community in Venice Fl. Love every minute of it. They had many activities going on you could join or not. They also had a quilt group to join which I loved. We stayed 3 months at a time. However due to my DH's illness we no longer can do that. Good luck in finding something you can enjoy. And you are right about where you live. We do not have flooding, tornaoes, hurricanes to deal with but the winters seem too long some times here in Pa.

Another vote here for the "old folks", who have lived through several wars, done their patriotic duty, raised their children to have some manners and not be too selfish, and now they, me, wonder what the heck happened.

You might benefit from renting an RV and traveling to all the places you think you might want to live and then you can decide. We live in Nebraska, plenty of cold and show but we aren't going anywhere for the Winter as hubby can't tow his garage! LOL It's lovely to sew and quilt while the snow flies anyway,

If you want a quilting community why not Hannibal MO home of Missouri Star Quilt Co. If you want a quilt community this is it. The weather isn't bad and I understand it's a cheap enough state to live in. One thing to think about is who will you have if you or your husband were to become really ill? I have a friend who moved to FL and her husband has gone from one bad health problem to another and her statement is I don't have anyone. Think hard about moving to far away from family. Think hard before making a move as you get older. I know that the hard winters make people think about sunnier climates but winter makes you stay home and quilt.

Mia

I think the old people comment was meant "tongue in cheek" but if not you're accurate when you say we are all going there...anyway, I don't like a lot of kids carrying on either and most of that is the permissive attitudes parents seem to have. I travel all spring/summer/fall and have stayed extended periods in many parts of the country. Quilting is almost everywhere. The best location I have found is Florida because of the many people who are there during the winter. We have guilds on both costs, up and down if you like water life. We have a large guild meeting in a central FL (not the Villages) and we meet weekly during the day. Up north most quilters are in small Bees or there is a guild that meets in the evening. Southern states seem to be more economical overall. Housing in Florida is more affordable than comparable weather states in the West (where I learned to quilt). If it's a permanent situation I would also consider tax implications. I left California because the high income tax on retirees (and everyone) was obscene. I hope I don't step on anyone's toes here. These are just my opinions and I'm no expert :-). P.S. I think there are 5 major quilt shows in Florida per year giving access to classes by professionals and vendors from other locations.

Love Texas, great quilt country.

. Great suggestion. We did that full time for 7 years before deciding where to spend our later years. We still travel halftime