Texas. If you don't like heat, stay away from there. It's triple digits most of the summer. ...and nobody give me that, "it's a dry heat" stuff. 120 degrees is hot no matter how you slice it. It's ever hotter in Nevada.
I have 5 acres in Middle Tennessee about an hour and half from Goodlettsville. About an hour from Knoxville and Nashville. Right near Cookeville. It's on the western edge of the Cumberland plateau and it sits on top of a mountain. VERY pretty. I'll sell it to you cheap!
We live in Missouri and we like it here. The job market is decent, the cost of living is low and people are friendly. Land is not a problem, every property outside of town usually comes with 2+ acres anyway.