"Even though it's in the middle of nowhere, it's a beautiful area if you like desertscape."
Yes, that much is evident. And yes, I could be VERY happy living there or in the high desert in New Mexico. In the desolation is great beauty if you know how to see it.
And yeah, I don't really do golf, either.
On the requisite tangent, I've been pulling out what little hair I have left regarding my retirement area. A major portion for that is still looking after my dad, but the other major part is how I want to retire.
As much as I would like a few hundred acres out of town where I can fish, hunt, and shoot out the back door, that kind of property comes with some responsibilities that keep you close by. A couple of dogs, chickens, other things that require somebody to be around. If you want to go away for a while, it's difficult to find housesitters out in the boonies, and asking neighbors to watch the place for possibly weeks at a time throughout the year is kinda rude. If I were older and not keen on travel, this option would be a no-brainer for me, at least until I got too old to take care of things.
Hence the other potential retirement plan is something like St George, where I could buy a nice place in a gated community where all the landscaping is taken care and the place is safe if I leave for a long time. While I'm younger, I still want to do things like go to Hawaii and the Caribbean, spend a few weeks in Eastern Idaho fishing, etc. Having a low maintenance home is conducive to that. Plus from St George, there's great Utah fishing and hunting and 4WD exploring starting just an hour away. I'd plan travel away from JUL-AUG though to escape the heat. :)
I've also been trying for a "best of both worlds" thing looking at Kanaka Rapids Ranch outside of Buhl, ID where you can get a rural property with 0.5-10acres on the Snake River but it's still in a gated HOA where eyes are kept on things if you take off for a while, and also close enough to Twin Falls to find bonded housesitters or caretakers for longer term getaways.