jobs and economy in nashville (sales, insurance, high crime)

[albianstar]

my hubby and i are looking at moving to nashville becouse of the great realestate cost, and the climate- from Canada

We would be buying a house cash but would need enough income to support our other costs of living

we dont have a uni degree
we currently own a truck accessories store
I have a back ground in insurance sales, outbound/inbound sales and retail/resterant managment

Could we expect to get a reasonable job besides walmart- what is the average wage vs cost of living?

What is the city like for us to open a new business, in say clothing sales, or something along those lines?

[alleycat]

The overall economy of the greater Nashville area is very good; and is relatively friendly to small business. I'm not sure whether you're talking about big rigs or pickup trucks; we've got plenty of each around here. If I was opening a store like that, I'd be sure to offer SUV accessories.

One additional note, people from Canada seem to either love it here, or hate it. I have a friend from BC who lived here for about four years and didn't want to go back when her visa was up. But there was someone from Canada posting here a couple of weeks ago who hated just about everything about Tennessee. You might want to make an extended visit before moving to be sure which camp you're in. By the way, my friend won the BC lottery and about a million dollars US so she didn't have to work, instead she moved here and loved to take trips all the time, either in the US or the Caribbean or Mexico. She didn't have permanent US resident status however. She got in trouble on about her third trip to Mexico. The Customs people got suspicous about a Canadian visitor in the US going back and forth to Mexico. Just a word to the wise.

[NashVol]

1. If you are not from Toronto, the GTA, Montreal or Vancouver, then I would guess that you would like Tennessee. If you are a westerner or from rural Ontario, you would probably love this place.

2. Tennessee is a low tax state and the business climate is considered great.

3. Before diving in to a business, I would live here a while to see where your niche is. Tennessee is not known as a high wage state,but they are growing in the Nashville area. With your home paid for, I think sales or restaurant management could pay the bills.

4. The best business opportunites would probably be in the outlying counties of Nashville: the suburbs, the collar counties, etc. ... . Again, I am not an entrepreneur,but just a guess.

5. I would after much research and visiting here buy a home in your favorite suburban county. I (because I am cheap) would try to maybe even go under your budget in case you decide you want to hear more "ehs" at the end of your sentences or like another area better for work or to live.

6. On the other hand, there are nice places in Nashville too if you want city life.

7. As Canadians and as part of your special visa for living in Nashville, you will be required to buy season tickets to the Nashville Predators. This will prevent the team from moving to Hamilton, Kansas City or Red Deer.

[wimwar]

If you like suburbia, Nashville is a great place. Though violent crime is escalating at a scary rate, there are many subdivisions all over the place where families can settle and feel safe.

The West End to Highway 70 corridor is probably the nicest area of town.

[alleycat]

Originally Posted by NashVol

7. As Canadians and as part of your special visa for living in Nashville, you will be required to buy season tickets to the Nashville Predators. This will prevent the team from moving to Hamilton, Kansas City or Red Deer.

Yeah, one of these days I'm going to go to one of those Predator games . . . just as soon as I learn the rules of hockey.

By the way, my friend was from Vancouver and she liked it here. But you're right about the folks from Toronto; most of them don't seem to. I kind of think of Toronto as the San Francisco of Canada in certain ways.

[albianstar]

I am from very northern alberta
so i am looking for a laid back place- which with the comments above sounds like nashville may fit for us quite well.We are planning on RV ing around the states to look for a city that fits best, so we could spend time in each for a few months or so.


The comment about violent crime- is is all over, only certian areas? Sort of if you are looking for trouble you will find it?
How does it compare to other citys of similar size?

[wimwar]

Originally Posted by albianstar

I am from very northern alberta
The comment about violent crime- is is all over, only certian areas? Sort of if you are looking for trouble you will find it?
How does it compare to other citys of similar size?

As in most cities, I think you can probably trust your instincts regarding how safe each area is.
There has been a surge in violent crime because gangs are setting up shop. If you talk with FBI agents, they'll tell you that gangs are targeting Nashville because we have a growing economy. In their way, they are investing in Nashville. Same goes for Phoenix, the organized crime out there is growing at an alarming rate. They realize that if they set up shop now, they can reap the financial rewards as the city continues to grow.

[sliverbox]

I guess my biggest concern would be how difficult is it going to be to get into the United States and become US citizens? I've heard it isn't exactly the easiest thing to do. Secondly, if you have a truck accessories business, how expensive is it going to be to move all of that inventory down here? Also- have you checked out what your competition would be? As someone else mentioned, trucks and SUVS are BIG business in this neck of the woods, and there is no shortage of such shops/garages around. If you were to move your business, I would make double sure that it would actually make money and not become a liability. Secondly, food service pays pretty badly here. The vast majority of the restaurants in TN and the Southeast are national chains. Expect slightly above working class wages.

I guess what I would so if I were you is to really study what your true living situation would be if you made the move here. It sounds like the primary goal is to buy a house. But that's a small part of the big picture. Don't base your decision just on that and look at the realistic situation you might be getting yourselves into.

[albianstar]

i have no interest in relocating my business.
I just wanted to give insight into what type of work experince i have

It was said above that vrime is rising bc the economy is rising
What are the major factors pushing it, what are the growth areas?

[NashVol]

If you are talking about where crime is rising in the Nashville area, I would say that the high crime areas are mostly found in & around the projects (slang for government-subsidized housing) though the crime is not necessarily committed by people living there. That is purely anecdotal so check the crime stats.

I would say an area to avoid is and this is a little unfair is Antioch (zip code 37013). This area seems (again check the crime stats) be getting a larger amount of crime than in the past. However, there are many,many nice areas of Antioch, but for an outsider, I think it might be more difficult to differentiate. I have friends who live there so I am not trying to bash Antioch, but I would not recommend it to a non-Nashvillian.

If you are asking about where the economy is rising in the Nashville area, I would say that the question should be "where is the economy not rising?".

I think and could be wrong the statistic for crime is that around 80% of crime is drug-related. I do not necessarily buy the argument that economic growth leads to more crime unless one is implying population growth follows economic growth (e.g. more people leads to more criminals). More income may lead to increased prices on illegal drugs which may make it more profitable. Then you have dealers and/or gangs fighting each other for the profit. (Warning: I am not a sociologist nor a criminologist. I do & have worked with people with criminal backgrounds, but I am NO expert.)

If you stay away from high drug usage areas, then your chances of peaceful living increases. I am guessing it the same in Nashville, Fort McMurray, Edmonton and Calgary.