Do you want to move out of the rat race but stay close enough to San Diego to come back occasionally for doctor visits and other conveniences? How about Julian? There are several homes for sale under $1,000,000 and you can probably get a good feel for what to expect in one minute here:
https://www.zillow.com/julian-ca/houses/
https://sandiegomagazine.com/things-to-do/julian-hikes-trails/
They can’t reassess property taxes based on listing your house? What gives here, assembly tripled without a sale (but value coincides with list price in 2021):
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/36706-Mountain-Circle-Dr-Julian-CA-92036/16758763_zpid/