East area - Where is best town/schools (Memphis, Knoxville: real estate, custom home)

[mijcdcp]

Starting to do some research about possibly relocating to TN from NJ. We've heard great things about TN! We are a family of four and by the time we retire, our twins will be in middle school. This is what we are looking for: Preferrably land (1+ acres in the low $100's or a builder that can sell and build custom home), or a resale up to $500,000. Great school system (this is a must!!) middle to high school. I've checked areas like Maryville and Cookeville per a friend's suggestion but we are open as to where to live, again the school system is a must. My husband loves to hunt/fish. We love rural but not too "out there." Our state has become a real estate tax nightmare and we don't want our pensions taxed!!! Thanks for any input you can provide!

[jabogitlu]

By east, do you mean east TN? These are the areas that I would check out:

1) Greater Knoxville - Knoxville, Maryville, Oak Ridge

2) Chattanooga (I think some of the schools there are bad, but some are good [maybe out-of-city districts, like Memphis, and tons of private schools)

3) Johnson City and Kingsport

Other than that you're going to find you're wasting your time, I fear. Cookeville is also a good choice, but it's in middle Tennessee, so I didn't include it.

There are many factors involved here, so if you're interested in any of these, I'd suggest posting queries in the subforums.