Northern GA/Chattanooga (Signal Mountain, Rossville: sales, car registration, crime)

[tamaralj]

We are on our 3 year plan now of moving. TN is our target, and looking at areas with mountain views. Have recently been looking at Northern GA and Chattanooga area. I was wondering what are the advantages of living over the TN border to GA? Does it save you money? Taxes? What about car registration? It seems to be less crime when you go that direction. I chatted with a realtor who lives in Chickamauga, GA and works in Chattanooga, and services that whole area. He said it's pretty much the same cost of living. I'm sure there are people here who maybe live in GA and work in Chattanooga, or use Chattanooga as their hub. Just curious.

[keithps]

The primary benefit to living AND working in TN is that there is no state income tax. If you live or work in GA, you will get hit with income tax. Otherwise, they are about the same financially. GA supposedly has better schools, but I can't speak to that personally.

[tamaralj]

Originally Posted by keithps

The primary benefit to living AND working in TN is that there is no state income tax. If you live or work in GA, you will get hit with income tax. Otherwise, they are about the same financially. GA supposedly has better schools, but I can't speak to that personally.

That's kind of what I suspected. Thank you!

[luvmyboxer]

State income tax in Georgia is killer- 6% versus zero in Tennessee.
Vehicle registration of a used car is more expensive in Georgia. If you buy a new car in Georgia, it's about the same as in Tennessee, perhaps even slightly less expensive (Georgia charges no state sales tax on cars, but you pay a value tax that is roughly equivalent to what sales tax would have been.)
Schools in Catoosa County are probably better overall than most of Hamilton County, but on the other hand, a handful of Hamilton County schools are some of the very best in the state (Signal Mountain, Normal Park, etc.) I've heard wonderful things about the Chickamauga City schools- it's a very small school district, but a lot of people from outside the Chickamauga city limits pay tuition to send their kids there.
You get more house for your money in N. Georgia than in Chattanooga, with significantly lower property taxes than in the city of Chattanooga (though if you live outside of the Chattanooga city limits in Hamilton County, you also pay lower property taxes, though probably not quite as low as N. Georgia.)
Crime depends on the area- there are very rough parts of Chattanooga and others that are quite safe (e.g., the Northshore) Most of Hamilton County outside the city limits is quite safe, as is most of N. Georgia with the exception of a few areas around Rossville and Missionary Ridge.
Bottom line: if you work in GA, you might as well live in GA. But if you work in TN, I would NOT choose to live in Georgia- no reason to pay that state income tax if you don't have to!

[tamaralj]

Originally Posted by luvmyboxer

State income tax in Georgia is killer- 6% versus zero in Tennessee.
Vehicle registration of a used car is more expensive in Georgia. If you buy a new car in Georgia, it's about the same as in Tennessee, perhaps even slightly less expensive (Georgia charges no state sales tax on cars, but you pay a value tax that is roughly equivalent to what sales tax would have been.)
Schools in Catoosa County are probably better overall than most of Hamilton County, but on the other hand, a handful of Hamilton County schools are some of the very best in the state (Signal Mountain, Normal Park, etc.) I've heard wonderful things about the Chickamauga City schools- it's a very small school district, but a lot of people from outside the Chickamauga city limits pay tuition to send their kids there.
You get more house for your money in N. Georgia than in Chattanooga, with significantly lower property taxes than in the city of Chattanooga (though if you live outside of the Chattanooga city limits in Hamilton County, you also pay lower property taxes, though probably not quite as low as N. Georgia.)
Crime depends on the area- there are very rough parts of Chattanooga and others that are quite safe (e.g., the Northshore) Most of Hamilton County outside the city limits is quite safe, as is most of N. Georgia with the exception of a few areas around Rossville and Missionary Ridge.
Bottom line: if you work in GA, you might as well live in GA. But if you work in TN, I would NOT choose to live in Georgia- no reason to pay that state income tax if you don't have to!

Great information! When we move we'll be retired. I was doing some research, and GA exempts a lot of retirement income from state income tax, but yes, if you work in GA you will pay income tax on your salary. We wont' be buying a car, but will be registering our cars and getting new driver's license. In KY it is expensive to register your car each year due to personal property taxes. My truck was 218 this year, and my Mazda since its new will be close to 400.00 to register! Seriously want to get away from that. No kids, so no school to worry about. Main objective is a warmer climate, friendly welcoming community, and hopefully some mountain views. Safe, and low cost of living. I already know that the area is great for outdoor activities. Oh and I don't want to deal with a lot of traffic so that's why we want to live in a small community with some amenities, and then could drive to the bigger city for major things. And not too far from a major airport (like 2 hours or less at the most). Our budget would be under 200,000 for a home with maybe half acre of land for privacy. Thank you for your information!

[shinestx]

You should look at eastern Bradley County or Polk County. There are subdivisions and farms all along Hwy. 72. Neighborhoods like Benwood off Old Parksville Rd.