Savannah, Georgia and Hilton Head, South Carolina is as close to perfect as anywhere I've ever been so I've made it my home. We're just a full day's drive from the frigid Northeast so we get a lot of transplanted people here from NY, NJ, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Ohio, etc. The climate is ideal - we're already in the 60's and have had some 70's for high this month (February) and we're just below the snow line - I haven't seen a snowflake here in years and have never seen any accumulation. Cost of living is relatively low due to nice climate most of the year and we have some of the cheapest gasoline in the country (don't know why but not complaining). Taxes are relatively low too. I've worked in the technology field myself here on and off and found jobs easily... now I'm a full-time muso and this is a tourist destination area so that tells you something about the music scene. Also, I play as far south as Jacksonville (3 hours) and as far north as Myrtle Beach (4 hours) as well in Charleston (less than 2 hours). If you want to check out the job scene, more local info and classified ads can be found in our local newspapers online:
http://www.savannahnow.com (Savannah) http://www.islandpacket.com (Hilton Head)

Savannah is my favorite city of any - it's completely shaded under magnificent oaks and is very lively thanks to a popular art college downtown. It was spared from the ravages of the Civil War and has lovely architecture. And it has it's own "Key West" beach area in quirky and fun Tybee Island. Hilton Head is 30 miles north and is the fastest growing area in South Carolina. It is very upscale and progressive and property on the island can be expensive but the surrounding areas are very affordable. Golf is king - there are 40 top golf courses on the island alone. I moved to Hilton Head almost six years ago but lived in Savannah for ten years before that and I'm here to stay.

I can't speak to the quality of the schools but I know people have moved here specifically because they liked the school system. Crime is lower here than in other regions, especially on Hilton Head which has a lot of private security.

I think the only drawback to this area is the cost of hurricane insurance because of our location. And every year we seem to be in the bull's eye for every storm that comes out of the Atlantic... but the fact is that we are "in the pocket" of the East Coast and somehow we manage to never get a direct hit (knock on wood). In fact, the last major hurricane to hit here happened over 105 years ago. This is where the east coast of Florida evacuates to.

If you feel like being tempted, you can always come for a visit... that's usually all it takes.