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We have narrowed our "best" places to retire down to 2 places: St Augustine, Florida or Knoxville, Tennessee.
Has anyone moved from Florida to Tennessee or vice versa? Why? What did you like or dislike about where you use to live compared to where you are now?
On the same note, is there anything about either Knoxville or St Augustine that you like or dislike? Is there some place in the general area that you like better? Why?
I know both of those areas reasonably well and they are very different mostly because of terrain and weather. Knoxville has mountains around it and has winter. St Augs is a beach town with a big historic district that is just north of the "never winter" line so it will get a few raw days in Jan/Feb but still is warm or hot nearly all year. Knoxville is a bigger city; JAX is just far enough from St Augs that you don't want to do it all that often but you can find pretty much anything there. Both have a little bit of a southern feel to them, but oddly enough I would rate Knoxville as more southern based on the local culture.
I know both of those areas reasonably well and they are very different mostly because of terrain and weather. Knoxville has mountains around it and has winter. St Augs is a beach town with a big historic district that is just north of the "never winter" line so it will get a few raw days in Jan/Feb but still is warm or hot nearly all year. Knoxville is a bigger city; JAX is just far enough from St Augs that you don't want to do it all that often but you can find pretty much anything there. Both have a little bit of a southern feel to them, but oddly enough I would rate Knoxville as more southern based on the local culture.
Southern ways can be a bit of a culture shock to people coming from the north.
Hi CK. I can't speak to Knoxville, but I've lived around the St. Augustine area most of my life. It's a cool town. I'm not sure where you're coming from, but if you are in the north, it could be a culture shock. Heck, I was born and raised in Florida, and the south is a culture shock to me! LOL>
It has all the amenities that you could want. My husband and I actually looked to move to that area at one time, although we were thinking outskirts. Not crazy about the outskirts, gotta tell you. A little too scrubby and there was an element that we weren't comfortable with. But we were looking to move about 20-30 minutes away from the city itself. I think St. Augustine proper would be fine though. It has the most beautiful downtown too. Gorgeous old city.
IMO, it gets very crowded, but some people like that.
Doesn't Knoxville have the U of Tennessee? It is a very fine uni. I don't know the city but if this is so, it's always an asset in terms of low-cost or no-cost speakers and classes and films. TN doesn't appeal to me b/c of the conservatism of the state as a whole, but any university town is going to have a diverse mixture of opinions and people.
I do know St Augustine and it's a charming city, but I too would stick to the main area, like an earlier poster. There is an appreciation for the long history of the city that is soooo rare in Florida. Some of the "history" is invented (I don't think the "Fountain of Youth" is effective), but most of it is real enough. Lots of outlet shopping and restaurants and a cool ghost-tour I took with a nephew and niece a few years ago.
So many retirees leave Florida and move to Tennessee that we actually have a name for them..."half-backs". As in moved halfway back to where they came from. Florida (any part) and Tennessee are so different that the comparison is like night and day. Tennessee is somewhat humid in spring and summer, Florida is much more humid pretty much year round. Tennessee has actual cold weather (not Minnesota cold!) for about 3-4 months of the year, with some nice days sprinkled in during that time. Northern Florida might get that a few days out of the year. Eastern Tennessee is covered with mountains, lakes, rivers, and deciduous forests. Florida is flat as a pancake and has tropical/deep south type plants, and St Aug is a beach community, so a whole different vibe. Knoxville is a university town, more diverse, and not really as "southern" as the rest of the state. I'm sure others have further differences they can describe.
We lived and worked in Jax for year. We often went on day trips down to St Augustine.
It can get some seriously cold days during the winter.
Lots of Florida folks go up to the Smokies during the summer. We did this year.
Knoxville would have too much winter for my taste. My rule is that I have to be able to look out the window and see palm trees. St Augustine is too far north for me.
Thanks all for your comments. We currently live in upstate NY, so cold down south is not like what we get. We also know the term "half-back", just wanted someone out there that did it and tell be why they did it. What was it in Florida that made them move out. So keep the info coming. Thanks again.
Thanks all for your comments. We currently live in upstate NY, so cold down south is not like what we get. We also know the term "half-back", just wanted someone out there that did it and tell be why they did it. What was it in Florida that made them move out. So keep the info coming. Thanks again.
You might want to ask this question on the Knoxville forum. There's been a lot of past discussions on this subject there. It seems a lot of people who moved from Florida to TN do so to get away from the heat and crowds, a better place to raise their kids or live near mountains, and slower pace of life.
I'm from the northeast. I lived in Florida for ten years. I've lived in Knoxville for ten more.
I didn't like Florida very much, but it is a big state. St. Augustine is one of the better areas in my opinion. (Remember, this is just my opinion. Other folks may or may not think so.)
I love Knoxville, though, and moving here was one of the best things I ever did.
Also, St. Augustine is not in the northeast so they have a nice winter. However, it isn't Miami or even Orlando, it does get colder. Same can be said for Knoxville. Although colder than St. Augustine, it is pretty darned balmy for the northeast.
We do get snow here, though. However, as mentioned before in another thread, our seasonal snow totals are usually about five inches. That is for the entire season. Last year, a very cold, snowy season, I think we got about five. However, it almost always melts in a day.
There are two things that I would urge you to think about.
Housing prices. St. Augustine's prices are much higher and I know that you don't have a high housing budget.
The other is people. Native Floridians can be nice, as can other people from other parts of the country. However, one of the things that I didn't like about Florida was the attitudes. You get a lot of people from all over and you have a higher chance of running into rudeness. On the other hand, I've found that Knoxvillians are some of the nicest people you will ever come across. Perhaps the nicest.
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