January 27th, 2021 at 7:57 AM ^
have had some exposure to TN - most notably Nashville and Chatanooga. Nashville is growing and has a very vibrant/talented music scene (not JUST country but yeah a lot of country). It's not perfect but there is a lot to like.
I've been to Memphis once and was less impressed.........but that was also partially because Northwest didn't hold a connecting flight for 8 minutes and I ended up spending a night near the airport. Perhaps not the fairest place from which to generate an assessment.
January 27th, 2021 at 8:04 AM ^
Natchez Trace Parkway. Otherwise, no particular opinion. Go where you wanna go and do what you wanna do...
January 27th, 2021 at 8:05 AM ^
We’ve found Josh Huephel’s burner account!!!
January 27th, 2021 at 8:10 AM ^
I’ve read the informative posts above and feel like people are missing the elephant in the room and not asking the most important question to inform your decision. Do you like Kid Rock?
January 27th, 2021 at 8:14 AM ^
What's a summer like in TN? Is it really hot and humid like much of the south?
January 27th, 2021 at 8:17 AM ^
In a word. Yes.
It's basically a tropical climate from late May to mid September
Proximity to the mountains help because gaining a bit of elevation means it's usually cooler
January 27th, 2021 at 9:29 AM ^
It is, but it's doable. as mentioned the hills and the mountains around here help, so that it's not like Louisiana or Lower Alabama where all you can do is sit on the porch and quietly gasp.
I'll put it this way, living here I have never had a day where I felt like I simply could not go outside unless the heavens had opened up with rain.
January 27th, 2021 at 9:52 AM ^
Yes, it's hot. But as I used to live just a couple hours south of here in Alabama, it's amazing how much difference that couple hours makes.
We say it's hot, but not Alabama hot, because that's the hottest place in the universe.
January 27th, 2021 at 8:48 PM ^
Yeah I mean I get I have different tastes than most people, but I would not want to live in a place that hot. Michigan's climate is actually pretty much ideal for me.
January 27th, 2021 at 8:20 AM ^
I live in Atlanta, but have visited TN a good bit. It is a beautiful state. Nashville and Chattanooga are great towns. Not spent any time in Knoxville, but heard decent things. You are close to Asheville, and many beaches are only a half day drive away. It is an underrated state.
January 27th, 2021 at 8:32 AM ^
The big plus for TN, TX, and FL is NO INCOME TAXES.
Plan on higher property taxes, though - at least in TX and FL.
January 27th, 2021 at 9:37 AM ^
In Texas sure, in Tennessee my property taxes are a LOT lower than they were in Ann Arbor/Saline.
January 27th, 2021 at 10:02 AM ^
Correct, my property taxes are just over half what my mother's are in Michigan and that's after the City here jacked mine 50% last year. Our taxable values are within a $10k of each other.
And you can't get away from the city limits down here. They just keep expanding indefinitely until they run up against another city. We don't have townships or anything to keep them in check.
January 27th, 2021 at 8:34 AM ^
I've spent a little time in Memphis and can say that the Blues and BBQ are top rate! But Beale St is, like, 3 blocks long and in the middle of a, well, high crime area. (Of course, the immediate area around the tourist locales are safe enough.) Graceland is certainly worth a visit (participated in a few Ducks Unlimited outdoor shows there). Also, it's only a couple of hours from Stuttgart, AR - the home of hunting flooded timber on the central flyway. Just simply fantastic duck hunting, if you can go!
Edit: I forgot to mention Bristol. If you are a NASCAR fan, or even have a slight, passing fancy with car racing, get tickets to a NASCAR race in Bristol. That track is the loudest, funnest, and has the most interesting racing I've ever seen! A weekend in Bristol when NASCAR is in town is well worth the time and expense.
January 27th, 2021 at 8:35 AM ^
Lived in Nashville for 8.5 years and really nothing bad to say about it (I suspect those ragging on it just don't want to encourage people to move there). Music scene is fantastic- all styles from Country to rock to blues. The average musician on the street corner playing for dollar bills tossed into a hat is even very good and the bar bands are the best of any of the many cities that I have lived in or frequented
January 27th, 2021 at 9:42 AM ^
I'm not ragging on Nashville and you are correct that my motivation is to try to talk people into moving just about anywhere else.
But the area is growing like a weed and I'm not convinced its being managed as well as it could be. Knoxville and Chattanooga both have a lot of good to speak to without some of the same growth issues as there are in Nashville.
January 27th, 2021 at 9:02 AM ^
Love TN. Some of benefits that haven’t been mentioned are you still get the 4 seasons but don’t really get the shitty part of winter. Also you can get to the Atlantic or to the panhandle quick enough for weekend trips in the summer.
January 27th, 2021 at 10:04 AM ^
100% this about winter. By late February it's more or less over and spring commences. But even dead of winter in Chattanooga is like prolonged fall football weather in Michigan. Lows in the 30s highs around 50.
January 27th, 2021 at 9:04 AM ^
I live in Nashville and enjoy it. The suburbs of Nashville are nice areas as well, where you can raise a family if you do have kids. There are plenty of things to do regardless of what your interests are. There are also plenty of good bar areas outside of Broadway (Broadway is generally more tourists than locals). The restaurants here and the surrounding suburbs are good as well. Also, as others have mentioned having no state income tax is nice. The only thing that I was somewhat surprised about since I have moved here is how much it rains, specifically in the winter. It rains all the time in the winter. Good luck wherever you end up moving!
January 27th, 2021 at 9:21 AM ^
I've lived here for 20yrs. It's calm compared to Detroit. Although the weather throws unexpected hail marys at you.
January 27th, 2021 at 9:27 AM ^
I lived in Nashville for 10 years, then moved to Texas for work. I loved living in Nashville while I was there (it was just at the beginning of its major growth boom). Lots of good restaurants, nature is accessible and close, and the weather is good. At the time, I didn't have kids.
Now that I do not live there and have kids, I would not move back. It's growing very fast and getting crowded. Traffic is terrible. Yes, there is no income tax, but sales tax is 9.25%. And, the schools are atrocious. If you want your kid in a decent school, you're probably forking out a lot of cash for private schools, or you're living in Williamson County. The Williamson County schools are good (for Tennessee), and the housing prices reflect that. You are then rewarded with an awful commute up I-65.
Others have chimed in about Knoxville and Chattanooga. Both are beautiful places. I would never live in Memphis. I would also avoid Clarksville, as that city is dominated by the army base.
January 27th, 2021 at 9:35 AM ^
I was just in Nashville...what is that Gulch neighborhood?!
That felt like I was in an entirely different city! Everything was brand new.
Nice little biscuit place I went to for breakfast, but yeah, that area seemed like the reason Nashville has exploded the past 5 years.
January 27th, 2021 at 10:35 AM ^
Haha, yeah the Gulch is the trendy new part of the city that everyone wants to go to. Needless to say I don't go there much.
January 27th, 2021 at 10:32 AM ^
I live in Williamson County and the schools are great for anywhere. There are other surrounding counties with good schools but you are paying the price in real estate for them as well. This place is awesome for raising a family, tons of stuff to do outdoors and indoors, active sports leagues, several other type of youth organizations with high levels of participation. Far as I'm concerned if you have kids it's a fantastic place to raise them(admittedly school district dependent).
As far as the commute, lots of headquarters are going in in Williamson County itself and there's more remote work being done as well. The commute to downtown is awful, but better than when I lived in Saline and had to commute to the Detroit area.
January 27th, 2021 at 10:58 AM ^
I live a bit south of Williamson County, but my wife teaches there. The schools are fine, just like back in Michigan. Even our county's schools are just fine.
It's more what parents put into their kids. Many rural kids' parents aren't that invested in their kid's education. It's still a poor state outside Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville (and that whole techy area).
January 27th, 2021 at 9:29 AM ^
I’ve been to Nashville many times, and know a few people that live around there. Awesome place and they seem to love it.
January 27th, 2021 at 9:54 AM ^
I currently live just outside of Nashville. Moved here 8 years ago from Pennsylvania for music. I honestly love it here and I have met so many great friends but the city has grown and changed so much in the past 5 years or so. The cost of living here has gone up so much especially home and land prices and the small town feel the city once had is def. changing. Starting to feel more like a big city, like Atlanta a lot of folks say.
There is always something to do though around the area (pre covid) but the summer's here are hell. haha, unless you like constant heat and humidity. Fall, Winter and Spring are decent though. And yes, we can get a lot of rain in winter months.
Schools are not the best around the city but private is an option if you can afford it and also counties outside the city are good. Lots of parks and lakes around the area too that are nice.
Best of luck, Go Blue
January 27th, 2021 at 10:01 AM ^
I have lived in Knoxville for 20 years (HS in Detroit area, 10 years and 3 degrees at UM, then a little time in South Texas before moving to Knoxville).
A lot has already been said, and I agree that it is high quality of life and low cost of living. I will add that it's very family friendly. You get four distinct seasons. Summers are hot and humid but not too long. You get winter and small amounts of occasional snowfall (which cause everything to shut down), but it is relatively mild. Spring and Fall are both amazing. Allergies are horrible, so that's one drawback. There's not a tremendous amount of high culture (although there are a ton of PhD's, between the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Lab). But you are within a day's drive of a lot of major cities - 10 hours or less to Atlanta, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Detroit, Chicago, Washington, DC, multiple beaches in NC and SC.
January 27th, 2021 at 10:10 AM ^
By my calculations, Tennessee is the ideal state in which to live if you want to avoid weather/natural disasters. You won't get directly hit by a hurricane (eliminate Florida north to Delaware and the Gulf Coast states and Hawaii). You won't get hit by an earthquake (eliminate California). You avoid tornado alley (Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio). You won't consistently get hit with major snow storms in the winter (New England, New York, Pennsylvania, the rest of the north/Rocky Mountain states). You won't have to deal with wildfires (Washington, Oregon). And, you won't have to deal with the summer heat of Arizona and the southwest. And, best of all, you won't be living in Arkansas!
January 27th, 2021 at 10:28 AM ^
I do agree a lot of this is true but Tennessee is partly in tornado alley and we can get really bad stroms here and tornadoes like the one that tore through a 50 mile stretch here last Spring.
And summer here is very hot and humid.
January 27th, 2021 at 10:34 AM ^
Moved to Nashville last summer after 15 years in Southern California. Definitely growing like crazy. I feel like half the people I’ve met lately are newer than me.
lots of great areas. I live a block off Broadway. Several great areas in this area like Brentwood and Franklin. And as mentioned Chattanooga is a great smaller city.
January 27th, 2021 at 10:41 AM ^
I grew up in Kalamazoo, moved to Virginia and have lived in Richmond, southwest Virginia (Abingdon, near Bristol) and now Knoxville for the last 7 years. I also split time in our Chattanooga office.
Knoxville - Small city that feels bigger because the University. The primary suburbs are West and they are just kind of generic strip mall chain restaurants with planned housing developments. Nice but nothing special. Traffic is really not an issue at all if you have lived in a city of any decent size. Little busy during rush hours, but that is all. In my opinion the best areas of Knoxville are in the neighborhoods near downtown. North Knox and South Knox (right across the river) are both really blowing up. Cool old craftsman and Victorian houses that have been redone and within walking distance to lots of breweries and local restaurants. Downtown has a pretty good feel also, they have Market Square which is more of an older crowd and then a couple blocks away they have the Old City for the younger college/hipster crowd. Property taxes are not that bad even if you live in the city, but are really cheap if you live in Knox County.
The people are generally nice. There are some liberal pockets downtown, but overall very conservative. I do get the occasionally “Go Blue” when I wear Michigan gear and some good natured ribbing about Woodson winning the Heisman over Manning (they are still pissed). They also think Morgan flopped in the Sweet 16 game, but those are the more sophisticated UT fans. I go to the games when I get a free ticket and they are a good time. Tailgating near the river is cool. The stadium other than being big is nothing special. The fans really get into the games and other than playing Rocky Top until your ears bleed and being delusional about how good their team should be they are mostly good spirited. I have noticed that a lot of people come to UT and never leave Knoxville.
No state income tax is great; however, the near 10% sales tax does add up. Overall, I enjoy living here. You get 4 seasons all fairly mild. The mountains are beautiful with lots of outdoor activities. Two-hour drive to Nashville when you need the big city feel. Pluses outweigh the minuses in my opinion.
Chattanooga – Also worth a look. I have only stayed downtown and near the riverfront, but like others have mentioned tons of outdoor activities. Very active city in a cool location. The Northshore area and the south area around Main St. are really cool spots. Close to Atlanta.
January 27th, 2021 at 2:00 PM ^
Good info and first post/day. I've been in the state 5 of the last 12 years and I've still yet to see anything yet of Knoxville except what you can see from the interstate.
I assume interest in football up there will be low this year given events, so I bet I can get tickets for at least one game from my old boss and spend a weekend in town. Sounds better than Nash-Vegas.
January 27th, 2021 at 4:07 PM ^
Thanks. I don't care enough about UT to pay to watch them. Tickets are never a problem. The tailgate scene is nice and friendly, even to opposing fans. The Vol Navy on the TN river right outside the stadium is worth checking out. They have renovated the concourse on the West side (Vols home side) which is much nicer, but you can tell the stadium has just been pieced together over the years. It's worth the trip if you get a chance. I really like Nashville, but have not been there in a couple years. Went often to watch the Red Wings when they were in the same division as the Preds (lot easier to get tickets back then). Happy to give suggestions if you make it up this Fall.
January 27th, 2021 at 11:04 AM ^
Have friends in Hohenwald. Beautiful place!
January 27th, 2021 at 11:22 AM ^
My late uncle lived in Knoxville for 40 years, and was a member of the UT faculty for almost 2 decades. He had always lived in the north or west prior to his time in Tennessee, and his strong interest in language and dialect was tickled by TN pronunciations, like "Hy finch ply" for half-inch plywood.
January 27th, 2021 at 11:49 AM ^
it is truly sad that politics is even a consideration in relocation. both parties can bite it for this. press too. im so glad they have all worked tirelessly to make everyone hate eachother
January 27th, 2021 at 12:13 PM ^
I live in NW Tennessee and love it. I spent 10 years just outside Chattanooga as well and it’s also a great area. I drive to Nashville twice a week for work and it’s a great city too. STAY AWAY FROM MEMPHIS!! Some of the surrounding areas of Memphis aren’t bad but I try not to even travel in that direction.
January 27th, 2021 at 1:22 PM ^
I hear Izzo is a big fan of Murfreesboro.
January 27th, 2021 at 1:31 PM ^
My cousin’s family lives in Paris, Tennessee...Home of the Worlds Largest Fish Fry! Low cost of living and about 2 hours away from Nashville.
January 27th, 2021 at 2:01 PM ^
Per everyone else, TN is an absolutely awesome place to live .... the end
January 27th, 2021 at 9:35 PM ^
It's no Nebraska, I can tell you that much.