Questions about Cookeville vs. Chattanooga (Johnson City, Algood: travel, work, medical)

[CAtoGA]

Hi there. My family has been talking about moving for a while, I've gotten some awesome info from this forum, and have changed my focus from the Tri-cities area to the Cookeville area because of the proximity to the Nashville airport and the much lower fares available there. I was a bit disappointed in making that switch as I really wanted to be closer to the mountains.

That brings up a couple of questions for me and I'm not sure how realistic these expectations might be, which is why I'm putting this out there for all of you who live in the area. Is it realistic to think that one could live in the Chattanooga area and drive down to the Atlanta airport for flights? What are rates like from Chattanooga (yes, I'll go to airline websites and check this out myself)? Are there any other airports within an hour or so to Chatt. or Tri-Cities that have fares as low as Nashville?

Going back to Cookeville, I know someone posted a few pictures of the Cookeville historic area downtown, but I would love to see some other pics of the area - how scenic are the highways, what is the scenery like from your yard - the basics, not just the Chamber of Commerce kind of stuff (no offense meant to the poster of the original pics. I loved them).

Thanks for your time. Every time I read through this forum I get antsy to move out of CA. Tentative timetable - 14 months and counting....

[Wordy]

Hmmm. I make the drive from Cookeville to Atlanta about 3-4 times a year, going through Chattanooga. I'd think it'd be kind of a big pain to drive to the airport in Atlanta from Chattanooga unless you had total control over what time of day you could do that. Atlanta traffic is really, really bad sometimes and in particular when you are going south on 75 from Chattanooga approaching the Marietta area, it tends to basically just stop for no reason for up to an hour in the middle of the day. This is before you even get to Marietta or anything else, really. I think it's due to construction but we've learned to factor in an extra hour when we make the trip, especially if we have somewhere to be.

There are some pretty scenic vistas in Cookeville. There's a view from Cookeville High School that is just breathtaking (looking out behind it). There is a mountain here in Putnam County, ya know! OK, so it's not a very big one but still...

[callsnap]

[quote=CAtoGA;580739] Is it realistic to think that one could live in the Chattanooga area and drive down to the Atlanta airport for flights? What are rates like from Chattanooga (yes, I'll go to airline websites and check this out myself)? QUOTE]

There's a service called Groome Transportation that runs every hour between CHA and ATL airports. It makes other stops along the way if those cities aren't your ultimate destinations. The commute is 2 hours including stops. The same service runs between Chatt and BNA. There are several shuttles that service the Atlanta and Nashville metro areas. Normally, this is cheaper (RT is maybe 60 bucks) than paying a fare to fly out of Chattanooga. It's convenient as you don't have to pay for airport parking while you're out of town. A Chattanooga flight is normally going to have a connection (which is where delays occur). You stand a better chance of getting a better priced, direct flight out of the major hubs anyway.

Check out Groome's website, I'd post it but I think that's prohibited as it's a commercial site.

[JMT]

I've flown out of Atlanta a few times, and I've found it's much cheaper to park at the Dunwoody MARTA station (secured garage, only $4/day) and take the train to the airport. However, you still have to battle the traffic in Atlanta.

Atlanta added nearly 900,000 people to its population between 2000-2006, and that was without adding any new freeways or widening existing freeways. So Atlanta traffic has gone from bad to worse.

Otherwise, I love Chattanooga and am glad to see it on the rebound. I could live there VERY easily, particularly in the downtown area with its cool urban neighborhoods like Coolidge Park.

Still, if you're looking to be closer to an airport with cheap air fares to the west coast, it's still hard to beat the Nashville airport since it's a hub for Southwest (which doesn't fly to Atlanta). From the Nashville airport exit to the 1st Cookeville exit on I-40 is exactly 70 miles, a very quick 70 miles since that's also the speed limit on I-40.

[CAtoGA]

Originally Posted by CAtoGA

Going back to Cookeville, I know someone posted a few pictures of the Cookeville historic area downtown, but I would love to see some other pics of the area - how scenic are the highways, what is the scenery like from your yard - the basics, not just the Chamber of Commerce kind of stuff (no offense meant to the poster of the original pics. I loved them).

Thanks for your time. Every time I read through this forum I get antsy to move out of CA. Tentative timetable - 14 months and counting....

Wanted to bring this one back up to the top. I'm still hoping that someone out there has some pictures of the Cookeville area that include more than the downtown area. What else is there to see in the area that would make me say "Hey, this is a really beautiful place. I think I want to live here."?

Thanks again.

[Robbied]

We spent an afternoon there looking around and it is quite beautiful. There are some nice restaurants and beautiful areas. Good medical center.

[jabogitlu]

To me, Cookeville and Chattanooga aren't comparable. Are you looking to live closer to a vibrant city or a small town? Is proximity to an airport your only guideline? Maybe we could help you figure something out, at least until someone who lives closer to Cooke looks here. I could never live in Cookeville, but I'm an east TN native and have all that bias and baggage.

[CAtoGA]

My husband travels for work and so being near an airport is necessary. We decided to look around the Nashville area (within an hour or so) because flights are so much less expensive. My original focus had been the Johnson City area. We really want (like most people here) a smaller town with big town amenities. My husband grew up in Oakland, CA and is done with big cities. He likes to have his space without being able to shake his neighbors hand out the kitchen window. I also love the space, but having spent a good part of my life in suburbia I really appreciate the ability to get to stores and services without having to drive for 30 minutes. I love the idea of being able to walk to the "Mom and Pop" corner store where you can go get a gallon of milk, carton of eggs and some great conversation. I know this has pretty much disappeared in our neck of CA, but I was hoping that they were still around elsewhere. Sorry for ranting. I don't know if this clears things up or not. I really appreciate any and all information! Thanks

[Wordy]

I tried to post some photos but it just didn't work out--sorry!

Cookeville is very, very pretty and we do have a little mountain in the county. The thing that I didn't really like when we were first looking was that the main business drag, Jefferson, is not that attractive, particularly in the late fall after the leaves have all dropped. However, that's about the only unattractive part of Cookeville that I've seen.

One thing you would probably really like about Cookeville is that there are actually many different "Cookevilles." There is the downtown part, where there are plenty of houses, some modest and some upscale. Then there is the outskirts part, on the west and northwest side. That can be a bit remote but the prices of homes are a bit lower as you move out of the city limits and the roads you travel to get there are just gorgeous. There are also parts of Cookeville that are basically farmland. Lots of subdivisions but also lots of non-subdivisions. There is Algood, which is booming in terms of new construction, and you won't find a more gorgeous setting than White Plains, which is an upscale subdivision.



That's not my photo--I googled around and found it. That actually does not do that neighborhood justice. Just stunning.

The drive from Cookeville to Nashville is very, very pretty. Winding roads and lots of hills and valleys. There is one spot where there is a blue silo close to the interstate with a flag on it, just so pretty.

If you live in Cookeville, you'll find the downtown picturesque areas that JMT has shown us, but you will also find the regular suburban shopping areas with Kohl's and Books-A-Million, etc. The only major place we don't have that I think we should based on our size and location is a Target. I figure we can't be too far from Target because the closest one is around 80 miles away and we already have TWO super Wal-Marts within just a few miles of one another. They could just put the Target in and then stop developing and it would be perfect, hehe.

You can live in a new neighborhood without too many mature trees, or you can live in an older subdivision with flowering trees and towering oaks and pines. It's just a matter of your preference. Most of the lots here are fairly generous in size. My own property is in an older subdivision on about 1.5 acres, and we live in the city limits of Cookeville. It just happened to have what we needed in terms of space and layout (we have to accommodate living quarters for my mother, so our needs are a bit unusual). Our house is up on a hill top and during the summer and most of the fall, you can't even see the house from the road unless it's nighttime and then you only see the lights, not the house. That's our Cookeville, but there are many other versions of Cookeville to be found around here. There are just a few minor things I'd rather live without but you know what? I don't really have to worry about them because Cookeville is big and diverse enough that if I run across something (an area, an attitude, a pink elephant --just kidding, there is a pink elephant on Willow but I kinda like that thing!) I'm not wild about, I just focus on the rest of the 99+% that I do like.

I guess most places are like Cookeville when it comes to that sort of mindset--most places are big enough that you can avoid what does not charm you and focus on what does. Good luck with your decision and hunt! This is a good place to call home.

[CAtoGA]

Thank you SOOOOOOO much, Wordy! You've given me, and anyone else who's looking in the area, a wonderful visual to go by. My husband says that the picture looks a lot like the Napa Valley out here in CA. I agree with one exception - no vineyards. Don't get me wrong, vineyards are beautiful, but so many people have taken grazing land and orchards and turned them into vineyards, that they are everywhere you turn. Darn, how did I get on that soapbox again?

Anyway, I keep saying that I can be packed and ready to move in a couple of days. Unfortunately, we have to wait a while. Thanks again for the great info.