California we're outta here

[Guest biking]

Our home is for sale and we will move to Tn. Our goal is to relocate in a smalish town, population under 30,000. We currently live in a small town in Northern Ca with a really nice little gun club with trap, handgun range and a 250 yard rifle range and I am one of the Directors. That said we've been doing the "net" search with all of it's options to explore towns and areas. High on our list for a chosen town is a gun club and fairly close to an airport to visit the grandkids (you know the drill) in Florida. With our on going search several towns have surfaced....Athens, Crossville and Oak Ridge. Again we need an airport proximity that requires less than 2 hours to drive to. My question (finally!) we are very open to suggestions from firearm fans and gun club members as to other towns to consider. We will visit Tn as soon as an offer is tendered for our home. Our plan is to do the exploratory thing and rent a home/apartment with our "stuff" in storage until we find new digs. Appreciate any and all suggestions.....was very pleased when I discovered this sight and joined. It's good to be with people in the same "fraternity"

[soapy]

Oak Ridge economy is on the down slide.

Crossville decent retirement community, about 2 hours from there to either Knoxville or Nashville Airport.

Athens....  no idea.

The middle Tn. area economy is better.  

Murfreesboro Tn. , Rutherford Co. Growing like mad.

GL

Soapy

 

P.S. Welcome!

Edited July 22, 2013 by soapy

[Lumber_Jack]

I think you should look into Kingston, TN.  Its about 15 mins from Oak Ridge Shooting Association and you can be at the airport in about 45mins.  Plus you can go to West Knoxville for any "big city" shopping needs you may have.  Very quiant little town on Watts Bar Lake. 

 

No offense to anyone, but Im not a big fan of Oak Ridge.  Not real convenient to get in and out of there, especially if its quiting time at all the plants. 

 

 

Crossville is nice its about 1hr 20 mins to Knoxville airport.  Great golfing area, not a big shooting range club that I know of in that area. 

 

Athens is a nice area as well, smaller than crossville, about the same distance to airport as Crossville,

Edited July 22, 2013 by Lumber_Jack

[monkeylizard]

If you'll be flying a lot, consider proximity to Nashville. There are several non-stop flights from Nashville to several Florida airports with Southwest Airlines.

[peejman]

If flying to FL is high on your list, living closer to Nashville is a better choice.  Knoxville is a decent little airport, but nothing like Nashville.   That said, any of the 3 towns you listed should be fine. 

 

Oak Ridge gets lots of bad weather and the cops are strict (as are the traffic cameras) but ORSA might make up for that.  Proximity to Knoxville can be good or bad depending on your perspective. 

 

Crossville gets its share of bad weather as well, along with more ice/snow in the winter due to being on the plateau, but its also a little cooler in the summer.  It's much more "small town-ish" than Oak Ridge. 

 

Athens has grown a lot over the years and I'd put it somewhere between Oak Ridge and Crossville. 

 

That said, given the option I'd pick somewhere in the "far east".  We used to live near Kingsport and really liked it there. 

[Jonnin]

What about cleveland TN?  Its close enough to knoxville to hit the airport for a long trip or chattanooga's somewhat limited airport as well.   It has tons of gun stuff, several shops and ranges.   Its a little bigger than you said (not quite 50k population?) but its also somewhat sprawled.   You can drive to a number of cities for a day/weekend trip if you like such things .... atlanta, chattanooga, knoxville, nashville and more are all within 3 hours approximately.  

 

30 min to chattanooga, you can catch a vanline down to the atlanta airport for major trips, a little slower but much cheaper than hitting the puddlejumper plane ride.

Edited July 22, 2013 by Jonnin

[Wingshooter]

I live in Cleveland (about 20 mins or so south of Athens on I-75). Nice town, but it is growing fast. Great outdoor gun range. Athens is also a nice little town. 30min to Chattanooga airport and about 1.5 hours to Knoxville airport (both will get you to FL). We've enjoyed the area a lot.

[Romad7]

Living near Johnson City (Jonesborough) now and it's a really nice area but we have to move for my job. Sounds like you are retiring so this would be a great area if that is the case.

The airport here is very good for a small area, easy flight to ATL then wherever you want. We have a nice house on 17 acres in the country but are about 15-20 mins from shopping, etc and about 25 mins to the airport.

We came from Southern California a few years ago and it's much better out here, glad you're able to escape.

I am not working much these days so if you need a point of contact out here, let me know.

[NoBanStan]

Wilson County is a pretty good area especially towards Mount Juliet. You're 10-15 minutes from Nashville and 5 minutes from the country. There's lakes nearby, there's shopping nearby, airport, movie theaters, shooting ranges, etc. It's just central enough to get you into the population center quickly but you're far out enough that you don't have to endure the traffic jams.

[austin7.62]

Athens leaves a lot to be desired. I'm only down here because of school. I plan on moving back to knoxville when I graduate. The cost of living here is very cheap though.

[Guest biking]

Great info really appreciate it....I'm gettin' out the ole map and plotting the towns mentioned then off to a web site that reveals gun clubs in all states. Clarification (1) I'm retired so job availability is a non subject. Clarification (2) the airport proximity is more for "Babi" (grandma) then me I like droppin' her off at the airport then on out a gun club.

[soapy]

Anywhere in Middle Tn. EXCEPT Lavergne or Antioch. 

 

A+ on BNA Southwest Nonstop to Fla.

Edited July 22, 2013 by soapy

[Metalhead]

White House is a really nice area. Hendersonville would be too if not a little pricey.

[NoBanStan]

Anywhere in Middle Tn. EXCEPT Lavergne or Antioch. 

 

A+ on BNA Southwest Nonstop to Fla.

^^^^ THIS THIS THIS

[knewcomb]

Rutherford Co is worth checking out. Smyrna and Murfreesboro are nice places

[Romad7]

Great info really appreciate it....I'm gettin' out the ole map and plotting the towns mentioned then off to a web site that reveals gun clubs in all states. Clarification (1) I'm retired so job availability is a non subject. Clarification (2) the airport proximity is more for "Babi" (grandma) then me I like droppin' her off at the airport then on out a gun club.

The Nashville area does seem to have the most action as far as gun clubs/matches and such. It's a little more busy than east TN but since you are retired, there a lot of great options for country living that is not too far for the city. Most of the best places are too far from where I would be working but that's not a problem for you. Overall Nashville seems to be a great place to live.

[Wiljo05]

Wilson County is a pretty good area especially towards Mount Juliet. You're 10-15 minutes from Nashville and 5 minutes from the country. There's lakes nearby, there's shopping nearby, airport, movie theaters, shooting ranges, etc. It's just central enough to get you into the population center quickly but you're far out enough that you don't have to endure the traffic jams.

  

Anywhere in Middle Tn. EXCEPT Lavergne or Antioch. 
 
A+ on BNA Southwest Nonstop to Fla.

+1 for both of these. Wilson co is nice, can have as country or small city life as you would like. Certain places like Antioch and Rivergate, even parts of Hermitage I would shy away from...

[Randall53]

You DO vote Conservative.......RIGHT..???   :cool: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Romad7]

You DO vote Conservative.......RIGHT..??? :cool:










:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Good question, we only want the "right" Californians to move out here;-)

Here's my thread on Nashville, lots of good info there.

http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/topic/63049-where-to-live-in-nashville-area/ Edited July 22, 2013 by Romad7

[monkeylizard]

The best gun club in Nashville is in Gallatin. It's a private club with a couple of trap stands and a handgun/rifle range out to 300 yards. Membership is closed, but you can get on a waiting list. It hasn't been taking too terribly long to get through the list lately. The best skeet/trap/sporting clays range is the Nashville Gun Club. It's a lot more expensive than Gallatin GC and doesn't have handgun or rifle facilities. South of town in Spring Hill is CHMR, a private range with unlimited membership count. It's the cheapest, but gets busy on the weekends. It's pistol and handgun out to 100 yards and there are a couple of spring-loaded clay throwers in a side area. The nicest range is run by the TWRA and it's Stones River Hunter Education Center. It's only open weekends, gets very busy, and has loads of novice shooters. It goes to 200 yards on the rifle side and it's all concrete pad so you don't get muddy changing targets. There are also a few indoor ranges, but are more expensive and shorter of course.

 

www.gallatingun.com

www.nashvillegunclub.com

[Guest biking]

YA YA CONSERVATIVE for certain. You can't imagine what's coming to Ca. I'm not up to the minute but "they" are talking about banning all lead and I believe "they" have already passed the bullet identification thing where there will be an etching on the hull from the firing pin (not sure cause we are gonna be outta here and I don't pay close attention) so "they" can identify the gun blah blah blah. Thanks again for all your input.

[VERO1]

Check out Maryville.  Pronounced Murvill by the way.  Thats where the Knoxville airport is located, still has a bit of the small town feel left eventhough it is really a Knoxville suburb.  You could come to Jefferson City where I am.  Home of Carson Newman University and about an hour from Knoxville.  Main drawback is lack of shooting facilities close by.  Also about an hour away.

[mikegideon]

The best gun club in Nashville is in Gallatin. It's a private club with a couple of trap stands and a handgun/rifle range out to 300 yards. Membership is closed, but you can get on a waiting list. It hasn't been taking too terribly long to get through the list lately. The best skeet/trap/sporting clays range is the Nashville Gun Club. It's a lot more expensive than Gallatin GC and doesn't have handgun or rifle facilities. South of town in Spring Hill is CHMR, a private range with unlimited membership count. It's the cheapest, but gets busy on the weekends. It's pistol and handgun out to 100 yards and there are a couple of spring-loaded clay throwers in a side area. The nicest range is run by the TWRA and it's Stones River Hunter Education Center. It's only open weekends, gets very busy, and has loads of novice shooters. It goes to 200 yards on the rifle side and it's all concrete pad so you don't get muddy changing targets. There are also a few indoor ranges, but are more expensive and shorter of course.

 

www.gallatingun.com

www.nashvillegunclub.com

 

I was on the Gallatin list for over a year before I got in. Real cheap after the first pop.

[mikegideon]

YA YA CONSERVATIVE for certain. You can't imagine what's coming to Ca. I'm not up to the minute but "they" are talking about banning all lead and I believe "they" have already passed the bullet identification thing where there will be an etching on the hull from the firing pin (not sure cause we are gonna be outta here and I don't pay close attention) so "they" can identify the gun blah blah blah. Thanks again for all your input.

 

Excellent. Otherwise, we may have recommended the beautiful state of Colorado. They will cater to your sensitivities AND keep you safe from evil guns :). Come on down.

[Peace]

I grew up in Jackson, and I have lived in both Nashville and Knoxville. We now live in the West Meade area of Nashville, and we love it here. We do miss being so close to the mountains and the river in Knoxville, but Nashville is a better fit for us.

Tennessee is a great state with great resources, and hasn't even begun to reach it's potential. To do that, we will all need to have our political eye (and voting hand) on the long-term quality of life and strength of our business sector.

Good luck, you are absolutely welcome here.