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We live near Louisville, KY - we are on the cusp of country - horse farms, cattle and bison, lots of corn and soybean fields, farm stores, beautiful acreage and homes, hilly forests with gorgeous rock outcroppings - very scenic.....if we turn right out of our subdivision, we are 5 minutes from country settings, if we turn left we can be at high end shopping or WalMart/Costco/Lowes, etc. within 10 minutes.....25 minutes from Whole Foods, Trader Joes, 2 large shopping centers, etc......there are plenty of great historic towns with surrounding rural settings within 30 minutes to an hour from Louisville. Louisville is a foody town, very clean, and the arts are alive and well. Lots of great public events - we love Derby time, Thunder Over Louisville, Actor's Theatre, all the beautiful parks and bike trails. We are 6 or 7 minutes from the very scenic Ohio River - sailing, kayaking, jet-skiing.
Look at La Grange, Bardstown, Shelbyville, KY.
We retired 5 years ago from So. California, near the beach, to Prospect, KY - our standard of living took a huge step forward when we moved to Kentucky and we absolutely love our life here.
Yay another Kentuckian. Prospect is lovely (I'm in Louisville) and so is Bardstown. If you'd rather be nearer to Lexington, I'd recommend Danville or Versailles. Both are adorable little towns with great communities and Lexington is 20-25 minutes away. I have family in both so I'm there quite often. For more rural, Cynthiana is a great rural town about 30-35 minutes from Lexington. My grandfather owns a few hundred acres there that he's retired to and they love it. Cynthiana is actually my hometown and it's a great community.
I'm with mayra285 on this one. I would like to specifically plug Fort Lupton, Colorado. Quaint small town, just outside of the metro counties, yet 40 minutes from downtown Denver. Since its in Weld County you have lower taxes if that matters. However, I must digress that their are plenty of other towns that fit the bill as well. All of my favorites are North Eastish to East of Denver. Yes Louisville, Superior, Erie and etc. do still currently posses a little small town charm, but they are quickly becoming in Op's words "strip center every other block". Fort Lupton still has 4 distinct seasons, and high speed internet. We have a quaint Fort reconstruction that twice a year holds a rendevous style event that people get dressed up in period style clothes from the 1800s. As a result Ft Lupton's history as a fur trapping fort is well perserved. The local Govt. and community agencies are friendly and welcoming of people, if not desperate for active/new members. You are still in the front range and close to its amenities if you ever need anything. A house can easily be found for a $250K budget. No Home Depot or Wal-Mart. Just Ace Hardware and a Safeway. Ace is your classic small town style hardware store, opens early in the morning and has complimentary coffee and still sells anything from paint to amunition to housewares. It is very much its own unique town. .....Ok I'm in Love with it.........
Charlotte is smaller than the cities you mentioned but you can certainly find rural within 40 minutes.
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