Grey is a good word for it. The specific term my dad used when he visited was “bleak”. 
I also lived in Aiken for a while. I think you could find everything you wanted and more if you went nearer to that zipcode; Aiken’s housing market has taken off a lot but there’s still places closer to Georgia (Macon like another poster mentioned) that have the benefit of good horse country and infrastructure without too much cost of living.
Me and Michigan. I love MI in the summer and fall and it requires periodic winter visits to keep me from succumbing to the fantasy of year-round life near the shores of Lake Michigan. 
I have lived in both Georgetown and Lexington (twice) and still have family there. It’s a fantastic area, but, like so many areas, is growing quickly and losing some of its appeal for me. And it has winter. Also the fact that I have family there. 
I can’t offer any advice on boarding/training, but it’s a lovely area.
Periodic winter visits – that’s great and exactly how I feel too. Every now and then I get wistful about how breathtakingly gorgeous it is out there and it only takes one visit a year to my MIL around Thanksgiving to remember it is a whole different country and it is raw and cold and blue - so incredibly blue - and not worth living in year round. Lol.
There are likely plenty of areas of the US to look in your $600,000 price range for a house on 5 acres, the tough part is finding that with a barn/fencing on it for horses. Also, you need to be aware of property taxes and insurance to factor into what you can afford.
Why don’t you go to Zillow or Realtor for the states you think you might like, search for houses on 5 acres + and mark equestrian facilities or put horses, barn in the search parameters and see what comes up. If nothing else, it will give you a basic idea of what’s out there in areas you might be interested in. Then look for equine/large animal vets, shopping etc.; the equine vet thing is important as there may be areas that lack that completely.
Midcoast Maine here…Cold, damp everything closes or runs limited hours when its not tourist season
Yes central to southern Ohio is a good option.
I was born-and-raised in Columbus, moved to Florida at 29. I also loathe winter, which is why I left. But, a very robust equine area. Brave Horse is a gorgeous facility. Lots of h/j barns and shows, lots of the local barns do schooling shows. Not a bad drive to Cleveland or Cincinnati for additional h/j showing. I highly recommend using the local equine hospitals if needed, and NOT Ohio State’s. YMMV.
If boarding, it’s about impossible to find a barn that ever actually turns out, so just a heads up on that. “Daily turnout weather permitting” is the standard line. Which means not if it’s raining. Or below 60F. Or rained four days ago.
My parentals still leave just east of Columbus, out where the new Intel is being built. It once was quiet and rural, but has been building up for 7-8 years now and is expected to explode once Intel is done. So IDK how long prices will stay affordable.
Since WEC Ohio was built, a lot of the Columbus-located ones started going there instead of Florida. But there’s a few good options that stay local too, or at least have an assistant trainer that stays back.
I agree, I think it’s a strange choice but 
I was in the Saratoga area, now near Lexington. I don’t miss the horrible weather in upstate NY, taxes or lack of horse activities from Sept-April.
As far as horse boarding & activities, hands down Lexington is the place to be. I could literally schedule a different horsie play date everyday. Farriers & Vet clinics are plentiful, you do need your own rig though.
If I ever move again, I’d go to Lexington, KY or north of Aiken, SC.
I’ve visited both and would be happy in both. If you purchased a home and boarded both would probably in your budget.
They would be on my list, too, with Lexington having preference.
After living places that were not my kind of horsey, I’m pretty particular about where I’d move. Basically, if it were up to me, I’d stay mid-Atlantic or consider the horsey enclaves already identified in this thread.
I like Aiken too, but hate the bugs there after April. Most properties were priced out of reach, especially after it became playland stop for winter. Many people bought up properties for Air BnB investments.
more likely institutional buyers., at least that is what happened here where 52% of the properties for sale were purchased by institutional buyers,
Really drove the cost of a home up that is now reflected in runaway property tax and replacement insurance increases.
I’m going to derail a thread again, but… Why did institutional buyers purchase individual homes?
Not sure if this explains why but does show statistics and data on how many they own.
https://www.huduser.gov/portal/periodicals/em/winter23/highlight1.html
for rental inventory providing cash flow, and tax shielding as the properties are assets that depreciate
What clanter said, plus the success of Air BnB means you can recoup way more with short term rentals than with long term tenants.
Thank you @luvmyhackney for that periodical article. It explains how, with new technology and data access, a big financial institution is able to manage large numbers of single dwellings. We have the technology…
@clanter and @LilRanger how depressing. So people’s homes, the roof over their head and their place of safety, have become financial assets and a tax dodge. I can see that becoming a major social and political issue in the future.
it is not private people it is real estate investment trusts
A Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) is a security that trades like a stock on the major exchanges and owns—and in most cases operates—income-producing real estate or related assets. Many REITs are registered with the SEC and are publicly traded on a stock exchange. These are known as publicly traded REITs. Others may be registered with the SEC but are not publicly traded. REITs receive special tax considerations and typically offer investors high dividend yields, as well as a liquid method of investing in real estate.
REITs, which are structured as a corporation, are not typically taxed at the entity level, which allows investors to avoid double taxation on dividends. REITs must invest in real assets and derive the majority of their income from real estate activities, including rents from properties and interest from mortgages. The REIT must also pay out 90% of its annual taxable income in dividends. Due to this structure, they typically pay out a higher rate of dividends than equities or many fixed income investments. Dividends received from REIT holdings are taxed as regular income.
It’s already a source of social and political issues. Housing prices were driven up by the large scale purchasing of homes by investors. So when interest rates were low and people wanted to travel but not stay in hotels during the pandemic, investors bought houses as short term rentals. That drove up housing costs, and among other things, took a lot of housing off the market. So the lack of housing that we are experiencing in many parts of the US is in part due to investors having bought up a good share of single family homes.
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