I've done some thinking about this too moonchild. The problem I've run up against is the combination of music and rural. Mooh is right about Goderich being a beautiful place to live. I was struck by its beauty the first time I visited and it is still on the list of possible retirement locations. The Celtic Festival is fantastic and is our favourite festival of the season. As Mooh says there is an active music scene and a monthly coffee house. That's where I start to wonder about the trade off of rural vs music. In Toronto there are many coffee houses per week and the complete spectrum of music. Most weekends the decision to be made is which event will have to be missed because there just is no way to make it to all the ones you want to go to. Once retirement rolls around there are the week night venues that I have to take a pass on now because I need to get some sleep so I can make it to work.

I've looked at 'rural' settings within an hour of Toronto but fear that the travelling time will interfere with getting to the music events. I have one friend who moved to the suburbs in order to have a more pastoral life-style only to move back into the city in less than a year because she was spending so much time driving in for the things she wanted to do.

All in all I might still move to Goderich in a few years but it's worth remembering that there are always trade offs.

If you aren't stuck on living in the US then Southern Ontario is worth considering. It meets all your requirements.