Looking for advice on TN (Knoxville, Cookeville: appointed, home, safe area)

[ruth_98]

I am hoping to find a bit of assistance here. My husband and I have relocated to PA from CA about year ago, however, it is just not working out for us. We work at home and can work anywhere so that is not a consideration. We are looking for an area to live where the people are friendly and welcoming! We have no kids and are in our late 50's. We have horses and other pets and need about 12 or more acres and a large house. We must be about an hour from a large airport and also need good doctors within an easy drive. Having places to shop, coffee shops, nice restaurants, etc. is really important also. We do want a safe area and little, if any, snow, LOL.

I don't mean to ask for so much <g> but that is what we really are trying to find. Any advice is most welcome. We are planning a visit to the South later in July (or early August) and while we are looking in TN would consider other locales in the South also. Many thanks for your help.

[alleycat]

Well, that kind of sounds like one of the larger towns adjacent to Nashville (although Knoxville or the Tri-Cities area might work as well). Nashville has a good airport and is a major medical center.

If I were you, I might start by looking at some of the towns to the north and east of the Nashville airport, staying within about a 40 to 50 mile range. I might also throw out Robertson County as well.

Snow will vary here. Some years (like this year) we will get almost none; other years we will get a few snowfalls.

Of course, you might find something more to your liking in one of the other southern state; I'm not trying to talk you into coming to Tennessee. There would certainly be less snow and a larger airport near Atlanta.

[happyappy]

Originally Posted by ruth_98

I am hoping to find a bit of assistance here. My husband and I have relocated to PA from CA about year ago, however, it is just not working out for us. We work at home and can work anywhere so that is not a consideration. We are looking for an area to live where the people are friendly and welcoming! We have no kids and are in our late 50's. We have horses and other pets and need about 12 or more acres and a large house. We must be about an hour from a large airport and also need good doctors within an easy drive. Having places to shop, coffee shops, nice restaurants, etc. is really important also. We do want a safe area and little, if any, snow, LOL.

I don't mean to ask for so much <g> but that is what we really are trying to find. Any advice is most welcome. We are planning a visit to the South later in July (or early August) and while we are looking in TN would consider other locales in the South also. Many thanks for your help.

Cookeville! That’s the place! Population around 29,000.

My wife and I moved here in mid-April from Washington State. We live in Monterey about 14 miles east of Cookeville. We each have manufacturing businesses we operate from home. I’m told we might see a little snow in the Winter. I’m in my late 50s, my wife is a mere child in comparison (she might read this thread!).

http://www.city-data.com/city/Cookeville-Tennessee.html
http://www.city-data.com/city/Monterey-Tennessee.html

Cookeville is one great city. And Tennessee Tech is located there and certainly adds to the atmosphere and activities available. Everything you could possibly want for shopping is in Cookeville.

The Nashville International Airport is exactly 1 hour (give or take a few minutes depending on the part of town in which one lives) from Cookeville. Or, if my wife is driving maybe 10 minutes less!

Nashville International Airport - BNA

Cookeville is about 1200 feet elevation and Nashville is about 560 feet (Monterey is about 1900 feet). I’ve been told that Cookeville is cooler in the Summer than Nashville. But they also comment, “Who’d notice in August!”

Anyway, this is an absolutely beautiful area and there are many places with acreage that can be found without much looking. We have a couple of horses but our property is mostly woods so they’re living on 22 acres at a friend’s place in Oakdale. However, there are lots of horses in Monterey and in various areas between here and Cookeville. This is horse country.

You should check it out. You won’t be disappointed.

[alleycat]

I might have mentioned Cookeville myself, but I wasn't sure about the time to the airport.

[Mike in TN]

I'd recommend Rutherford County, maybe somewhere in the Christiana/Rockvale/Eagleville area.

[happyappy]

Originally Posted by alleycat

I might have mentioned Cookeville myself, but I wasn't sure about the time to the airport.

We've driven the trip 3 times now. It's 70 miles from the on-ramp at Jefferson/I-40 in Cookeville. From Monterey add about another 10 or so minutes.

I recall working at a place in Kent, WA and driving the same length of time to get from Monterey to Nashville but only covering the distance from Monterey to Cookeville. How depressing.

[ruth_98]

Thank you so much to alleycat, happyappy, and Mike. I am looking at city-data right now and also hunting a bit in realtor.com. I will get back and report I have read that TN has a lot of friendly people and since we have Tennessee Walking Horses, we felt that TN would be our place to settle in!

ruth

[Mike in TN]

Shelbyville probably wouldn't be too bad for you if it weren't so far from Nashville International.

[mrradio]

but that's not to say there aren't lots of other great towns in TN. We moved to Cookeville from New York about 4 years ago and could not be happier (Well, maybe if we won the lottery...but we don't play it.) As mentioned, Cookeville is an hour from Nashville's airport and you don't have to go THROUGH Nashville to go to the airport-it's on the Cookeville side, great shopping, burgeoning arts scene, restaurants, friendly people, good doctors/medical services, etc. We definitely moved to right spot!

[happyappy]

Originally Posted by mrradio

but that's not to say there aren't lots of other great towns in TN. We moved to Cookeville from New York about 4 years ago and could not be happier (Well, maybe if we won the lottery...but we don't play it.) As mentioned, Cookeville is an hour from Nashville's airport and you don't have to go THROUGH Nashville to go to the airport-it's on the Cookeville side, great shopping, burgeoning arts scene, restaurants, friendly people, good doctors/medical services, etc. We definitely moved to right spot!

And great espresso, too!

Glad you mentioned the airport's location; I forgot about that little advantage. It's well before Nashville proper--for us.