I moved to west, TN in 2001 from upstate NY. We're about 35 miles from the Mississippi river, east of Memphis. Memphis is NOT the place to live but Fayette and Tipton county are very affordable.
We're trying to downsize and have the house on the market at 540k. House is a 3200sf custom that I built. However, there's lots of stuff in the less than 2000 sf range that's very affordable. Gas is fairly cheap as is food. No state income tax, low taxes. Several colleges, great medical.
Winters are mild. Summers are hot and humid. Tons of entertainment and dining venues in the area. East TN is also beautiful with the mountains but is very touristy. There's tons of jobs local. Warehouse, drivers, medical and the local community college often offers free training for technical jobs that are available locally. Wages are pretty good. Crime is low away from the metropolitan areas.