The wife and I are also considering a move in the next couple of years. We have looked at North Idaho, Western MT, SW Colorado as well as eastern TN, Western NC, and N. GA. A lot depends on what you value. We have found houses in our range in all these places. Several states are more friendly to guns, hotrods, etc. Then there are the weather considerations. Hard to believe but Bayfield CO or Divide CO get much more snow than Kalispell or Athol Idaho. Water availability is much better in Idaho and Western MT than CO. TN probably has the best deal for retirees, but a 9% sales tax. When finding a location, you of course want to look at medical availability, but not just that. Out west things are far apart. I remember coming out of Casper, WY and there was a sign saying next gas 120 miles. They weren't kidding. A house may have a great view or be on a great piece of property but might not have access to electricity, internet, have a pharmacy nearby. In the east, things are closer of course. Take all the things into consideration. Weather, medical, taxes, car laws, gun laws, water availability, etc. But if you have kids like we do, are they going to be able to live in a city nearby(They have to work) and will they move. Being remote might sound nice, but how remote do you want to be as you age. We want 5/10 acres and you can get that out west, but somebody is going to need to plow that driveway and sometimes the road to get there. You may also need AWD cars.