So where exactly is Griffin, Ga.?

That's a question I would have had no chance of answering without Map Quest before last week. I still haven't been there, but I think I've been within five miles or so.

[caption id="attachment_286" align="alignright" width="300" caption="South central on the map"]<a href="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/griffinmap.gif"><img class="size-medium wp-image-286" src="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/griffinmap-300x228.gif" alt="" width="300" height="228" /></a>[/caption]

Nicole and I made the trek across the country, courtesy of frequent flier miles and some exceedingly strange flights and found the home where we hope to spend the remainder of our lives. It was certainly odd to have to fly to Atlanta by way of San Diego (it's a 28-minute flight from LAX), but what part of free don't you understand?

Oddly, we found ourselves in Georgia on a NASCAR weekend, looking at a home that is less than 10 miles from Atlanta Motor Speedway. It won't really matter. Most of the big super speedways are only in use three or four weekends a year, and who knows, we might actually want to go to a race one of these years.

One thing is truly amazing about Georgia compared to where we've been living. The cost of living is ridiculously low, starting with home prices. The home we're buying is about 50 percent less than it would be in a comparable Del Webb community in California, and indeed, we got more house than we were considering in Virginia for a price 25 percent lower.

We didn't check out prices on a lot of things, but gas prices are about 40-50 cents a gallon lower than they are here in California. That will matter some, but once we're retired, I don't know how much driving we'll be doing.

One thing that's wonderful is that we'll not only be able to pay cash for the house, we'll also have money left over for the decorating Nicole wants to do.

[caption id="attachment_287" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Sun City Peachtree"]<a href="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/GA-1039-CG-SunCityPeachtreeMain-01-PIGIL.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-287" src="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/GA-1039-CG-SunCityPeachtreeMain-01-PIGIL-300x194.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="194" /></a>[/caption]

I love the fact that the houses are built around an 18-hole golf course, even though the lot we bought will not have a golf course view. I'm looking forward to playing two or three times a week, although I'm a little nervous about having to find new golfing buddies after all these years.

It's funny. From the late '70s until 1990, I seemed to be moving to a different state every other year. But now the thought of moving seems strange. I've been in the L.A. area for 20 years now, and we probably would have stayed in California except that our retirement money will go much further in the South.

It'll be nice to be closer to the rest of my family again, although I have to be honest. For me, home and family is wherever Nicole is.

I'm just glad she likes the idea of moving to Georgia.