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Out of state residents relocating to Tennessee, North Carolina, Texas and Georgia: reasons include cold weather, housing prices, employment opportunities and transfer, low property taxes
The same question could be asked for NC, TX, GA, AR, etc etc. As a fellow Southerner living in California, perhaps I can shed some light on this issue for some of you who are still back home scratching your heads. It might also give you some perspective.
It boils down to a number of different reasons, but all pointing to economics. First of all, some of the people here ( a lot so far) are from MI, OH, Upsate NY. Basically, the rust belt. This area has lost most of it's industrial manufacturing base and many have not made the transition to a modern economy. Sorry if that hurts a few transplantee feelings. But that's a broad aspect of the region. It is also COLD up there. So what you get are many people who are looking for a better economic living situation. Even though the economy might not be as hot, their housing markets are still expensive in many cases. So logically, it makes sense to relocate to an area with a growing economy and a more affordable standard of living. Some of the retirees are simply looking for someplace warmer.
Second comes the crowd from CA, NY ( NYC) MA, FL, and even parts of AZ, WA, etc. These places have always been desirable, but in the last 5 years, the cost of living has gone up nearly 1-300% in some areas. Case in point, I moved to CA 10 years ago. Back then, a home could be had for 150-200k, which at the time I thought was ridiculous. From 2002-2005, those prices went from 250k-650k. That 650k will get you a very small, older, 2 bedroom home in the suburbs. So in reality, a family would need to make over 250k a year just to make a mortgage payment on a very small home. As you can imagine, there are many people in these states looking for a way out, and when they look for cheap places, the Southeast pops up onto the radar. So you can expect to see an ever-increasing number of people from these states. I've even heard the term:" Reverse dust bowl" used to describe this trend.
Perhaps this all sounds really obvious. But it might give you an idea as to why there are suddenly so many people from other places moving here. They are simply looking for a better standard of living. I personally hear people every single day pining over a better place to raise their families. NC and TN come up frequently. I can't say I blame them.
With that, I would throw caution to the wind and HOPE that Nashville, Atlanta, Knoxville, and even the Tri-cities are making careful plans on how to deal with this massive influx. The big mistake would be to do what California did, which was put a lot of anti-development laws on the books right along with unfair property tax legislation that came back to bite them in the rear. The reason California is so incredibly overpriced is because of the limitation on homebuilding it enforced starting in the 70's. I only hope that places like Nashville will consider a smart growth development plan that ensures that all levels of housing are developed so that the city will remain a great place for families of all income levels to enjoy. Otherwise... expect problems in the future.
All I can say for myself is that after living in CA, the quality of life I had in TN was clearly amazingly good compared to the way things are here now. I hope that TN's unique character will be preserved and respected by all who come there no matter where they hail from.
My family is from Tennessee, near the Nashville area.
We had to leave due to the Air Force.
I ended up in Idaho, where I met my husband, a former Minnesotan.
About 11 years ago, we moved to Minnesota.
Not because we really wanted to, but, because of his parents.
It would've been best if we had stayed in Idaho.
So, now, we are at a place in our lives where we are moving back to Tennessee.
The rest of my family still lives there.
Yes, it will be tremendously cheaper to live in Tennessee.
It was hard on us moving from Idaho to Minnesota.
Everything doubled in price, and my husbands pay stayed the same.
Yes, it's also colder here.
It was very warm in Idaho where we lived.
A really great place to live.
So, we will be moving from this cold, expensive place to be near my family in a milder climate, and less expensive area.
We'll be moving to Springfield.
Out of the way, but, close enough to Nashville if we desperately needed to go there.
We didn't want to move where there was an influx of people.
The population in Springfield is around 15,000.
Where we live right now, it's 75,000, combine that with the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St.Paul), and you have a heck of a lot of people as well as, traffic.
The same question could be asked for NC, TX, GA, AR, etc etc. As a fellow Southerner living in California, perhaps I can shed some light on this issue for some of you who are still back home scratching your heads. It might also give you some perspective.
It boils down to a number of different reasons, but all pointing to economics. First of all, some of the people here ( a lot so far) are from MI, OH, Upsate NY. Basically, the rust belt. This area has lost most of it's industrial manufacturing base and many have not made the transition to a modern economy. Sorry if that hurts a few transplantee feelings. But that's a broad aspect of the region. It is also COLD up there. So what you get are many people who are looking for a better economic living situation. Even though the economy might not be as hot, their housing markets are still expensive in many cases. So logically, it makes sense to relocate to an area with a growing economy and a more affordable standard of living. Some of the retirees are simply looking for someplace warmer.
Second comes the crowd from CA, NY ( NYC) MA, FL, and even parts of AZ, WA, etc. These places have always been desirable, but in the last 5 years, the cost of living has gone up nearly 1-300% in some areas. Case in point, I moved to CA 10 years ago. Back then, a home could be had for 150-200k, which at the time I thought was ridiculous. From 2002-2005, those prices went from 250k-650k. That 650k will get you a very small, older, 2 bedroom home in the suburbs. So in reality, a family would need to make over 250k a year just to make a mortgage payment on a very small home. As you can imagine, there are many people in these states looking for a way out, and when they look for cheap places, the Southeast pops up onto the radar. So you can expect to see an ever-increasing number of people from these states. I've even heard the term:" Reverse dust bowl" used to describe this trend.
Perhaps this all sounds really obvious. But it might give you an idea as to why there are suddenly so many people from other places moving here. They are simply looking for a better standard of living. I personally hear people every single day pining over a better place to raise their families. NC and TN come up frequently. I can't say I blame them.
With that, I would throw caution to the wind and HOPE that Nashville, Atlanta, Knoxville, and even the Tri-cities are making careful plans on how to deal with this massive influx. The big mistake would be to do what California did, which was put a lot of anti-development laws on the books right along with unfair property tax legislation that came back to bite them in the rear. The reason California is so incredibly overpriced is because of the limitation on homebuilding it enforced starting in the 70's. I only hope that places like Nashville will consider a smart growth development plan that ensures that all levels of housing are developed so that the city will remain a great place for families of all income levels to enjoy. Otherwise... expect problems in the future.
All I can say for myself is that after living in CA, the quality of life I had in TN was clearly amazingly good compared to the way things are here now. I hope that TN's unique character will be preserved and respected by all who come there no matter where they hail from.
I think that you raised two key issues in your post. One being smart growth, the other being the preservation of TN's character. As much as I would like to relocate to the South, I am concerned that growth might be out of control in some areas. A few years ago, I had always thought about relocating to Atlanta. But I am having second thoughts because I think the population growth within the metro area has occurred too rapidly. Nashville is another city that I was considering but now I am wondering if they will face some of the same problems that Atlanta is experiencing .
Hello, my husband's company has relocated to Nashville. So in my case, we are relocating for economic reasons. I have been reading this forum & find them to be very informative. Everyone raves about Franklin & Brentwood (which is where we intend to relocate), on the same breath, they also say it is so expensive. I am just curious, what makes it so expensive? Is it the day the day expenses such as groceries/gas due to the high sales tax (9.25% right?), or is it the utilities/daycare/childcare expenses? Or is it the mortgage that is eating up a huge chunk of the salary? I am moving from NJ. Currently both my husband & I work but once we move, he will be the only one earning... Thanks for your feedback in advance.
Hello, my husband's company has relocated to Nashville. So in my case, we are relocating for economic reasons. I have been reading this forum & find them to be very informative. Everyone raves about Franklin & Brentwood (which is where we intend to relocate), on the same breath, they also say it is so expensive. I am just curious, what makes it so expensive? Is it the day the day expenses such as groceries/gas due to the high sales tax (9.25% right?), or is it the utilities/daycare/childcare expenses? Or is it the mortgage that is eating up a huge chunk of the salary? I am moving from NJ. Currently both my husband & I work but once we move, he will be the only one earning... Thanks for your feedback in advance.
Brentwood and Franklin actually have fairly low property tax rates. But you end up paying a lot because homes are so expensive. If you look at the city-data.com web page for each of those cities you'll see that their median home values are double or triple what they are in the rest of the Nashville area. (In 2005, there were 458 new homes built in Brentwood at an average value of $275k, in Franklin there were 906 new homes built at an average value of $357k, and the rest of Williamson County had 1,941 homes built at an average value of $336k). So it's the real estate that's expensive, not the groceries, gasoline, etc. Wal-Mart in Franklin has the same prices as Wal-Mart in Columbia.
That bit about Walmart...very funny JMT . I'm glad you straightened the facts. Considering we will downgrading from a 2 income to a single income earner family, I was a bit worried.
TN and NC have a combination of good weather, good jobs and houses priced at $50k to $200k making it affordable for almost everyone. Property taxes and insurance are low as well. People are sick and tired of the crime and overpriced houses elsewhere.
I too, am tired & stressed out having to deal with East Coast living. And I am looking to move to a more family oriented area. I have 2 kids, a 2 y.o. & a 3 month old. But I have some hesitation in moving to TN. Although, I am not sure if I should be concerned. NJ is so diverse & being of asian descent, I am right @ home here. Luckily, I have never had to deal with racism personally. I am hoping despite the imbalance in racial diversity, TN would still be a good choice?
We moved down from Wyoming 2 1/2 years ago. It is not cheaper than wyoming. I am amazed at what stuff costs here for what you get. And the services you get from the towns and counties are just awful. In wilson county you pay "deposits". Of which you NEVER get back. How can that be a deposit? I won't whine anymore. I just whish I had researched this move better It never would have happend.
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moving home...
