So Many Moving to Tennessee WHATS THE EFFECT? (Memphis, Knoxville: purchase, income)

[Robbied]

I think this thread has opened my mind and brought some clarification to exactly what is the reason for my restlessness.

We purchased land in keating hollow area (homestead) in Crossville.
When I moved from Chicago to South East Florida 27 years ago, there was one phone book combined for the white and yellow pages.

When you went out to dinner, you went around to tables like you were at a wedding. You knew everybody just about. You walked into a store and you knew the clerks and cashiers (my grocery store is still like that thank heavens).
The streets ended very far east of where they are now. It was manageable, beautiful, uninhabited,small newspaper.

I want to move to Crossville while it is still like that. I am afraid if we wait 5-6 years to move that all that will have changed. I HATE it here. Do you know how many policemen were shot in the last month ? 6 of them and two were killed. Can you imagine living amongst people with such little respect?

I dont want Tennessee to change. Not until 35 years after I get there. I might be dead by then..and even then, I guess I will still care. Gosh I love that state. I want it to be my home and NOW.

[Robbied]

and I resent the references constantly about the crosses and christian values. I have those same values, whether or not it is a cross on my neck or a star of david, I think it is just generally people have a lack of respect and poor values and that is what makes a place so uncomfortable.

I dont mean anything negative by saing I resent the references to the cross and Christian values. Afterall, Christ was Jewish. I just mean that maybe all those feelings we all share could possibly be more than a relgious and traditional belief but based on a shared spiritual belief that many of us share.

[NY62]

Originally Posted by sugarsmax

Hello from Florida, the land of yankees, that like to take over, complain about the pay, the weather, the price of milk why on earth yankees come to Florida I'll never know, all they do is complain about it. Anyway, I am a real Floridian, born and raised from generations back. I have always been proud to be a real Floridian, people actually think it's strange because I was born and raised here. My little town in SW FL used to be great, we would go out on 4 wheelers and rail buggies, pretty much anything that would go through mud, every weekend. Now they throw us out and slap up golf courses. No one cared if you had a junkie car in the yard and an old dog on the front porch covered in fleas. The schools were small and personal. We had a CHRISTMAS parade, not that "happy holiday" BS. I can understand Tennessians getting upset about transplants trying to take over, I put up with that in Florida. I go to a Baptist church every Sunday, I bet I have ate more beans, collards and cornbread than most people here, I get looked down on because I am surrounded by Yankees and I talk with a southern accent, they treat me like I'm an idiot because I have an accent.
I have known quite a few people who have moved back from Tennessee, because they can't stand the the ways there. I'm glad they got out of Tennessee, because in about 3 to 6 months I will be there raising my kids, riding my 4 wheeler, maybe my daughter can go to school and wear a cross on her necklace.
Everything you listed is exacly why my family is moving there.
Florida is for old people.

First I would like to say hello sugarsmax, I am a yankee born and raised in New York , I would like to know do you think we all are the way you describe yankees? You bring up some pretty good points about how you liked where you grew up before the take over. Well I have to tell you when people say they are from New York not all live in the city, as a matter of fact most do not. I grew up on Long Island and I can tell you I miss the way it was when I grew up to, long island was the country , you could work on the bay , go hunting ,fishing ride mini bikes and dirtbikes in the woods, or just go and walk through the woods, I could go to any part of the river by my house and sit for hours and fish and no one would bother you. It was peacefull and a great way of life . most people were working class blue collar families. you are a southern babtist I am catholic so what we go to church also. As far as your accent I love southern accents, I think they are great my only problem is when I talk to someone with one I start to talk like that and they probably think I am making fun of them, but I am not ,I cant help it.LOL I think you will love Tennessee I was there visiting friends and believe it or not I found some towns that reminded me of where I grew up in New York. People dont realise we have farms and country also,New York is alot bigger then just the city. we dont have southern accents but we grew up as country folks also , being from down south does not give you the monopoly on country life. The point is we are squeezed out also so you are not alone. we lost the things we loved also.It is happening all over. The grouchy complainers you talk of are probably old people ,that would be complaining no matter where they are, but remember alot left and went to florida because they could not stay in new york or other places on a fixed income. also who do you think is putting up all those golf courses in florida? I can bet they are florida companies. also floridians had to sell the land. If all did not want the change they would not have sold . There are parts of Tennessee that will never be the same and that is just the plain honest truth, People will come and change things , sorry but that is the way it is. enjoy it now, it will take a while but it will happen. just out of curiosity why dont you move to northern florida? there are plenty of places still country up there. Or is it the cost of florida? well that can be blamed on mother nature not yankees and you politicians who I believe also are not yankees. They are just greedy individuals. and those type of people are all over if you think there are not any in Tennessee just wait and see. Take care and dont lump us all together . I would love my smelly hound dog to be laying on my porch barking at the rabbits with out some annoying forieghn nieghbor complaining.

[gemkeeper]

I hope that this post doesn't show up twice. I hit a phooey key and lost it before I was finished. Here it goes again.

NY62, I grew up in a very similar environment in N. Central PA in a town then of about 45,000. It was a lovely quaint country town where good, kind folks were happy just to have family, friends, and another day, God willing. The high point of one's life was when the old clunker couldn't go another block and a "new to me" car was purchased. Big Day!

The town is still the same, but about half the size it was 40 years ago. Still, it is like a walk back in time. I think that is what has drawn us to small town life in Tennessee. You can find towns that are just like Williamsport, PA, but also have the advantage of less severe weather for our older bones.

Until my dad died this past spring he would set up his squirrel traps in the backyard to catch those varmits before they could eat all of his black walnuts off the trees he tended with great affection. He used to pop 'em off with his BB gun until the neighbors complained to the township police. Good thing they didn't show up when he had the 22 out to punish those critters for stealing!

Every day or so he would gather up his caught squirrels and drive up in the mountains to turn them loose at least 4 miles from his beloved walnut and chestnut trees. No amount of talking could convince him that as he removed the resident squirrels there were plenty more ready to move into the newly vacant yard! And, so life goes on...

He wasn't unique to the place - although quite unique to me - he was one of the country folk of upstate PA, just like the country folk of NY, Maine, and so many other places that people were born to. That is why so many long to linger, if not to live permanently, in Tennessee. We can still feel our hometowns right there in E. TN with it's down-to-earth good people, firm moral values, love of the land, and a "this is good enough for me" attitude. We love TN and don't want to change a thing about it. It would be like trying to change the old timey places we grew up in. Never!

[AlisonL]

Right on NY62. I am a Yankee born and raised in Maine and I resent being lumped into a group. Seems to me the ones complaining the most about the Yankees moving to TN are not TN natives. They moved there from another state. I thought the war ended years ago, but guess I thought wrong.
I love Tenn. for what it is, and I have no intentions of changing it. If I wanted it like where I lived, then I would just stay here.
I visited Florida in 1972, right after high school. I did not care for it then and can only imagine what its like now. Yuk

[bailey19782000]

i live in campbell county tennessee and my husband and i neither one are originally from here. he is from ohio and i am from indiana. honestly i wouldnt recommend anyone moving here. the job market here is slow... no new jobs. the majority of jobs here are based in factorys and retail and most of them you have to go through a temp company. homes are moderately priced but you get what you pay for. rent here is rediculous when you consider the jobs dont pay much more than minimum wage. as for things to do gatlinburg and pigeon forge are a little over an hour away and there is plenty to do there if you have a pocket full of cash. the school systems suck here. the hospitals are so bad here that you have to drive to knoxville ( 35 minutes) to get quality care.

[tsimmu]

Originally Posted by NY62

As far as your accent I love southern accents, I think they are great my only problem is when I talk to someone with one I start to talk like that and they probably think I am making fun of them, but I am not ,I cant help it.LOL

I hear that a lot. Trust me, y'all don't start sounding like us when you are talking to us. No more than we develop a New Jersey, Long Island or other accent. It may sound "southern" to someone not southern -- but trust me, you don't.

[tsimmu]

Originally Posted by bailey19782000

i live in campbell county tennessee and my husband and i neither one are originally from here. he is from ohio and i am from indiana. honestly i wouldnt recommend anyone moving here. the job market here is slow... no new jobs. the majority of jobs here are based in factorys and retail and most of them you have to go through a temp company. homes are moderately priced but you get what you pay for. rent here is rediculous when you consider the jobs dont pay much more than minimum wage. as for things to do gatlinburg and pigeon forge are a little over an hour away and there is plenty to do there if you have a pocket full of cash. the school systems suck here. the hospitals are so bad here that you have to drive to knoxville ( 35 minutes) to get quality care.

See -- there are no Yankees moving here complaining -- not a one!

[gemkeeper]

Originally Posted by bailey19782000

i live in campbell county tennessee and my husband and i neither one are originally from here. he is from ohio and i am from indiana. honestly i wouldnt recommend anyone moving here. the job market here is slow... no new jobs. the majority of jobs here are based in factorys and retail and most of them you have to go through a temp company. homes are moderately priced but you get what you pay for. rent here is rediculous when you consider the jobs dont pay much more than minimum wage. as for things to do gatlinburg and pigeon forge are a little over an hour away and there is plenty to do there if you have a pocket full of cash. the school systems suck here. the hospitals are so bad here that you have to drive to knoxville ( 35 minutes) to get quality care.

AMAZING! Most Yankees who move to Tennessee are not Yankees anymore! They are Tennesseans.

[Beretta]

Originally Posted by bailey19782000

i live in campbell county tennessee and my husband and i neither one are originally from here. he is from ohio and i am from indiana. honestly i wouldnt recommend anyone moving here. the job market here is slow... no new jobs. the majority of jobs here are based in factorys and retail and most of them you have to go through a temp company. homes are moderately priced but you get what you pay for. rent here is rediculous when you consider the jobs dont pay much more than minimum wage. as for things to do gatlinburg and pigeon forge are a little over an hour away and there is plenty to do there if you have a pocket full of cash. the school systems suck here. the hospitals are so bad here that you have to drive to knoxville ( 35 minutes) to get quality care.

You could not be more correct! My very good friend lives in Campbell County. She lives there because her family farm (100+acres) is precious to her. However, everything you have written she has relayed to me. She and her husband home school their children and they do not really get out in the community there. She works here in Knoxville and they shop here as well. she speaks with sadness about the crime, etc. Of course, the crooked cops from up there are well known from newspaper articles.