Cookeville, TN and Retirement (Knoxville, Crossville: for sale, real estate, house)

[Retire2Utopia]

We have considered the Cookeville area as a place to retire and visited there a couple of years ago. Liked the size of the area very much and also the plus of having TTU located there. Retirement time is now on my doorstep (early 2012 when I turn 67) so we will start getting more serious. My career with my company has taken me from Dallas to Houston to Raleigh, NC to Atlanta, GA and am now in the Huntsville, AL area. We are only 2+ hours from Cookeville but would like to make a change in the next 1-2 years. I had a HS classmate (from central Indiana originally) spend most of his career at TTU but his health is not well enough to visit and discuss the area now. I would appreciate any comments people might add to help influence our thoughts (fav or unfav). The pictures posted on this site are so beautiful it would be hard to get many unfav comments! We do not want a large homesite (size) to take care of but would want a home in the 2,400 -- 2,800 sf range, single story, and less than 10 yrs old, preferably brick. We will be coming up to spend some weekends early next year to start some more serious searches. Thanks in advance for your responses.

[loonyrich]

Well, your user name fits right in here. We retired here a couple of years ago from Washington state and we absolutely love it here. Is it perfect? No. No place is perfect and what fits one persons likes might not satisfy another person. But that said we are very happy here.
Right now the real estate is on sale everywhere but there are lots of nice places for sale here. One level might be a little harder. They like the two stories here.
Direct Message me and we can exchange info.
We would be happy to show you around town.

[SKYSEA]

We retired here from southern California last year. As loonyrich stated, not everyplace is perfect for everyone. That said, we have found our piece of heaven. Cookeville is big enough with sufficient restaurants and stores to not feel small town. The people are without a doubt the friendliest most polite people I had ever met after 60 years in the Los Angeles area. There is a Women's Welcome Club that was started many years ago for people moving to Cookeville from outside Tennessee. Although there are several age ranges represented, a large portion are retirees. Their object.....to have fun and friendship. ;My wife has a full social life as a result. We too wanted only a single story house and they are findable. We bought a house with everything but a "bonus room" on the main floor. The "bonus room" became the guest quarters with their own bath. If you send me a direct message, I will respond with a website that is excellent for finding real estate in the area from all price ranges. Your square footage requirements are easily found with pieces of property starting at 1/4 acre but many are 1/2 acre and larger. I am retired law enforcement and for me Cookeville is the place for me.

[bozeman0]

My stepfather & mother retired there late 1980's, built a home in a newer subdivision north of TTU campus. It seemed like a nice enough place; mild winters (compared to the Midwest), long growing season (if you like having a garden), about an hour or so from Nashville (decent enough airport + other big city elements, health care, etc.), and overall a very favorable and retirement-friendly cost of living & tax structure. Despite TTU, it doesn't really feel much like a "college town". It's definitely worth a serious look as a retirement venue.

[JMT]

Cookeville is definitely a great place for retirees. It doesn't have any large scale retirement developments like you see all over Florida or even in neighboring Crossville, but it's still a popular place for retirees. Here's a link to the Chamber of Commerce's page for those considering relocating to Cookeville:

Cookeville Chamber

[tsimmu]

I traveled through Cookeville on the way back from MS to Knoxville yesterday. Though I've traveled through before, like many, it's been strictly from an interstate viewpoint. Now, obviously, there are many merits to the area or it wouldn't be so highly sought after as a retirement spot. But, as someone unfamiliar, would y'all let me know what it is about Cookeville that is attractive enough to move near (and far) to experience? I realize that what you see at 65mph on I-40 is no representation, so, tell me, Cookevillians, what made you choose Cookeville? (More than a socialogical explanation, I'd love some environmental, topographical reasoning, thanks!)

[andy w]

looking for raw land to build my home and for hunting. looking for 35 to 50 acres at the right price with utilities available. any help would be great...andy

[jguillot]

Originally Posted by SKYSEA

We retired here from southern California last year. As loonyrich stated, not everyplace is perfect for everyone. That said, we have found our piece of heaven. Cookeville is big enough with sufficient restaurants and stores to not feel small town. The people are without a doubt the friendliest most polite people I had ever met after 60 years in the Los Angeles area. There is a Women's Welcome Club that was started many years ago for people moving to Cookeville from outside Tennessee. Although there are several age ranges represented, a large portion are retirees. Their object.....to have fun and friendship. ;My wife has a full social life as a result. We too wanted only a single story house and they are findable. We bought a house with everything but a "bonus room" on the main floor. The "bonus room" became the guest quarters with their own bath. If you send me a direct message, I will respond with a website that is excellent for finding real estate in the area from all price ranges. Your square footage requirements are easily found with pieces of property starting at 1/4 acre but many are 1/2 acre and larger. I am retired law enforcement and for me Cookeville is the place for me.

Hello SkySea,

I happy to hear that you are not regretting your move to Cookeville. I'm still in the Sacramento area and still plan to retire in the Cookeville/Crossville area, hopefully in about 3 years. I can't wait!

[JMT]

Originally Posted by tsimmu

I traveled through Cookeville on the way back from MS to Knoxville yesterday. Though I've traveled through before, like many, it's been strictly from an interstate viewpoint. Now, obviously, there are many merits to the area or it wouldn't be so highly sought after as a retirement spot. But, as someone unfamiliar, would y'all let me know what it is about Cookeville that is attractive enough to move near (and far) to experience? I realize that what you see at 65mph on I-40 is no representation, so, tell me, Cookevillians, what made you choose Cookeville? (More than a socialogical explanation, I'd love some environmental, topographical reasoning, thanks!)

You're only doing 65 on I-40?

I haven't retired to Cookeville, but I really wish I lived there. I'm in Knoxville right now but have lived all over TN and literally all over the world (5 countries on 4 continents). Here's why I want to live in Cookeville (in no particular order):

Low cost of living. Housing in Cookeville is inexpensive.
Beautiful countryside. Cookeville is surrounded by lakes, gorges, waterfalls, and attractive farms.
Low taxes. Tennessee in general has very low taxes.
Proximity to Nashville. Cookeville is an hour'ish from the Nashville airport (by far the lowest air fares in the state), and Nashville is Tennessee's premier city.
College town. I love the vibrancy that living in a college town brings. NCAA sports, concerts, plays, exhibitions, recitals, lecture series, etc. It's nice to also take college classes just for fun (things like art, foreign languages, etc.).
Good shopping. Being the hub of a 14-county area means Cookeville offers a lot more shopping than most towns its size. About the only thing it doesn't have that I wish it did was Target.
Great restaurants. Same as above. Cookeville has an wonderful collection of outstanding, locally owned restaurants as well as a whole host of big name chain restaurants. And thanks to being a college town, there's a wider variety than you'd find in other small Southern towns.
Outstanding public schools. While I won't have kids in school, it's nice to be in a community that places such a high value on its public schools.
Friendly people. Every time I go to Cookeville, I am taken away by how friendly everyone is, from cashiers, waiters, police officers, etc. Even drivers are supremely courteous.

I hope that helps!

[2mares]

you're only doing 65 on i-40?

lol