Help me decide where to move...

[teecro]

Hello Tennessee, I sure could appreciate some input from you folks.

My wife and I are thinking real hard about moving down to Tennessee as we have had enough of the 4 to 5 months of crappy sunless Michigan winters.

We are not needing to move due to work as my job as an Engineer on board a Great Lakes Freighter allows me the freedom of traveling to and from just about anywhere.

I'm looking for your thoughts on areas outside Nashville such as Hendersonville or Gallatin as well as Knoxville, perhaps even Crossville or even Sharps Chapel area.

I'd hope to find an area that is not completely isolated but we also have no desire to be in a busy city either.

As to who and what I'm made of well I'm just north of 50 and I'm no fan of the current administration, I really like 1911's as well as AR and AK rifles too.

Talk to me.....

[homeagain]

Howdy Teecro!  Welcome to TGO.  Wilson County (Just east of Nashville/Davidson County) is nice.  Lebanon or Mt. Juliet areas.  You can access downtown pretty easily, or bypass it fairly easily and East TN is only a couple hours away.

[Raoul]

Central TN, Nashville, etc.

[teecro]

Howdy Teecro!  Welcome to TGO.  Wilson County (Just east of Nashville/Davidson County) is nice.  Lebanon or Mt. Juliet areas.  You can access downtown pretty easily, or bypass it fairly easily and East TN is only a couple hours away.

Hey guys thanks for the reply and the welcome too... MJ as well as Lebanon are indeed in the running too. We are planning on taking a trip down in mid March to have a serious look around and while we might not pick out a house I hope to least pick some locals that we like and would not mind living in.

So much to figure out and even more to get accomplished to make this happen come spring/summer time....

[Dane]

Come a little farther south to Chattanooga. All the comforts of a big city without the crap of a big city. Plenty of small towns surrounding if you want to be farther out and still have easy access. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[UncleJak]

Sumner county has a lot to offer. If you need a tour when you come down let me know. Sent barefoot from the hills of Tennessee

[teecro]

Sumner county has a lot to offer. If you need a tour when you come down let me know.

Sent barefoot from the hills of Tennessee

We definitely like the Nashville "area" as it offers the shortest route back up north or vice versa for visiting the kids and grand kids too... Plus the airport if I decide to fly for work and/or vacation etc.

[enfield]

Ditto on the Chattanooga area and points north.  Cleveland's a nice town, we shop there occasionally, but too much traffic for me.  Also a Michigan refugee here.  I take I75 to MI.

 

Come on down!  No state income tax!

Edited December 31, 2013 by enfield

[TripleDigitRide]

I can only speak for the Nashville and surrounding areas. I really like Hendersonville. 

 

Your taste may be different, but some places to look at would be:

 

Hendersonville

Mt. Juliet

Franklin

Brentwood.

 

Franklin and Brentwood are two of the pricier options, but all will have most of the stores and restaurants you're likely accustom to. 

 

I also like White House. It's just a few miles north of Hendersonville, but the setting is a bit more relaxing. You'll have a Wal-Mart, Kroger, and a few dining options. if you're like me, you'll find yourself traveling from White House to Hendersonville (assuming you live in White House) for a Lowe's, Home Depot, better dining and entertainment. Plus, I may be able to help you become a member at Gallatin Gun Club. 

 

As you probably already know, the best thing to do is gather as much information as you can, then come on down for a visit. Take a few days to get a look of the areas in person, and I'm sure you'll find something very suitable for your needs.

Edited January 1, 2014 by TripleDigitRide

[Ted S.]

I'd prefer Knoxville over Nashville and especially over Clarksville. Just my opinion. Plus Nashville's crime rate.... Sent from somewhere in the cosmos using magic...and bacon.

[npgunner]

I live in the Hermitage area, which is between Nashville and Mt. Juliet.  If I did it over again, I'd look about 5 minutes more outside of town in the Wilson County/Mt. Juliet area.  If for no other reason than to get away from the Nashville/Davidson property tax and idiot mayor who wants to spend spend spend.  I also like the Hendersonville area.  Franklin and Brentwood are also good areas but as stated above, a bit pricey.  The Murfreesboro area is starting to build up pretty well and some of the surrounding areas around there wouldn't be too bad to look into.  I don't have much info about other areas of the state.

[Erik88]

You're going to get a different answer from everyone so ultimately you'll just have to pick a spot you love. Personally, I think East TN is the way to go. Anywhere from Crossville to Bristol should be great. 

 

Good luck!

[runco]

Suggestion, let county and city property tax rate guide you.  Here is a good resource:

https://www.comptroller.tn.gov/pa/LR.asp?W=13

 

Some other considerations, if considering living in rural areas can have great advantages, but disadvantages as well, like higher home insurance rates because the nearest fire dept. is over 15 miles away.  Longer transit time for medical emergencies because the nearest emergency room can be over 30 min away.   No high speed internet (Obama internet has not reached everywhere yet).  Cell phone reception can be poor to non existent.  Other challenges as well, do your homework.

 

Brief story, my brother and his wife finally bought a small farm and built their dream house in a rural area 30+ miles from downtown Knoxville but in an adjacent county.  Both had never really lived in a real rural area before (they thought they had).  They did not expect to pay a high premium for home insurance due to their nearest fire dept. is a voluntary fire dept. over 18 miles away.  They also are 30 min from the nearest emergency medical care, they have small kids.  No cell phone reception, and no economical high speed internet.  They had all sorts of problems digging a well and septic.  Some of these may not be important to some, but my brother never considered those considerations before buying or building.   5 years later, they are happy, they have a beautiful piece of property that they use.

[Troutburger]

Memphis, I hear they are always looking for Yankees in Memphis.

[runco]

Memphis, I hear they are always looking for Yankees in Memphis.

Thats funny.  Thought the same, but was being nice.

[peejman]

If you want to avoid the "big city", then Nashville and Knoxville are out. Both are far too big city-ish for me. I grew up in the Chattanooga area and it's a nice place. We now live in Maryville where my wife grew up and its nice too. My wife and I both went to college in Cookeville. It's a small town that's grown tremendously over the years. Our favorite area is the "Far East" tricities area. We lived near Kingsport for about 8 years.

[79troublehead]

Move to Memphis. Nice weather, right on the river, and close to Tunica.

[teecro]

Memphis, I hear they are always looking for Yankees in Memphis.

Sorry to disappoint but no "Dam Yankee" here, born and breed down in Houma LA so I still consider myself a full fledged Cajun; I use Tabasco Pepper Sauce on dam near everything but ice cream.... I came to the Great Lakes nearly 20 years ago seeking better pay than I was finding in the Gulf of Mexico as a boat engineer. Not only did I find a really good company to work for I found a good woman to settle in with too, so the rest is history....

While I don't mind working in the cold temps that we have up here on the Great Lakes along with my wife I've grown tired of the long sloppy snow season that forces you inside with little desire to do much of anything except watch TV till the roads clear up in March or April; tired of having to pack away the yawn furniture and fire pit in lue of a snow shovel and snow blower..... Edited January 1, 2014 by teecro

[teecro]

You're going to get a different answer from everyone so ultimately you'll just have to pick a spot you love. Personally, I think East TN is the way to go. Anywhere from Crossville to Bristol should be great. 
 
Good luck!

Any first hand comments about Crossville? While I see that it has a lot of golf courses which I could care less about it does appear to be an interesting town with lots of water features etc...

[enfield]

It snows up there on the plateau!  Might as well live in Cincinnati . . .

Edited January 1, 2014 by enfield

[bersaguy]

Memphis, I hear they are always looking for Yankees in Memphis.

Gosh Mikie, Why are you recommending Lil" Chicago for the man to move to????.................. :rock:

[TripleDigitRide]

[quote name="teecro" post="1087348" timestamp="1388588995"]Any first hand comments about Crossville? While I see that it has a lot of golf courses which I could care less about it does appear to be an interesting town with lots of water features etc...[/quote] I am quite familiar with the Cookeville and Crossville areas. While not my cup of tea, they (especially Cookeville) are centrally located between Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga. It's less than a 2 hour drive to any of the three. This is great if you're looking for a short weekend getaway, or even if the wife wants to spend some time shopping for the day. While I'm not a fan of the "big city" life, I prefer to be within a 30-45 minute drive to downtown Nashville. The great thing about much of Tennessee, is the fact that you don't have to travel too far from any metropolitan city to find a rural-type setting.

[Guest xyzijk]

Suggestion, let county and city property tax rate guide you.  Here is a good resource:

https://www.comptroller.tn.gov/pa/LR.asp?W=13

 

Some other considerations, if considering living in rural areas can have great advantages, but disadvantages as well, like higher home insurance rates because the nearest fire dept. is over 15 miles away.  Longer transit time for medical emergencies because the nearest emergency room can be over 30 min away.   No high speed internet (Obama internet has not reached everywhere yet).  Cell phone reception can be poor to non existent.  Other challenges as well, do your homework.

 

Brief story, my brother and his wife finally bought a small farm and built their dream house in a rural area 30+ miles from downtown Knoxville but in an adjacent county.  Both had never really lived in a real rural area before (they thought they had).  They did not expect to pay a high premium for home insurance due to their nearest fire dept. is a voluntary fire dept. over 18 miles away.  They also are 30 min from the nearest emergency medical care, they have small kids.  No cell phone reception, and no economical high speed internet.  They had all sorts of problems digging a well and septic.  Some of these may not be important to some, but my brother never considered those considerations before buying or building.   5 years later, they are happy, they have a beautiful piece of property that they use.

Semi-Hijack here ... I started an identical thread, at about the same time (MGO ---> TGO) ... 

Good information here, thanks! 

I've been using Trulia.com to look at real estate prices and taxes, but had not considered home insurance prices in the mix.

My wife had already voiced concerns about access to medical facilities. It looks like Knoxville has some major medical infrastructure. I won't build, so a home with existing we'll and septic solves that problem. Hi speed internet is a must, as I won't go back to dial-up modems again. All good points to consider; thanks!

[TripleDigitRide]

Semi-Hijack here ... I started an identical thread, at about the same time (MGO ---> TGO) ... 

Good information here, thanks! 

I've been using Trulia.com to look at real estate prices and taxes, but had not considered home insurance prices in the mix.

My wife had already voiced concerns about access to medical facilities. It looks like Knoxville has some major medical infrastructure. I won't build, so a home with existing we'll and septic solves that problem. Hi speed internet is a must, as I won't go back to dial-up modems again. All good points to consider; thanks!

I think you'll find no shortage of hospitals in Knoxville, Nashville, and I am somewhat assuming Memphis. I think there are more hospitals than churches in the metro Nashville area.

[teecro]

.... I've been using Trulia.com to look at real estate prices and taxes, but had not considered home insurance prices in the mix....

Zillow has a great web site to for looking at both homes for sale as well as rentals which I'm looking at too so that we can try out an area before buying into it even before we sell our home here.