Living in Tennessee? Pros and Cons?

[brucethebroker]

On the losing side in the War of Nortern Aggression, not for me.

Nortern Aggression.....hmmmm.

 

[target2019]

On the losing side in the War of Nortern Aggression, not for me.

Made me look. That is one difficult statement to interpret.

 

[Dawg52]

At this point, I'm tentatively planning to go full retirement in 1 year 2 months, and then move to Chattanooga or thereabouts.

I need to take at least one long trip there. 10 days or so. I can do that in Sept. or Oct.

Wherever you go, lease an apt for a few months before buying. Just to be sure that is where you want to reside long term. Perhaps you said that earlier in the thread.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

All this Tennessee talk reminds me that Joe Namath is peddling homes somewhere in the state. Has anyone checked them out?

 

[ER Eddie]

Wherever you go, lease an apt for a few months before buying. Just to be sure that is where you want to reside long term. Perhaps you said that earlier in the thread.

I'd like to do that -- rent an apt. for a few months. I'd have to quit my job first. Couldn't get that much time off.

I could spend 7 or 8 days in a motel, check out the neighborhoods. I'd probably have to take a couple of trips like that, to get a feel. I'll use the shorter week-long trips to figure out if I want to move there.

That's a lot more research than I've done on any place I've ever moved. I've lived in about 7 states, moved about a dozen times. I've never known much where I was moving, just went there for other reasons (school, family). I never "sampled" a place like this before.

 

[ER Eddie]

All this Tennessee talk reminds me that Joe Namath is peddling homes somewhere in the state. Has anyone checked them out?

Yeah, here he is, pitching his retirement community:


https://youtu.be/PQGglTXAIhA


69K for the 3/2 house on 1/2 acre
350 prop tax
450 property insurance
No state income tax

That's a pretty nice deal, Joe.

 

[haha]

Here are my pros for moving to Chattanooga:

- 3 to 5 degrees cooler
<>
The cons are basically the hassles, expenses, and losses of moving. Severing of a few friendships. Loss of easy employment.

Everyone is different, but for me the cons are the bigger group here. Re: 3-5 degrees cooler, up in the sweltering range, 3-5 degrees F really matters hardly at all. You are still going to want to be inside with the AC on high. If a climate change is attractive, make it matter. Get some altitude and cooling in the Rockies, or the Sierra.

Ha

 

[frayne]

Here are my pros for moving to Chattanooga:

- 3 to 5 degrees cooler
- CoL about the same, maybe a little more. Home prices about the same, maybe a little more
- It's a hub city: 2 hrs to Nashville, Knoxville, Birmingham, or Atlanta.
- Nickname is "The Scenic City."
- Lots of support for outdoor activity, including hiking and biking.
- 57 trailheads within half an hour's drive.
- Fastest internet
- The art scene, Hunter Museum, Bluff View art district
- Lonely Planet named it "Best in the US"
- Outdoors magazine named it best twice.
- No state income tax
- State interest/dividend tax is getting phased out.
- TN Riverpark (runs 10 miles along river)
- Aquarium
- Ruby Falls (underground caverns and falls)
- Audobon Acres

The cons are basically the hassles, expenses, and losses of moving. Severing of a few friendships. Loss of easy employment.

At this point, I'm tentatively planning to go full retirement in 1 year 2 months, and then move to Chattanooga or thereabouts.

I need to take at least one long trip there. 10 days or so. I can do that in Sept. or Oct.

I moved from west central Ohio to the Chattanooga area twelve years ago and absolutely love it. We still have the change of seasons with very mild winters. The summers are hot and humid but you adjust accordingly and probably not all that different than what you are used to in Miss. I play golf year around and the mountains are less than an hour away if you want a change of scenery. I actually live just across the state line in N. Georgia primarily because of the better schools and the real estate was more reasonable at the time I bought. There are plenty of things to do in Chattanooga plus Atlanta and Nashville are both only about 90 minutes away. The place is rich with Civil War history and the town has quite a bit of culture and diversity which I like. Now the downside, rush hour traffic on I-75/24, 153 and 27 can be a real pain plus we have the ridge cut over Missionary Ridge which is a real bottleneck, especially for big trucks. People don't know how to drive in rain and when we do get any snow don't even think of venturing out unless you have a death wish. There is some urban decay but the city officials are working hard to convert old factories and warehousing areas into condos and green living spaces. We have state of the art EPB fiber optic internet hence the name gig city and a pretty robust and growing economy. VW and Amazon have facilities here. The people are wonderful and the pace is a bit slower than in the northern cities of equivalent size. If you have any questions about the area, shoot me an IM and I'll be more than happy to respond.

 

[Red Badger]

I'll pile on for Chattanooga as well. We did a few weekend road trips there when DS was growing up. I also did fairly extensive biz travel there. It was always a good thing when work took me to Chattanooga. Good dining option and hotels (including the Chattanooga Choo-Choo).

 

[mrc758]

I moved to Lenoir City in 1992 which is just outside of Knoxville. Great area in that it's small yet very close to all the amenities. I'm a physician at the hospital in Oak Ridge and my kids went to college in Chattanooga. It's a beautiful area of the country. My family loves it. My children especially love Chattanooga with the river and outdoor activities.

 

[RunningBum]

I'd like to do that -- rent an apt. for a few months. I'd have to quit my job first. Couldn't get that much time off.

I could spend 7 or 8 days in a motel, check out the neighborhoods. I'd probably have to take a couple of trips like that, to get a feel. I'll use the shorter week-long trips to figure out if I want to move there.

That's a lot more research than I've done on any place I've ever moved. I've lived in about 7 states, moved about a dozen times. I've never known much where I was moving, just went there for other reasons (school, family). I never "sampled" a place like this before.

You might consider using airbnb or vrbo, and try to pick places in neighborhoods that look attractive. Seems like it'd be a little more of a living experience than staying in a motel. Just a thought.

I've heard really good things about Chattanooga, especially recently. I've stopped on my way through but never really spent time but it sounds to me like it fits the bill for you. I'm surprised it's only 3-5 degrees cooler. Maybe summer is a bit shorter too. It may not be much of a difference, but it's something. (edit: I just checked climate vs. the two major MS college towns. You are right. I'm still surprised.)

Any reason to limit the search to TN? There are a lot of good mountain towns in the southeast.

 

[ER Eddie]

Everyone is different, but for me the cons are the bigger group here. Re: 3-5 degrees cooler, up in the sweltering range, 3-5 degrees F really matters hardly at all. You are still going to want to be inside with the AC on high. If a climate change is attractive, make it matter. Get some altitude and cooling in the Rockies, or the Sierra.

Ha

I forgot to list a very important criterion for me -- the friendliness of the people. I find people in the south a lot friendlier than people in CO or OR, generally speaking. I don't mean to offend anyone from those states, but that's been my personal experience and seems to fit with what I read online.

I'm an introvert, so if you put me in a place where people are a bit cool and aloof, then I'm not going to do well. I do much better in a place where the people are friendly and welcoming. So that's the main reason I took them off and concentrated on states in the southeast.

There are other reasons, too, like cost of living, politics, and distance from family.

The heat will be a pain, but oh well, no place is perfect; there are always tradeoffs. I'll deal with it. Other people mentioned that some of the mountain towns have very nice summers. I'll check those towns out, too. As long as the cities aren't too dinky, I could always live in the mountains, which would cool it off.

Any reason to limit the search to TN? There are a lot of good mountain towns in the southeast.

No, not really. KY and NC are also on my list. My brother said he'd prefer if I landed in TN, so that's why I started looking there first. But I could end up in KY or NC, too -- I'm looking in that general area. Doesn't have to be TN, but it drew my attention more than KY or NC did. I'm open, though.

 

[Dtail]

I forgot to list a very important criterion for me -- the friendliness of the people. I find people in the south a lot friendlier than people in CO or OR, generally speaking. I don't mean to offend anyone from those states, but that's been my personal experience and seems to fit with what I read online.

I'm an introvert, so if you put me in a place where people are a bit cool and aloof, then I'm not going to do well. I do much better in a place where the people are friendly and welcoming. So that's the main reason I took them off and concentrated on states in the southeast.

There are other reasons, too, like cost of living, politics, and distance from family.

The heat will be a pain, but oh well, no place is perfect; there are always tradeoffs. I'll deal with it. Other people mentioned that some of the mountain towns have very nice summers. I'll check those towns out, too. As long as the cities aren't too dinky, I could always live in the mountains, which would cool it off.



No, not really. KY and NC are also on my list. My brother said he'd prefer if I landed in TN, so that's why I started looking there first. But I could end up in KY or NC, too -- I'm looking in that general area. Doesn't have to be TN, but it drew my attention more than KY or NC did. I'm open, though.

+1 in general with the people from the South.
Where I lived in the North, no one said hi or good morning unless you knew each other. Plus the friendliness in some of the retail services/friendliness such as Publix is far superior.

 

[RunningBum]

Interesting, I found OR to have the most friendly people on the trails. I only spent a week there. Overall, I can't really say.

For NC, check out Boone. Asheville is another possibility but it seems to me that it has gotten very crowded and expensive.

 

[harllee]

ER Eddie, come see me in Linville, NC (30 minutes south of Boone, NC, 30 minutes east of Johnson City TN.). Linville might be characterized as "dinky" but not so noticeable , there is so much to do. High today was 76, wonderful weather. And friendly folks. Come flatfoot dancing with me at Altapass Orchard located in the Blue Ridge Parkway (or if you don't dance come and listen to great Bluegrasss bands). I will introduce you to so many friendly people you head will spin. Of course I am a major extrovert, but sitting in the nice weather on the back porch is fun too.

 

[HGTVfan]

Is there anything screwy about the TN health insurance market? I'll probably have to get Obamacare.



Thanks for the clarification!

I’m not from Tennessee, but I’ve read stories of the struggles and near collapse of the ACA in Tennessee. Here’s a story from last year about warnings that I assume never came to pass. Still I’d look at it carefully if I were you.

What’s Going on in Tennessee? One Possible Reason for Its Affordable Care Act Challenges - Center on Health Insurance Reforms

 

[NYEXPAT]

Wrong state. Deliverance was filmed on the Chattooga River on the GA/SC border. I am sitting about 25 miles from there in my RV, and I can hear those chords in my head.

I am well aware having done the Chattooga several times in the 80's.
I was referring to "The Vibe" more than anything.

 

[camfused]

...I live in the summer in a small place -- Linville North Carolina...

Knock it off. We'll have even more people move here!

Yeah, been in NC for 40 years now. Planning on moving west to the mountains (from the middle) in a few years. Beats TN, since the weather (rain, hot air damming) is on the TN side. Politics are not so great. (Too) Many FL plates in the mountains during the summer, but whatever.

+1 for Linville area. Love hiking the Gorge, and the caverns!

 

[davebarnes]

On the losing side in the War of Nortern Aggression, not for me.

Sorry. Northern, not Nortern.

 

[Scuba]

You might consider using airbnb or vrbo, and try to pick places in neighborhoods that look attractive. Seems like it'd be a little more of a living experience than staying in a motel. Just a thought.

I've heard really good things about Chattanooga, especially recently. I've stopped on my way through but never really spent time but it sounds to me like it fits the bill for you. I'm surprised it's only 3-5 degrees cooler. Maybe summer is a bit shorter too. It may not be much of a difference, but it's something. (edit: I just checked climate vs. the two major MS college towns. You are right. I'm still surprised.)

Any reason to limit the search to TN? There are a lot of good mountain towns in the southeast.

I second the idea of staying in a VRBO or Airbnb home rather than a hotel. Whenever we’ve traveled to other areas to check them out, we’ve also tried to do things we’d do at home, like go to the grocery stores, local restaurants, etc., to get a feel for what it would be like to actually live in the place. Also walking, biking or driving around a lot of neighborhoods is good.

 

[Bamaman]

My sister has a second home in Banner-Elk, NC, a ski community just outside of Boone. After living in Memphis, she cannot get over how nice and genuine the people in the region are. The same goes for those citizens living in Upper East Tennessee.

The benefit for living in Tennessee is much lower taxation (than NC or SC.)

 

[JoeWras]

I live in central NC. If we had to move, East TN would be very high on our list.

I'm getting more and more tolerant of hot weather and less and less of cold. I'm even liking the humidity more. Weird. I think it has to do with the skin cracking in dry weather.

Of course, these last few days have been tough. Much like below zero days up north. You can deal with it, but you may not enjoy it. Welcome to southern winter. Crank the A/C. Westerners need not apply. Stay where you are.

 

[Dawg52]

Just another thought if climate is the main reason for a relocation. Plenty of northerns head south for the winter. No reason hot climate retirees can't head to the mountains during the warmest weeks of the summer. A permanent may not be required.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Chattanooga has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years. Traffic can be a bear at times...the infrastructure hasn't kept up with the growth.

+1 on eastern TN. I absolutely love the Tri-Cities area and if wasn't for moving to "fly over country" to be closer to the DW's family, that would be my #1 choice for retirement. Probably something near Elizabethton (population of about 16,000). If you need "bigger town" stuff, Johnson City (population about 70,000) is a short 10 miles down the road.

 

[ER Eddie]

Chattanooga has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years. Traffic can be a bear at times...the infrastructure hasn't kept up with the growth.

Hm, that's a concern. I may end up landing in a smaller city in the SE TN area, then, rather than Chattanooga. I saw that real estate values are forecast to rise 10% next year, so it's growing fast. It would be nice to get in while the property values are still reasonable, but I wouldn't want to live in a city that is going to get real crowded over the next decade, which could be Chattanooga's fate.

Thanks for the suggestions of other places to check out. That goes for other people making suggestions of individual towns, too. Appreciate the input. I'll mark them on the map.