Florida panhandle is great. Some good seasons and you get a lot more cold snaps than down south. Lot of neat Air Force/Navy "stuff" and they tend to bring in lots of people from around the country which makes for a neat mix of folks. Beaches and outdoor activities are pretty much year round. Football and Baseball are huge down there. As Jimmy Buffett says...."you can't reason with hurricane season"...buy a little inland if you can
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Have lived in NC too in the Triangle(Cary, Raleigh, Durham) and Triad(Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point) areas which are 1.5 to 2.5 hours up to the Appalachian Mountains, Boone, Banner Elk... ski resorts. Great universities, Performing Arts, very good Minor league BB and ACC, Big South and Southern Conf. baseball). Four Fantastic seasons, cheap golf everywhere. Little bit of ice and snow but not wicked amounts. Hurricanes have not been too crazy this far inland. 2-3 hours to Wilmington and Myrtle Beach and then 3-4 hours to Virginia Beach. OBX are one of our favorite places to vacation here.
Good luck!