Looks like we are Memphis-bound..... (Bartlett, Germantown: house, transferring to, to buy)

[LdyApxr]

Hi everyone!
My name is Darlene and my family and I are going to probably be transferring to Memphis with my husbands' job in the next few months. He works for Valero Refinery here in Northern CA. He is actually flying into Memphis on Tuesday to tour the Refinery and look at the area. We have two children(both boys) ages 17 and 8 and the teenager is a Senior in HS(and less than thrilled about a move during his Senior year) We are looking into Bartlett as opposed to being in Memphis and wanted to see what other areas might be good too. I am a born and raised Northern CA girl who has never lived outside CA and my husbadn is originally from MI. Can someone give me an idea of what I can expect weather-wise in the area and school-wise? Thanks so much!!!

[mask]

Consider North MS as a place to live. Desoto Co. is probably closer to the refinery if it is where I think it is (southwest area of the city). You will probably not be happy with Memphis City Schools as there have been problems with them for sometime. Some have improved, and some are good, but investigate first. Bartlett is not bad but the traffic in the northeast and east Shelby Co. comming into Memphis in the morning gets worse every year.
The weather here is miserable in the Summer months. We get little snow and ice is more of the norm in Dec., Jan, and Feb.

[Maryann]

I am a Bartlett, TN resident - been here about 19 yrs. Bartlett is a great place to live. The schools are good, you have your choice of county schools and a few private schools. Shopping is convenient, churches are aplenty. The city government is well run; the community is diverse. Average price of a house is about $165k.

Downside to Bartlett: It borders Memphis - a city in distress.

If you would like more info on Bartlett, respond to this post with your email address and I can provide you with some good resources.

[LdyApxr]

Well, as it turns out, the refinery is nearer to No. MS than Bartlett and apparently most of the workers at the refinery live in N. MS, Collierville and Germantown so that is where we will be looking. Bill is on his way to the airport and is lookign forward to getting a look around. I have instructed him to take a lot of pictures. LOL Good to know about the weather although having lived in the Sacramento Delta area most of my life and summer'd in NM and AZ, I should be ok. I think it is the ice situation that will probably be more of a hazard. It will be interesting to live in a place that actually has all 4 seasons. LOL Here in N. CA, we go from Winter to Summer in about 2 days and there is no Fall.

[MrMeisterMan]

My experience is that Bartlett is kinda of a quasi-redneck, working/lowermiddle class area......get ready to have a helluva culture and educational shock....when I transferred to Memphis, I lived in Germantown, which was a bit more expensive, but hey, you pay for what you get...Memphis is a dangerous city too in my view....not very well educated, but the local whites seem to blame that entirely on the black population...it's a highly racist city in my opinion...not as 'enlightened' as even Nashville...even thoug I met some very nice people there but strangely most were transferees as well....Memphis has a lot of potential, but I wouldn't waste a bunch of time there....pay your dues and get the heck out...even to toher places in TN, north AL, or back to California

[Roy S.]

In my opinion, Lakeland is the place to live and raise a family. It is in shelby county. Nice new and used homes to buy. No city taxes. Little to no crime. Excellent school system. short drive to hospital, mall, etc. I also work at the Valero refinery. It only takes me 30 minutes to drive to work. I've been in the D.C. traffic, the traffic here isn't bad at all. I suggest here in Lakeland, or Arlington as a 2nd choice, but the drive in Arlington is a bit further. Good luck.