Columbia TN Info (Knoxville, Chattanooga, Murfreesboro: for sale, real estate, insurance)

[Judy Plock]

Need info on Columbia TN. Is it a nice place to live?...How are the jobs, housing market? Looks like the housing market is a little more resonable than Athens TN. Moving somewhere in TN..Thought about Athens, but just do not have a good feeling about it. I do need to find a job. Administrative Assistant for 20years. Have to leave FL..Too expenesive to live...Insurance too high and taxes. I am a FL born native, living in Ocala FL, Marion County. House up for sale . Leaving FL for good and never to look back. How is the crime rate in Columbia TN? Also how are the taxes in this area?

Thanks.
Journey1

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Judy Plock

Need info on Columbia TN. Is it a nice place to live?...How are the jobs, housing market? Looks like the housing market is a little more resonable than Athens TN. Moving somewhere in TN..Thought about Athens, but just do not have a good feeling about it. I do need to find a job. Administrative Assistant for 20years. Have to leave FL..Too expenesive to live...Insurance too high and taxes. I am a FL born native, living in Ocala FL, Marion County. House up for sale . Leaving FL for good and never to look back. How is the crime rate in Columbia TN? Also how are the taxes in this area?

Thanks.
Journey1

Several posts have been made about Columbia in the Nashville sub forum, and almost none of the posts have been positive. Columbia is an old town with a rich history, but progress and jobs have gone north of the city closer to Nashville.

Why did you decide on Columbia? If you want a job as an administrative assistant, you shouldn't have any problems at all in Williamson County, which is between Columbia and Nashville. Franklin and Brentwood are definite white-collar towns, nothing but manicured office parks and upscale shopping malls, in other words, PLENTY of jobs for administrative assistants. Columbia is rather industrial. The cost of living is rather high in Williamson County, maybe that's why you're shooting for Columbia?

Have you considered other small towns like Johnson City or Cookeville? They're both university towns; universities also have a constant need for administrative assistants...

Good luck!

[Judy Plock]

Thanks for the input...Haven't decided yet which location, just trying to get feed back on different places that might would be a good place to live and have a job. Still looking at Athens TN...Lots of FL folks moving in Athens...But the job issue is a BIG concern of mine.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Judy Plock

Thanks for the input...Haven't decided yet which location, just trying to get feed back on different places that might would be a good place to live and have a job. Still looking at Athens TN...Lots of FL folks moving in Athens...But the job issue is a BIG concern of mine.

I can certainly understand that. I don't think there are too many jobs in Athens. And based on the posts in this forum, there are a lot more Floridians moving to other parts of Tennessee instead of Athens: Knoxville, Tri Cities, Chattanooga, Cookeville. And looking at the housing construction stats available here on city-data.com, it doesn't look like there are many people moving to the Athens area in general. It's a nice town and is home to my favorite ice cream company (Mayfield!) but you might want to consider another part of the state. There are lots of nice towns in Tennessee in beautiful areas with more jobs available.

[BUP41800]

Hi, Judy.
I understand where you're coming from. I, too, am a Florida native and live just north of you in Alachua County.
I've never been to Columbia, but there was an article in the Orlando Sentinel recently about a number of people from the Orlando area who moved up there. They all seemed to love the area. Don't know about the job situation, though.
My nephew worked in Athens--he was with the county legal system. He said the people were very friendly. I drove through there not long ago. It's an attractive little town. There's a small college there: Tennessee Wesleyan. It might be a place to check into for employment.
Best of luck deciding where to relocate to. I'll be in your shoes in less than 5 years!

[Judy Plock]

Thanks for the information...I am checking out Franklin TN...I am not sure about the weather conditions there. If summers are very hot? If winter has snow? I Have time to check things out. By the way I work in Gainesville FL. Live in Marion County..25 mins to work...Thank you BUP41800

[IFly]

I grew up in Columbia and after many years away (including 4 years in Gainesville, FL!) my husband and I are looking forward to returning to Columbia in June.

Columbia is a wonderful community, and if you are accustomed to driving from Ocala to Gainesville every day, you have a wealth of jobs available within a 25 minute driving radius of Columbia. Meanwhile, you would benefit from a friendly Southern community with an extremely low cost of living, especially compared to Florida!

Although the sales tax is much higher than Florida's, the property taxes in Maury County are extremely low.

There is a great website, www.mauryalliance.com, that can give you a lot of specific information on the area as well as their Visions magazine, which will give you some insight into Columbia living. If you would like to search real estate listings for the area to get an idea of home prices, go to www.whitewoodardrealtypc.com. I think that you will be pleasantly surprised!

Also, if you like the equestrian feel of Ocala, you will enjoy living in Middle Tennessee. Columbia has a celebration of the hardworking mule - Mule Days - which are held every April, when the town of less than 40,000 swells to 250,000-300,000 people for food, fun, and festivities celebrating the joys of a bygone agricultural era. There are also lots of upscale equestrian shows and events in Columbia and surrounding communities, such as Shelbyville, throughout the year.

If you are a person who likes to become involved in the community, Columbia is accustomed to newcomers (since thousands of people have moved to the area since GM joined Maury County in the 1980s) and there are many opportunities to participate in local government (through advisory boards), education (local schools and county library system), and history (the area is home to dozens of antebellum mansions and gardens). The local YMCA has very reasonable rates and would be a great way to stay healthy and meet others at the same time!

If you are looking to cut down on your commute, I would check out Maury Regional Hospital and Columbia State Community College, two of the county's largest employers. Both have job postings on their websites. Columbia State has a great community education program if you are interested in developing new hobbies!

My husband and I feel that Columbia is an ideal mix of economical small-town living and solid values located within its boundaries with the bonus of upscale shopping, restaurants, cultural events, and an international airport located within an hour's drive.

Good luck with your choices, and enjoy the Florida winters while you can! We are returning to Gainesville for a visit next week!

[ibblessed]

I would like to recommend that you look at Murfreesboro TN. It is a very booming city about 45 miles from Columbia and about 30 mins from Nashville. The job market in the area is great. You can look at Rutherford County. We have one of the smalles unemployment rates in the country.
Murfreesboro is growing , but still has the hometown feel and look. I have lived here about 10 yrs..I love it. It is convient to Nashville if you want city,,and then there are the many small beautiful communities that surround Murfreesboro. If you like parks, lakes etc...a short drive will briing you in contact with nature.

[Shygirl72185]

I'm looking for affordable housing and a job in Columbia,TN.. I'm relocating from Buffalo,NY.. Want to move down there by September how do I go about getting the process started?

[scarletneon]

Just be sure to watch out for domestic disputes at your local gas station!