Lake Providence (Memphis, Murfreesboro, Franklin: appointed, sales, renting)

[happyinca]

We will be visiting this fall and are so excited to check out Mt. Juliet and Nashville. The Del Webb community (Lake Providence) has appeal in terms of social events and the ability to meet people that most likely come from somewhere else like us. We know it is an HOA community and are used to those types of developments in California, rules etc.

Any comments or thoughts from those that live there or are considering living there? Curious what the average age is? We are also interested in other (non-age restricted) communities in the Mt. Juliet area. Since we will be retired when we move, the surburbs are fine and commuting should not be an issue.

We are close to retirement age (mid 50s) and want to explore options due the high taxes, housing costs, and the budget issues in California. "Retiring" here seems to mean working forever.

If Californians have moved to Tennessee would like to hear your experiences as well. My guess is the weather would be one of the biggest adjustments since we don't really have much "weather" where we live in San Diego. Sunny and 72 degrees most of the time and when it rains, people panic and stay home, afraid to drive. Tennessee weather does seem quite mild compared to most of the U.S.

Thank you.

[Griz83]

The weather may be a bit of a shocker. It gets hot here, and very humid. It's not the kind of heat you have in CA. It's the kind that feels like you walked into a wall. A local weatherman calls it "air you can wear." Sweat just doesn't evaporate off the skin; thus, you remain sweaty, sticky, and hot. I was born and raised here, and it's still unbearable at times.
Outside of summer, the weather is pretty nice here, most of the time. We get four real seasons, with winters being "mild" by midwestern or northeastern standards. Storms, primarily in the spring and fall, do spawn some severe weather, and a few tornadoes. But, they shouldn't dissuade you from moving here.
West TN, around Memphis has some risk of an earthquake, sitting on the New Madrid fault. There is also a possibility, albeit a very small one, of an earthquake here in middle TN. But, the chance is negligible compared to the San Andreas.

I can't tell you a lot about the atmosphere or the average age, etc, of the people in Del Webb. But, my wife and I love Mt. Juliet; and I'm sure you will, also. I haven't heard any negative things about that particular development. Aside from Del Webb, there are a plethora of great neighborhoods to choose from in Mt. Juliet. We live in an older neighborhood, with around 0.5-1 acre lots. If that's not your "thing," there is something here, that is.
As of now, Mt. Juliet has no property tax. That will likely change in the near future. Fire coverage is currently provided by WEMA (Wilson Co Emergency Mgmt), but a city Fire Dept is a "hot" topic...haha.
Just about everything you need is within a 5-10 min drive. Should you need to get on the interstate, Lake Providence is about 3-5 mins from the new(ish) Beckwith Rd interchange.
You'll find there is plenty to do here, from sailing or fishing on two nearby lakes, to live music, to recreational flying in nearby Lebanon, and just about everything in between. So, welcome to Mt. Juliet! I hope your retirement is everything you thought it would be.

[sfitz]

We moved to Middle TN from Northern Illinois last October. We are in our early sixties and are both retired. Our Son & family live south of Franklin and we looked for 2 years before we found a place we liked. We started out looking at the Providence development but weren't really happy with the construction we saw and decided we weren't ready for a retirement community quite yet. We looked at many homes in Franklin, Mount Juliet, Brentwood, Smyrna, Murfreesboro, Fairview, Springhill and finally settled just north of Columbia and love it. We are in a new subdivision with no pool and no HOA's and the lots are all just over an acre. We have found Columbia to be a little more laid back than the other places around Nashville. We are about 20 min to Cool Springs and 45 min. to downtown Nashville. I will agree with Griz83 about the weather. My husband hates humidity and is having a hard time with the heat, but the rest of the year it is so beautiful. People have been so wonderful to us here and very welcoming. If you would have other questions you can send me a direct message and I would be glad to help if I can.

[happyinca]

Thank you both for your comments and suggestions. We do plan on taking our time and looking carefully. Most likely renting before we purchase as you don't really know a place until you live there.

The concept of having a full acre is very foreign and my 7,500 square foot lot is considered huge for this area.

We have lots of experience with earthquakes but not so much with heat and humidity. That seems to be the main negative.

We are looking forward to our trip in October to explore lovely Tennessee. I still can't get over the low taxes.

Thank you again!

[shinestx]

The only "bad" thing I can think of in Mt. Juliet (compared to where you live now) is that you'll still have to drive to many attractions you're likely to want. There is a new shopping center at Lake Providence, and I hear it's quite nice for the mid-line stores. However, for variety and unique restaurants, you'll probably have to drive 20 miles to Nashville. I think you'll love the cost of living compared to CA, and you'll probably have a difficult time for the first few summers with the heat/humidity combo. Winters can be nice and (the next day) gloomy with 40 degrees and cloudy weather. On the bright side, you can see a very nice fall in TN (about as far south as you can go with nice fall color... like reds and purples). Farther south, you'll see fall "color" but it's more browns and yellows.

[happyinca]

I have read so many positive posts of so many areas, I don't know how we will cover them all in only one week. Hopefully this will be our first trip of many. We are going to stay at the Holiday Inn Express and make Mt. Juliet our base camp but try to venture out in all areas to enjoy tourist spots as well as potential areas to retire. I almost laugh when I read the posts when people complain about taxes when they are a fraction of what they are in CA. Go Tennessee! So looking forward to seeing the fall colors. No fall colors here at all. I appreciate all the helpful comments.

[MiddleTNresident]

I visited the Del Webb seniors community recently. Houses are nice but in my opinion overpriced. I also think the HOA fees are extreme. In this economy, it is unrealistic. The sales person we talked to there completely turned us off. There is NO room for negotiation at all. They seemed confident that they can pull in enough suckers to buy their properties that they didn't need us. Wow. Next! I liked Mount Juliet, but was very disappointed in Del Webb. Not sure if it was a bad salesperson or what.

[Retire2Utopia]

We currently live in North Alabama and have considered our "final move" to be to the mid-TN area and it would be from Nashville and East. We did stop for a quick visit once at the Del Webb community in Mt. Juliet and I did not care much for these homes (quality) at the price. Also, am somewhat reluctant to subscribe to the higher HOA costs. What info can you provide about the Cookeville area as "on paper" it looks nice and with TTU located there it is a plus. It is a little farther from Nashville than I would normally choose but all options cannot be perfect. Are there other communities on the north & east side of Nashville you would recommend? I am just trying to get more info and than will most likely visit some of these areas later this year. Thanks for any info you can provide.

[DonCorleone]

Originally Posted by Retire2Utopia

We currently live in North Alabama and have considered our "final move" to be to the mid-TN area and it would be from Nashville and East. We did stop for a quick visit once at the Del Webb community in Mt. Juliet and I did not care much for these homes (quality) at the price. Also, am somewhat reluctant to subscribe to the higher HOA costs. What info can you provide about the Cookeville area as "on paper" it looks nice and with TTU located there it is a plus. It is a little farther from Nashville than I would normally choose but all options cannot be perfect. Are there other communities on the north & east side of Nashville you would recommend? I am just trying to get more info and than will most likely visit some of these areas later this year. Thanks for any info you can provide.

You might want to post this question in a thread in the Cookeville forum too. Cookeville is far enough out from Nashville that you might find more C-Ders can help there. See link below:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/cookeville/

[MiddleTNresident]

Update to my prior post. It WAS a bad salesman (a kid) that was to blame for our prior bad experience. Beware of their "bait and switch" tactics. They will show a starting price for their various models (which looks like a great affordable price), but you'll never actually find a house at that price after all the "upgrades". This community was a strong second choice for us, but we ended up going to Gallatin for a lower cost of living and no HOA fees. I think current HOA fees in Lake Providence are $185 for the 55+ community (yes, for single family homes). And unlike a fixed mortgage, HOA fees are never fixed. They only increase.

Anyone moving here from a higher priced city or state will think it's a bargain. Those of us that live here hoping to buy at or below the median price range, do not. And even if housing may seem cheaper, so too, will be many of the salaries for jobs in the area. I guess anyone with a big retirement nest egg that doesn't plan to work won't care about that factor.

The homes and the community are great looking, though, and plenty of people are happy living there. I just don't agree with their prices.