moving to Tn- looking for safe town, cheap houses with property and good for employ. (Memphis: fit in, transfer) - Tennessee (TN) - City-Data Forum

donnaofnj · 08-14-2006, 02:37 PM

Hi I am from NJ and a mother to 3 & 4 year old daughters. My husband drives a dump truck. NJ has gotten really out of hand and is not affordable for us anymore and I dont enjoy the fast pace of everyone being in a rush or worrying so much about the safety of my children but most importantly I cant afford to live here anymore.

I was looking to see if anyone has suggestions of good areas to look for buying homes in TN. I need something that will be within a 45 minute commute of somewhere that has a lot of potential for jobs.

I am also looking for something that is on an acre or two and is 3 to 4 bedrooms with a basement.

We dont have a lot of money so the cheaper the better.

But I also want to have it be safe for my children and nice family atmosphere with good schools and things for us to do as a family.

Thanks so much for everyones help and advice.

mbmouse · 08-14-2006, 03:36 PM

Good choice for a place to move with your family! I did the same 10 years ago and have never regreted it once! Are you looking at East, middle or West TN? Have your husband look into Rinker, they have a branch here in Johnson City and a large one in Knoxville and seeing as I see lots of dump trucks on the roads and highways, I don't think he should have any troubles.
As far as houseing, I can tell you that here in East TN, you can find many homes with an acre or so with a 3 bed 2 or more in the coutry but yet still close for about 130's depending on the houses age and such. 100% financing and people selling with seller consessions is common so you really don't need a whole lot down in a lot of cases, but a lot of that depends on your situation too, but the market is favorable for a bit of creative financing.
Let me know if I can get you any links and such. I would be more than happy to help.

donnaofnj · 08-15-2006, 06:29 AM

Thank you so much for the help. We are considering eastern and middle tn. I really right now am trying to get information of which will sway us. Such as where can we get a good cheaper home with land in a quiet safe neighborhood but still be close to employment. If you have any information of towns that you think are really nice or areas that would be great help. Once again thank you so much.

mbmouse · 08-15-2006, 08:18 AM

You might want to look into the Tri-Cities area, there are a lot of little towns around the larger ones that might fit into what you are looking for. Send me an email and I can get you some links to newspapers and such to different towns, I would here but they cut most of them hahahahaha.

sugardaddy · 08-15-2006, 08:51 AM

While east tennessee is certainly more scenic and probably not as costly to live in, I am moving to Tipton County in west tennessee. It's within 45 minutes from Memphis and you can get a lot for your money. I am in the process of purchasing a 3br/2ba on 1 acre for $135K. You can actually get more than that if you look. The Munford/Atoka/Brighton area is growing due to the fact that a lot of people are leaving Memphis(thats me). Taxes are significantly lower. I will pay appx $1300 less a year in taxes as compared to living in Memphis. Also, I-69 will be routing through Tipton county which may or may not be a good thing, but will no doubt bring addtional dollars to the county.

TNnut · 08-15-2006, 01:24 PM

Pleasant View is nice, quiet, and has good schools. It is about 20 minutes from Nashville. Cheap housing, too. www.pleasantviewonline.com is the city website.

CTTNSCTN · 08-15-2006, 04:53 PM

I have lived in all the states indicated in my login name. I have also lived in Middle, East, West and in between Tennesee. I have lived in big cities and small towns. There are differences in education and atmosphere. I have been pleased living everywhere except Memphis. Stay AWAY from Memphis.

Tipton county, just north of Memphis is pleasant and safe, but the schools are not going to prepare your children for a university. On the other hand, across the state in the southeast corner of the state Cleveland City Schools are excellent and the county schools are getting much better. Bradley County (Cleveland) schools are still way better than Tipton County.

Putnam county (1.5 hours east of Nashville on I-40) benefits from a University strong in engineering and prepares their children well. Counties surrounding Nashville are really stepping up to having the kids well prepared for college. It's getting pretty crazy traffic wise close to Nashville though.

I've not lived in the northeast corner of the state but have contacts there. The Maryville schools just outside Knoxville are exceptional. Most schools in the Knoxville area and surrounding counties seem to benefit from having The University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

I vote for East TN. Anywhere in East TN. You will also be near I-75 so it will be easier to hit the road and visit family and friends back in NJ.
Feel free to drop me a line for more specific information.

Summerlashea · 08-22-2006, 10:45 AM

Sneedville is a small, very safe town to live in. It is in east Tennessee. The town is very small, but the schools are good. There are not a lot of good jobs right here in Sneedville, but there are good jobs 40-45 minutes away. mod cut

mrsmrb · 06-10-2007, 07:10 PM

Donnasteidle - What part of TN. are you moving to? We bought a home in Brighton and will be moving in n June 22.

Downhome · 06-11-2007, 09:38 PM

I too just left the rat race of NJ I lived abt 6 miles outside of Trenton. Lots of affordable living down here.Im not sure about truck driving jobs, I took a transfer with my job. My advice is come visit get as much info as you can and talk to the people here. As far as transferring your Lisc. you dont have to retest just have proof of residencey here. Im in Jonesborough its outside of Johnson City and we love it, I cant think of a better place to raise my family.