Possibly relocating from South FL to TN - Need advice please (Cleveland: real estate, apartment complexes)

[Orlavinjr]

Hi All,

Thank you for taking your time and helping me out. I live in Fort Lauderdale, FL (Broward County), I am a husband and a father of two small boys. I work in Cleveland Clinic Florida in Weston. The reason I want to move from south FL is because the cost of living is way too high. Also, it's always summer, year round. There are no change in seasons. Fall/Spring/Winter all feel like summer. It's a drag and depressing for me. Although I like the beach and I am 10 min from there, I hardly go. I was originally considering transferring within my job to Cleveland Clinic Ohio, but the cold weather there is a killer, not to mention, Lake Erie (lake effect snow) and Ohio has more grey days than sunny plus too far from home, still have family in FL.... is TN grey or sunny?

What can you tell me about Nashville and it's surrounding areas?

Cleveland Clinic is not there, so if all pulls together, I have to secure a job first at a nearby hospital before relocating entirely. I am in management for the clerical/administrations area, is it hard to get a job in TN?

I would like to know cost of living, crime rate, weather, rental price range. I will be going into a 2 bedroom apartment rental. Only visited TN once since I was 17, now i am nearly 30. and only been there one week to tour the Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg area. My wife was born and raised in South FL, never been up north, never seen the snow, so moving will be a depressing stage for her, as she leaves all her family, parents, etc.

Tell me, be honest, am I crazy for wanting to leave south florida and start a new life in a new, safe, inexpensive and beautiful area to provide a better lifestyle to my kids as well??

NEED HELLLLLPPPP... Thank you so much... Anything you can share with me, would be greatly appreciated...

[aaronmidnight]

So let's see, is Nashville hard to get a job? Well, there's a lot of healthcare industry here, so lots of hospitals. Perhaps you could contact some of them and ask for an interview?

It doesn't snow here much, but we do get the occasional ice storms (makes driving tricky on curvy and hilly country roads) and it does get really cold (temps in the teens and 20s) during the winters. Due to the shape of the jet stream and the fact that we are so far from any large temperature-modulating body of water, it's actually often colder here than in New York or Pennsylvania along the coasts.

Winters tend also to be grey and overcast in Tennessee, although we have a lot of sunny days the rest of the year.

Everything else here (cost of living, crime rate, rental price range) depends a lot on the specific neighborhood or area you choose to live in. You could try browsing Real Trac's rental section to get an idea of rental rates (RealTracs Search for Real Estate in Mid-South) and IDcide might help with checking out crime rates (Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed).

But really the best advice is to come and visit and see for yourself what different areas, apartment complexes and such are like. You can also check out the crime mapping tool at the Nashville PD website:

CrimeMapping.com - National Map

Good luck making your decision. Personally, I wouldn't make this move without a lot of careful discussion and unless your wife is on board 100%. Otherwise moving could cause a lot of marital strife, particularly if she is unhappy about leaving family and friends.

[BirdieBelle]

I don't think you are crazy for wanting to move. In fact, thousands of people have moved here from Florida over the past few years for the same reasons.

The fact that your boys are small makes it easier. The older they get, the more attached they become to friends, etc. This is a great place to raise a family.

Is there a way you and your wife could leave the boys with relatives for a long weekend and visit here? It sounds like you need to make it an adventure for her, find something fun and interesting to her that would make her want to move here. You also could put out feelers for jobs.

To pinpoint possible places to live, we need to know how much you can spend on that 2BR rental.

[CountryGirl2b=]

Check out this cost of living calculator . . . . .

Cost of Living comparison calculator

Looks like it might be cheaper to live here. I know what you mean about the seasons. My sister will be moving up from New Port Richey next summer. It doesn't get REAL cold her but it can. The winters are gray but only last from about Thanksgiving until mid February when the daffodils pop up. Spring and Fall here are nice. Winter is kind of fun, it can 'feel' Christmas-y and you can have a fire in your fireplace, etc. Really only snows a couple times a winter but fun to look forward to.

Summers can be hot and muggy. This year in particular has been very dry and warm. But I guess we are not alone with that.

My niece says it's "SO GREEN" up here. Hills, we have hills! You can get to the Pan Handle or Louisiana shore in about 6 hours I think, if you really miss the beach.

A decent apartment rental range is about $1,000 to $1200 for a 2 bedroom, with $850 being a real low end but possible. Tight rental market here at the moment.

My sister is very much looking forward to moving here - feels there is more 'culture'. It's considered conservative but there are liberal type people here, too and it's VERY friendly. People generally seem content here . . . . at least I am!

[aaronmidnight]

I'm happy here too, but I do think people should know what they are getting into.

People who are used to Southern Florida climate may be surprised when it gets cold. I moved SOUTH from NYC and I was surprised how cold it gets here!

For instance, here are some highs and lows from last winter, which we can all agree was a very MILD winter:

Jan 15 - 47 degrees high, 23 degrees low
Feb 12 - 39 degrees high, 18 degrees low
Mar 4 - 53 degrees, 28 degrees low


From the previous year, a much colder winter

Jan 14 - 37 degrees high, 14 degrees low
Feb 11 - 40 degrees high, 7 degrees low
Apr 6 - 72 degrees high, 37 degrees low


And of course, when we were at 100 degrees plus during the recent wave, I think South Florida was only in the 80s and 90s.

So, would I want to move to Florida? No.

But I do think that people should have a good idea what 4 seasons means in Tennessee. Because I think it means a lot of extremes, more so than in many other parts of the country. I'd characterize it as

Winters - Grey, little snow, some risk of ice, quite cold at times, but with mild stretches mixed in
Spring - Somewhat grey, wet, risk of tornadoes, temperatures often quite pleasant
Summer - Can be mild (80s and 90s), but often mid-to-high 90s and with risk of drought, interspersed with heavy rains and thunderstorms
Autumn - Generally the nicest season weatherwise with crisp sunny days, comfortable temps, low humidity and cool nights

I didn't say that the OP was wrong for wanting to move, just that when a family is involved, I think that the opinions of the other people (particularly other adults) need to be considered as well. And IMHO it's not a matter of "convincing" the other person or "persuading" the other person, because that can turn to resentment if the other person ends up not liking the new place, but rather that it's about figuring out whether the other person is really honestly willing and interested and enthusiastic about making a move.

[TN Tin Man]

Use the Chamber of Commerce they will gladly send you free information be specific on what you ask for. Be fore warned you address will be given out. So use a bogus e-mail account so "YOU" have control on who and whom you contact after researching.

[Orlavinjr]

Wow everyone thank you so much for all the great tips and advise. My price range will be, to start, no more than $1000 rent for a small 2 bedroom apt, definitely not in Solon, although I will work there, but perhaps in Shaker/Cleveland Heights, Euclid, etc... Nice areas, safe and tranquil... With enough activities to entertain a family with kids.

Overall thank you all for taking your time and helping me out. I already like North folks compared to FL people who are rude and unwilling to help others but themselves :-P

[BirdieBelle]

Originally Posted by Orlavinjr

Wow everyone thank you so much for all the great tips and advise. My price range will be, to start, no more than $1000 rent for a small 2 bedroom apt, definitely not in Solon, although I will work there, but perhaps in Shaker/Cleveland Heights, Euclid, etc... Nice areas, safe and tranquil... With enough activities to entertain a family with kids.

Overall thank you all for taking your time and helping me out. I already like North folks compared to FL people who are rude and unwilling to help others but themselves :-P

Sounds like you meant to put this in the Ohio forum ...

[straw71]

Run from Florida as fast as you can !!!!!! Tennessee has been way better. The cost of living has been less all around, from buying groceries, gas, to car insurance (Fl is one of the highest for that). The school system is better in Tn also. Williamson county has a good school system, just south of Nashville. And tell your wife that Fl is easy to get to from Tennessee You can drive it in less than a day , so visiting family would be easy!! With you moving from Broward County, the crime rate is way less!!! The snow in middle Tn is not that bad, coming from Fl, spent a winter in Colorado myself, that snow is a lot more to deal with. Having seasons is great, the trees are beautiful in the fall. Oh, and take it from me, the people in Tn are a lot friendlier than they are in Fl !!!!!! I have a brother in law in Ft. Lauderdale, and he wants out, wants to make it to Tn too.

[ExIslander]

Originally Posted by straw71

And tell your wife that Fl is easy to get to from Tennessee You can drive it in less than a day, so visiting family would be easy!!

It's a really long one-day drive, though. We sometimes visit family in Brevard County, that's 750 miles from here and Fort Lauderdale is another 125 miles beyond that. Still doable, but maybe not easy, exactly. On the plus side, Southwest flies to Fort Lauderdale.