Moving to E. Tennessee (From Prescott, AZ via San Diego, CA (Knoxville: for sale, rental)

[llsmith42]

I should clarify, I guess. I should say there are not any large lakes in Cumberland County. There are several smaller lakes in Cumberland County. Many of these smaller lakes are private. The large lakes of Cordell Hull and Center Hill are a quick drive away from Cookeville.


As I mentioned, property taxes are lower in Cumberland County/Crossville compared to Putnam County/Cookeville, and almost anywhere else in the state. Real Estate prices are dynamic. Cookeville is booming at the moment, and is more expensive, but it the recent past, the two areas were more or less similarly priced.

[Wileykid]

I would also suggest the Cookeville/Crossville area. I am also a retired LEO from SoCal, and moved to the Cookeville area after looking really hard at Prescott. I had lived in Prescott many years ago, but I like the "green" of the Upper Cumberland area, waterfalls, hiking, and ignoring the last several months, the rain. Grew up in Ohio, and wanted an environment close to it, but not as cold in the winter. I wanted the more amenities of Cookeville, but Crossville has more of a retirement environment, and is smaller. My partner for the last six years of my career just retired, and moved to the Fairfield Glade area, which is on the north side of Crossville, and is considered a retirement community.

As you have probably already researched, your retirement check will go a very long way here, even compared to Prescott.

[PR7353]

Thanks Folks, this information will really help make my trip more productive. Wileykid, glad to know there are other LE escapees in the area!!! llsmith42, peppersdad, your speaking my language in terms of Golf and all the other outdoor activities, travel routes and local knowledge of all the great view areas. JMT, llsmith42, yeah I was bragging to my wife that I was going to hit one of the most beautiful Fall locations in the world during this time of year but the weather has been a little cooky to say the least, even here in Northern AZ.

Okay I packed my stuff, watered the plants, fed the chickens and heading to San Diego for a quick visit with the family and to catch my flight to Tennessee. I can't thank you all enough!

[fishingupnorth]

I just moved from Wisconsin to Crossville/Fairfield Glade. My wife and I made 3 trips down over the course of the year before deciding on the the Glade. We looked at Tellico Village and Lake Tansi as well. We felt that the Glade offered the best combination of affordable housing, proximity to the Nashville airport, golf, fishing and activities.

We have only been here 2 weeks but hopefully more time will confirm we made the right decision.

[BuffaloHome]

Originally Posted by PR7353

I fled SoCal to Prescott Valley, AZ once I retired (retired LE SDSO), bought 5 acres and a new home for $549,900 (well, septic, propane, wood stove) in a rural area next to Mingus Mountain. My property sits right against the Prescott National Forest where I can hike and farm firewood for the stove. I love it but am definitely not in love. I miss the water and BBQ (Trout Fishing, Lakes, Water Falls, Humidity, and even Bugs lol). A long time ago I had a girl friend in Tennessee when I was stationed at Redstone in Huntsville, Alabama. I was immediately drawn to the people and amazing state of Tennessee. I recently drove my wife and her daughter to Knoxville and even though Knox is not for me, I can't wait to get out to Tennessee.

My wife and I are avid golfers, hikers, Fishers, Bowlers... sometimes Hunters and desire to have small city amenities (restaurants, coffee, farmers markets, small shopping) at a reasonable distance (20-30 min). I'm searching for acreage (minimum of 5, ideally 10 plus) in an area that might offer the freedom of living in or near the mountains at higher elevations. I'm retired and am bringing my retirement checks with me, so I don't need access to a vigorous work force area.

Since you like farmers markets, be sure to check out both farmers markets in downtown Cookeville on a Saturday morning if you can. The Downtown Green Market, in particular, is great although with the growing season coming to an end it's not as busy as it is in the summer. But they almost always have local musicians providing background music. I don't live in Cookeville but I do go there sometimes to get some raw organic honey and organic baked goods. The main farmers market is larger but is not all organic which might not be a big deal to you but it is to me. Occasionally they have a "night market" during the week. Check their Facebook page to see what their schedule will be like when you're in town. Of course, with 10 acres you could grow a lot of your own foods (berries, fruit trees, vegetable garden) but it's still nice to wander over to one of the farmers markets on a Saturday morning.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xf00cZRkmK8



And yes, if you want acreage near a great, vibrant and attractive town but also near large lakes, rivers, waterfalls, forests, and with great views, you can't beat the Cookeville area.

[PR7353]

Well Howdy everyone,

Got back last weekend from my one week exploratory trip to Tennessee and am just now getting this note out to you all. Here is the quick down and dirty… For me, Tennessee has something for everyone! It especially speaks to “my” soul and I would be honored to spend the rest of my life in such a beautiful place. My house is going on the market and I’m making the move!

Trip Details

I arrived in Nashville on Saturday and was immediately greeted by the sounds and culture of Tennessee. Live music playing, friendly relaxed people and easy access from luggage to rental car. Got into my Dodge Caravan (that’s all I could get on the cheap) and headed to Cookeville, TN. It was raining pretty good when I started off. I mean for a while it was sheets of rain and motorists started turning on their hazard lights which I thought was a great idea, so I joined in.

I stopped at a rest stop/visitors center on I-40 to grab some maps and soak up the off highway vibes. I was stunned to see they had a walking/running trail and beautiful clean facilities. I took in my first TN walk in the rain and was awe-struck with the natural beauty everywhere, it was awesome. I continued on and arrived to Cookeville, it was much bigger than I had expected. After finding myself wandering around in the rain with no apparent purpose, I decide to find a place to stay for the night and get my baring’s and head out to where I think town is for grocery shopping. This is when I was reminded about the liquor laws in the area, weird to me (and some of you locals) but not horrible. I had a good talk and laugh at the liquor store with folks and was ready for day 2.

Day 2/3 Cookeville – I get up in the morning and am enamored by what appeared to me as smoke coming up from the trees. I would never get tired of seeing that. I head off on a couple of hikes at the local tourist traps and wander around town, through neighborhoods and finally down-town at Bobby Q’s for dinner. There was so much to see in Cookeville I decided to stay another day. Took in another amazing hike, checked out some of the saved homes I had on Zillow and stopped at Lazy G Ranch to stare at the Buffalo.

Day 4/5 - I packed my Caravan and off to Sparta, Knox, Jonesborough and finally Johnson City, TN. Initially I didn’t like Johnson City. I was staying at a really bad hotel and because of that, I told my wife I was going to head back down to Cookeville the following day. But after sleeping on it, I reminded myself I was here, might as well try to figure this place out. I’m glad I did, I really enjoyed JC after I was able to acclimate to the area and it started making sense to me. The mountains and nature was limitless just as Cookeville is. The fall colors were hypnotizing, like camouflage in a way.
Boom I’m done, mission was a great success. Tennessee Rocks! The only issue I ran into is there is way too much to take in as far as real estate. So I’m putting the house up on the market and have decided to rent a home in JC so I can be in a better position to pull the trigger when I find the perfect property for me. I settled on JC simply because it appears, as of this writing, to have a larger supply of rental homes available, but I'm keeping my options open for Cookeville. The nature there was limitless...

Thanks to everybody for making this trip a great success for me and my family! I must say, when I caught the plane ride home I already started missing TN. I can't wait to go back and share this experience with my wife in April 2020.

[Serious Conversation]

The little walking trails around the rest areas are pretty much standard at any rest area I've been to in the state. It's basically a place to walk the dog.

Wine and beer can be sold in grocery stores, though wine cannot be sold on Sunday or holidays. Liquor is sold in private liquor stores - TN is not an ABC state. Alcohol is higher here than anywhere I've ever lived. Tennessee also has dry counties.

To me, the decision between Cookeville and Johnson City is whether you want a larger city itself and better access to mountains (Johnson City) or proximity to a major city with a smaller city (Cookeville).

[tragenvol]

Originally Posted by Serious Conversation

Wine and beer can be sold in grocery stores, though wine cannot be sold on Sunday or holidays.

Actually, wine can be sold in grocery stores beginning at 10:00 am on Sundays and most holidays. Liquor stores may open at 10:00 am on Sundays; as well, along with most holidays excluding Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.

[DubbleT]

Originally Posted by PR7353

Day 2/3 Cookeville – I get up in the morning and am enamored by what appeared to me as smoke coming up from the trees. I would never get tired of seeing that.

That is one of the things I loved about east TN too! Also on cloudy/rainy days there are so many shades and layers of gray/blue/white rising from the mountains that you can't tell where the mountains end and the sky begins. It's amazing, and better than any painting ever. Glad you enjoyed your trip.

[tragenvol]

Originally Posted by tragenvol

Actually, wine can be sold in grocery stores beginning at 10:00 am on Sundays and most holidays. Liquor stores may open at 10:00 am on Sundays; as well, along with most holidays excluding Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.

To clarify: Wine and liquor may be purchased at 10:00 am on Sundays; however, beer cannot be purchased until noon on Sundays (in Cookeville anyway); as some municipalities do not sell beer on Sundays at all.

Ridiculously confusing. And silly....buy a bottle of wine at 10:15 am on Sunday, but wait until noon for a sixer of beer.