From Philly to Chattanooga (A Good Move?) (Knoxville, Cleveland: best cities, real estate) - Tennessee (TN) - City-Data Forum

Leavingphilly2009 · 05-06-2008, 04:10 PM

Were a family of 6 is looking to move from Philly to a nice family freindly southern town. Something much different than the cluttered in your face life that we currently live here in Philly. My crew (children) are getting older and I don't want them growning up here thinking that street life is the only option that they have in order to survive in life. We can shield them with activities and events but the reality is that we can't disguise what is really going on in the city streets.

We don't know much about Chattanooga and it's surrounding areas, I once went to school with someone from Chattanooga and he gave it the thumbs up as far as raising a family there, but this was back in "91". I'm an accountant by profession, but an outdoorsman by heart. I just looking for a nice area to live in a raise a family in, not to far from civilization, but close enough to good employement.

Please advise.

Jon F Moss · 05-06-2008, 05:00 PM

do you have any compelling reason to come here? It may sound trite, but it's an important question that we had to ask. There are many nice areas in the USA to consider!

Beretta · 05-06-2008, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leavingphilly2009

Were a family of 6 is looking to move from Philly to a nice family freindly southern town. Something much different than the cluttered in your face life that we currently live here in Philly. My crew (children) are getting older and I don't want them growning up here thinking that street life is the only option that they have in order to survive in life. We can shield them with activities and events but the reality is that we can't disguise what is really going on in the city streets.

We don't know much about Chattanooga and it's surrounding areas, I once went to school with someone from Chattanooga and he gave it the thumbs up as far as raising a family there, but this was back in "91". I'm an accountant by profession, but an outdoorsman by heart. I just looking for a nice area to live in a raise a family in, not to far from civilization, but close enough to good employement.

Please advise.

Hmmm. Well, I have spent some time in Philly and also in Chattanooga. They are very different. If your kids aren't happy in Chatty there is bad stuff that they can get involved in there as well. Have you visited Chattanooga lately?

k350 · 05-06-2008, 07:42 PM

it will be the best move of your life.

accountant? real one (i.e. degree) or just book keeper experienced? if you have a degree then you are pretty set, seems accounting, along with a few other select fields, are always in some sorts of demand around here. you may have to take something a little beneath you or lower on the ladder than what you can do until you can find one a good position. there are some head hunters around here that are just looking around everywhere for people, we have had 2 show up due to them where i work.

if you have experience with smaller companies, like doing everything from payrolling, account receivables to inventory, then you are set as there are quite a few small companies around here that have or would like to have 1 accountant on board that can take care of them.

JMT · 05-06-2008, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leavingphilly2009

Were a family of 6 is looking to move from Philly to a nice family freindly southern town. Something much different than the cluttered in your face life that we currently live here in Philly. My crew (children) are getting older and I don't want them growning up here thinking that street life is the only option that they have in order to survive in life. We can shield them with activities and events but the reality is that we can't disguise what is really going on in the city streets.

We don't know much about Chattanooga and it's surrounding areas, I once went to school with someone from Chattanooga and he gave it the thumbs up as far as raising a family there, but this was back in "91". I'm an accountant by profession, but an outdoorsman by heart. I just looking for a nice area to live in a raise a family in, not to far from civilization, but close enough to good employement.

Please advise.

Some outdoorsy magazine a few years ago listed Chattanooga as one of the country's 10 best cities for outdoor sports. You can go from downtown Chattanooga to whitewater rafting or hanggliding in a half hour.

Chattanooga is a beautiful city with a really nice downtown full of family-friendly activities. The cost of living in Chattanooga is very reasonable, the weather is very moderate, and it's only 100 miles from Atlanta for those times when you just have to see big buildings and lots of traffic.

HOWEVER, the employment situation in Chattanooga is pretty sad. In the last year the Chattanooga-Cleveland TN area has lost over 2,000 jobs.

Have you considered Knoxville? While I personally prefer Chattanooga (it really is a beautiful city), Knoxville has a much better job market, it's also close to mountains, and it's very family-friendly. Just a thought.

Leavingphilly2009 · 05-07-2008, 08:39 AM

The answers to a couple of questions.

Yes I'm a degreed accountant grad from Temple U back in "96".

We're in the dark as far as where we want to move to, we are trying to downsize out selections, and going over choices in the state of TN I remembered what a classmate of mines told me once about life in or around Chattanooga. Now granted that was years ago, but if I could remember the conversation we had, then I figure it's worth investigating.

There is no specfic reason to consider moving to the Chatt, I do realize the distance between Chatt and ATL. It's just about the same distance from Philly to NYC. So finding work isn't a hugh worry, but I'm looking for more family life.

Small town life is the only thing that we can agree on. If we were single younger adults then living is Philly would be exact what we want. Being as though we are parents of 4 kids, we want to give them a life that we didn't (never) experienced so it could be a great experience for both of us.

jkmewright · 05-07-2008, 10:59 AM

You know I think Chattanooga is a great place to raise a family. Other than some iffy school zones, we have alot to offer. Skate parks, water parks, walking trails, many festivals in driving distance, close to mountains and water, lotsa stuff to do. We have found so much to do we actually have to vote lol

Housing is affordable and cost of living is good. Insurance is cheap too. There are only a few places in town that I would be concerned about living in. I hear alot about people having trouble finding jobs but that has never been my experience. I have lived here most of my live if that makes a difference?

You could always move to the Delmarva peninsula if you want to insure that your kids NEVER get in trouble. Well, they might steal a fisherman's boat for a joy ride... I will be moving there when mine turns 12 lol

Jon F Moss · 05-07-2008, 05:50 PM

Ummmm....I used to live in Dover, and believe me.....they get into trouble there too!

Beretta · 05-07-2008, 07:42 PM

Come visit and see what you think. Chattanooga has a lot to offer.

Leavingphilly2009 · 05-10-2008, 11:00 AM

Coming down for a visit in late June, early July. Were trying to set up some arrangements with some realitors now, but we just wantee to get a feel of the surrounding area first. Here are some more question that I have if someone can be kind enough to answer.

What are median prices for real estate?
What are the schools like?
Taxes, how bad is it, although I do think living in philly is the worse. Not only are we stuck with state taxes, we have to pay city wages taxes also.

Just some simple questions.