Movong from Sarasota to Chatanooga area... (Chattanooga, Lookout Mountain: real estate, crime rate, daycare)

[Allyrayj]

Hello world! My 3 kids and I are planning to move up there from sarasota, fl. I only know one person up there who is new herself. I need to leave florida.. for lots of reasons (not fleeing the law lol) Ive been told this is a good place to go. I know the cost of living is about 17% less in that area than in sarasota and thats very appealing to me. I am a waitress and do considerably well here in FL, but whats the work like there? Is the economy down as bad there as it is here? Is there a 'season' like here for any tourists? My son is 10mo. old and a reputable daycare is imprtant to me. my 2 daughters are 6 and 4. One is in Kind and the other is in a preschool right at the elementary school for ESE speech therapy. Is there such a program in the schools there? I dont want to be in the middle of a city.. my kids deserve to be outside and explore the earth around them. How is the crime rate there? Our area is full of registered sexual predators and I dont dare to let my kids out in the backyard unsupervised. Can someone give me some info or links on the general area?

[SPLIT]

A: HELLO, if one clicks on the upper left corner of this page , ON the White City-Data.com logo you can find statistics / links for areas. ..The state web page for Chattanooga (Community 7) is here Retire Tennessee - Our Communities (http://retiretennessee.org/communities.html - broken link) .
No real specifics on young schools to help you . We have TOURISTS all 12 months with the activities & convention center . 4,000 Cheer Leaders will be in city this weekend for Nat Comp. . Many sporting events thru year . Early June is Big 9 day RIVERBEND music festival on water.

[BlueCuzco]

We have felt the depression, as everyone has, but I don't think we have been as hard hit as many other areas and probably not nearly as bad as Florida. I don't know the career outlook for waitresses in our area. Tourists come year round, though most come in the summer and secondarily the spring and fall. So we don't have a season so much as a slow oscillation.

There are lots of good daycare centers, as well as speech programs in public schools. (Or at least the ones I was in; I'm sixteen). I've never worried about crime, but I live in the suburbs. There are sketchier parts of town, but in most areas you don't have to worry about it. (Random book suggestion: Richard Louv's Last Child in the Woods.) The good news is that the middle of downtown (the sketchy parts) is actually a really good place for nature and getting outdoors. You're right by downtown, which is very walkable, as well as the fantastic Tennessee Riverwalk, a 13 mile greenway that travels along the river from Ross's Landing to Chickamauga Dam. And you're no more than a fifteen or twenty minute drive to some of the best natural areas in the region like Lookout Mountain (and canyons cut into its side) and the Tennessee River Gorge. Small surburban backyards aren't all they're cracked up to be.

Kristian

[MountainAire]

I'm from Sarasota County. Is everyone still naked out on Lido Key??? LOL>......Been here now going on 14 years but I am not directly in Chattanooga; I hate big cities. I am rural up in the mountains. The further you go away from the city the cheaper things will be, but then you have a drive ahead of you to a good job. There's nothing much available for jobs in the smaller towns so mostly everyone works in Chattanooga and has to endure the ride and the culture shock may hit you pretty hard too but I'm not complaining I like it just fine. And heck yes its much cheaper living. I could never afford our little farm at Florida prices. Nothing much is seasonal like in Florida. Just find a good waitressing job in a busy area at a reputable restaraunt and you should be just fine. As far as the schools go, go online and get the phone numbers for the schools for the different counties and give them a call and see what they can offer. That's what we did in advance and it was fine. Hope everything works out.

[BlueCuzco]

The good news is that the middle of downtown (the sketchy parts) is actually a really good place for nature and getting outdoors.

Sorry, I meant "not the sketchy parts". Not that you can't get to nature easily from those parts as well; I'm just not recommending moving to them.

[u4icmusic]

Originally Posted by MountainAire

I'm from Sarasota County. Is everyone still naked out on Lido Key??? LOL>......Been here now going on 14 years but I am not directly in Chattanooga; I hate big cities. I am rural up in the mountains. The further you go away from the city the cheaper things will be, but then you have a drive ahead of you to a good job. There's nothing much available for jobs in the smaller towns so mostly everyone works in Chattanooga and has to endure the ride and the culture shock may hit you pretty hard too but I'm not complaining I like it just fine. And heck yes its much cheaper living. I could never afford our little farm at Florida prices. Nothing much is seasonal like in Florida. Just find a good waitressing job in a busy area at a reputable restaraunt and you should be just fine. As far as the schools go, go online and get the phone numbers for the schools for the different counties and give them a call and see what they can offer. That's what we did in advance and it was fine. Hope everything works out.

I hardly think Chattanooga is a big city. Chicago, LA, Miami and Detroit are big cities. Chattanooga is a medium sized city and I think that is what appeals to a lot of us. The traffic is not bad, and the taxes are lower thatn most other cities, but there is still plenty to do in and around the city all year long.

The job situation here is bleak. The wages are low and very few companies are hiring right now. (See my other post about the job fair coming next week for a list of companies that ARE hiring.)

I almost moved to Sarasota about 10 years ago, but opted for Fort Lauderdale instead. I loved it at first, then got to hate it more and more every year, so I know how you feel about Florida. I'd be happy to show you around town, and I have an excellent real estate agent if you need one. Just PM me for more info. Good Luck on your move and I'll answer any questions you may have, some of which may be addressed on other threads on this forum. You can use the "search" function to look for older posts.