Is TN really a nice place to live? (Memphis, Knoxville: to rent, low crime)

[zachsmom67]

We currently live in Western MA. I hate this state. Lived here all of my life. I have heard nothing but good things about TN. Can some of you tell me WHY TN is such a great state? And what are your major complaints?

My first complaint about MA is all the darn taxes we have to pay. High cost if living, lousy weather(Long winters), cost of housing, schools are lousy. No jobs.

My husband is a Licensed Electrician. Wonder how may jobs are available like this in TN.

We are not in a position to buy a home. We would love to rent a 4 BR home with a garage on some land. $1600.0 or under. Is this possible? (Meaning out of a city, low crime, things for us to do like parks, etc)

Thank you

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by zachsmom67

We currently live in Western MA. I hate this state. Lived here all of my life. I have heard nothing but good things about TN. Can some of you tell me WHY TN is such a great state? And what are your major complaints?

My first complaint about MA is all the darn taxes we have to pay. High cost if living, lousy weather(Long winters), cost of housing, schools are lousy. No jobs.

My husband is a Licensed Electrician. Wonder how may jobs are available like this in TN.

We are not in a position to buy a home. We would love to rent a 4 BR home with a garage on some land. $1600.0 or under. Is this possible? (Meaning out of a city, low crime, things for us to do like parks, etc)

Thank you

I'm from Central Mass., but I lived in Florida for about ten years. I've lived in Knoxville for four and I love it here.

However, please do not move here if one of your primary motivators is lower taxes. Yes, taxes will be much lower here, but this is a different kind of culture. It was the culture that I came seeking and found. I never gave taxes a thought.

Also, the unemployment rate for Mass., is 8.0 and Tennessee's is 10.0. Now of course this can vary, depending on your area. Knoxville has one of, if not the lowest rate in the state. Certainly it is the lowest for any of the large metropolitan areas. Still it is 8.8. Nashville, Chattanooga and Johnson City are 9.3.

I don't know where you are, but Pittsfield is 7.8 and Springfield is 8.4.

All those numbers mean that there may be less of a chance that your husband will get a job.

Regarding schools, it is hard to say. I'd really need to know where you live now, in order to compare. Schools in Tennessee run the gamut from very good to very bad, just like anywhere else. We have a nine-year-old daughter in Knox County schools and we like them. I have four grown children that went through the Mass. school system, which I found to be very good, too, though. Well, two of them graduated from CT schools. Also, good.

Now, regarding weather, I think Tennessee has wonderful weather. There may be better but I haven't lived there so I consider here to be the best! However, I'm originally from Florida, so the heat doesn't bother me. And over in Knoxville we don't have much of a winter, certainly compared to New England, and it doesn't last very long. Sometimes we get a dusting of snow and it usually melts in a couple of hours! And the seasons, especially spring, are beautiful. We have a very nice fall, too.

Really, though, the best think about Knoxville are the friendly people. They are the best! And yes, $1,600 would be more than enough for my area. Cost of living is very good. Pay will not be as good, though. You'd just have to start looking for a job. You can check out the Knoxville Sentinel.

Knoxville News Sentinel: Local Knoxville, Tennessee News Delivered Throughout the Day.

Oh, I see that you are thinking of moving to Florida. Don't do that to yourself. I wouldn't wish that place on my worst enemy.

[jabogitlu]

Come visit. Many people move here looking for a place "out of the city" but they have no idea what that really means in Tennessee. Trust me, you can live in the city and still have a very nice house with land and good schools. Unless you're just looking to avoid paying city taxes, it's really worth it to try to place yourself closer to amenities. (The exceptions might be parts of Memphis and Nashville.)

I feel like your post is a huge duplication. This entire forum is a database about what's great and/or bad about Tennessee. (Not to mention that that's your job - if you want to move, you gotta do the research!) Spend some time reading the forums, and if you have any specific questions, we'll definitely help you out.

[Lamplight]

There are a lot of things I dislike about Tennessee, but my biggest is the weather. I absolutely abhor the summer here. But then, I'm one of those people who starts sweating when it tops 70. Really, if the weather here was cooler, I probably wouldn't want to leave so badly. The cost of living is fairly low here, we have some beautiful scenery, and a winter that is mild but still cool enough to be a nice relief from summer.

There are a ton of electricians here in Murfreesboro, but like most industries they're hurting pretty badly right now. Your husband may find a job here, but I wouldn't count on it. Our economy is making it extremely difficult for a lot of people to move (including me ).

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by Lamplight

There are a lot of things I dislike about Tennessee, but my biggest is the weather. I absolutely abhor the summer here. But then, I'm one of those people who starts sweating when it tops 70. Really, if the weather here was cooler, I probably wouldn't want to leave so badly. The cost of living is fairly low here, we have some beautiful scenery, and a winter that is mild but still cool enough to be a nice relief from summer.

Just out of curiosity, where are you from?

[jabogitlu]

The weather!? This has been an especially cool summer, and I don't think our summers can hold a candle to Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Florida.

[JEANNE61]

well, i can give an opinion .. i am orig. from NY .. long island to be specific. . for 48 yrs .
moved to fla in 95 spent 13 yrs there . .and moved last july to a tiny town in western tenn .

the summers are as hot as fla . .nodoubtaboutit . i knew that the first week i was here . . (july)
the winters are NOTHING l ike NY .. it did get cold here . . too cold for me .. but that's because i had lived the last 14 winters in fla . .spring and fall were wonderful .. !!!
i did learn that western tenn is MUCH warmer (and hardly any snow) in comparison to the Eastern part of the state . where the smoky mtns are . .

i am retired and didn't have to worry about finding a job . .THANK GOD.. . cause there's absolutely nothing in my area. . i will not speak of other areas. . i can only attest to what i kNOW..

the people are great !!!. . as you will find , if you post on here regularly . . as i have for over a yr now . .(since ,before i moved here ) but then, the truth is you c an find good people in any state in the usa . . if you search hard enough ...

i rent also .. i dont' 'need' to own a house at m y age . .tho IF i wanted to , i'm pretty sure i could afford it . . taxes and car ins are much lower than ny and fla .

as for buying food .. well, the prices are exactly the same as ny and fla .. that's been my experience . .
s chools are, as a former poster mentioned, back and forth betw . good and bad . . just like anywhere in the world ..

my 13 y.0 niece goes to the local h .s. and seems to be doing ok .
i think your biggest worry should be whether or not your hubby will be able to find work . . DONT come here without at least making some in- roads into finding a job FIRST ..

as the other poster said . . c ome and visit . spend some time . . . read the forums .there are people from al l parts of tenn that will tell you the truth .. but ONLY YOU can make the final decision . and i think that can only be made by c oming here .. and living for a while .. but NOT before you find work BEFORE you pack up a 'life' and move .. good luck !!!

[JEANNE61]

jabogitlu .. AHHHH. . . '' has been a 'cool' summer ??? what part of tenn. are yo u from ?? its been hot as hell-0 here in adamsville tn . . in the 90's everyday for wks now ..

[Psychop1]

The worst thing about Tennessee that no one has mentioned is the crime... Everything else will probably be close as to what you would expect, but no one ever talks about our crime. It's among the worst in the country.

[Psychop1]

I agree, this has been a cool summer so far, with most days having low humidity.