Loved Our Tn Vacation - Cookeville/Crossville! (Kingsport, Franklin: appointed, spring break)

[TnHilltopper]

Originally Posted by JMT

The drive on I-40 between Cookeville and Monterey is absolutely beautiful, too.

I-40! blaspheme! I know you prefer 70 or even Brotherton mountain.

I didn't think Cookeville was on the plateau proper but about half way down the western escarpment but I very well may be wrong. However the plateau, and specifically the northern reaches of the plateau are often some of the coolest temps in the state on average. (aside from the highest elevations of the smokies) We usually have a fair breeze, fewer skeeters and a lot of folks driving right past this area on their way to Dollywood.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by TnHilltopper

I-40! blaspheme! I know you prefer 70 or even Brotherton mountain.

I didn't think Cookeville was on the plateau proper but about half way down the western escarpment but I very well may be wrong. However the plateau, and specifically the northern reaches of the plateau are often some of the coolest temps in the state on average. (aside from the highest elevations of the smokies) We usually have a fair breeze, fewer skeeters and a lot of folks driving right past this area on their way to Dollywood.

You know me well! I definitely prefer Hwy 70 or, even better, Brotherton Mountain! But if I were in a hurry, it's a quick 10 miles down the mountain from Monterey to Cookeville.

As far as Cookeville being on the plateau proper, you may be right. Cookeville is at a higher elevation than Knoxville and much higher than Nashville. I'm not sure what that means as far as being on the plateau. But you're right, the temps on the northern areas of the plateau (like around Big South Fork) are generally among the coolest and least humid in the state.

[TnHilltopper]

Originally Posted by JMT

You know me well! I definitely prefer Hwy 70 or, even better, Brotherton Mountain! But if I were in a hurry, it's a quick 10 miles down the mountain from Monterey to Cookeville.

I know you are still dying to see if you can take a 10speed ride from Monterey Post Office all the way to Allgood Wal-Mart without pedaling or melting the brakes.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by TnHilltopper

I know you are still dying to see if you can take a 10speed ride from Monterey Post Office all the way to Allgood Wal-Mart without pedaling or melting the brakes.

Man that sounds FUN!!!!!!!

When the new bike trail between Monterey and downtown Cookeville (and on to Baxter, supposedly) is completed, you'd better believe that I will be one of the first to ride it--DOWNHILL.

[leonard]

Originally Posted by thirtyish

We will fly into Nashville next Tuesday on the red eye flight just in time for the beautiful morning! Can't wait to show DH Cookeville area.
I couldn't get enough this summer!

Just arrived today. It is raining.

Oh well it is needed.

Will spend 4 days in the area.

[galena]

JMT said,
"Monterey might be a place to check out. It's in Putnam County (Cookeville) but is at the same elevation as Crossville. Often in the winter Monterey will get snow while Cookeville gets rain. Monterey is about 10 miles east of Cookeville and about 15 miles west of Crossville. The drive on I-40 between Cookeville and Monterey is absolutely beautiful, too."

Something someone wrote on one of the threads made me think Monterey wasn't particularly nice. Am I mistaken? Please, tell me something about the town because a town halfway between Cookeville and Crossville sounds good.

Are the temps in Cookeville only about 2-3 degrees lower than Crossville in the summer?

[galena]

I also read that Monterey is having water problems? Is it a real problem? I'm not young enough to try "roughing it" with a water problem.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by galena

I also read that Monterey is having water problems? Is it a real problem? I'm not young enough to try "roughing it" with a water problem.

Monterey and Crossville both have had some major water problems this year. Both cities have small lakes as their municipal water supply, and both lakes got dangerously low because of this year's extreme drought.

Cookeville and other towns are blessed to get their water from large lakes such as Center Hill and Dale Hollow, so they didn't experience any water shortage this year.

You also asked if Monterey was a nice town. It depends on who you ask and what your definition of "nice" is. Several people in this forum have moved to Monterey and love it. Search posts from happyappy and jguillot. Monterey is a small town (around 3,000) located right on I-40 and at the cusp of the Cumberland Plateau. It used to be a little resort town; trains from Nashville used to bring city dwellers up to Monterey to enjoy cooler summer temperatures. Only one of those old Monterey hotels is still standing.

Currently, Monterey is raising funds to rebuild its old railroad depot in the center of town. The railroad track from Monterey to Cookeville is being refurbished, and alongside the new railroad track is going to be a paved bike trail which should bring some additional tourism to the area as well as offer locals another way to enjoy the beautiful scenery between Monterey and Cookeville (and on to Baxter).

The area around Monterey had a lot of coal mines back in the good old days. The mines have closed. Now the main employer in Monterey is a gigantic chicken processing plant that employs something like 2,000, many of whom are Hispanic. As a result, Monterey is about 1/3 Hispanic. Everyone seems to get along just fine. The local high school football team and cheerleading squad are full of kids with Spanish names, and many of Monterey High School's honors students also have Spanish names. The high school was a 2006 National Blue Ribbon school. The community LOVES and supports its local schools.

Monterey has its own weekly newspaper which you can read online:
Hilltop Express

[melb]

Since it is a possibility that my husband will be asked to relocate to Crossville within the next several months, I've been doing some research. It seems really nice, and he is from Arkansas, we lived there for a while, so getting back to a nicer, quieter, more relaxing area sounds nice. Anyways, it sounds like people are possibly flocking to Crossville/Cumberland County area, does anyone know if that is becoming a problem with overcrowding, etc.? I enjoy being around older people, so retired people coming in isn't a problem with me, I just wonder how the schools are? Also, read something about a possible tire tax? Anyone living in the area know the details on that? Just wanting to find out whatever I can about the practicality of it, we are getting eaten up by property taxes here in PA, and it is getting crazier every day! We were considering moving back to Arkansas, but TN is a state that we drive through on our trips, and it is definitely beautiful! Just wanting to do some research just in case! Don't know how much time he would be given to decide if it happened. Thanks!

[JMT]

Originally Posted by melb

Since it is a possibility that my husband will be asked to relocate to Crossville within the next several months, I've been doing some research. It seems really nice, and he is from Arkansas, we lived there for a while, so getting back to a nicer, quieter, more relaxing area sounds nice. Anyways, it sounds like people are possibly flocking to Crossville/Cumberland County area, does anyone know if that is becoming a problem with overcrowding, etc.? I enjoy being around older people, so retired people coming in isn't a problem with me, I just wonder how the schools are? Also, read something about a possible tire tax? Anyone living in the area know the details on that? Just wanting to find out whatever I can about the practicality of it, we are getting eaten up by property taxes here in PA, and it is getting crazier every day! We were considering moving back to Arkansas, but TN is a state that we drive through on our trips, and it is definitely beautiful! Just wanting to do some research just in case! Don't know how much time he would be given to decide if it happened. Thanks!

The property tax rate in Cumberland County is among the lowest in Tennessee. Currently it's $1.24 per $100 of asssessed value (which is 25% of the actual value of your property). If you live in the city of Crossville, they add an additional 55 cents to the property tax rate.

Cumberland County is one of the fastest-growing in Tennessee, but it's nowhere near becoming overcrowded. Cumberland County covers a huge territory. It's fast-growing in terms of percentage, but in real numbers it's not booming.

Cumberland County's schools aren't bad, but they're probably not among the best in Tennessee. A month or so ago the schools almost had to shut down over funding issues. One of the things Crossville is beginning to experience is what many Florida retirement communities are experiencing: all those retirees who move to town love the low tax rate and absolutely do not want an increase in their property taxes even for schools. Since they have no children in the local schools, they're often don't see the need to give more of their own money to the school system. I've seen it happen over and over in Florida, and I fear the same thing is beginning to happen in Crossville.

But the Cumberland Plateau is a beautiful area blessed with nice weather. While there are places in Tennessee with better schools than Cumberland County, there are certainly worse places, too.

Good luck with your decision.