Where in Tennessee should I move to?

[Guest President Fernatt]

Right now I live in Sevierville, Sevier County and I pretty much love it here but I will probably be moving next year for college. After December I will have an Associates in Psychology and an Associates in Criminal Justice. I will be pursuing psychology further to obtain a Bachelors then a Masters... in hopes of one day getting involved in the field of Crisis/Hostage Negotiation. I intend to move to either Johnson City for ETSU or Cookeville for Tennessee Tech. I have no preference on schools really so I thought you folks could give some info on the areas themselves. Cookeville or Johnson City and why? Thanks!

Note:

-I don't care about night-life or bars cuz I don't drink or party

-local government condition (corrupt,ignorant, or honest,efficient)

-which is more likely to have a police department willing to hire (or any jobs in general)

-geography and scenery

-everyday life

-any of your thoughts and opinions?

[Guest pfries]

I am in Hickory Tree (Possum Creek to the old timers) Bluff City mailing address.

Well local government is what it is (we have a few getting looked into)

Sullivan County and Bristol Hire fairly regularly as far as Johnson City and Kingsport I do not know.

I am Right in Cherokee national forest in the hills at the bottom of Mt. Holston, Beautiful rural area. I can be to the Parkway and anything I need in 15 to 20 min.

I feel safe out here with my family; I am outside the city areas 12 miles to Bristol proper, 25 to Johnson City and 25 to Kingsport.

Still have neighbors that are neighbors, willing to pitch in and help, have bonfires together, watch the kids if you need to run to the store and they are playing with neighbors. Borrow a cup of sugar, just nice and comfortable.

I can walk out my back door and go hunting or shooting, the kids can still run and play all day without having to worry about them. I moved here to settle in for retirement and love it. Wish I could have done it sooner but life doesn’t always work that way. Happy hunting and good luck.

[Jasongar8]

For the kind of job you want you will probably need to be close to a big city with a big police department. Memphis, Nashville, or Knoxville would be where I would be looking. I would think that would be a pretty hard field to get into just about anywhere.

[DaveTN]

If you want to be a hostage negotiator I would think you would need to work your way through the ranks of a large Police Department.

Awhile back I was reading that Nashville Metro was having trouble finding people that hadn’t been arrested and could pass the tests; they were getting most of their people from other departments.

[TGO David]

The plateau area (Cookeville) isn't bad at all. I've got several friends who graduated from TTU and they all really seem to have enjoyed their time there.

[Guest PapaB]

...

-local government condition (corrupt,ignorant, or honest,efficient)

Did you really ask about honest, efficient government?

Well, getting back to planet reality, Cookeville isn't a bad place to live. It's halfway between Nashville and Knoxville so you'd have better access to larger police departments.

With 2 year degrees I'm not sure you should plan on getting a job related to your education yet. When you've finished your Bachelors and are going for your Masters, that's when you might want to look at getting into police work. Talk to the people responsible for hiring for the Knoxville PD, Nashville metro PD, TN State Police and the TBI. They can help you decide where to go, what to do and when to do it.

[laktrash]

I've lived my whole life in east Tenn but if if I ever relocated it would be Cookeville for me I worked in Cookeville for 8 years. Some of the nicest people I'ver met, people are friendly and have alot of old time values. I can't really put my finger on why I liked it so well but it seems like everytime I mention Cookeville being different "in a good way". people agree with me.

[MphsTiger1981]

If you're interested in Criminal Justice, our fair city of Memphis is the place to be. We have plenty of criminals, and we need more justice. If I was your dad, I'd suggest you go ahead and get a job working as a police officer now, with the education you already have. Most local police departments will hire with your background right now. Why not see if the job is for you first, before you spend a lot more money on getting your masters, then taking an entry level position at $28,000 a year as a patrolman to work your way up the line.

Most police departments don't hire guys to be anything but beat cops. Your going to be way over educated for the job by the time you finish grad school and you may not want to work for the money they are going to offer. Join the force now and see what it's like day to day. I was a reserve sheriff deputy for 8 years, and my brother is a cop. we both know some good people who thought they wanted to be cops, only to find out they did not really like the job once they started doing it for a living.

Sorry for the hijack. Now back to your original question, I would think Cookeville would be better employment wise, being located between Nashville and Knoxville, as someone else pointed out. Big cities have more turn over and better chances of employment in your chosen field. Smaller departments are less likely to hire frequently and will probably pay less money.

[Guest BenderBendingRodriguez]

I don't know if other schools are also off the table for things like financial reasons, but the University of Memphis also has a top notch psychology department. Like one of the better ones in the country.

[TN-popo]

LE, not geography, advice coming...

I agree with a lot of what MphsTiger1981 said.

Get a job now.

1. See if you even like it.

2. Build experience / seniority.

3. The vast majority of Depts will hire with a 2 year degree. With very rare exception, anything beyond a BS degree won't really interest most LE agencies.

4. Many Depts have an education benefit (full or partial) for continued education.

I just graduated the FBI's Crisis Negotiator School this summer. I'd be very surprised if you get that opportunity with less than 5 years on the job anywhere, regardless of your educational backround. They're much more interested in your maturity as an officer and your ability to interact and communicate with people (yes, I snuck in somehow).

Edited October 18, 2011 by TN-popo

[Guest President Fernatt]

Okay, sorry. Apparently I need to clarify. I plan to move to one of these areas and obtain a job as a police officer to get involved with the law enforcement community while I work my way through college. Only after I obtain my Bachelors and start working on my masters do I actually intend to start exploring the field of crisis negotiation. Potentially joining the Military for a bit then getting out and looking for a career in the TBI or FBI is fairly attractive as well.

I have actually wanted to be an Officer since I was 5 so I know its for me. No kidding; sounds juvenile but its what has motivated me. From getting Dare awards when I was younger to getting a college scholarship from a local police department, I have been pursuing it for what seems like my entire life. I actually lost over 85 pounds when I was 17 to make my dream obtainable. So I'm definitely going that route.

BUT, entertaining the idea that perhaps law enforcement wasn't for me. I still love Psychology and with a Masters alone I can always open my own counseling office or work as an assistant to a Ph.D in order to make a living if need be.

Back to the initial quesition. I'm going to visit Cookeville this week to look around. That seems to be the most favored location, not only on here but in conversations with other folks as well.

Edited October 18, 2011 by President Fernatt

[MphsTiger1981]

Okay, sorry. Apparently I need to clarify. I plan to move to one of these areas and obtain a job as a police officer to get involved with the law enforcement community while I work my way through college. Only after I obtain my Bachelors and start working on my masters do I actually intend to start exploring the field of crisis negotiation.

Ahhhh!!! Sounds like a good plan my friend. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[laktrash]

Okay, sorry. Apparently I need to clarify. I plan to move to one of these areas and obtain a job as a police officer to get involved with the law enforcement community while I work my way through college. Only after I obtain my Bachelors and start working on my masters do I actually intend to start exploring the field of crisis negotiation.

I suggest you spend a few days in both places., Get a feel for the community. I think there is a fair amount of differences between Johnson City and Cookeville. Cookeville has more of a small town feel while JC has more of a larger city feel. Just my opinion.

[Guest President Fernatt]

Good advice, I have been to Johnson City but just passed through. I'll spend a day or two there to better formulate an opinion then I will visit Cookeville for the first time to do the same. I like the thought of being in a smaller town (yes Sevierville is small but there are millions of tourists through here and I need a break lol) but a larger place like Johnson City might be the best overall. Not sure. I planned to visit both areas anyway but I just wanted to get some basic imput from folks who have more experience in these locations before I get visually attached to either one. Thanks

[10-Ring]

I am a TTU graduate and lived in Cookeville for four years, I will tell you what I can about Cookeville. Not I moved away July of '08 so take that into consideration.

-I worked loss prevention for 3 of the years I was living in Cookeville. I had lots of interaction with local PD, back then anyway it was a very good department. Most of the officers were very good people that really wanted to do good for the community, of course there were a couple of bad apples, but all in all it was a good department. Bad thing was that the pay was really bad, $27,000 per year IIRC.

-The sheriffs dept has a reserve deputy program that was pretty easy to get onto, it doesn't pay anything but is a really good way to get your foot in the door.

-Cookeville is one of the cheapest places in the country to live. A few years ago it was ranked #2 nationally. Rent could be had when I was there for as little as $300 a month utilities included and that was a decent place.

-Lots of great scenery and outdoorsy things to do if you are into that, you really don't have to drive far out of town to be in the middle of nowhere.

-You can get about anything you need in Cookeville, I always wished they had a good electronics store like Best Buy, but besides that I was able to get anything I needed locally.

-Jobs period, but especially good jobs are really hard to come by, that was the main reason I moved after I graduated was that I couldn't find a good job. 6 months after I quit my job in Cookeville I moved to Nashville doing the exact same job for the same company but they were paying me $3.25 an hour more. Don't know what it is about that town but unless you want to bus tables decent jobs are difficult to find.

-Best gun range ever is 10 miles out of town (Bend of the River) it's a little primitive but Charlie, the guy that runs it, is super nice. He will help you fix your gun, run the skeet range for you while it's snowing, show you the easy way to zero a scope, and loan you guns if you don't have what you need. The guy just really loves guns and wants to help you anyway he can I can't say enough good things about him. If you are a TTU student he will give you a year membership at the range for $20 I think. Oh yeah and TTU offers the following electives...Handgun safety and familiarization, riflery, archery, and trap and skeet, all taught by Charlie at the range.

Those are just a few things off the top of my head. If I can be of any assistance or answer any questions for you please shoot me a message and I will do my best to answer it.

[Guest TennToTwo]

I currently live in Northern Illinois (Yea, yuch!) About three years ago we told a friend of ours who lives in Knoxville we heard a lot about Tennessee and how nice it was and that we wanted to retire there someday. Not knowing anything about it we asked her for some recommendations based on our wants. In the country but close to a larger size town so if we wanted to go to dinner and see a movie we could without driving an hour. Pretty country. Easy access to other cities. She came back and said Cookeville. We picked a realtor out of the phone book and called her. A year later and half dozen trips down there we got 15 acres 15 mins north of Cookeville. Livingston might even be a bit closer but its a Cookeville mailing address. We get down there a few times a year. Got a camper on the property. Just enjoy it. Can't wait to brake ground on a barn next year. A house will follow in a few years. We made the right decision.