Asheville, NC is lovely, though rents are going up fast.
Burlington, VT is also great... though also getting more expensive quickly.
Brattleboro VT is like a smaller, cheaper Burlington. Plus it also has Amtrak to NYC, which is pretty neat. We're targeting the Brattleboro area for our homestead move, so I'm a bit biased, but I think it's the perfect combo of culture, natural beauty, and access to major metro areas.
But in general, I'd target college towns. Lawrence, KS is amazingly cheap and a great place to live.