My mom's family grew up on a farm north of Elizabethton. I have family all along the eastern TN border from the NE corner of TN to Chattanooga. My parents drifted into NW GA where I was born and raised. You'll get some cold and snow up there during the winters, but nothing like New England or the mountain states in the west. I've traveled all over this country. Lots of places I enjoyed visiting, but looking for a place to live I'd draw an oval around the area from NE corner of Alabama, the northern 1/3 of GA, anywhere within 50-100 miles of the TN-NC border up into SW Virginia.
Even though it is in the south summers aren't oppressively hot like many other places. The NC/TN mountains are beautiful. You can still get far enough away be in a small town, yet be a days drive from the beach or several large cities.
The Virginia area is a little on the liberal side and some of that has drifted into the NE corner of TN, but it ain't bad. TN has no state tax, but the high sales tax makes up for it. Pick your poison, you're gonna pay taxes one way or another.
I live in GA, but close enough to both AL and TN to see some advantages of all 3 states. AL has crazy low property values and low property and income taxes. But no good paying jobs. Lots of folks work and retire from GA jobs and retire to lake homes in AL. Lots of folks live in AL, but work in GA or TN. People buy homes just over the line in TN to avoid income tax, but buy from stores in GA to avoid high sales tax. I know less about NC, except to say that Western NC is beautiful.
