Considering Fayetteville, TN - Need info (Huntsville: transplants, to live, shop)

[LITENINGJACK]

I'm with you TN, if i want to be in Franklin, I can be in an hour. SP doesn't sound so proud to me.

[SmartyPants]

Not true I said I love my town I live in Dellrose--- I am an hour to nashville and 40 mins to huntsville, what I said read my posts is that the people who spend money leave our community and shop elsewhere for everything- we keep limited dollars in our community. I own a business in Huntsville because it can be financially supported there- It doesnt effect me about earning a living in my community but for most it does- we need to use our tax dollars for our city and our revenue- I love elk valley coffee glad he opened there- and I would like to see some more middle end things come in- just to keep money in our great city- and I am very glad I live there- I moved on purpose and I love it-- But if we dont keep money in our communities we wont keep or sustain growth- Would I leave my farm across from elk river where the deer and birds and turkeys meander NO WAY- I love TN so I can live without Whole Foods and Chilis- and yes its a drive away in 40mins- 45 mins in a car in San Fran wont even be crossing the bridge- RE READ MY POSTS__

[LITENINGJACK]

Fayetteville has had a city pop. of 5000 for 30 years, the county 30,000 for as long. Its sustaining itself pretty well. Growth is good no doubt, but if you truly enjoy your lifestyle, be careful what you wish for. I have lived and worked all over the country. Believe me, Fayetteville is as good as it gets for a mix of good people, security, and commerce. True you can't walk across the street to Shula's or Starbuck's, but you also get the opportunity to watch the wildlife, know the people your children go to school with, their teachers and parents. What you promote will help the local economy as well as expand it creating the need for even more tax base and population to support it.
In 1987 I moved to a small town in Oregon ( Bend ) the pop. was 18,000, had been a long time.The local industry was Pella windows, a mobile home man., Various caninet shops and rv manufacuring plants. The downtown was much like Fayetteville with local businesses owned by people that grew up in the area. No one locked their doors. The city had not had a violent crime in 9 years. The average home cost under 200k and you would have had to look far and wide to spend over 250k for a house. By 1992 people in California had begun to sell out and move to places like Bend to retire on the big money made from selling their Ca. real estate. Soon Bend started to grow and business followed with art galleries, antique shops, upscale coffee shops, fine dining, hotels and so on. The home values started rising and very soon property taxes. By 1998, the people who had lived there all their lives and worked in the local industries and for the new local businesses owned by retirees who didn't need the income, found themselves struggling to afford the property taxes on homes that they had lived in for years. Crime rates shot up, the police force had to be expanded along with all the local government to go with it. Today, the average home cost 500k and there is a long list of homes over 1 million. The population is 150,000 and the traffic is horrible. The town flourished, but the once quaint laid back feel of the town that brought people there is long gone. It's just another small metropolis where no one knows your name. All those young people that you would like to retain by improving local economy had to move on to places where they could find lower cost of living and better pay. This al happened in a town that is 140 miles from the closest "big" city, Portland. Imagine how quickly it can happen to Fayetteville, 30 minutes from Huntsville. What you wish for is Honorable, but it will not come without great consequence and compromize.

[SmartyPants]

All I can say is that if our money goes elsewhere we loose. Look at shelbyville its little mexico with all the cute shops replaced by TIENDAS, its a ghostown down there. Yes I am from one of thoose small california towns where money came in, changed things and then no one could afford it, which is why I moved. We bought up land in huntsville and developed it. I am fully aware of urbanization- of the crawl that occurs when money comes in, its not all good but the difference is planning and realizing how the community wants to grow. One of the best small town examples is Franklin it was planned, allowing only certain businesses in- versus Goodletsville that is all TIENDAS too now-TRY and shop local if you can that is my only quip- use local services and craftspeople to keep money in the community. Things will change at its own pace- its already happening- we have more newcomers with money coming in an the natives are selling off their farms and land-. I agree with not all growth is good growth but a planned community that offers its residents more choices so money stays in their hands is a better way to grow-

[emmy22]

What?? I grew up in Fayetteville, TN, and the people there are not from all over the world. There is very little diversity. As a matter of fact, many people are related to each other. People there are nice until they find out you are staying. My husband used to live there, and he is from Indiana. He said he never wants to move back and neither will I. Run while you can! Huntsville, AL isn't bad though.

Lincoln County High does not prepare you for college. My husband and I both went to a university after we left, and we found this out quickly. There is little focus on academics and too much focus on shop classes. I suggest you try Riverside Academy if you live in Lincoln County. It's a private school, but you won't regret it.

[Beretta]

Here is the link to information of Fayetteville on City-Data's main page.

http://www.city-data.com/city/Fayett...Tennessee.html

[jsherman9901]

Originally Posted by emmy22

What?? I grew up in Fayetteville, TN, and the people there are not from all over the world.

Just because you didn't know them, emmy, doesn't mean that they aren't there; they are. There ARE two Fayettevilles. The first is the old, insular community, many, like you say, are related to one another; they are suspicious of outsiders and keep to themselves for the most part. The second is the new, cosmopolitan community; many, if not most, of those people are high-tech and work in Huntsville. They are from many foreign countries and just about every state you can imagine. The existence of that group makes it a lot easier for people who love Lincoln County but didn't grow up there. They can work in Huntsville but enjoy all the benefits of a Tennessee lifestyle.

[jftaylor21]

Looking here:
http://www.city-data.com/city/Fayett...Tennessee.html

Races in Fayetteville:
* White Non-Hispanic (71.0%)
* Black (26.2%)
* Two or more races (1.4%)
* American Indian (0.9%)
* Hispanic (0.8%)

To me, it's not very diverse, but to someone else it could be...

Personally, I left Fayetteville to go to Tennessee Tech in Cookeville, TN and I liked it much better. People there are so much more friendly and you don't have to like hunting or football to feel like you belong. I interned in Huntsville, AL last summer and it is also a much better place than Fayetteville.

Also look at education (from same source):
For population 25 years and over in Fayetteville
* High school or higher: 65.1%
* Bachelor's degree or higher: 12.1%
* Graduate or professional degree: 3.9%
* Unemployed: 11.6%
* Mean travel time to work: 19.3 minutes

I personally do not think that those stats indicate a very educated community. Again, this depends on where you are coming from.

Fayetteville just seems like a boring place with nothing to do...

[emmy22]

Originally Posted by jsherman9901

Just because you didn't know them, emmy, doesn't mean that they aren't there; they are. There ARE two Fayettevilles. The first is the old, insular community, many, like you say, are related to one another; they are suspicious of outsiders and keep to themselves for the most part. The second is the new, cosmopolitan community; many, if not most, of those people are high-tech and work in Huntsville. They are from many foreign countries and just about every state you can imagine. The existence of that group makes it a lot easier for people who love Lincoln County but didn't grow up there. They can work in Huntsville but enjoy all the benefits of a Tennessee lifestyle.

My family moved to Fayetteville when I was in 1st grade. I went to school there until I graduated high school. Since I was not from there, people never really accepted me. Most of the kids only liked people that they were related to or who they grew up with.

Secondly, the education is poor quality. As I said before, they do not focus on academics. In high school, they spent a large amount of money for the football team, but yet one of my classes did not have enough books to give out to everyone. We had to get into groups to share books. We could not take the books home with us because the teacher needed them for her other classes. So when we had homework, she just had to make copies of pages for us. One year the football team had these really fancy programs that were almost like books that were really expensive. To make a long story short, when I went to a university in northern Tennessee, I was not prepared for college. I knew one other girl from Fayetteville that went to the same college as me that said she was not prepared either.

[jsherman9901]

Originally Posted by emmy22

Secondly, the education is poor quality...... .

That's all nice and everything, but it has nothing to do with my post. I merely countered your statement that there were not people from all over the world living in Fayetteville (and Lincoln County). Believe me, they are there. Most of them are landowners with small farms in the county.