Well in my opinion the winters are too long here (Tupelo MS) but the humidity is much much less than New Orleans. You are certainly welcome here there is much to offer. North MS and north AL are not nearly as humid as the Gulf Coast, but the weather is colder and the winter a bit longer and more stark. No snow to speak of. One of the most beautiful state parks is Tishomingo in northeast MS which is at the foothills of the Appalalchains and quite beautiful. We have the Natchez trace here too. Good luck finding the right spot.

Foothills sounds real nice. We do love the mts. but wouldn't want to live in them. Unlike most folks who like the mt. view (from the top), we like looking up at them from below! Also because of rheumatoid arthritis, I'm having to make the move out of the colder climate and mt. living generally means chilly. I always thought MS was a pretty state when we went through quite often while living in AL. I will ck. that out. Thanks for your ideas!

Georgia is nice - especially the northern half. We get daffodils blooming in Feb (sometimes Jan). But no cool nights.

California has cool nights. I lived there for a few years and constantly forgot to take a jacket out at night. Mistake!

I second the recommendation for Georgia. I live on Lake Lanier in Gainesville and love it. I grew up in Atlanta, moved to the mountains after school for several years, and I find this is a happy medium. Close to the city, close to the mountains, usually a breeze off the lake in the evenings in the summer, and I currently have a yard full of daffodils!

I lived in Atlanta when I was single - Gwinnett County. It's a bit too warm there as I remember it. Have a friend who lives in Fayetteville and they don't go outside much in the summer due to the heat so I know what you mean about "no cool nights." I really liked being a Georgia Girl though --- but that was a long time ago [grin]. Has the traffic spread out as far as Lake Lanier? Would seem so by now. I guess I grew out of my ability to be a city girl. Have had too many years living more rural and not having to deal with traffic at all.

LOL, yes, the traffic is all the way up here. Sad to think that it used to be "the middle of nowhere". I lived in the mountains long enough to know I cannot live in downtown Atlanta any more. Have you given any thought to somewhere like Blue Ridge? It is growing and growing but there are still places around that area that are reasonable. Or also in that area you could check out Murphy or Andrews NC, Hayesville NC, Hiwassee GA, or even take a look at Clayton GA. All are small towns that are still fairly pleasant!

You may have to compromise. Like Lanier, I live in NE Georgia (about 1/2 mile from the lake). I'm a transplanted Yankee, and yes, it's hot here in the summer. But that's what AC is for!

You could do northern SC or NC close to the mountains, but not in them. But you may not get the longer growing season you want.

I'd rather have the heat. You get used to it and learn how to deal with it. If you do that, make sure you buy a house with a basement. Even in the hottest weather, our basement never gets above 75 degrees. I think it helps to keep the house cooler.

Like the post earlier if you get north of Alabama it is not as humid and it is so pretty there. Put in Mentone Alabama it is wonderful there, I hope to retire there one day.Another tip would be to copy this and paste then put in the different towns you have thought about and you can get a good history of the weather. Just put in the towns name you are looking at where bessemer is at, someone else sent me this link to find out the last frost date.
www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/daily/35023?climoMonth=3

Thanks so much! I've been out of town but been avidly reading the emails full of so many nice ideas and helpful links. It has certainly given me a list to work on and I will be checking weather and proximity of natural parks, etc. This is really a great group of folks! I don't do forums much but my husband uses them all the time and tells me how helpful they are. Now I've got my own wonderful experience :-)

If you're not wanting humidity, be sure to visit your prospective places in July. I lived in Virginia (Richmond) for two years and thought I was in the south until I lived in Georgia, Alabama, and now here in north Florida. All three are very humid in summer. Sounds like you want California :)

The foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains in NC ought to be fairly cool. That would be my pick but I'm sure there is some humidity there too.

My hubby lived in the NC mountains and the winters were pretty tough.
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California fits your desires more than anywhere in the South. If you lived in AL, then that about sums it up for much of the deep south IMHO. The mountains are the only location with a chance of cooler nights, and less humidity.

Greenville, SC and surrounding towns of Powdersville, Easley, Pickens and the Clemson/Seneca area are beautiful. Greenville is growing and there's lots of fun stuff to do. Winters are fairly mild and short. We occasionally have a bit of ice and snow, but it rarely lasts more than a day or two. Atlanta is 2 hrs. away and the Beach is around 4 hrs. (SC lowcountry) You can pretty much garden all year, but still enjoy the change in the seasons. We love it!

Thanks, mudqueen, and ALL of you who gave me such great input! I really spent a lot of time studying these posts for over a month, checking out the areas mentioned, and finally decided that the Greenville area looked like a good fit.

Would've liked to have been a bit more south for the warmth but all that's going on around Greenville is very appealing to us. The revitalized downtown and free entertainment is great and the proximity of the state forests and parks is really cool. Love the long list of waterfalls since we have fallen in love with the Blue Ridge Mts. on the VA end also.

I actually booked a hotel for next month to check it out in person. Last night I went through and deleted the post emails that I felt didn't fit and hoped I wasn't missing something ... and then today, over 5 wks since my original post, I get your post email recommending the area I chose. WOW! Thanks!

Wishing the green housing movement was a bit further along since that's what we really want. Chemical allergies have made my life pretty miserable for quite some time -- I do better with pollen and outdoors than indoor air. A green home sounds VERY VERY appealing! :-)

Where do you live in that area? We want to be more rural as mentioned but with all that goes on in the city, it would be nice to be within 20 min. if possible. We're 25 min. out from town now and that's the Charlottesville downtown area where I shop. Box and mega stores are at least 40 min. away depending on traffic, but we only head in that direction maybe every 3 mo.

What we're thinking is finding some land with a home we can move into and then build our green home on the land. Then we'd have a retreat rental since I'd like to progressively develop a retreat with organic gardens, trails, etc.

Dreams take much too long to fulfill. I can see why so many people give up ... but what is there to life if you don't have a dream, right?

I currently live in Gwinnett county in GA. I always thought if I moved it would be to Asheville, NC. Lovely scenery, right at the start of the Blue Ridge Pkwy, great hiking. It's hot there, too, but maybe not quite as humid. Good luck in your search!

I lived in Norcross when I was single back in mid-70's. I understand it is now just as congested as Atlanta. The Blue Ridge Mts. are magical! I love them! We're 40 min. from the Pkwy here in Palmyra, VA and I love heading that direction for a day's outing. Here's link to one of my favorite segments of the parkway.

Here is a link that might be useful: Photos of Blue Ridge Parkway