No, I must admit, I never thought of Alabama. :D What's so great about it??
TN, we've lived in before (Memphis) TN doesn't tax military retirement, that's good.
We love the weather there and in NC, at least the few places we've seen in NC.
We stopped at a little town called Mebane a few weeks ago, to get a flat tire changed. Great little place. Then a week later we met another couple having dinner at the table next to us that were also from Mebane. (Letaka, you know where that was. I was eating mashed potatoes. wink)
Seems like fate, but husband needs to work you know!
Huntsville (my hometown) a great place to live (and I've lived all over the U.S.). The weather is pretty much what you are used too, though we get fewer ice storms here. Property taxes and housing are reasonable. If you want culture - we have museums and music. Recreation - Tennesee River, Guntersville and Wheeler Dams are a short drive away, hunting, fishing, tennis, boating, camping, AAA baseball team. Shopping abounds! Nashville, Birmingham, Smokey Mountains, Memphis, Gulf Coast, and Atlanta are all within a few hours drive away. Huntsville drivers aren't quite as crazy as those in Atlanta - but close. Good restaurants and plenty of them. Here are some links to the place that I'm proud to call home:
http://www.ci.huntsville.al.us/
http://www.huntsvillealabamausa.com/
http://huntsville.about.com/
If you have lived in memphis, why in this world would you want to go back? Armpit of the South