Lexington, Tn Area - 30 mile radius (Memphis, Knoxville: flat fee, power lines, lease)

[Tennesseeorbust]

We are looking to move our family to the Lexington/Jackson area from California. I'm hoping someone can give me some estimates on costs in Tennessee.

Currently we pay approx. $600.00 a year for our 2005 pickup and $380 on our 2006 car for DMV Fees. Does everyone in Tn. pay a flat fee for DMV regardless what type of auto you own?

In California our electric bill runs (summer $600 - 900 per month) (winter $200 - $350 per month) That's on a 2500 sq. ft. home. Natural Gas (summer under $20.00) (winter $30 - 100).

Property tax on our 2500 sq. ft. home on a 1/2 acre is $4100.00 yr.

Any estimate/comparisons will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[insanesmooch]

Currently we pay approx. $600.00 a year for our 2005 pickup and $380 on our 2006 car for DMV Fees. Does everyone in Tn. pay a flat fee for DMV regardless what type of auto you own?

I'm not very familiar with the area you are seeking, but I can sort of answer this question. We don't have that personal property tax that applies to cars here. There is a flat fee of $24 for TN, but many counties add on to that. I know in and around Nashville it is close to $100 per car and there is a $10 test for emmissions. I'm not sure what it would be in the county you are looking at, but the most I have seen for tags per vehicle is maybe a little over $100 total. In many places it is less. What ever the price is, you will pay the same for both vehicles.

[dcbivens]

Tn is a lot cheaper on everything. Look in jackson Tn. Only 20 miles away

[Tennessee4me]

I would highly recommend the Lexington area unless you want to live in a larger city. It's really a neat little town and Jackson is only 20 miles away. I moved here from Memphis and would NEVER go back there.

Vehicle registration renewal in HENDERSON county (Lexington) was $44 in 2006 ($24/state & $20/county).

Property taxes (using a $100,000 home for simplification) for a Lexington home would be $215/city PLUS $573/county = approximately $788 TOTAL based on assessment=25% of appraisal and the 2006 Lexington tax rate per $100 of assessment IS 0.86 and the 2005 Henderson County tax rate per $100 of assessment WAS 2.29. (This rate may have increased, but I'm not able to locate my 2006 bill at the present . . . . either way, it's FAR less than California or Memphis!)

As far as utilities, adjusing my home size to be comparable to your 2500 sq. ft. home would suggest an average monthly gas bill of approximately $150 and an electric bill of approximately $90, but that's for a one-person, one level, well-insulated home with no vaulted ceilings so it would certainly be more for a family, etc.

If you haven't already been to tennesseeanytime.org, check that site out. Otherwise, start packing now!

[LauraC]

Does the same utility company service all of Tennessee? Or, a better question might be, do you pay the same rate for electric throughout the state with the only variable being usage?

[Tennessee4me2]

LauraC,
That's a great question & I'm not real knowledgeable about it, but there are many utility companies in Tennessee & they do have different rates, I'm sure. I previously lived in Memphis, now live in Lexington and I have family in counties that border the Tennessee River so that spans across West Tennessee, but I haven't noticed any significant difference in the bills. Of course, one would have to compare the actual rates for each company to know the difference.

I did some searches this morning after seeing your question (and finally had to set up another City-Data account since I could never get back in or get my password changed; I am the same as "Tennessee4me"). You might be interested in some of the sites below . . . and there are MANY more.
========================================
Site: tennesseeanytime.org
search on: electric providers
Link: CHAPTER 1

PUBLICATION: Potential Impacts of Electric Utility Restructuring on Local Governments in Tennessee (94 PAGES; Prepared by Paula Dowell, PhD. & Matthew N. Murray, Ph.D./The Center for Business and Economic Research - University of Tennessee, Knoxville prepared for Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations; October 2001)

Table of Contents - Page 7: (Although this is an old publication, it does have some good info in which you might be interested.)
The Role of TVA (Tn. Valley Authority; nation's largest electric power generating system at the time & was then supplying 98% of the electric power consumed in the State.) For more info, read these:
- Distribution of Power
- Municipal Electric Utilities
- Electric Cooperative Distributors
=====================================
Site: mlgw.com (FAQ) (Memphis Light, Gas & Water)
Electric Generation And Deregulation

Who generates the electricity I buy from MLGW?
MLGW does not generate electricity, instead buying 100% of its supply from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), a federal power generator. MLGW owns and operates its own transmission and distribution system, which serves more than 400,000 homes and businesses in Shelby County.
=====================================
Site: stemc.com (Southwest Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation)

Southwest Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation is a consumer-owned, nonprofit electric distribution cooperative, providing electric service to parts of Chester, Crockett, Fayette, Hardeman, Haywood, Henderson, Madison and Tipton Counties. Of the twenty-two electric cooperatives in Tennessee, Southwest, with over 46,000 consumers and approximately 3,600 miles of line, ranks sixth with respect to number of customers and seventh with respect to miles of line. Southwest is the largest electric cooperative in West Tennessee.
=====================================
I hope this helps.

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by Tennessee4me2

LauraC,
That's a great question & I'm not real knowledgeable about it, but there are many utility companies in Tennessee & they do have different rates, I'm sure. I previously lived in Memphis, now live in Lexington and I have family in counties that border the Tennessee River so that spans across West Tennessee, but I haven't noticed any significant difference in the bills. Of course, one would have to compare the actual rates for each company to know the difference.

I did some searches this morning after seeing your question (and finally had to set up another City-Data account since I could never get back in or get my password changed; I am the same as "Tennessee4me"). You might be interested in some of the sites below . . . and there are MANY more.
========================================
Site: tennesseeanytime.org
search on: electric providers
Link: CHAPTER 1

PUBLICATION: Potential Impacts of Electric Utility Restructuring on Local Governments in Tennessee (94 PAGES; Prepared by Paula Dowell, PhD. & Matthew N. Murray, Ph.D./The Center for Business and Economic Research - University of Tennessee, Knoxville prepared for Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations; October 2001)

Table of Contents - Page 7: (Although this is an old publication, it does have some good info in which you might be interested.)
The Role of TVA (Tn. Valley Authority; nation's largest electric power generating system at the time & was then supplying 98% of the electric power consumed in the State.) For more info, read these:
- Distribution of Power
- Municipal Electric Utilities
- Electric Cooperative Distributors
=====================================
Site: mlgw.com (FAQ) (Memphis Light, Gas & Water)
Electric Generation And Deregulation

Who generates the electricity I buy from MLGW?
MLGW does not generate electricity, instead buying 100% of its supply from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), a federal power generator. MLGW owns and operates its own transmission and distribution system, which serves more than 400,000 homes and businesses in Shelby County.
=====================================
Site: stemc.com (Southwest Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation)

Southwest Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation is a consumer-owned, nonprofit electric distribution cooperative, providing electric service to parts of Chester, Crockett, Fayette, Hardeman, Haywood, Henderson, Madison and Tipton Counties. Of the twenty-two electric cooperatives in Tennessee, Southwest, with over 46,000 consumers and approximately 3,600 miles of line, ranks sixth with respect to number of customers and seventh with respect to miles of line. Southwest is the largest electric cooperative in West Tennessee.
=====================================
I hope this helps.

Thanks for the info. In my current state of MD there are multiple utility companies and ours just gave us a huge increase (my bill is about 2/3 more than what I was paying before). Except for the "opportunity" to clean out my refrigerator and freezer, (if somebody sneezes near any of the power lines we seem to lose power for hours or days), I'm not sure why the rate is so high all of a sudden other than we haven't gotten a hike in awhile. You know, with electricity you can't actually see the benefit that goes along with a rate hike.

I'm going to move to Tennessee and I'm hearing everyone say how much cheaper their utility bills are from where they lived before but I was wondering if some areas pay a lot more than others and what determines that difference. I just looked at Oak Ridge. The City of Oak Ridge has its own electric department. I don't know if that's a good thing or not, rate-wise. When the rate page of their website comes up I'll compare it to what I pay now and the rates on those other TN utility companies you named.

I sure am looking forward to cheaper TN auto insurance, though. I just paid my bill for November - May (6 months) and it was $471.16 for basic insurance coverage on a 2006 leased Subaru Legacy sedan (by no means a flashy steal-me kind of car). I can't imagine what the Maryland SUVers are paying or the parents of teen drivers are paying, in my area.