Relocating to one of these cities - which one is best? (neighborhoods, tax)

[ElliottW]

My retired cousin and his wife will be relocating to one of the following areas:

Columbia, SC
Harrisburg, PA
Nashville (northern suburbs), TN
Richmond (probably suburbs), VA

If you've been to or lived in most of these, which one(s) do you prefer? Which one do you think would be the best place to live?
Any views you have would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[gimme it]

I thought Richmond was a very appealing city.

[dxiweodwo]

Richmond sounds like it's the best. It has hot, humid summers, but nothing compared to Columbia, SC. And has about 9-14 inches of snow a year. I think Nashville is pretty cool also....

[Gtownoe]

I grew up near Nashville and now live in Chicago. Nashville is a very cool city that marches to its own beat. It has great entertainment, some great restaurants, cool neighborhoods, a nice weather.

I've traveled quite a bit and Nashville holds its own with cities much larger than it.

I can speak of the other cities but I don't think you can go wrong with Nashville...plus your close to Chicago (7 hours), Atlanta (3 hours), Birmingham, Memphis (2 1/2 hours), Louisville (3 hours).

[JMT]

Those are all nice cities.

Tennessee has the lowest state and local tax burden of those states you have listed.

Nashville is a great city. Interesting you want its northern suburbs. Any particular reason? Hendersonville is on the northern edge of Nashville and is a nice suburb (as far as suburbs go) of about 50,000 people. It's right smack on a big huge lake but is only 20 minutes from downtown Nashville. Hendersonville is next to Nashville's RiverGate shopping mall district.

Nashville is also a hub for Southwest Airlines, so flying all over the country is relatively less expensive and more convenient out of Nashville compared to those other cities you mentioned.

I think Columbia SC is also a nice place. It's a bit more hot and humid than Nashville.

[radraja]

I would pick Nashville. It seems like the most interesting. And very affordable.

Richmond is cool too, but more expensive.

[ElliottW]

Thanks to everyone who has responded so far!

[ElliottW]

From my own experiences the comments about the heat and humidity in SC are correct. SC has a rich history and culture, but it may be one of the the hottest places I've ever been, and that's saying a lot. However, heat doesn't bother my cousin (who's considering moving there), and the Columbia area is apparently quite affordable.

@ JMT:

"Nashville is a great city. Interesting you want its northern suburbs. Any particular reason?"

They visited the Nashville area a few months ago and their favorite areas were Franklin/Williamson County (which they found somewhat expensive) and Gallatin/Sumner County. Most likely they'd move to the Gallatin area. They liked the entire Nashville area, though, and they're also considering the Hermitage area (which I know nothing about).

Any other comments are appreciated.