Townsend?....or something better? (Jackson, Cookeville: crime rate, schools, university)

[MyCitySearchName]

Originally Posted by JMT

I sure hope you do take a closer look at it! There are a bunch of us here in this forum who think Cookeville is one of the best towns in the state. I think having a university makes a difference. And if you're looking for a rural atmosphere (without the big-box stores you mentioned in an earlier message) then someplace like Gainesboro or Livingston or Monterey might fit your needs, although I guess Gainesboro would be better since it's got liquor stores.

If you want acreage, the western part of Putnam County is popular. You'll have easy access to Cookeville, the liquor stores in Jackson County, several state parks, a couple of lakes, and you're only an hour from the Nashville airport. Plus, it's just plain old beautiful!

I usually consider universities to be a big negative.....noisy kids, traffic, and I don't like watching sports at all. The only positives are shopping, some cultural stuff and state money for town improvements.

I'm not "old"...just mature at heart I guess (I'm 33)....I just was never "into" all the school spirit, noise, and stuff.

The big box stores usually also bring traffic, congestion and such....as long as THAT isn't too bad....I don't mind all that much. I do tend to prefer a town with more character though. The big box stores seem to make places more generic and uninteresting.

I notice a lot of people back East refer to places by county....as I don't live there....I have no frame of reference. Where is Putnam or Jackson county in relation to Cookeville?

[MyCitySearchName]

how is the climate there compared to the tri cities mountain area?.....is it sweltering in the summer?.....or icy in the winter?

[KC38506]

Cookeville is Putnam County, Gainesboro is in Jackson County. Temperature is pretty mild. We've had quite a cold snap the past two weeks, but so has the rest of the country. 20 is considered cold. In the summer, we might see one or two days hit 100, usually 90 to 94. But it's not the heat, it's the humidity. . .which can be pretty high in the summer! Not as bad as Florida, but pretty stifling in July and August.

[MyCitySearchName]

Where is White county?....I keep seeing all sorts of bad press about it and want to be nowhere near it.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by MyCitySearchName

Where is White county?....I keep seeing all sorts of bad press about it and want to be nowhere near it.

White County is just south of Cookeville. Sparta is the county seat. It's pretty there, but it's never done much for me, either.

I understand your disdain for college towns, but rest assured that not all college towns are like Berkeley or Chico. Or Gainesville. Tennessee Tech is NOT a party school. The same can probably be said for ETSU in Johnson City. But having a university in town does bring things that most towns that size don't have: good restaurants, coffee shops, art galleries, concerts, a symphony, lecture series, etc. But places like Cookeville (and Johnson City) are still very conservative, which I remember was one of your criteria.

(On a related note: Al Gore had his office in Cookeville when he was a senator. Yet Cookeville went for Bush in 2000 and 2004 by quite a large margin.)

Did you see the pics I took of downtown Cookeville a few weeks ago? Do a search here for "pics of Cookeville" or something like that. Even though it's a "big box" town with tons of shopping, it has a really cool downtown with loft apartments, excellent restaurants, a couple of museums, a farmers market, drama center, art galleries, and the best doughnuts in the world!

[MyCitySearchName]

Are there any higher elevations close to Cookeville that stay a little cooler in the summer?.....I've been answering forum posts all afternoon and haven't been able to check out the elevation of Gainesboro...I'll do that now, sounds like a neat area.

Are there any blacksmiths and homesteader "off-the-grid" types around there?....that would be a big plus.

[FL_TN_Nana]

Originally Posted by MyCitySearchName

I've spent several months looking at places to move and finally picked one
.....but I have a few concerns about it and I am just snooping around for other areas to compare it to.

I chose Floyd, VA.....but the taxes and government intrusion there scare me a little,
otherwise it meets all of my requirements. I don't know much about Tennessee, but Townsend sounds kinda nice.
Anyone on these forums familiar with it?

looking for:
*low cost of living
*small government, mostly conservative.....with LOW TAXES. I'm wanting to make my next move permanent.
*low crime rate
*gun friendly
*pet friendly
*pretty scenery, with low cost acreage available near near water...MILD climate....not extreme either way
.....I do like to play in snow occasionally and prefer rolling foothills near mountains.
I also like hunting, kayaking and rock climbing.
*rural, yet vibrant community with artists, artisans, self-reliant homesteader types and musicians
....within a 30 min. drive of a larger community (30k to 150k people) for business/shopping purposes
*access to organic produce, meat and raw goat's milk
*no big box stores or blacktop jungles. I like a town with some character, slow pace of life and interesting architecture.
*a decent hardware store and a nice restaurant or two.
*NOT a dry county, I like wine with dinner.

Not sure of all that Townsend offers, but it sounds nice.

I love Townsend! But it has become very expensive to buy property there. Check out realtor.com for an idea. Generally speaking, TN property taxes are very reasonable. Townsend is basically the western entrance to the Great Smokies and Cades Cove but Townsend is not on a mountain, just close to them and residences can either be in the valley or on a mountain. It's very small but there are a few restaurants and a few stores. There are many campgrounds in the area and it has become very "touristy" over the years. There are many nearby areas that are very nice and all are accessible to Maryville or Pigeon Forge in about 30 - 40 minutes for bigger shopping needs, hospitals, etc.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by MyCitySearchName

Are there any higher elevations close to Cookeville that stay a little cooler in the summer?.....I've been answering forum posts all afternoon and haven't been able to check out the elevation of Gainesboro...I'll do that now, sounds like a neat area.

Are there any blacksmiths and homesteader "off-the-grid" types around there?....that would be a big plus.

Monterey used to be somewhat of a summer resort, way back in the days before a/c. Trains from Nashville would take people up to Monterey, and there used to be several hotels in Monterey right around the railroad station. Only one has survived.

Red Boiling Springs, which is just north of Gainesboro, was also a summer resort famous for its naturally bubbly springs of sulphur water (hence the name).

I don't know of any blacksmiths around there, but I'm sure they exist. A buddy of mine in Baxter is a ferrier. The Appalachian Center for Craft has a program in metal work and has a resident smithy. It's actually a fascinating place to visit:
http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/index.html (broken link)

[MyCitySearchName]

You sure make a good sales pitch for Cookeville.

[MyCitySearchName]

How are the mosquitoes, chiggers, and ticks there?