David, I moved here from Southern California by way of Virginia and Kentucky. The whole south area is great in my view. I picked Jonesborough TN to retire to, which is in the northeast point of Tennessee. It is the oldest town in Tennessee and works hard to keep the historic feel. They close main street on Friday nights in the summer for music, they have several events during the year which include Storytelling weekend (first weekend in October - we get about 10,000 to 15,000 attendees for this - Jonesborough calls itself the storytelling capital of the world), Jonesborough Days - near July 4, and kids events for the holidays. Several golf courses are within an hour of Jonesborough - some closer to Johnson City and Kingsport.
Nearby is Johnson City which has the VA medical center, ETSU, Johnson City Medical Center, and all the stores. The other way a few miles is Kingsport, which has similar ammenities including Eastman Chemical. Then there is Bristol (Virginia and Tennessee - same town) where the NASCAR racetrack is located. Asheville NC is an hour away. Knoxville is an hour. One of the most beautiful lakes - Watauga Lake is nearby, and there is Boone Lake and Holston lake which has a large park.
There are areas of farms and farm homes, exclusive residential areas, regular residential areas, mobile homes ... you name it. You can have a 10 acre farm or a condo. Your choice.
In full disclosure, I sell real estate here. Having said that, I really feel at home here and the people make you feel that way. I believe there are many areas like this, but this is the final stop for us. If you have any more questions, my email is jacksellshomes@gmail.com or 423-948-0237.