Murfreesboro, McMinnville, Manchester or Bust! (Memphis, Johnson City: real estate, crime, daycare)

[Time2Settle]

- I have the opportunity to move from OH to TN in pursuit of a job offering in Murfreesboro, TN. I will be required to travel for my job to the surrounding towns of Manchester and McMinnville.
- I was hoping to get some advice on where to live as a good all around location. Some place that has access to shopping, good hospitals, excellent schools, small town feel with metropolitan amenities, and real estate opportunities to purchase property >10 acres (rolling hills would be nice).
- I was considering McMinnville because of it's geographic location between the two other locations, but I'm afraid it won't have some of the amenities offered by the other two....like for instance Home Depot, Walmart, Target, Lowes, supermarkets, a descent bar and a place to eat i.e., Olive Garden, Bravos, and on and on.....!
- So...any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated....and by the way...what's the climate like down there in TN?

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Time2Settle

- I have the opportunity to move from OH to TN in pursuit of a job offering in Murfreesboro, TN. I will be required to travel for my job to the surrounding towns of Manchester and McMinnville.
- I was hoping to get some advice on where to live as a good all around location. Some place that has access to shopping, good hospitals, excellent schools, small town feel with metropolitan amenities, and real estate opportunities to purchase property >10 acres (rolling hills would be nice).
- I was considering McMinnville because of it's geographic location between the two other locations, but I'm afraid it won't have some of the amenities offered by the other two....like for instance Home Depot, Walmart, Target, Lowes, supermarkets, a descent bar and a place to eat i.e., Olive Garden, Bravos, and on and on.....!
- So...any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated....and by the way...what's the climate like down there in TN?

If you want a large selection of restaurants and shopping, definitely stick to Murfreesboro. Manchester isn't too bad, but McMinnville is frightening. Its economy is the pits and its schools are lousy. Even Ryan's Steakhouse and Blockbuster Video in McMinnville have shut down.

Murfreesboro is booming, it's got nearly 100,000 now and is home to a university with over 21,000 students. It's got tons of restaurants, tons of shopping, and good schools. It sounds like you should look into Murfreesboro based on what you said you're looking for.

You can check the individual cities' pages here at city-data.com to find weather stats, housing costs and other very useful information.

Good luck!

[Mike in TN]

Yeah, for what you are looking for stick to Murfreesboro.

I live there, so let me know if you have any questions.

[Mary_Moon]

There's plenty of acreage lots available in Murfreesboro; at least 5 that I know of in my immediate area alone - Blackman/Almaville - and I'm just 10 minutes from the best shopping/schools Rutherford County has to offer. We're on 6 acres but surrounded by some very nice, upscale developments and feel we have the best of both worlds. Manchester and McMinnville are OK to visit/travel to, but I wouldn't want to live that far out.

[fragments38]

Crime rate:
Bad in Memphis, and supposedly bad in Nashville, but I always feel safe in Nashville.

If you're a reader of my posts on here you'll see that I am a big enthusiast of Franklin, TN... but the reason is because I really do believe in the place, and I think it would be good for you. But, it's about a 30 minute drive from Murfreesboro. Franklin has great shopping, most of the restaurants you could ask for (no Olive Garden for some reason... just about everything else though), a great historic district, wonderful living areas, etc.

If you are looking for something closer to Murfreesboro, I would recommend Murfreesboro itself. From what I have seen it's got everything you need, and I have no problem going out there at all.... I think it's a cool little town.

From what I hear there's not alot in Manchester and I don't have a t on of McMinnville knowledge.

You may also want to look up Smyrna. Smyrna is just north of Murfreesboro but seems to be well populated and a good area!!

[Lamplight]

Sounds like you need to live on the outskirts of Murfreesboro; it has everything you're looking for. Smyrna is okay, but if you're going to work in Murfreesboro, and drive to Manchester and McMinnville, why live ten more miles in the other direction in a town that has less of what you're looking for?

Most people here seem to like the climate, which I can't figure out because summer here is awful. But if you like sweltering heat then it won't bother you.

[Mike Dunn]

Here is a link that may help you with school ratings and information.

GreatSchools.net

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Lamplight

Sounds like you need to live on the outskirts of Murfreesboro; it has everything you're looking for. Smyrna is okay, but if you're going to work in Murfreesboro, and drive to Manchester and McMinnville, why live ten more miles in the other direction in a town that has less of what you're looking for?

Most people here seem to like the climate, which I can't figure out because summer here is awful. But if you like sweltering heat then it won't bother you.

I agree. If my job involved traveling to Murfreesboro, McMinnville and Manchester I can't imagine living in Smyrna.

I don't know what kind of business the OP is in, but since Murfreesboro has about 5 times the population of McMinnville and Manchester combined and is growing a ton faster, I would imagine s/he will probably need to be in Murfreesboro more than the other two places. And based on what their other criteria are, I think Murfreesboro is a great choice.

[Options_08]

First of all, hello. Wow, I didnt realize Mcminnville was considered "so far out". I need to be in a remote area but very close to a larger area. So, that question is answered. As for some others, I was wondering about the comment above regarding the schools being "below par". Can I get some more information on that? Also, (1) there are several nursing services I have found online for Mcminnville, but Im having a difficult time finding LPN positions and wages. Does anyone know if this area is more prone to use RN's instead? (2) What are the living expenses like there? (Housing, utilities in particular) (3) daycare services as in hours, fees, credentials? I have been searching online for all of this, but it would help to get some actual experienced advice in these areas. Thanks.

[Time2Settle]

Thank you, thank you....
So, it sounds like Murfreesboro would be the best place to settle in for what I'm looking for. By the way, I'm a physician assistant....so the importance of good hospitals and private practices are of a great importance to me.
- True or False: I caught wind of Johnson City and it's surrounding areas being exceptionally well known for there medical services. It might be another area to consider.