I have the same goal. I have been in the Atlanta area since the early 80’s and it now resembles more of a third world hell hole than the city I used to love. Eevn the suburbs are getting bad. Plus I am nearing retirement myself.
I am presently looking at Santa rosa or Okaloosa counties in Florida. I have seen some places in Navarre off the coast that aren’t terribly expensive and some houses in rural areas in Okaloosa county. It will defintely be Florida for me but I am a little bias as I am originally from the panhandle of Florida near Panama City.
“Redneck Riviera”
I grew up in Jacksonville. I enjoyed my time between Hurlburt, Eglin, and Duke Field. The sugar-white sands of the Gulf of Mexico was a really nice change coming from the Atlantic coast. Just when I thought I was going to be retiring there, someone looked at my records and saw I hadn’t been to Korea, so I got orders. No complaints, just took 13 years to move on.