I live in Boone and have seen a good little bit of the surrounding area including Ashe County, Avery County Newland and Banner Elk and Blowing Rock. The only place I know of to shoot is Watauga County Gun Club, but it is nice and they host IDPA matches. Boone is definitely a college town but it is cool and a nice place. Ashe and Avery are very rural and Banner Elk and Blowing Rock are small. I wouldn't mind settling down somewhere near here, probably outside of any town. Your job prospects are going to be slim here though. You could look into living in the mountains of Tennessee too, but I don't know anything about that.