Murfreesboro vs Hendersonville for retirement

[LivingLikeAGradStudent]

There's much more there there in the 'boro vs. the 'ville, but with that you get more traffic and more levels of income and standards of living.

[JoeJunior]

If you get a map and draw a circle 40 miles from downtown Nashville, you're going to find no losers. All the towns are nice. But if you go another 10-20 miles out, the housing market can be less expensive and the land is even more beautiful.

My ancestral home is Columbia. The farms south of Columbia and north of Pulaski are simply breathtaking.

If you go 10-20 miles southeast of Murfreesboro (toward Manchester or Woodbury), the hills are incredibly beautiful.

I also love the rural areas just off I-24 around Bell Buckle and Normandy. Shelbyville is a very gentile place with all the incredible walking horse farms.

Another Middle Tennessee city that's understated is Tullahoma--home of Arnold Engineering Center (wind tunnels.) This is Jack Daniels Country with Tims Ford Lake in their backyard.

Needless to say Williamson County is great, but at $800K you'll be in a less than average home. That's sad to say.

Going east, you've beautiful country on the other side of Lebanon off I-40. Cookeville is one of the premier retirement communities in the Southeast with the culture of Tenn. Tech University and a good regional medical community.

So finding a place to live in Middle Tennessee is very difficult. Every place mentioned has many more pros than cons.

[shinestx]

Originally Posted by JoeJunior

If you get a map and draw a circle 40 miles from downtown Nashville, you're going to find no losers. All the towns are nice. But if you go another 10-20 miles out, the housing market can be less expensive and the land is even more beautiful.

My ancestral home is Columbia. The farms south of Columbia and north of Pulaski are simply breathtaking.

If you go 10-20 miles southeast of Murfreesboro (toward Manchester or Woodbury), the hills are incredibly beautiful.

I also love the rural areas just off I-24 around Bell Buckle and Normandy. Shelbyville is a very gentile place with all the incredible walking horse farms.

Another Middle Tennessee city that's understated is Tullahoma--home of Arnold Engineering Center (wind tunnels.) This is Jack Daniels Country with Tims Ford Lake in their backyard.

Needless to say Williamson County is great, but at $800K you'll be in a less than average home. That's sad to say.

Going east, you've beautiful country on the other side of Lebanon off I-40. Cookeville is one of the premier retirement communities in the Southeast with the culture of Tenn. Tech University and a good regional medical community.

So finding a place to live in Middle Tennessee is very difficult. Every place mentioned has many more pros than cons.

So I suggest you let two primary factors guide your decision...
1) Where the price is 'right' for the amount of house you need
2) Proximity to the places you expect to go to around the Nashville metro area.

I would not dismiss the ease of getting to an Interstate in your case. You never know when you'll need to get to Nashville (or wherever you will need to go for health, shopping, travel, etc.).

[Jerzg]

Originally Posted by JoeJunior

If you get a map and draw a circle 40 miles from downtown Nashville, you're going to find no losers. All the towns are nice. But if you go another 10-20 miles out, the housing market can be less expensive and the land is even more beautiful.

My ancestral home is Columbia. The farms south of Columbia and north of Pulaski are simply breathtaking.

If you go 10-20 miles southeast of Murfreesboro (toward Manchester or Woodbury), the hills are incredibly beautiful.

I also love the rural areas just off I-24 around Bell Buckle and Normandy. Shelbyville is a very gentile place with all the incredible walking horse farms.

Another Middle Tennessee city that's understated is Tullahoma--home of Arnold Engineering Center (wind tunnels.) This is Jack Daniels Country with Tims Ford Lake in their backyard.

Needless to say Williamson County is great, but at $800K you'll be in a less than average home. That's sad to say.

Going east, you've beautiful country on the other side of Lebanon off I-40. Cookeville is one of the premier retirement communities in the Southeast with the culture of Tenn. Tech University and a good regional medical community.

So finding a place to live in Middle Tennessee is very difficult. Every place mentioned has many more pros than cons.

This is excellent information and I will check into the areas you mentioned. I think when we visit in June it will be easier to get a sense of an area and see if there is an place that feels like home. I know what you mean in terms of pricing and how it can change the further you go. I found that out doing a search on Redfin. A house in Hendersonville will definitely be a lot more than a home in Portland or even White House. I also checked into Clarksville but have read some mixed reviews. It appears like its growing in a good way but boy it's a love/hate relationship with that place from reviews I read. Property didn't seem that much cheaper from some of the listings compared to White House or Portland. Nice downtown though.

BTW... it's interesting you mentioned Tullahoma. I stumbled across that city when looking at the map and it does seem very interesting and a place for us to check out.

[Jerzg]

Originally Posted by shinestx

So I suggest you let two primary factors guide your decision...
1) Where the price is 'right' for the amount of house you need
2) Proximity to the places you expect to go to around the Nashville metro area.

I would not dismiss the ease of getting to an Interstate in your case. You never know when you'll need to get to Nashville (or wherever you will need to go for health, shopping, travel, etc.).

Yes. Great point. Even though we are not commuting to Nashville on a daily basis for jobs, we don't want to be too far because there is a lot to do and see. The church we currently go to now has a church out in Nashville so at the very least, we will be there once a week. Good medical is important as well.

[GWoodle]

Originally Posted by Jerzg

Yes. Great point. Even though we are not commuting to Nashville on a daily basis for jobs, we don't want to be too far because there is a lot to do and see. The church we currently go to now has a church out in Nashville so at the very least, we will be there once a week. Good medical is important as well.

Having good medical could change your choice. In an emergency medics would take you to closest hospital. After that depends if you want to travel 30 miles to Vanderbilt or St Thomas Midtown. St Thomas of Murfreesboro could be fine.

Moving to Nashville would mean finding doctor convenient to you & what you need. Plenty of Walgreen Kroger CVS WalMart pharmacy stores in the area.