Moving 2 TN--Practical Rural Living Advice Needed (Franklin, Cookeville: environment, property taxes, travel)

[Pocketplayer]

Hi and thanks for any advice...

Thought I'd go direct to the source--those who have lived in a more rural setting. I used to live in Indiana and moved to Los Angeles area in 1990. After teaching school since then I retired and want to move to a more rural area. I have close friends in TN and loved the area each annual visit.

Here's my questions:
1. Using a septic tank & trash removal.
Living in the city, I just never thought about this. Simple flush and put trash cans out every Sunday. How does the septic system really work?

2. Electricity, phone, and Internet connections, mail delievery
Are these available? If not, can I or how do I install for use?

3. Groceries and automotive care.
In the example below, would one stock up on a supply of groceries for 2 weeks, a month? If my car broke down, what would I do in a rural setting? I know, must sound silly, but I have to ask as a city boy.

4. Property taxes.
What can I expect annually?

5. Any practical area I need to think on from your experience?
Open to all and any feedback.

3 sample properties I saw of interest.
Mfd/Mobile Home - 297 FUSS HOLLOW RD, Petersburg, TN, 37144 - Realtor.com

Single Family Home - 6390 Elkton Pike, Prospect, TN, 38477 - Realtor.com

Single Family Home - 539 MCBURG-DELLROSE ROAD, Dellrose, TN, 38453 - Realtor.com


Thank you all...

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Pocketplayer

Hi and thanks for any advice...

Thought I'd go direct to the source--those who have lived in a more rural setting. I used to live in Indiana and moved to Los Angeles area in 1990. After teaching school since then I retired and want to move to a more rural area. I have close friends in TN and loved the area each annual visit.

Here's my questions:
1. Using a septic tank & trash removal.
Living in the city, I just never thought about this. Simple flush and put trash cans out every Sunday. How does the septic system really work?

It works just the same. Just flush and forget about it. Once every month or so it wouldn't hurt to flush a product called RidX into the septic system just to make sure there's enough bio waste in the septic tank to disintegrate (when you do laundry or wash dishes, all that soap kills some of the bio waste).

As for garbage pickup, you can still have it out in the country, you just have to pay for it. Or you can take the garbage to the closest county garbage collection site. That's what I've always done, and it's actually more convenient for me because I never had to worry about forgetting to put the garbage out on the right day.

Originally Posted by Pocketplayer

2. Electricity, phone, and Internet connections, mail delievery
Are these available? If not, can I or how do I install for use?

My gosh, you're moving to Tennessee, not the moon. However, if you're way out in the country there's a good chance the only internet connection you'll get is dial-up.

Originally Posted by Pocketplayer

3. Groceries and automotive care.
In the example below, would one stock up on a supply of groceries for 2 weeks, a month? If my car broke down, what would I do in a rural setting? I know, must sound silly, but I have to ask as a city boy.

There are grocery stores everywhere, even out in the country. What you won't have, however, is pizza delivery. So stock up on frozen pizzas when you go to the store.

And there are car repair shops everywhere, too. And tow trucks.

Originally Posted by Pocketplayer

4. Property taxes.
What can I expect annually?

I noticed that the properties you showed are in Franklin and Lincoln counties. Lincoln County's property tax rate is $1.7918 per $100 of assessed value of the home. The assessed value is 25% of the actual value. So if you buy a home for $54,000, your assessed value is $13,500. Your annual property tax would be $241.89 ($1.7918 x $135).

Originally Posted by Pocketplayer

5. Any practical area I need to think on from your experience?
Open to all and any feedback.

I have to wonder, what did you teach? I'm guessing you didn't teach geography if you have to even ask these kinds of questions ("is there electricity in rural Tennessee?"). You said you have friends who live here. Did they tell you that they didn't have electricity, running water, internet, etc., when they moved here?

I'm just going out on a limb here, but if you are the city boy that you say you are, and if you have such wildly misconceived stereotypes about life in rural Tennessee, I wonder if that's what you really want. I know the lure of cheap housing and low taxes can be intoxicating, but what are you going to do with all your free time besides watch TV? Are you prepared for all the yard work involved in living in the country?

If so, then welcome to Tennessee! But think long and hard before you make such a huge leap. I know of far too many Northerners who did the same thing when they moved to cheap rural Florida and then got bored out of their minds and hated it, even resented the entire state of Florida for their own shortsightedness.

Good luck with your choice.

[bbkaren]

It ain't for everybody, my friend...if you're having these questions you need to come spend a week or two with your buddies and see if this is the lifestyle you're really looking for...a lot of us think at first we need to over-compensate (going from say, city directly to rural) but keep in mind that the California idea of "rural" is likely to be very different from the Tennessee version.

That said, there's electricity, mail, and phone service everywhere. But like JMT said, there's not "big city" amenities everywhere. After a while you get a hankerin' to go to walmart for some social interaction if you go too rural.

I grew up in "rural" New York State and now live in NJ. I yearn for "rural", but rural Tennessee was a little beyond the "rural" I wanted to get back to.

We bought in, I guess you'd say, "semi-rural". We have city water but no sewer and need a septic. Our neighbors are a couple acres away, but walmart and the post office are only 20 minutes away.

Also keep in mind that low taxes mean less government intervention and some services as well. you won't find high taxes but you also won't find the local gov't offering every little convenience that in high-tax areas, we take for granted.

Good luck!

[2mares]

[SIZE=3]Here's my questions:
1. Using a septic tank & trash removal.
Living in the city, I just never thought about this. Simple flush and put trash cans out every Sunday. How does the septic system really work?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Take the path down to the outhouse, squat over the hole (if you buy a fancy place there might be a two setter), wipe (don’t forget the sears and robuck). No need to flush, goes straight down to the septic.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]What trash wont burn, dump on the side of the road.
[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]2. Electricity, phone, and Internet connections, mail delievery
Are these available? If not, can I or how do I install for use?

[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Thanks to TVA, we all have electricity now. To use the phone just climb the pole, you’ll get Miss Effie on the other end, she will put ya through to who ya want to talk with (watch what you say, she may listen in). Even the Mennonites have internet, but cant always get cable TV. The pony express delivers the mail about once a month, but you have to travel down to the post office to pick your mail up.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=3]3. Groceries and automotive care.
In the example below, would one stock up on a supply of groceries for 2 weeks, a month? If my car broke down, what would I do in a rural setting? I know, must sound silly, but I have to ask as a city boy.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]We usually grow our own vegetables and there’s plenty of squirrel and rabbit for the main course. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]If your car breaks down, just call Billy Bob, he'll come pull it to the garage with his old mule.
[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]4. Property taxes.
What can I expect annually?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Buy a box of shells for just a few bucks and just shoot the revenuer[/SIZE]

[SIZE=3]5. Any practical area I need to think on from your experience?
Open to all and any feedback.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Quit watching Hee Haw, and Beverly Hillbillies reruns.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][/SIZE]
Just kidding. I couldn’t resist.

[yarddawg]

OK, first I'm going to join the crowd and say think about it, you've triggered my potentially bitter retiree meter. I would suggest that if you think you might want to live in Tennessee you should pick one of the small to mid-sized cities and rent for a year. That'll give you a chance to detox from LA and learn the area before making any decisions that are hard to back out of.

Originally Posted by Pocketplayer

Hi and thanks for any advice...

Thought I'd go direct to the source--those who have lived in a more rural setting. I used to live in Indiana and moved to Los Angeles area in 1990. After teaching school since then I retired and want to move to a more rural area. I have close friends in TN and loved the area each annual visit.

Here's my questions:
1. Using a septic tank & trash removal.
Living in the city, I just never thought about this. Simple flush and put trash cans out every Sunday. How does the septic system really work?

Septic systems - if you're building this is a huge deal and any land purchase should be contingent on being able to obtain a septic permit for your desired number of bedrooms. For an existing house insist on a recertification letter and complete records of the existing system. Ask the nice environmentalist from TDEC to interpret them for you and they'll let you know if there are any potential problems. Grease, bleach and most cleaning products are hard on septics, moderation is key. Ridex and yeast treatments don't hurt anything but also probably don't help anything unless you're stressing the system. Having the septic tank pumped and inspected when you purchase a house and every five years after is an excellent idea.

Garbage - you'll either have to contract with an independent hauler or take it off yourself. Even if you take it off yourself it isn't necessarily free. $0.11 a pound at the convenience center in my county. You will also find that there are some things the convenience centers won't take. Paint, batteries, etc. TDEC runs a traveling household hazardous waste collection program but it only reaches most rural counties once or twice a year.

Originally Posted by Pocketplayer

2. Electricity, phone, and Internet connections, mail delievery
Are these available? If not, can I or how do I install for use?

Electricity is available almost everywhere in Tennessee. But. If you are more than about 100' from an existing power line the utility will expect you to bear the entire cost of the line extension. Which can get very expensive very fast. Landline phone availability is similar to electric. Broadband internet availability is spotty, but you can get lucky. I have 3.5 Mb/s DSL. Cell phone reception is more of a problem, I've tried three different providers and have yet to see more than one bar at my house. And that usually requires me to stand in the street in front of the house. Mail shouldn't be a major problem but there are some issues. In my county some of the new people are having to content themselves with having a mailbox at the nearest point on an existing mail route, not in front of their house on the new road they live on due to a lack of funding to extend the routes.

Originally Posted by Pocketplayer

3. Groceries and automotive care.
In the example below, would one stock up on a supply of groceries for 2 weeks, a month? If my car broke down, what would I do in a rural setting? I know, must sound silly, but I have to ask as a city boy.

Groceries - how big of an issue this is depends on your tastes. Rural grocery stores carry all the basics, sugar, flour, cornmeal, etc., but you aren't likely to find bakeries or deli sections or anything like that. And if you're into ethnic food either prepare to commute for your groceries or find yourself a good internet grocer.

As far as your car........ depends on whether you just need it fixed or it's still under warranty. Finding a mechanic is not that big of a deal but depending on the make dealer service could be over a hundred miles away.

Originally Posted by Pocketplayer

4. Property taxes.
What can I expect annually?

5. Any practical area I need to think on from your experience?
Open to all and any feedback.

3 sample properties I saw of interest.
Mfd/Mobile Home - 297 FUSS HOLLOW RD, Petersburg, TN, 37144 - Realtor.com

Single Family Home - 6390 Elkton Pike, Prospect, TN, 38477 - Realtor.com

Single Family Home - 539 MCBURG-DELLROSE ROAD, Dellrose, TN, 38453 - Realtor.com


Thank you all...

[JMT]

Originally Posted by yarddawg

Garbage - you'll either have to contract with an independent hauler or take it off yourself. Even if you take it off yourself it isn't necessarily free. $0.11 a pound at the convenience center in my county. You will also find that there are some things the convenience centers won't take. Paint, batteries, etc. TDEC runs a traveling household hazardous waste collection program but it only reaches most rural counties once or twice a year.

Where do you live that you have to pay to take garbage to the county convenience center? In Putnam County (Cookeville) and here in Knox County it's free. I had to pay to take garbage to the county convenience centers in Florida (Citrus and Saint Lucie counties) but I didn't realize there were counties in Tennessee that also charged.

[yarddawg]

Originally Posted by JMT

Where do you live that you have to pay to take garbage to the county convenience center? In Putnam County (Cookeville) and here in Knox County it's free. I had to pay to take garbage to the county convenience centers in Florida (Citrus and Saint Lucie counties) but I didn't realize there were counties in Tennessee that also charged.

Van Buren County. After a number of failed referendums on how to fund garbage disposal we ended up with a pay-as-you-go system several years back. Has its ups and downs but it mostly works so I don't expect any change. It's encouraged a lot of illegal trash burning but has also greatly increased the rate of recycling. They accept separated cardboard, newspaper, glass, aluminum and steel at no charge.

[bbkaren]

Man, this is a funny thread...but try to be careful guys, it's easy to misconstrue dry Tennessee humor as true angry sarcasm.

This thread is not only an opportunity to poke fun of the perception a lot of people have of rural life, but to guide someone into a wise decision rather than a jump-the-gun mistake.

That said, pocketplayer, in between the jokes, there is wisdom here! Try not to feel like you're being ganged up on cuz we're really a friendly bunch.

And, y'all forgot to mention the sound of shootin' off guns, that isn't followed by the sound of sirens.

It's a common, generally accepted practice in a lot of areas. Not only do you get to practice your sharpshooter skills, but it's sort of like that "Beware of Dog" sign, only a little more to the point lol!

[2mares]

During the christmas holiday it sounded like a war zone around my house. Apparently everyone got new guns.

[2mares]

My gosh, you're moving to Tennessee, not the moon. However, if you're way out in the country there's a good chance the only internet connection you'll get is dial-up.

If you have a phone line why couldnt you get DSL instead of dial-up?