what dissappointed me about moving to East TN (Chattanooga, Cleveland: real estate, income)

[hiknapster]

pah18:

I swear, every time someone posts on here about wanting to move here because there is no state income tax and property taxes is low, I want to paste this response.

You know, Florida was just like you described and then the masses moved in because it was cheap and all the commercial development that these people love followed.

[Bones]

Pah, I agree. When I moved here I stepped back in time 20 years I would not trade this for any other place.

Shen, The 20th century is only 10 miles away...

[soldn2slavery]

Being someone living in a high-tax state in the Midwest, I admit the low tax burden is quite a draw, not the only draw and most definitely not the strongest draw. It's just that a low tax burden is a strong indication of the mind-set of the people in the area. Come here to work. Come here to live. You won't be punished for earning a wage and building a home.

What do my taxes pay for? Well, if you don't want to work for a living, move to the Midwest. You'll be taken care of.

My fear is the same as yours, that Tennessee will turn into another Florida or Arizona or Washington or Idaho or Utah. These were all great states to live in until they were "discovered." I fear that by the time we are ready to move, TN won't be worth moving to. Maybe you should start complaining more about the humidity and bugs and ticks. :-)

I've been reading the forums off and on for several months now. I've looked at the pictures and read people's stories of moving to Tennessee or regretting leaving Tennessee and I get homesick for a place I've never been. Maybe next summer, we'll be able to swing down for a vacation.

[Tjam]

Originally Posted by soldn2slavery

Being someone living in a high-tax state in the Midwest, I admit the low tax burden is quite a draw, not the only draw and most definitely not the strongest draw. It's just that a low tax burden is a strong indication of the mind-set of the people in the area. Come here to work. Come here to live. You won't be punished for earning a wage and building a home.

What do my taxes pay for? Well, if you don't want to work for a living, move to the Midwest. You'll be taken care of.

My fear is the same as yours, that Tennessee will turn into another Florida or Arizona or Washington or Idaho or Utah. These were all great states to live in until they were "discovered." I fear that by the time we are ready to move, TN won't be worth moving to. Maybe you should start complaining more about the humidity and bugs and ticks. :-)

I've been reading the forums off and on for several months now. I've looked at the pictures and read people's stories of moving to Tennessee or regretting leaving Tennessee and I get homesick for a place I've never been. Maybe next summer, we'll be able to swing down for a vacation.

soldn2slavery: who sold you into slavery?

[soldn2slavery]

Long story. Why do you ask?

[happyappy]

Some of the comments in some of the threads about the reasons to move or not to move to Tennessee make me feel just north of stupid.

We decided to move here without ever having been here before, without any knowledge—or care—about taxes or bugs or reptiles or weather or whether there was a Lowe’s store in Cookeville or espresso stands (although it would have been smart to have found out about THAT before making the move; but we got lucky). . .

We moved here because some friends who have lived here awhile told us that Tennesseans had not yet given up control of their State to special interests. Washington State has given up. Probably lots of others have as well. The people elect representatives to make decisions that will not favor the few and then go back to whatever. In the last week I read an article that contains an effective statement regarding our plight all over America, and I’ll quote portions of it for effect:

“Until the Reds and the Blues abandon the idea of national standards . . . the people of the United States should be in constant fear of 50% plus one utilizing the monopoly of State power to impose . . . choices on the 50% minus one. Make no mistake; the battle to become that majority will be bloody.” ~ Derek M. Johnson, The Trouble With Public Policy, Copyright 2006 LewRockwell.com

Moderator cut: Provide a link instead of copying everything here, please

[CAtoGA]

Feel like I need to put my 2 cents in here. We are in CA, hoping to move next summer, God willing. To be honest, I chose TN by process of elimination - western states are becoming one big CA and it's gotten to the point here where I'm just waiting for them to introduce legislation regulating how many pieces of toilet paper we can use each time we go to the bathroom (no offense meant to anyone); northern states get too much snow, and I'm sorry but I'm a wimp and don't want to shovel snow 6 months a year; Gulf coast states are too hot and humid - yes, I understand that TN gets hot and humid, but from all accounts nowhere near what they get in TX and LA; as far as east coast goes, well hurricanes kind of make me nervous and after reading about all the FLA people wanting to get out of there because the high taxes and insurance, I'm sure as heck not going to move in there.

We've never been to TN before and the kids and I will only be able to make one trip back before we start looking for homes. My husband will be back there a couple of times without us. We are thinking ahead and lucky enough to not have to sell our home here in order to get one there. Our plan is to rent this house until we are ready to retire, sell it and live off of the proceeds. If, on the off chance, we move to TN and just hate it, we will still have this house to come back to. Employment shouldn't be much of an issue, as the company that my husband works for is nation wide and he works from home anyway, so it doesn't matter what state he's in.

The weather, scenery, wonderful people, lack of state income tax, etc. - well these are basically the icing on the cake for me. I can make my home anywhere my family is. I don't care what grocery stores are around - eventually I will find what I need wherever I have to go and if I need to make adjustments to my purchasing habits due to the change in region then so be it. This is a huge adventure for me. If we don't move back that way, I don't think we'll ever be able to afford to take the vacations necessary to see and learn about the area.

Personally, I can't wait for the change. I say "Bring it on!"

[happyappy]

Originally Posted by CAtoGA

. . . This is a huge adventure for me. . . . I say "Bring it on!"

That attitude about sums it up for us.

[soldn2slavery]

How old are your kids and are they on board with the move? The reason I ask is that my kids (12 and 10) are very reluctant to leave their school and friends. I can't say that I blame them.

[soldn2slavery]

Getting back to the low tax discussion. While low real estate taxes and low or no income taxes are great, they do not provide a complete picture of the cost of living in any state. There are other fees and "use permits" that must also be taken into account. One state might have a great income tax rate, but charge exorbitant fees for registering your car or fishing permits or garbage collection or any number of other "hidden" fees.

I'm not saying this is the case in Tennessee.