Too early to start research (Knoxville, Chattanooga: home, rent, work)

[hammockbrain]

OK, we want to move to either TN or KY in 2011. Is it to early to start researching (obsessing, lol) about what I want? Help me validate my feelings that I should start researching now.

[alleycat]

Heck, I'm been designing a cabin in the woods for ten years. ;-)

My first question to you (or maybe the first question to ask yourself) is why you want to move to Tennessee or Kentucky? What are your expectations?

[Pam& Bill]

Who needs validation? It sounds like a perfectly good reason to start visiting numerous times. Now there is a reason to come visit at different times of the year. After all you have a ton of territory to whittle away at.
Lots of luck,
Pam

[hammockbrain]

To answer Alleycat's question. Why? Eventually to retire as I understand and have done some research, that it's fairly retirement friendly. My expectations? As I've gotten older it doesn't take a lot to make me happy. I want to rent somewhere there is a mountain view, restaurants with down home southern cooking, occasionally something with a Mediterranean/Middle east flair, not too far from Walmart or grocery shopping, a place to ride my bike, some cultural opportunities. I've sort of drawn an upside down triangle in my head, with the bottom (tip) being Chattanooga, left tip Nashville, right tip Knoxville, somewhere outside of the those areas but sorta close, with a decent size hospital to work in, my wife wants to teach in a Christian school (I think) and the ability to get by with one car (if possible). Oh and I good library. I think I've covered most of it.
To answer Pam's question, our first visit is in November.

[alleycat]

I think you're on the right track with your "triangle". I might suggest including all of East Tennessee in your search area however.

[gemkeeper]

I agree with you, alleycat.

Hammockbrain, I think you would be missing a lot of beautiful, friendly areas if you didn't extend that triangle up to the tri-cities area and over to Cookeville.

For our search (which is still not complete after several years of back and forth), we have a similar triangle, but have included all of E. TN from Chattanooga to Knoxville on up to Tri-Cities, swing back SW to Cookeville and on down to Chatty again.

You would find all of what you are looking for in any of those areas.

It's kind of a messy triangle, but you get the picture.

[hammockbrain]

I meant to include Cookeville, too and I've also been considering the tri cities area, my wife sort of knows that area, she had an aunt and uncle who had a farm in Jonesboro(borough?) years ago. Just wondering how far out east from Nashville and north from Chattanooga I should start.

[alleycat]

Originally Posted by hammockbrain

I meant to include Cookeville, too and I've also been considering the tri cities area, my wife sort of knows that area, she had an aunt and uncle who had a farm in Jonesboro(borough?) years ago. Just wondering how far out east from Nashville and north from Chattanooga I should start.

Probably from a line from Cookeville southwest to Winchester (which is northwest of Chattanooga). That's about where the Cumberland Plateau begins, and while they're not really mountains, it's close enough.

[Eat]

I don't know about the good library. Libraries used to be one of my favorite haunts. Now, I haven't been in one in years, except for a private research library. I use the Internet almost exclusively and have found there is precious little that I can't find right from the comfort of my own home.

My point, which I guess I should get to, is that outside of the major metropolitan areas, you are not likely to find much of a library in most communities these days. The Internet has largely subsumed them. With funding being short for most everything, putting the money in a resource that is used by only a few is a hard thing to sell.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Eat

I don't know about the good library. Libraries used to be one of my favorite haunts. Now, I haven't been in one in years, except for a private research library. I use the Internet almost exclusively and have found there is precious little that I can't find right from the comfort of my own home.

My point, which I guess I should get to, is that outside of the major metropolitan areas, you are not likely to find much of a library in most communities these days. The Internet has largely subsumed them. With funding being short for most everything, putting the money in a resource that is used by only a few is a hard thing to sell.

I think that's pretty accurate. It's also a reason to stick close to college towns. While you can't check out books at a college library unless you work there or are a student there, you're free to use them for research and to just hang out. The periodicals rooms are particularly popular. I know the U.T. library has an entire bank of computers set aside for visitors who wish to do research. I would imagine the libraries at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville and East Tennessee State in Johnson City are similar. I'm sure they have better parking than U.T.