I live in Southeast Missouri but spent a good part of my life Around the North end of Kentucky Lake and Barkley. I have two brothers retired there now. This entire area is a world apart from a lot of the madness you see elsewhere. If you just need to have some city Paducah and Murray are nice towns. This is the start of the South..easy day trips to Nashville. One day easy drive to the Gulf Coast. Any further North than here much colder in Winter...any further South much warmer in summer and winter. You will see extreme cold and heat here be sure of that. Change of seasons....and steel your wool for the humidity. The river valleys got that.It all has a life cycle though and we do have some pretty weather part of the time.
My Dad was a sailor and always told me...son I have sailed the Seven Sea's..and all things being equal it doesn't get much better than right around here. Man can make a fairly easy living in these fertile lands,lakes and rivers.