Two more suggestions:
My twin sister and her husband have been looking at The Villages. They are 56 and have golfing friends who love it there. I think they're going to move there in a couple of years. News showed a huge BC04 rally there a few weeks ago.
http://www.thevillages.com/index2.htm
Second suggestion: You said you'll be in the Panhandle area. I'm nearby in Mobile and I really love Pensacola/Navarre/Fort Walton. (Real estate prices may be high right now due to homes destroyed in Ivan.) Since you'll be close by, I also suggest you look at FAIRHOPE, AL. Alabama?!, you say. Eeeek!..I know! But Fairhope is a really lovely town and you'll be amazed at the number of Boston/NY transplants you'll find there. It's on Mobile Bay and within a 1/2 hour drive to some of the world's best beaches. Climate is very similar to Pensacola. I won't go into all the details, but I think housing prices would be a pleasant surprise to you.
Official website:
http://www.cofairhope.com/
Good photos:
http://lightsphere.com/photos/fairhope/
Best of luck. Remember to order grits when you're down here!
Anything you could possibly want is available, including reasonable golfing, clubs of all kinds, entertainment, restaurants, shopping, clinics and a hospital. But it too is definitely growing. Houseing is becoming more expensive, a couple of years ago you could buy a nice cement block house for about $325,000.00, including the lot which was about $125,000.00. I understand that some lots are now going for $200,000.00. Of course there are less expensive homes as well as more expensive, probably something for most every budget. It's the life style in the Villages that is the most attractive.
Thanks for the info on Mobile. I'm watching this thread like a hawk and bookmarking for future reference, as I'm considering a move to FL or thereabouts in a year or so, and Mobile is on my list of possibilities. I've never been there, but have driven past on I-10, admired the beauty of the setting, and have heard good things about it. Downtown is charming, right? Is it safe to live in town? For a single and not young woman? I have a strange and wonderful profession which generally attracts musicians and performers as clients, but is also of great benefit to elderly people as well. My greatest concern is to land in the right place, where I'll be able to earn a living. College towns are good if the colleges have drama departments and the city has orchestras and theaters.