Info on Spencer Tennessee (Cookeville, Shelbyville: real estate, foreclosure, neighborhood)

[palgal]

I am interested in a possible move to Spencer. I am from central NJ and would like a quieter lifestyle but still have people and things to do around me. I am investigating a community there that is geared around horses, and it looks wonderful. I have been to Tennesse before but not there. Before I commit my time and money to check it out I was hoping I could get some input on the area. Also about the distance needed to travel for shopping. Thanks for any info

[alleycat]

There is some absolutely beautiful countryside around that area.

It's probably both a positive and a negative that the area is a little off the "beaten path". You would probably have to travel a bit for much in the way of shopping (maybe to Sparta, or further).

There might be one other negative. I haven't looked at this closely, but because of the popularity of the Fall Creek Falls area, it seemed like at one time they were asking considerably more for land in that area than for similar property elsewhere. Again, I'm not sure about this, I just remember it from when I was looking at land prices a couple of years ago.

Another option for you might be to look at land nearer to Cookeville or Crossville. There are still rural areas within a short drive of those two towns, and they might offer you a lifestyle more to your liking. You might consider the Shelbyville area as well. Shelbyville is the center of "horse country" in the Middle Tennessee area.

[JMT]

I agree with alleycat.

Spencer is TINY. Other than Fall Creek Falls, there is absolutely nothing around there. It's beautiful, but very, VERY isolated. The road to the nearest hospital (McMinnville) is a very twisty, curvey mountain road. I think the only store in Spencer is a Family Dollar. Even the county courthouse is opened only a few days a week. There's a Wal-Mart in Sparta which is about 20 miles away.

If you just want acreage in that part of Tennessee, I highly recommend you look up realtor web sites and just see what's available that's NOT in a development aimed at out-of-staters. Land in Spencer should be dirt cheap, but some real estate developers shrewdly advertise to unsuspecting people in Florida and Michigan and don't even bother advertising to people in Tennessee because the locals know a rip-off when they see one.

[Tinman313]

Link to the Chamber of Commerce they will send you free information, But you will also have all the real estate and who every sending you info. Get a bogus e-mail address so you can contact who and whom you want...... Van Buren Chamber of Commerce :: Looking Toward Our Future :: Remembering Our Past

[JoAnn5]

My grandparents lived in Spencer. I remember visiting them and LOVED the drive there, some beautiful mtn scenery!!! However, as the others have said... it's in the middle of nowhere! When i went there a few yrs ago, not much had changed. That was a good thing to me, but might not be for you. I'd visit there in person if i were you.

[yarddawg]

To follow up on what alleycat and JMT said, you need to be very careful buying land in the area. At the height of the madness there were a few large developments that engaged in moral fraud if not legal fraud. They would fly prospective buyers up on chartered flights and give them carefully guided tours of the area which avoided any trailers, shotgun shacks, strip mines, pine plantations, etc. which might actually adjoin the "gated community", make vague promises about all the infrastructure that would soon exist and sell land for upwards of 10X the going rate for local land. These overpriced lots started going into foreclosure about the middle of last summer and there have been a few sold on the courthouse steps almost every week since. Currently there are still lots being marketed to out-of-staters at inflated values even though the lot next door may have sold at auction last week for firesale prices. If you buy land here buy it because you love the land, not as an investment.


I would also strongly urge that you verify any aspects of the "horse community" that are important to you in writing before purchase. I think I know which subdivision you mean, if I'm thinking of the right one the original developer (Floridian) concluded that the area was "horse friendly" because it wasn't illegal to ride on the roads. I have personally witnessed this idgit riding on a four lane highway while log trucks blew past him. Just because something is legal doesn't mean it's very bright. Not sure if he still owns the place, he was trying to sell out but I haven't kept up enough to know if he has yet.


Don't get me wrong, I love it here, wouldn't leave. My family has been here since the 1700s. But be realistic, this is a county with a population of about 5000. There is one grocery store in Spencer, a Sav-A-Lot which does over half of its business in food stamps. There is no hospital, no pharmacy, no walmart, no hardware store, no chain restaurants, no take out delivery, no veterinarian, no animal control......... I could keep going but I think you get my point. If you're the self-reliant type who doesn't mind living without or driving 20-30 miles for any of the stuff I've just mentioned I'd suggest contacting a realtor and investigating non-development land or foreclosure lots in the developments. Realtors in Sparta also handle quite a few distressed resales in the developments. If your reaction to the list was "Oh my god I don't believe you don't have X" but you still want to look in this general area then I'd suggest land in White county west of the Plateau escarpment, their bottomland pasture makes anything on the Plateau look sad by comparison and there's decent shopping in Sparta, at least by local standards. Land in northern White county would be 10-15 minutes from either Sparta or Cookeville.

[bhoyal]

If you are into horses wouldn't Liepers Fork or a small town near Shelbyville such as Eagleville make more sense?

[BULLARD]

Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area is definitely geared toward horses. I have property in Jamestown, TN and I'm the only one in my neighborhood without horses. Horse trails are everywhere.... if you live within 5 miles of BSF...there will be a trail nearby dedicated to riding into the park. Since the park is 125,000 acres (that's adds up to about "5" Falls Creek Falls Parks).. you can ride into it every day and it would take years to see all of it If you manage to see all of it, you can start riding in Pickett State Park, Pogue Creek State Natural Area (or Daniel Boone Natnl Forest on the Ky side), which all border BSF.

I also have property in Spencer so I can offer this comparison.

BSF recieves over 700,000 visitors annually.... so while the area has "small" towns, it is growing every year due to tourism and equestrians. Conversely, Spencer is a sleeper .... it will experience a boom when all those f0lks who bought is those gated communities finally build....but that won't be for years to come given the state of things.

As a retirement location, Spencer will offer tranquility, beauty, nice neighbors and low cost of living. I will retire there.

But if horses are a priority (and a job), the towns around BSF might be a better fit.

[brcomm0]

I also have to agree. If you are looking for a nice quite town with great people it is the place for you.
You have to not mind driving for food and chain stores, but if you like state parks there is no place better.
I tell people to stay for two weeks or so and feel out the area.
You looking to buy land I also would contact local person and there are good buys right now.

[palgal]

Thanks for all the input. Spencer seems like it might be too out of the way for me, but I still might visit Tennesse soon and check it out along with other areas suggested.