Manchester/Tullahoma area (Knoxville, Chattanooga, Murfreesboro: skateboarding, to rent, how much)

[tmhcr72]

My husband and I want to move with our two children and 3 cats to TN. Just for the sake of pinpointing an area (although we would consider any area), we have decided to start looking at Manchester/Tullahoma area. Here's what we would like... First an area that has hunting, fishing, camping, just plain nature. The kids love bowling, swimming, skateboarding, etc. We don't mind living in an area with population as little as maybe 7,000, as much as maybe 50,000. As long as there are outlying areas to actually reside in, we would live close to a larger area for employment. I suppose the hardest things right now are going to be decent jobs and low cost housing. Anything from receptionist, call center, retail, factory. Doesn't matter, I am flexible. We won't be moving until probably next Spring. As for a place to rent... what are the possibilities of finding a 3 bedroom that will allow cats? Originally we are from Northern Wisconsin and for the last 6 yrs have lived on the Oregon Coast. We don't mind a little snow, just don't want a ton of it. If anyone has any suggestions or thoughts, I would appreciate it.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by tmhcr72

My husband and I want to move with our two children and 3 cats to TN. Just for the sake of pinpointing an area (although we would consider any area), we have decided to start looking at Manchester/Tullahoma area. Here's what we would like... First an area that has hunting, fishing, camping, just plain nature. The kids love bowling, swimming, skateboarding, etc. We don't mind living in an area with population as little as maybe 7,000, as much as maybe 50,000. As long as there are outlying areas to actually reside in, we would live close to a larger area for employment. I suppose the hardest things right now are going to be decent jobs and low cost housing. Anything from receptionist, call center, retail, factory. Doesn't matter, I am flexible. We won't be moving until probably next Spring. As for a place to rent... what are the possibilities of finding a 3 bedroom that will allow cats? Originally we are from Northern Wisconsin and for the last 6 yrs have lived on the Oregon Coast. We don't mind a little snow, just don't want a ton of it. If anyone has any suggestions or thoughts, I would appreciate it.

That's a nice area, and Tullahoma's city schools are among the best in the state.

But Tullahoma has lost population since 2005, so I'm not sure how much luck you'd have finding jobs there. Carrier closed their factory (2,000 employees) near Manchester a couple of years ago, and I don't know if the region has fully recovered yet.

Factory jobs are disappearing in Tennessee just like anywhere, but there are a few bright spots. Oreck (the vacuum cleaners) moved their factory and call center from Mississippi to Cookeville. Apparently they're always hiring, I see ads for Oreck all the time in the Cookeville paper. They just had a job fair. SunTrust Bank also has a large call center in Cookeville. Being a college town, Cookeville's schools are excellent.

I believe Johnson City also has some call centers. So do Knoxville, Nashville and Murfreesboro, but those towns are probably larger than what you're looking for.

Also, Jackson has a pretty strong manufacturing economy so you might want to look there, too, although Jackson is more prone to tornadoes and has lousy public schools.

[Mike in TN]

^^^^

good advice thur

[tmhcr72]

Thanks for the advice. It gives me a direction to look in. I'll probably steer away from the Johnson area for tornado and school reasons. Moving to a college town wouldn't be a bad idea. It won't be long before my kids are grown and looking for just that. Thanks again.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by tmhcr72

Thanks for the advice. It gives me a direction to look in. I'll probably steer away from the Johnson area for tornado and school reasons. Moving to a college town wouldn't be a bad idea. It won't be long before my kids are grown and looking for just that. Thanks again.

It's Jackson that has the tornadoes and lousy schools. Johnson City has excellent schools and pretty much 0 tornadoes.

Good luck!

[tmhcr72]

Sorry about that, I have so many names of cities running through my head. By the way, what chances do you think I have of finding a landlord that will accept pets? My kids cry when I mention we may not be able to take them.

[sirshrek]

We just left the Tullahoma area (to move back to my hometown) - much of the economy for Tullahoma and Manchester resolves around the Air Force base. We loved the Tullahoma area, very quiet and peaceful but within about an hour and a half from Nashville, Chattanooga and Huntsville. Chattanooga also just won a VW plant, not sure what the impact will be for surrounding areas that I'm sure will be competing for suppliers. I'm not sure about the other areas - but you get quite a bit of house for the money in Tullahoma.

[tmhcr72]

Thanks for the reply. Family and I are looking forward to the move. It will most likely be a challenge moving with our 3 cats. Kids won't part with them. They don't like the idea of parting with the degu and birds but we have to make some sacrifices. I think our biggest challenge will be finding a home to rent that allows pets. Hopefully I will find a job soon after getting there. Next year can't come soon enough for us.

[impala687]

I am looking to move to the Tullahoma area. My son is already there, staying with my parents til I can sell my home near Chicago. He is 16 and bored to death. He isn't making friends as fast as he did back home. Does anyone know of any good clubs or recreational activities in the area for teens?

[sirshrek]

The Tullahoma exchange has a calendar of events you might want to check (www.tullahomaexchange.com - you can click on this week's issue). I also noticed a fair number of youth at Grace Baptist when I visited there. CD Stamps (on South Jackson) has an arcade, he might be able to find out about events there. If he is interested in Boy Scouts he can find troop information at Elk River District. I think sports events may be listed at Total Sports coverage for Tullahoma. There may be other listings, but from what I've seen, there's a lot more going on than they put online. I would think CD Stamps might have some more information.