Single woman retiring to Kentucky or Tennessee

[kygman]

Might want to check out the Purchase District, in far western Ky. It's called the Jackson Purchase because General Andrew Jackson bought this land, between the Mississippi and Tennessee Rivers and the Ohio River to the Tennessee state line, from the Chickasaw Indians in 1818.
Anyway, there are two interstates crossing the area that will take you anywhere. I-24 goes to Chattanooga Tn. to the east and Marion, Ill. to the west, where you hit two more interstates to get to St. Louis. I-69 enters at Fulton and leaves at Henderson. Just about every area has it's "hub" town, where everybody goes for shopping, entertainment, etc. That would be Paducah. Paducah is home to the National Quilt Museum. Twice a year Quilt Week is held, bringing in thousands of quilters from around the world. If you like the outdoors, we have Kentucky Lake, the largest man made lake, by acreage, east of the Mississippi River, Lake Barkley, and the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area.. There are plenty of small towns in western Ky. that you might like. Murray is home to Murray State University. Good place to take a few classes for retirees. They also have other classes for non-students. Good place for concerts and different shows.
Wanted to add the last url in case you wanted to do a little sightseeing. Columbus Belmont was a Civil War battlefield, overlooking the Mississippi River.

https://quiltmuseum.org/
https://www.paducah.travel/things-to-do/
https://www.explorekentuckylake.com/
https://www.murraystate.edu/
https://www.tourmurray.com/
https://landbetweenthelakes.us/
https://parks.ky.gov/columbus/parks/...ont-state-park

[marino760]

One thing I forgot to mention is that I only considered towns that were county seats, just for convenience sake. The courthouse, sheriff's office, county clerk are just down the street from me and city offices are about a 10 minute walk.

There's no lack of greenery anywhere that I know of in KY. There's a huge amount of forest land, creeks, rivers, small lakes. My house is located downtown next to the historic district and I've even had deer in my yard. On another side of town is a nature preserve. The oldest covered bridge in KY is also in this county and it's currently being restored.
There's a huge county park here too with all types of sporting facilities including fishing. Blue Licks Battlefield state park is about a 26 mile drive away and it has excellent lodging accommodations, restaurant, museum, picnic areas and lots of hiking trails for beginners and those more advanced.

You can find all of these things all over the state, not just where I live.

[805gardengal]

Wow the topography of Paducah looks much like the kind of place I would imagine an ideally beautiful place I wanted to be, almost like living in the forest? Which is my dream but of course tempered with necessary amenities... I will keep following all these helpful ideas. Thanks!

[kygman]

Originally Posted by 805gardengal

Wow the topography of Paducah looks much like the kind of place I would imagine an ideally beautiful place I wanted to be, almost like living in the forest? Which is my dream but of course tempered with necessary amenities... I will keep following all these helpful ideas. Thanks!

It's interesting to drive down to the riverfront from time to time and see a riverboat docked. There are several boats that travel the Mississippi, Ohio, and Cumberland Rivers that have Paducah as one of their regular stops.
https://www.adventure-life.com/unite.../river-cruises

Every spring there is the annual Dogwood tour. People having dogwood trees in their yards light them up and you get a map of the dogwood trail.

https://paducahky.gov/departments/ad.../dogwood-trail

https://www.paducah.travel/blog/stor...ing-tree-tour/

https://paducahky.gov/departments/pa...ion/noble-park

[stephenMM]

I'm a Southerner who has lived all over the US and Caribbean. Generally speaking, we're the friendliest and most outgoing people you will ever meet. I used to move to places based on what they offered. But spending 2+ unhappy years marooned in Tucson due to COVID lock downs convinced me that I needed to go back to the South.

Coming to Little Rock was like coming home (I'm originally from Mississippi). As long as you're not the type to complain that things aren't done like where you come from, I'm sure you will find us great friends and neighbors. The people in Knoxville that I met were amazingly nice and friendly.

Little Rock has been a problem for me because I can't safely bike on these streets, so I'm moving to Columbia. S.C., but like Dorthy, I will always feel that there is no place like home, and expect Columbia to be exactly what I need. I once shared a house in Las Cruces, NM w/ a nice gal who retired from Buffalo, NY, and when we last talked on the phone she mentioned that ALL of her friends in Las Cruces were Southerners who had retired there.

[yspobo]

I like Tennessee a lot more than Kentucky. I actually hate Kentucky after all that has happened. Tennessee doesn't have expanded Medicaid though and I have to have expensive chemo treatments to stay alive because of severe autoimmune disease. So, I am trapped in Kentucky. If you don't have to worry about stuff like that, I suggest Tennessee. I would be there now if I was healthy.

Paducah is a very friendly town. I went there for a funeral this past winter. It was my first trip to the area. If you get stuck in Kentucky, it's a better place. You don't want to be near Lexington. Lots of crime around here. Since 2015 I have known multiple people who were murdered in cold blood by people who just wanted to kill someone. I never thought I would ever know anyone who would be murdered when I was younger. I was treated better in Paducah during the trip than I have ever been anywhere else in Kentucky. It felt awkward like I was expecting to get attacked at first. By the time I was having to come back home, I was sad to leave. It doesn't seem like regular Kentucky there.