I would seriously consider the Carolinas (as someone else said). I lived in Raleigh for 10 years and loved it there. Especially good if you are a college sports fan. There are a number of great smaller cities there like Raleigh, Charlotte, Greenville SC, Columbia SC... etc. Close to the beaches and also the mountains and would establish just enough distance from TN. That's my .02.
San Diego California. Best place on earth
I was stationed in Camp Pendleton while I was in the Marine Corp. I'm not sure if much has changed or not since then but man that was a wild place back when I was there.
I'm not sure I could re-adapt to the lifestyle and timezone. For example, most of my family lives in Tennessee/Georgia/Ohio so it would be difficult predicting good times to get in touch with them, living on the other side of the country from my family, etc.
I'm trying to live life a little slower, I think California would speed it up a notch lol.
My wife is a former Marine as well, in the corps. for 5 years at Pendleton, but she agrees with me and would move back there in a heartbeat if the opportunity arose.
Yeah, I understand that. We're in rural Vermont, we live on a mountain, hence my screen name. My wife and I both grew up in small towns and in houses off the beaten path. This is of my back deck:
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Why are you unsure about the west coast?
San Diego California. Best place on earth
Smog