Moving from California to Tennessee (Cleveland, Green Hill: theatre, living in, restaurants)

[BlueyedCat]

Originally Posted by lillian3

Good for you that you are opened minded enough to recognize that even though Cali has its problems people are very outgoing and easy to meet. Because there are so many diffferent types of people there, they are opened minded enough to except others easily. If one is Southern and moves to California they are treated like gold because of their being different and people love the accent. Boy sure was not the same welcome I got. As soon as someone heard that I did not have a Southern accent I was treated differently. California with all its problems ie traffic, smog etc... people are pretty damn happy despite all they have to go through, go figure.....

Another great post. I agree 100%.

[eeeeeeeazy]

Wow, reading through these posts makes one both "excited and then disappointed"! Guess it just depends upon the people huh? We live in Southern California but are purchasing 3 acres just outside a little town of Baxter (east of Nashville) and just about 8 miles from Cookville. Was born and raised in Knoxville (many many years ago) but never spent much time in middle Tennessee. What made me want to move out of California is the fact that I retired last year and there is no way I can sell my home here at this point. For one third the money of what I have invested in my house here we'll have 3 acres away from "any city", room for a garden, a horse for my daughter and a view from the porch that is staggering. Here in So. California I can't sit outside on my porch without hearing the sound of screeching tires, loud hip-hop music as "low riders" drive by, when my neighbors get "indigestion" we know it, when you do go through a drive-thru you gotta stop before you leave cuz if you don't speak spanish you never know what's in the bag, you better be driving 80 mph on the road otherwise carloads of illegals will run you off the road, you better not smoke otherside you'll be yelled at by "greenies", when you do decide to go camping you're surrounded by "mariachi" music and drunk hispanics who tell you that THEY OWN CALIFORNIA and finally you don't have any representation in the government looking out for you unless you are on welfare or hispanic. Oh, and by the way, when you're paying $3600 dollars a year for property taxes it would be nice if you didn't have to put up with 4 hispanic families renting the house next door because the good folks that did own it were foreclosed on cuz they lost their jobs.

Nope, you have can it all, the cost of living, the insane traffic, the ignorant illegals who take your jobs, the high crime rate, drive by shootings, metal detectors in schools, graffiti on every overpass....

Nope, can't wait to get back to that little "3 acres up on the mountain top where all I'll hear will be a cow farting in the pasture"! :-)

[eeeeeeeazy]

Originally Posted by missy1999

We were from the Riverside area. And it is more expensive here than it was in California. Believe me; I am so upset about it because I hated it in California because it was so crowded. It was so nice to get to the area of the country that was green and the air was fresh. But it is costing us more for health ins, veh ins and food. I guess because there is so much more competition in California it brings the prices down. Now the gas in California is much more there than here. But housing now is cheaper in California now compaired to here. We have done our homework before deciding to go back to California. But we'll also make around $17,000.00 more a year and can get a nicer 2 year old home with a couple of acreas of land cheaper than we can get a 30 year old home here. It just makes since to go back even though we don't really want to.

How can you say housing is cheaper in California? At $3600 a year for property taxes and buying a house on a city lot in California where you can shake hands with your neighbor through the bathroom window you can bet your bottom dollar your overall costs for housing, taxes and utilities will be much greater in California. Someone get them a calculator, huh?

[fumanchu41]

Originally Posted by eeeeeeeazy

Wow, reading through these posts makes one both "excited and then disappointed"! Guess it just depends upon the people huh? We live in Southern California but are purchasing 3 acres just outside a little town of Baxter (east of Nashville) and just about 8 miles from Cookville. Was born and raised in Knoxville (many many years ago) but never spent much time in middle Tennessee. What made me want to move out of California is the fact that I retired last year and there is no way I can sell my home here at this point. For one third the money of what I have invested in my house here we'll have 3 acres away from "any city", room for a garden, a horse for my daughter and a view from the porch that is staggering. Here in So. California I can't sit outside on my porch without hearing the sound of screeching tires, loud hip-hop music as "low riders" drive by, when my neighbors get "indigestion" we know it, when you do go through a drive-thru you gotta stop before you leave cuz if you don't speak spanish you never know what's in the bag, you better be driving 80 mph on the road otherwise carloads of illegals will run you off the road, you better not smoke otherside you'll be yelled at by "greenies", when you do decide to go camping you're surrounded by "mariachi" music and drunk hispanics who tell you that THEY OWN CALIFORNIA and finally you don't have any representation in the government looking out for you unless you are on welfare or hispanic. Oh, and by the way, when you're paying $3600 dollars a year for property taxes it would be nice if you didn't have to put up with 4 hispanic families renting the house next door because the good folks that did own it were foreclosed on cuz they lost their jobs.

Nope, you have can it all, the cost of living, the insane traffic, the ignorant illegals who take your jobs, the high crime rate, drive by shootings, metal detectors in schools, graffiti on every overpass....

Nope, can't wait to get back to that little "3 acres up on the mountain top where all I'll hear will be a cow farting in the pasture"! :-)

Great post. Reasons seems similiar to ours, with the exception of us being on the Northeastern Coast.

[eeeeeeeazy]

Originally Posted by fumanchu41

Great post. Reasons seems similiar to ours, with the exception of us being on the Northeastern Coast.

Forgot to mention that another BIG reason for our impending move is the fact that it is sickening to me to see how the kids dress and act when I pick my daughter up from high school.

Gangster dress, pants hanging down around their crotch with their a__crack showing, fences around the school to keep the "inmates" from escaping during classtime, girls that dress like they just came in from "walking the boulevard" the night before, kids being expelled for smoking POT and cigarettes in the bathrooms in school....

I could go on and on but you know what? They can have it all! Since finalizing our property transaction I have felt a great sense of relief. During all the time we were looking for a place the first thing we did was to check the demographics to see what the population breakdown was. We automatically steered away from any locale where there was a large population of hispanics. It is unfortunate that one develops such a feeling but people just have no idea how bad it is getting until/unless they have experienced it firsthand. Only when you see your hard earned tax dollars going to support medical treatment for illegals, school resources degrading because of schooling illegals and the huge amounts of money that it takes to support illegals in California prisons, only then can you see that this state is going down the tubes.

In the end there will be no one left in California to support these expenses for illegals. People are leaving by the thousands every month. As the revenues go down, state expenses continue to rise because of these costs of supporting illegals.

Don't get me wrong.......my wife is from the Philippines and it took two years for us to get her legally here after we married there. During those two years literally 10s of thousands of illegals were "walking" across our border every year. May as well just give it up! Government does not care anymore, they just want cheap labor at the expense of hard working people here who are losing their jobs. There isn't a day that goes by that some illegal doesn't come by my house asking if they can trim my trees, mow my grass, etc. My response is always the same. If you can't speak the language you don't belong here. After all, citizenship requires that you speak English!

Try going to a home improvement store here. You gotta dodge dozens of illegals blocking the driveway attempting to get work.

Hmmmm, better stop now cuz I'm getting ticked off even thinking about it.

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times:

"Send em all back, one at a time if that is what it takes. Eventually we'll get all 12 million plus" Maybe then California and neighboring states will be a worthwhile place to live once more.....

[BlueyedCat]

Originally Posted by eeeeeeeazy

Wow, reading through these posts makes one both "excited and then disappointed"! Guess it just depends upon the people huh? We live in Southern California but are purchasing 3 acres just outside a little town of Baxter (east of Nashville) and just about 8 miles from Cookville. Was born and raised in Knoxville (many many years ago) but never spent much time in middle Tennessee. What made me want to move out of California is the fact that I retired last year and there is no way I can sell my home here at this point. For one third the money of what I have invested in my house here we'll have 3 acres away from "any city", room for a garden, a horse for my daughter and a view from the porch that is staggering. Here in So. California I can't sit outside on my porch without hearing the sound of screeching tires, loud hip-hop music as "low riders" drive by, when my neighbors get "indigestion" we know it, when you do go through a drive-thru you gotta stop before you leave cuz if you don't speak spanish you never know what's in the bag, you better be driving 80 mph on the road otherwise carloads of illegals will run you off the road, you better not smoke otherside you'll be yelled at by "greenies", when you do decide to go camping you're surrounded by "mariachi" music and drunk hispanics who tell you that THEY OWN CALIFORNIA and finally you don't have any representation in the government looking out for you unless you are on welfare or hispanic. Oh, and by the way, when you're paying $3600 dollars a year for property taxes it would be nice if you didn't have to put up with 4 hispanic families renting the house next door because the good folks that did own it were foreclosed on cuz they lost their jobs.

Nope, you have can it all, the cost of living, the insane traffic, the ignorant illegals who take your jobs, the high crime rate, drive by shootings, metal detectors in schools, graffiti on every overpass....

Nope, can't wait to get back to that little "3 acres up on the mountain top where all I'll hear will be a cow farting in the pasture"! :-)

We moved out of California for the same reasons you mentioned. We are in Middle Tn now "Nashville". We have been here close to 2 years. Most of the things we ran from are here in Nashville. You still have graffiti everywhere, there are a ton of illegals here "talk to the natives here", there is a high crime rate here etc. The grass isn't always greener else where. Also when you move here don't mention you moved here from California or you will be given the cold shoulder. I was raised in the South before moving to California in the 90's and TN is not the true southern hospitality that people hear about.
Yes; the state of TN is beautiful compared to California. I love the rain here and the four seasons. But with what comes with it, just not worth staying here.
Good luck in your move and I hope you find the happiness your looking for. Being retired you deserve it now.

[BlueyedCat]

Originally Posted by eeeeeeeazy

How can you say housing is cheaper in California? At $3600 a year for property taxes and buying a house on a city lot in California where you can shake hands with your neighbor through the bathroom window you can bet your bottom dollar your overall costs for housing, taxes and utilities will be much greater in California. Someone get them a calculator, huh?

I've heard other California transplants that state the same thing about it's not a whole lot cheaper here in TN. Of course it depends on what part of California one is coming from. And in Ca when you purchase a home; your property taxes stay at what your purchase price was. Here in the Nashville area "cant speak for others" your property tax can go up when they reset what they feel the value of your home is. There was a thread going on about that issue. Homeowners were very upset over their property taxes being raised when the value of their home was going down.
Some things are cheaper but some are not. It just depends on what the person wants and likes in life. Is TN for everyone; no but for many it is. Is CA for everyone; no but the same thing, it is for others. Everyones taste are different.

[eeeeeeeazy]

Originally Posted by BlueyedCat

We moved out of California for the same reasons you mentioned. We are in Middle Tn now "Nashville". We have been here close to 2 years. Most of the things we ran from are here in Nashville. You still have graffiti everywhere, there are a ton of illegals here "talk to the natives here", there is a high crime rate here etc. The grass isn't always greener else where. Also when you move here don't mention you moved here from California or you will be given the cold shoulder. I was raised in the South before moving to California in the 90's and TN is not the true southern hospitality that people hear about.
Yes; the state of TN is beautiful compared to California. I love the rain here and the four seasons. But with what comes with it, just not worth staying here.
Good luck in your move and I hope you find the happiness your looking for. Being retired you deserve it now.

Thanks Blue Eye.......
We do realize that there are similarities everywhere which is exactly why we chose a property outside of Baxter, up in the hills above town. It's the only farm house on the road, views overlooking the valley below and we won't be having to deal with all the city problems cuz we'll be too busy tending animals, gardening, walking in the woods and enjoying what God put on this earth rather than what man has put here.

As far as people are concerned. I worked as a corporate trainer and manager for 30 years. I can relate to anyone when necessary and always with a smile but now I will only have to deal with people when I want to. That's the difference. If you crave interaction and don't receive satisfaction from those you choose to interact with that's a personal issue. As for us, after years of being thrown together with people that you didn't wish to be around we now can pick and choose when we want. That's all I meant to say. Thanks for the congrats though. We'll looking forward to the move. Can't wait to be playing scrabble at the table with our 15 year old daughter while the snow falls outside. I'll love every moment of bring in the wood to stoke the fireplace, listening to the popping and smelling that wonderful smell.

Yep, it is a totally different lifestyle for sure. Some people "think" they will like it and some people "know" they will like it.

[lillian3]

Thank you Blued Eyed Cat. It is obvious that you are intelligent enough to see both sides but at the same time are able to articulate your experiences here in a non biased manner without criticizing people for their comments I have just read some of these posts and I hear a lot of indignent comments which certainly does not help those looking for info when making very serious life chaning decision!

And yes there is crime here, I hear sirens outside my window every hour of the day but I live in the city. No offense but to those who are living out in the country it is not the same thing as being in the city. And as far as crime there is a lot of it. Many assaults downtown because of all the bars and tourists coming in to party, not all but this is what I have seen personally.

I live in Green Hills and have been told by a woman that she was robbed after work in broad daylight, now she carries a gun for she is afraid. A young man was stuffed into his car in broad daylight in the Green Hills mall awhile ago. Criminals do not dress a certain way. I get the gang stuff in CA but that happens mostly in certain areas, here you never know where it will happen..... I lived at the beach in California there was no crime when I was there, people did sag there pants a little but last I checked that was not a crime. As far as the driving here, I have never been so scared by some peoples driving as I have here and I say that with all seriousness. I see people weaving in and out of traffic, talking on their cell phones more here more than anywhere ,sorry but in some States it is illegal to use cell phones while driving which I found annoying at first now I welcome this law. I have avoided collisions with people more here that I think were driving under the influence. There are a lot of people that come to Nashville for a good time (to party) some are responcible others not so much. I have to honestly say I have never encountered car loads of any race trying to run me off the road in CA. People are really into their cars there, they drive fast but most I have witnessed are pretty careful but I have had people here just pull right in front of me and it was very scary.


I have lived here a year and have not met one person I could call a friend. I moved to Austin TX, and met friends within the first two weeks of living there. I have lived other places for the same amount of time and to this day am still friends with these people. I am not shy, or strange, I am very outgoing and enjoy meeting people so I know it is not me. There is a lot to say about living in a place and having that happen. I was just in Oregon visiting family and could not believe how friendly the people were there, I was there two days and met a new friend. The few people that have reached out were transplants....interesting isn't it. And please if you have a comment make it relevant. This is not MySpace, Think about the people that really use this site to gain useful information not about yourself....Thank you to those of you that respect others and their opinions we need more of you in this world.

Would like to ad that I am in now way an advocate for CA, I moved here for work and hoping that I would really like it here, but for me unfortunately have to say that for those of you considering places for relocation I would recommend some other places before here, Northern CA, expensive but nice and different from SoCal. Some parts of Texas, Austin is wonderful, lots of recreation and the hill country is beautiful. Oregon rains a lot but you have about four months of great weather and the Summer and Fall are spectacular. If you like the water some parts of Florida are also pretty cool and has a lot of offer for all ages. I have never been to North Carolina but have had friends that have move there and loved it! Due to my job I have been able to travel quite a bit so I have seen a lot of places. I hope this helps at least one or two people. We all need to help one another and maybe this world will work for us all!!!

[BlueyedCat]

Originally Posted by lillian3

Thank you Blued Eyed Cat. It is obvious that you are intelligent enough to see both sides but at the same time are able to articulate your experiences here in a non biased manner without criticizing people for their comments I have just read some of these posts and I hear a lot of indignent comments which certainly does not help those looking for info when making very serious life chaning decision!

And yes there is crime here, I hear sirens outside my window every hour of the day but I live in the city. No offense but to those who are living out in the country it is not the same thing as being in the city. And as far as crime there is a lot of it. Many assaults downtown because of all the bars and tourists coming in to party, not all but this is what I have seen personally.

I live in Green Hills and have been told by a woman that she was car jacked after work in broad daylightnow she carries a gun for she is afraid. A young man was stuffed into his car in broad daylight in the Green Hills mall awhile ago. Criminals do not dress a certain way. I get the gang stuff in CA but that happens mostly in certain areas, here you never know where it will happen..... I lived at the beach in California there was no crime when I was there, people did sag there pants a little but last I checked that was not a crime.

I have lived here a year and have not met one person I could call a friend. I moved to Austin TX, and met friends within the first two weeks of living there. I have lived other places for the same amount of time and to this day am still friends with these people. I am not shy, or strange, I am very outgoing and enjoy meeting people so I know it is not me. There is a lot to say about living in a place and having that happen. The few people that have reached out were transplants....interesting isn't it. And please if you have a comment make it relevant. This is not MySpace, Think about the people that really use this site to gain useful information not about yourself....Thank you to those of you that respect others and their opinions we need more of you in this world.

Your welcome Lillian; and thank you also. We also have not met anyone that we could actually call a friend. We have met many people but everyone keeps to themselves as if they are afraid of getting to know someone. My husband and I are also very outgoing people. It's just not the same here. When I moved to California I heard so many rumors about how rude people were out there. I met so many people in California that I consider very close friends in just a few weeks. We all still keep in touch on a weekly basis. We have been here close to 2 years.
We are very polite to everyone and help when we see someone needs it. There is never a thank you or anything. When we hold a door open for someone they shrug and walk past us like we were bothering them or in their way. I just don't understand. I will never stop being who I am because of it though. I will continue to be nice to them any way and hopefully one day they will see. And hopefully they will start to treat others better.
Everywhere we have lived we have made very good friends. It's a shame that we couldn't do the same here.