West Tennessee or Bust...? (Memphis, Jackson: best towns, real estate market, homes)

[bikerchick]

Hello everyone,

I have been "lurking" here for quite sometime now. I believe I've read just about every post on this forum All part of the research!

My husband, 14 y/o daughter and myself currently reside in southwestern PA and are hoping to be moving to West Tennessee by early spring of 2008.
We've been doing research on various towns (Dyersburg and surrounding towns, Jackson and surrounding towns, Memphis and surrounding towns) for about 4 months now along with watching the real estate market. We definitely can't afford the $100,000+ homes but have found some very nice ones for $50,000 and below in all those areas. And we actually enjoy renovating so "fixer uppers" aren't an issue either.. just a good roof and good foundation *L* We are kinda steering away from the Memphis area so that leaves it to Dyersburg area and Jackson area.

So, what are we looking for? Are main concern is not about a "cheaper" place to live as far as cost of living goes. It's expensive everywhere I think And always depends on your income anyhow. Although property taxes in TN are definitely cheaper than SWPA. But that isn't the main reason we want to move. What we want is a slower pace, as we are very tired of people being ignorant and in a rush just to get to the same place we were headed. A place where we can sit on our porch swing drinking iced tea in the late afternoon and the only thing you can hear is maybe the neighbors next door on their porch or having a BBQ out back... not teenage kids ripping up the main street with squalling tires or dealing drugs under the old apple tree in the dark. We are looking for a town/city were people are friendly, where neighbors visit and are not being nosy (and you know you can tell the difference). A place were I don't have to worry about my Blazer getting keyed (this just happened - long scratch down the passenger side and we live in a town with less than 300 people). A place were neighbors are neighbors, where they look out for each other, where my daughter can ride her bike or roller skate down the sidewalk/street and not worry about some idiot running her over because he's late for work at the coal mine or he's one of those idiot teens squalling tires... So in short I guess we want what others would consider Mayberry RFD. *L*

We just want a home.. where we're comfortable, where our neighbors are considered friends... please please tell me these two areas have at least some of these qualities??

[Mike in TN]

You would probably like somewhere like Parsons or Paris in west TN.

[jguillot]

I did a search for the perfect retirement spot at ****.com and Paris, Tennessee was one of the places that was recommended. I did not choose Paris, TN, but it might be worth checking out if you prefer to be closer to west Tennessee. Paris, Tn sounded great from the information provided by finyourspot.com. They claim to have the world's largest fish fry every year and have a miniature Eiffel Tower in their city.

[strumpeace]

Paris/Huntingdon/McKenzie/Martin/Dresden are cool smaller towns in West Tennessee. You might want to check into those. Don't move there if you don't have a job already lined up, though.

[bikerchick]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll definitely check into the towns listed. A fish fry in Paris, TN, eh? Mmmm... I'm getting hungry just thinking of that.. yum!! Thanks again

[seth350]

Paris, TN is great for the outdoors kind of family. The Tennessee River runs beside it and has tons to do. Camping, fishing, hunting, nature trails, and etc. The fish fry is awesome and during the 4th its a blast. My family had always stayed up there at Buchanan's every year and we always had a blast. Lots of job opportunities as well. Its also home to the biggest yard sale, every year they have a huge town wide yard sale. Just about everyone in the town participates and people from all yard do too. We have picked up a lot of good stuff for a little of nothing.

Dyersburg has also got some good economy. Lots of stuff moving in there with plenty to do in the town. It has a small shopping mall which has most of your major shops in it and a club for the younger folks. It also has a Community College which is affordable and they have a pretty good program up there as well.

[TN-rox]

Probably too late, but I would definately look at Paris, Union City, and Dyersburg. The three best towns around Jackson and Dyersburg.

[D'BURG GIRL]

Hello! My husband and I moved to Dyersburg 3 years ago, and I thank God every single day for getting me out of Denver after 30 years.

The area is beautiful with trees and open spaces. Courhouse Square is reviving, and I believe we will see some positive growth with our new Mayor, John Holden.

The good and the bad of it would be that it's about 50 miles from larger shops and restaurants. When we "run" out to Reelfoot Lake for dinner, we drive 23 miles with exactly 2 stop signs! Traffic is light, and there is rarely more than a 2 minute wait in line at the Post Office, or to get one's car registered.

There are many nice things to do locally, but the bigger events will be in Memphis. As with any place, one gets out what one puts in. Churches and civic organizations offer wonderful opportunities to get acquainted and to contribute. One can do as much or as little as one desires, while enjoying quiet nights and beautiful surroundings.

I hope you will consider our town in your search. Seek advice from locals. You will get many versions of this area, but one of them may strike a chord.

All the best.

[johnbain]

I have not been to TN yet but by what I heard west TN is full of tornadoes and is flat and ugly. Which is why I am looking to move to east or ne TN. Please correct me if I am wrong.

[alleycat]

Originally Posted by johnbain

I have not been to TN yet but by what I heard west TN is full of tornadoes and is flat and ugly. Which is why I am looking to move to east or ne TN. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Well, I don't know whether I'd say "flat and ugly". Perhaps, "less scenic" than parts of Middle and East Tennessee is a better way to put it. It is generally flat in West Tennessee west of Jackson, but the eastern part of West Tennessee isn't all that flat.

As for tornadoes, yes, the latest studies do show the southern part of West Tennessee as being one of the worse areas for tornadoes. If tornadoes are a major concern of yours, then you would be better off sticking to East Tennessee.