I need focus, can you help?

[LauraC]

Unlike retirees, you have to go where the jobs are and I'm guessing you have at least narrowed it down to East Tennessee. Normally, I would say, if you are still in the workforce, find the jobs first, figure out how far you'd be willing to commute to them, then look at all of the towns within that radius that meet your criteria. Since he can transfer, I would maybe suggest he transfer to someplace where he can find an opening and then you both rent in the same place while you look for your job and a permanent town to live in that meets your criteria. But, before he transfers, you should visit.

[MomsTn]

Yes, what Laura says is good advice. My husband works for the post office.
The first thing you need to do is go to https://liteblue.usps.gov (broken link) to put in a transfer request.
The last we heard they were putting a freeze on transfers. The thing to realize; they are no longer doing swaps, so, if your husband does put in for a transfer and gets it, he will be dropped to the bottom on seniority. It won't affect his numbers of service, but it will affect his bid number, and at the bottom if there isn't a full time position available, then he will be a ptf.

The postmaster general wants to make a lot of cuts, and wants to totally rearrange the delivery schedule. It's just a lot of talk right now, but at the office that my husband is at they have already decided to delete one of the window clerk positions and a few carriers. No more overtime. He's not affected because he has a high seniority number and can retire in April if he wants to.

We have tried to move the last three years to Tennessee.
The first time, my husband got his transfer, but the house didn't sell. We had to turn back in the transfer.

The next time, we put in for a transfer to 4 different offices, and then drove down to check out each office. I'm glad that we did, because we didn't like the area or the office, plus there was another window clerk that was upset that my husband had more seniority than her daughter and was going to get the job. My husband decided that he didn't want to be standing next to an angry woman everyday who would be reminding him that her daughter should have gotten the job that he had.

This time when we come down to check out our area it won't be with a job in mind. We will be strictly looking for where we want to retire to.
Let's just say that our priorities have changed.
We still have a child in elementary school, so the only real factor involved for us is a good school, unless, we homeschool which we are doing now, and we won't need to worry about schools.

I wish you good luck in your search.
One of your cities was Meridian, Idaho. I've lived there.
They don't really have what you would call a "downtown". It's basically a sprawl from Boise right into Meridian. There used to be a lot of farmland, which has since been turned into housing subdivisions. There was an influx of Californians selling out their homes and moving to the Boise area. For awhile locals really resented it because it drove the cost of housing up.
Idaho is also a right to work state.
In the Boise area the two main employers are HP, and Micron. There are two large hospitals, St. Lukes, and St. Alphonsus, however, they did build an extention to one of the two hospitals, just off of the freeway in Meridian.

Boise has a lot of culture. If your outdoorsy, there is a lot to do. The Boise basin is basically an oasis in the middle of a sage brushed dry area. Mountain Home is out in the middle of a deserty area and is about 40 miles from Boise. They mainly house the Mountain Home Air Force Base, the locals and military retirees.

Meridian has really good schools if you have children.
You will find that the speed limit is much slower, and the pace is much slower. The people are friendly.

The Nampa area is about half half hispanic, and Caldwell is more predominately hispanic. That can either be a plus or a minus depending on your preference. The area also has a large Mormon influence.

On the flip side.
Tennessee is a wonderful state. There is a lot of diversity in the landscape. Some parts of the state are flat, while others are mountainous.
It's also part of the bible belt.
The cost of living is less, but that could also be a negative if you need to have a job, and there isn't one available.
Do your research and visit the areas that you would like to live in.
There's nothing like seeing it first hand.

Without visiting your area first, you could get 15 different opinions, and then end up disappointed because it's not where you want to live.

We'll be down again this year, and we are actually getting closer to moving back home. I have family there, and I know a lot of the area so we have a bit of an advantage.
We don't have to worry about transfers, or finding a job when we come down now, which is a good thing.

So, do your research, visit the area, talk to people, visit local Mom/pop stores, get the feel for the area, contact the chamber of commerce, visit your library, and make sure that once you move this is where you want to be.

Good luck in your move.

Originally Posted by LauraC

Unlike retirees, you have to go where the jobs are and I'm guessing you have at least narrowed it down to East Tennessee. Normally, I would say, if you are still in the workforce, find the jobs first, figure out how far you'd be willing to commute to them, then look at all of the towns within that radius that meet your criteria. Since he can transfer, I would maybe suggest he transfer to someplace where he can find an opening and then you both rent in the same place while you look for your job and a permanent town to live in that meets your criteria. But, before he transfers, you should visit.

[lesstress]

Originally Posted by LauraC

Unlike retirees, you have to go where the jobs are and I'm guessing you have at least narrowed it down to East Tennessee. Normally, I would say, if you are still in the workforce, find the jobs first, figure out how far you'd be willing to commute to them, then look at all of the towns within that radius that meet your criteria. Since he can transfer, I would maybe suggest he transfer to someplace where he can find an opening and then you both rent in the same place while you look for your job and a permanent town to live in that meets your criteria. But, before he transfers, you should visit.

Hi LauraC your reputation precedes you and I appreciate that you took a few moments help. You are correct I think we've connected with the idea of being near the mountains. However, the only transfer request we have seen posted has been from Nashville. I was concerned about it appearing to be located within tornado alley, but I honestly have not looked at the stats. So it looks like maybe our visit will be to the Knoxville area and perhaps the Tri-cities. You're right this move is going to be difficult to maneuver but hopefully also fun. Any chance someone would hire me to do their medical billing from home so I could wear my favorite robe, look at a great view and decompress ? Thanks again for your help Laura.

[lesstress]

Hi MomsTN
You are just a wealth of information, all of which I will discuss with my husband so thank you for the reality check about the complications surrounding a transfer/swap. We do want to make sure God's will for our future guides our decision to relocate. I wish you the best of luck also with your future plans .

[JEANNE61]

Hi lesstress .. I'm fairly new to tenn . . Moved here from fla last july . .08'
after 14 yrs in fla , this winter was really tuff on me ... Most people on this site will expound on tenn's 'mild' winters. . I agree, to a point .. I'm originally f rom ny .. And that's why i left there 14 yrs ago .
I moved to a tiny town (pop 2005) in western tenn . .about 50 miles south of jackson , i love the town, the people,
but the winter got to me . . Esp at nite. . Right now its 28 degrees here in adamsville , and that's way too cold for me and my arthritis .
. .
Of course its nowhere near as bad as winter in ny . Or out 'west' . . My hubby is orig from wyoming , and spent over 20 yrs in michigan . .so he should be used to these 'mild' winters . .but alas , he's not , and here we are . .
I just got back from spending 3 wks in the panhandle in fla .. Just to get away from the cold .. It wasn't much warmer th ere , tho the days were certainly warmer , we just didn't go out at nite
we are retired so jobs and schools were not an issue , but for any younger people wanting to move to a 'small' town . . I would try to talk them out of it .
There are no jobs here . . I'm told the local schools are excellent . . I wouldnt' know .

I do love the scenery . . The summer was hot . As hot as fla . . .we had virtually no rain .. And only one day , a few wks a go , it snowed .and was gone within the hr . .
I did miss the change of seasons in fla . .(other than winter ) and so far , i've lived thru a summer, fall (which was superb btw) and now a winter . .
Spring is coming and i await all the bulbs i planted in oct .. )
i wish you luck in your search . . Its a wonderful place to live . .nodoubtaboutit!!! . .

God bless you !. . Remember, if 'he' wants you here , , you'll be here '
''if he leads you to it , he'll see you thru it .''
jeanne
..

[MomsTn]

Thanks.
We had moved to Idaho to be near my Mom and she's now gone.
We then swapped jobs from Idaho to Minnesota. That's where we are now.
My husband wanted to be closer to his family. We lost his dad about 5 years ago.

The guy that swapped with us lost some of his years, because they take the lower seniority number and both persons receive the same bid number.
I heard that he's since retired, and quite happy where he lives.

My Dad lives in Tennessee, and so do a lot of my relatives. So it does make it a little easier for us making this move. We've been down many times, and finally decided on the town that we want to live in.
I also have a friend that lives in the town.

We have put a lot of prayer into our move and know that when the timing is right He will make a way.
Sometimes, I get impatient because I want to move now, but we know that we have to wait.

This year, we've been going through a lot of changes.

Originally Posted by lesstress

Hi MomsTN
You are just a wealth of information, all of which I will discuss with my husband so thank you for the reality check about the complications surrounding a transfer/swap. We do want to make sure God's will for our future guides our decision to relocate. I wish you the best of luck also with your future plans .