Posters with agendas? (Knoxville, Murfreesboro, Johnson City: lease, violent crime, homes)

[Magster]

I have been reading -- with some amusement -- the negative comments from some of the posters on this forum. It matters not the question, the responses are, to put it mildly, designed to be discouraging if not downright frightening.
I see the same attitude displayed by so many oldtime Floridians: All those carpetbaggers came down here and ruined our way of life. I call them the WEGOs (we got ours) and the IGMs (I got mine) and we don't want anyone else to share. Let's put a wall up along the border.
I'm sure there are those in Tennessee who are horrified by what they are perceiving as a mass influx of folks from other states who are destined to change thier "idyllic" lifestyle. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know we could write treatises on what has happened to parts of Florida, but millions of people a year continue to move to the state anyway.
On the other side of the coin are those posters who have moved to Tennessee and are encouraging others to join them in their newly adopted state.
The reality is, folks, Tennessee is a beautiful and mostly welcoming state. So, don't be put off by the naysayers.
And for those of you who don't want us to come, tough. Move over because we're coming anyway.
Cheers

[Joe P]

I've noticed the same thing, and the exact opposite. Yes, a number of individuals post negatively for fear of an influx of "fur-ner's" into their area. I've also seen a few Pollyanna's that lead readers to believe that Tennessee is a perfect utopia, second only to Heaven in perfection. I know of at least one member who would have you believe that Tennessee is the land of unadultered love and happiness where the trees are always green, the birds always sing and champagne flows through the streets like rain. I suspect she has an ulterior (business) motive but I'm digressing.

I guess my point is that people have to realize that the Internet is an invaluable tool when relocating but you can only utilize so much of the information you recieve anonymously on a board like this. Sure, you can find statistics and weather history online but if someone decides not to move to Tennessee because their cousin's sisters mother's brother's neighbor's friend heard on TV that the state has a *huge* Meth problem then you probably need to put some effort into thinking for yourself.

Joe
PS: When I moved to Johnson City I had never been here (not even stepped foot in the area) but I had already signed a one year lease and had my power, phone, DSL, gas, etc on and ready to go with nothing lined up for a job. Everything worked out very well and I don't regret a thing.

[CarolynB]

Hi JoeP What made you decide on Johnson City without going there first to look around? We are in the same situation ,, we are going there without employment and not knowing the area,, but we will take a trip soon to look around,, I know that is different than living there.. but so far from what I am reading on this site it is a wonderful place to live...when I was younger I wouldn't hesitate on making a move to a different place (as I have done before) but now (not that I am old) I think things over more..all I can say as someone new to this site,, everyone has been very helpful and kind... and I am going to move to this wonderful state ... just unsure of the area as of yet. Actually we are looking in the Tri Cities areas and Knoxville,, can you give me some feedback on employment, homes, schools. etc... in your area?

[Joe P]

Originally Posted by CarolynB

Hi JoeP What made you decide on Johnson City without going there first to look around?

Kind of funny how it worked out. When I decided I wanted out of Florida I thought about TN, MO, NC and Colorado. I'm not really sure where the Colorado idea came from but anyway....

My main reason for getting out of Florida was different than most people. I didn't mind the hurricanes or cost of living and the heat didn't even bother me. By and far the biggest problem with Florida, and Tampa Bay specifically, was the traffic and congestion. With their growth management being what it is, or what it isn't, sprawl takes on a new meaning and there are simply too many people, many of whom are rude and obnoxious from a city that rhymes with Moo Pork.

After some thought and consideration Tennessee was moved to #1 on the list so I came up and visited back in February. Unfortunately Knoxville is almost as bad as far as traffic goes as Tampa! For a city that is so much smaller Knoxville has a ridiculous amount of traffic and that turned me off from the area. When my week was up I decided that Tennessee was the state I wanted but not Knoxville so I decided I needed to pick something either east or west. As The Blues Traveler says "The Mountains Win Again.

Joe

[Magster]

Joe:
Our reasons for leaving Florida are similar to yours. Yes, we can afford to stay here and no we are not is South Florida with its horrendous conditions.
(I did however put in four years in Pinellas County in the mid '80s. Can't imagine living there now.)
Our town in Brevard County has just topped 100,000. As retirees, we simply want a change of pace -- and seasons.
More and more people are going to discover Tennessee and, perhaps sadly, it, too, will change. When I came to Florida the first time, in 1962, the battle cry was "How are we going to handle growth?" Our politicos never did get a handle on that one.
One can only hope that Tennessee politicians are more saavy. No, we don't expect Tennessee to be Utopia, just a place where we can assimmilate and be comfortable. Not much to ask, is it? I think that's what all of the folks on this forum are hoping to do.
Cheers

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by Joe P

I guess my point is that people have to realize that the Internet is an invaluable tool when relocating but you can only utilize so much of the information you recieve anonymously on a board like this.

I don't think the advice is given with an ulterior motive and I think it's really nice to read. But, I am amazed at the number of people who want strangers to tell them where to live based on feelings instead of looking up the facts. Asking if someplace is good/bad, big/small, expensive/cheap, etc., is a matter of perspective. You are better off knowing some facts about where you live now so you can compare it to facts about where you might want to live so you can make a rational decision about where to visit before you move.

Someone posted yesterday about the location of an air quality map so I looked at 3 places I have lived in my life and found they were all in the red. Had someone asked me how the air quality was in my former town, I would have given it rave reviews but if that person is from a place where the air quality is superior and they have breathing problems, and they moved there on my say-so, egads! How would I know what good air quality is based on experience? I've apparently never lived anyplace where it was good. I just thought it was good because I've never known better.

Think about it when you ask about too much crime, good schools, too much rain, etc., in your potentially new location. Compared to what? Some guy who came to your potential new town from Los Angeles is going to have a different opinion than the guy who grew up in the town and lived there his whole life and neither perspective may have anything to do with where you are coming from.

If you know some facts about where you live now and then you find out some facts (numbers, percents, dollars) about where you might want to live, you will have a better idea if the place is bigger/smaller, better/worse than what you are used to.

I love to hear people talk about what they like about their town to people who are interested in their town (and I really love the photos) but other people who just think they might want to move to any state and have no idea where in the state they might want to live, have done no research to narrow down their choices and expect total strangers to tell them where to live, are ridiculous. I wonder how many people who are unhappy with where they are now, based their decision to move there because of someone's say-so.

There are so many tools available to you now online that weren't around 20 years ago. You can look at photos, get facts, read newspapers online from anywhere in the world, access yellow pages anywhere in the US, view satellite photos and yeah, talk to people. There's no excuse for anyone to make what I call the "Tell Me Where I Should Live, I Just Know it Needs To Be Near Water" posts.

[mbmouse]

Again, very good points LauraC!
I agree, what we read or write on posts like this are mainly personal opinions, which are good to have and hear. But you are right, someone needs to really do there research on an area and make sure it is there idea of the ideal place according to their needs and wants. No one can know that but oneself.
I have to say it does bother me a bit that people are looking for Mayberry and Utopia. Lets face it, this is 2006 on the planet Earth, not going to find it. There is good and bad everywhere. You just have to decide what is good and what is bad for yourself. Thank you for posting those links and sites, that is very helpful to anyone looking to make a move to anywhere.

[insanesmooch]

I totally agree that people should be relying on more than what is said on this board. I can't imagine just uprooting my life based on something on a board like this. So it is my thought that people are (hopefully) looking at information on other sites and coming to the boards to personalize the places. Statistics can be skewed certain ways and on some of the sites, I'm not even sure what they are really based on. So, even information like that may not be all that accurate. Like that one that rates crime with numbers like 6 or 3. I'm not sure what they base that on. Like my former zip code in Knoxville says crime is a 6 while the whole country rates a 3. It makes it sound like we can't go out our doors without a bulletproof vest on. But my part of town is actually the one that makes the news the least. There can't be that many violent crimes being committed in that part of town that would not be reported on the news and me not know anyone who has been affected. Nearly everyone in my family lives within that zip code so if it were that bad at least one of us would have been affected. The whole city rates a 7 and I don't understand that either. So if people see things like that, they may come on here to try to make sense of some of the numbers they see.
Realistically, I would hope that people are using a combination of information based on all the things they can find on the net and the personalization of people living in the places they seek out. Or maybe they are coming here for help to pin point the websites that are of the most help. Sometimes you can search something and get lost in all that is pulled up.

[chester's]

What bugs me is how often these online "facts" disagree with one another. I have been researching Smyrna/Murfreesboro.Speaking only of crime, City-data says Murfreesboro is higher, greatschoolsdotnet says Smyrna is higher. According to CNN Money magazine, Murfreesboro is about half the national average,while area connect gave the city an "X" indicating worse than the national average. I realize these reports may be from different years,that isn't clear, or that I might have misread/misinterpreted something. Even reading the DNJ doesn't seem to help as much as hearing from people who are already there in TN(or there and left).
Overall, I think I'm best off doing the research thats so easily available and then ask opinions.

[TNLove]

Originally Posted by chester's

Speaking only of crime, City-data says Murfreesboro is higher, greatschoolsdotnet says Smyrna is higher. According to CNN Money magazine, Murfreesboro is about half the national average,while area connect gave the city an "X" indicating worse than the national average. I realize these reports may be from different years,that isn't clear, or that I might have misread/misinterpreted something.

You should look at the types of crime.

Remember that Murfreesboro has a major university in it so a lot of the "crime" is probably just petty drunk crime.

Furthermore, in a lot of towns such as Knoxville/Chatanooga etc there are certain areas that have crime but the rest are virtual crime-free, we all know the demographics of those areas anyway.