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Old 06-27-2010, 03:13 AM
 
Location: Florida
59 posts, read 173,584 times
Reputation: 41

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I'm planning to relocate from SW Florida to Tennessee and have been reading this forum for info ... there seems to be a LOT of Floridians who have relocated to Tennessee! Can I get some input from you fellow Floridians? How do you compare life in Florida to Tennessee? What do you like about Tennessee that isn't available in Florida? Anything you miss about Florida?

I live in Fort Myers, have been here since I was 8 years old (I'm now 40) (originally from S. GA.) ... and I have never liked it here but have stayed because of family. I have finally decided to move and am planning on relocating to either a suburb of the Nashville area or Knoxville area within the next year (hopefully sooner rather than later!)

Looking forward to hearing your stories!
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Old 06-27-2010, 04:16 AM
 
Location: Florida
59 posts, read 173,584 times
Reputation: 41
Default Nashville or Knoxville area? Pros and cons??

I am planning on moving from SW Florida to Tennessee within the next year (hopefully sooner!). I have family in Murfreesboro so have thought of going to that area. I can't decide between the Nashville or Knoxville areas and am looking for some advice from those who live there and love the area!

Can you give me some pros and cons of each area? How much does it snow in the Knoxville area? Is one area's job market better than the other?

I am not a "city" person ... I don't like noise/traffic/crowds. Apartment living is NOT an option! I enjoy the peacefulness of country living but don't mind commuting 30-45 minutes to work in the city.

As far as work ... I have a BA degree in Religious Studies w/ a minor in Communication. I have 10 yrs exp. in Human Resources, non-profit/social services and ministry administration. I'm also a writer and would like to get into the Christian publishing field.

My son, daughter-in-law and 2 yr old grandson will be moving with me. Son does golf course maintenance, DIL does office work. I also plan for my parents to move with us eventually and would like a place with an in-law suite so I can take care of them while they still have their own space. (I will rent for 1st year to get to know the area before I buy.)

Any and all advice appreciated!!
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Old 06-27-2010, 04:20 AM
 
Location: Boston
1,432 posts, read 3,843,118 times
Reputation: 793
Quote:
Originally Posted by vlwinfla View Post
I am planning on moving from SW Florida to Tennessee within the next year (hopefully sooner!). I have family in Murfreesboro so have thought of going to that area. I can't decide between the Nashville or Knoxville areas and am looking for some advice from those who live there and love the area!

Can you give me some pros and cons of each area? How much does it snow in the Knoxville area? Is one area's job market better than the other?

I am not a "city" person ... I don't like noise/traffic/crowds. Apartment living is NOT an option! I enjoy the peacefulness of country living but don't mind commuting 30-45 minutes to work in the city.

As far as work ... I have a BA degree in Religious Studies w/ a minor in Communication. I have 10 yrs exp. in Human Resources, non-profit/social services and ministry administration. I'm also a writer and would like to get into the Christian publishing field.

My son, daughter-in-law and 2 yr old grandson will be moving with me. Son does golf course maintenance, DIL does office work. I also plan for my parents to move with us eventually and would like a place with an in-law suite so I can take care of them while they still have their own space. (I will rent for 1st year to get to know the area before I buy.)

Any and all advice appreciated!!

If you are looking at Christian Publishing I would definitely recommend Nashville over Knoxville. Many protestant churches have their HQs here along with publishers like Thomas Nelson and Lifeway Christian.
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Old 06-27-2010, 08:18 AM
 
Location: Niota, TN
851 posts, read 2,458,080 times
Reputation: 475
I'm not in (Southeast) TN yet, but hopefully very soon. Things I like about TN. I believe there's a thread on this already has slower pace of life. Lower cost of living than FL. Nice people. 4 seasons. Time for a change in my life. Nore to do. Beautiful scenery. Lower Property taxes, home owners insurance, car insurance. Less chance of tornados.

FL = High property taxes, home owners insurance, car insurance.
Hurricanes and possible tornados. Can't afford to retire in FL. Not the place it used to be.
[SIZE=3][/SIZE]
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Old 06-27-2010, 11:28 AM
 
Location: Somewhere over the rainbow in "OZ "
24,767 posts, read 28,520,245 times
Reputation: 32860
It's the air & water... it makes the people in Tennessee happy !! thus making them triquel and just down right " NICE".. pleasant ! respectful!.... next time your in Tennessee just say "How-Dee" to some one.. and see the results..it's very infectious... people being nice to each other... saying things like "please" "thank you" "how's your day"... and opening doors for you.. not ole people "young people" saying have a nice day !! Then you have the jaw dropping beauty of Tennessee.. what more do you need..
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Old 06-27-2010, 01:47 PM
 
Location: Mountains of middle TN
5,245 posts, read 16,428,379 times
Reputation: 6131
Quote:
Originally Posted by vlwinfla View Post
I am planning on moving from SW Florida to Tennessee within the next year (hopefully sooner!). I have family in Murfreesboro so have thought of going to that area. I can't decide between the Nashville or Knoxville areas and am looking for some advice from those who live there and love the area!

Can you give me some pros and cons of each area? How much does it snow in the Knoxville area? Is one area's job market better than the other?

I am not a "city" person ... I don't like noise/traffic/crowds. Apartment living is NOT an option! I enjoy the peacefulness of country living but don't mind commuting 30-45 minutes to work in the city.

As far as work ... I have a BA degree in Religious Studies w/ a minor in Communication. I have 10 yrs exp. in Human Resources, non-profit/social services and ministry administration. I'm also a writer and would like to get into the Christian publishing field.

My son, daughter-in-law and 2 yr old grandson will be moving with me. Son does golf course maintenance, DIL does office work. I also plan for my parents to move with us eventually and would like a place with an in-law suite so I can take care of them while they still have their own space. (I will rent for 1st year to get to know the area before I buy.)

Any and all advice appreciated!!
*waves to fellow SW FL'er* Born and raised on Marco, moved off the island to Naples in the mid 90s or so. Moved to middle TN May 5, 2006. Best thing I ever did.

Summers are hot and humid, but nothing compared to Florida.
Winters are cold, but not that much worse and the snow is fun!
Cost of living is a very tiny fraction of Florida.
People are NICE!!!! It takes a while, but you'll actually get used to it!
Air and land is clean.
Way less people.
Slower, more relaxed way of life.
The schools have a tiny fraction of the annual budget but do soooo much more with it. Our kids loved the school and had a fabulous admin!

The only difficult transition for me has been animal welfare laws. They don't exist here and I do rescue work, so it's been really hard for me. But other than that, this place is heaven.

I'll be the first to admit when I see Florida tags here I scream 'go home, someone close the freaking border'. I was the fifth generation in my family born on Marco - about 60 years before the Deltona days. I loved my island and miss what it was. It was forever ruined by the people that moved in from the NE. So my first thoughts when I see the FL tags now are they are going to ruin this area too. And in some areas they already are. A big farm out near me got bought up and chopped into stupid little lots and is now a 'gated community'. Makes me want to yack. Not sure why people move here and say 'it's heaven!! Here, let's just make it like it was where we left from'. If that's what you want, stay there! Stop ruining what we have here. Gah!!!

Sorry.........................

Anyway, it's gorgeous. I commute 2 hours each way to work and wouldn't have it any other way. Unless I won the lottery and never had to commute again! But until then I'll keep traveling between home and Nashville. I"m not a city girl at all - you know how tiny Marco is - but Nashville isn't too bad. If you're looking for something smaller, look into Murfreesboro. It's similar to Ft Myers in size. If you're looking for little towns that are still reasonable, look around Woodbury. Still driving distance to the Nashville and outlying areas, but still very rural and gorgeous.

Drop me a line if you want any other info. I remember being in your shoes looking around here and a wonderful man on this forum was a God send for me. I'd be happy to 'pass it along'.
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Old 06-27-2010, 01:55 PM
 
Location: The Conterminous United States
22,584 posts, read 54,280,916 times
Reputation: 13615
I lived in Fort Myers for 10 years. My husband lived there for 25 years, from the time he was 12. He has a lot of family in Lee County. A LOT.

We've been here five years and love it.

I picked Knoxville over Nashville because there were a lot more transplants in Nashville and after living in Fort Myers, the less transplants I deal with, the better, as far as I'm concerned. The OP will probably understand. Fort Myers is extremely transient and I will do anything to avoid that mentality.

Knoxville is a much smaller city, too. More like a big town, and that was what I was looking for. Ten minutes in any direction and it becomes very rural.

Knoxville has a better unemployment rate than Nashville, too.

It's near the Great Smoky Mountains and has much better weather. Nashville has a lot more violent storms and tornadoes. It just had a devastating flood.

If you have family in Mufreesboro, then perhaps that would be a better fit for you. Everyone is different.

But I haven't regretted our decision to move to Knoxville. We have absolutely thrived here. In fact, we are opening our own family business in the next couple of weeks. I just can't believe it.

Go Vols!
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Old 06-27-2010, 04:08 PM
 
Location: Jamestown
61 posts, read 156,139 times
Reputation: 35
Default Move

I also live in the Fort Myers area and looking to retire to Tenn.

So please keep us informed on your search progress and then once you are there tell us how great it is so we will have something to look foward too.
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Old 06-27-2010, 06:55 PM
 
Location: Hills of TN
79 posts, read 322,752 times
Reputation: 60
I used to live in St Cloud ( WAY before it was St Cloud-Kissimmee). TN is a whole different animal. About 90% less people. You have 4 seasons, and they are very mild. Here it is hotter than the north, but not nearly as much snow. Cooler than the south, but no hurricanes. I have lived in about 20 different states, and picked TN over all of them. The best roads. The best weather. Turkey, deer and bald eagles everywhere. What is not to love?
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Old 06-27-2010, 07:46 PM
 
Location: Florida
59 posts, read 173,584 times
Reputation: 41
Quote:
Originally Posted by vivelafrance View Post
If you are looking at Christian Publishing I would definitely recommend Nashville over Knoxville. Many protestant churches have their HQs here along with publishers like Thomas Nelson and Lifeway Christian.
That is what I was thinking as well ... I love Nashville, but I love Knoxville too!
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