Should I relocate to Nashville, TN from Schaumburg?? (Chicago, Aurora: houses, neighborhoods)

[stewartthrower]

Originally Posted by supernerdgirl

it's 9% sales tax on EVERYTHING, including groceries... well, if the groceries meet some special rule, they might knock it down to 8.25% for ya.

and i'm guessing you want to move to Williamson County? that area is basically Schaumburg with more hills. (unless you live in downtown Franklin, and I don't think that's in your price range.)

Tennessee has no personal income tax. If you are implying that Nashville has a greater tax burden than Chicago, you are dead wrong. Nashville is a great town. I say give it a shot. Chicago/Schaumburg will always be here.

[scarletneon]

Originally Posted by stewartthrower

Tennessee has no personal income tax. If you are implying that Nashville has a greater tax burden than Chicago, you are dead wrong. Nashville is a great town. I say give it a shot. Chicago/Schaumburg will always be here.

this is what I said:
"it's 9% sales tax on EVERYTHING, including groceries... well, if the groceries meet some special rule, they might knock it down to 8.25% for ya."

where did i say they would get off with less of a tax burden? trust me, I know all about the no income tax, and got to watch all of the "protests" back when I actually LIVED in the Nashville area for far too long.

and you can't deny that the outer burbs on the south side of Nashville (which is where the OP is looking, NOT N'ville proper), aka Williamson County, aka Brentwood and Franklin, look just like many of the 'burbs here, especially that stretch of 65 between Brentwood and Franklin - that looks a lot like those same office buildings that I see from the expressway when I've passed Schaumburg... but there's more hills.

[SPTLSS1]

Yep...Williamson county is where we'd be looking. Specifically Franklin. We are taking a trip there this spring (if that ever gets here) to poke around since my wife has never been to Nashville.

[Steve-o]

TN? Run away from there. Fast. Dont let the hills/scenery fool you. Underneath all that lies a state that is not very welcoming to outsiders, has bad paying jobs, horrible schools, high crime, no diversity, poorly built homes (you like popcorn walls and ceilings?), lack of fine dining/shopping. Sorry for all the negative views, but my time in Tennessee was a total nightmare, I hope yours is better.

[SPTLSS1]

Steve-o, if I remember you were in a more rural portion of TN. As for high crime...yes in Memphis but not in the area we are looking.

The homes we'd be considering would be new construction so I am assuming the popcorn ceilings are a thing of the past. Nashville is a fairly cosmo city. Certianly not to the extent of here in Chicago but it has more than just country music & rednecks.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by SPTLSS1

Steve-o, if I remember you were in a more rural portion of TN. As for high crime...yes in Memphis but not in the area we are looking.

The homes we'd be considering would be new construction so I am assuming the popcorn ceilings are a thing of the past. Nashville is a fairly cosmo city. Certianly not to the extent of here in Chicago but it has more than just country music & rednecks.

I lived in a city of 120K. I refused to go into a smaller town, they were just too behind-the-times. Heck, even Clarksville was behind the times. They were just putting in a Best Buy when we were leaving.

And they still use the popcorn ceilings in many new homes. My SIL lives off of Tiny Town Rd in a new subdivision and their new house also has popcorn ceilings. We looked at several homes there, couldnt find a single home that had a basement or wasnt built shoddily. No wonder new homes only cost 70K in some areas. Theyre the Yugo of home building.

As for Nashville, all the times I was there, all I saw were the usual blacks, whites, hispanics. Nashville is not at all cosmopolitan if you ask me. And unless youre hitting up a Titans game, or going to a country bar or a tattoo shop (or the war museum), there is absolutely no reason to be in downtown Nashville, and that I didnt like one bit. One can only go to the Opry Mills Mall, Opry Mills Hotel, and eat barbeque chicken/fast food before one goes insane. Just do yourself a favor and visit extensively, especially in the summer when the air is like soup and the bugs are ferocious. I wish I would have done that instead of rushing down there myself. Biggest mistake I ever made.

[stewartthrower]

Sunbelt cities like Atlanta, Tampa, South Florida, Nashiville, Phoenix are filled with Chicagoans talking about how great Chicago is. We all know that Chicago is a great city and the suburbs are some of the best in the country, but there is a reason that these Sunbelt cities are loaded with ex-Chicagoans. And its not just the weather. Nashville is a great town, especially to raise a family. I say give it a shot..It's obvious you that you want to try something different.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by stewartthrower

Sunbelt cities like Atlanta, Tampa, South Florida, Nashiville, Phoenix are filled with Chicagoans talking about how great Chicago is. We all know that Chicago is a great city and the suburbs are some of the best in the country, but there is a reason that these Sunbelt cities are loaded with ex-Chicagoans. And its not just the weather. Nashville is a great town, especially to raise a family. I say give it a shot..It's obvious you that you want to try something different.

They want a quieter lifestyle and cheaper COL, thats what most ex-Chicagoans say (based on personal experience). However, many of them (myself included) ended up somewhere else, thinking the grass was greener, but it truly wasnt. Not even in the slightest bit. For those who want a urban lifestyle filled with multi-cultural experiences, incredible nightlife and fine museums/dining/shopping, will most likely not find that in most sunbelt cities, especially in the south where the lifestyle and slow pace is far too extreme for some. Thats why I suggest each person who moves spends a substantial amount of time in the place they intend to move to see if thats what they really want out of life. I see far too many people move to someplace that they "vacationed at one time" and Ive seen far too many people become disappointed in short time with their decision. THOSE are the folks that move down south and do nothing but whine n moan about the place. And THOSE are the folks that the southerners despise the most.

[stewartthrower]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

They want a quieter lifestyle and cheaper COL, thats what most ex-Chicagoans say (based on personal experience). However, many of them (myself included) ended up somewhere else, thinking the grass was greener, but it truly wasnt. Not even in the slightest bit. For those who want a urban lifestyle filled with multi-cultural experiences, incredible nightlife and fine museums/dining/shopping, will most likely not find that in most sunbelt cities, especially in the south where the lifestyle and slow pace is far too extreme for some. Thats why I suggest each person who moves spends a substantial amount of time in the place they intend to move to see if thats what they really want out of life. I see far too many people move to someplace that they "vacationed at one time" and Ive seen far too many people become disappointed in short time with their decision. THOSE are the folks that move down south and do nothing but whine n moan about the place. And THOSE are the folks that the southerners despise the most.

I can't disagree with you here Steve, except that most of the larger cities like Atlanta and Pheonix is that your lifestyle can be as slow or fast as you want it. Like Chicago. These cities do not rival Chicago in museums, but they can hold their own a far as dining, nightlife and shopping. The biggest negative that I have about Chicago is that every problem is solved (not really) by raising taxes. That's a slippery slope and at some point it will come back and bite us in the butt.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by stewartthrower

I can't disagree with you here Steve, except that most of the larger cities like Atlanta and Pheonix is that your lifestyle can be as slow or fast as you want it. Like Chicago. These cities do not rival Chicago in museums, but they can hold their own a far as dining, nightlife and shopping. The biggest negative that I have about Chicago is that every problem is solved (not really) by raising taxes. That's a slippery slope and at some point it will come back and bite us in the butt.

I take it you havent been to Phoenix? Dining in PHX is a joke, unless you like Mexican food and not much else. You have to go to Scottsdale and Paradise Valley to find the upscale cuisine, most of which is your normal French/Italian/American/Mexican variety. There is no Germantown, no Andersonville, no Greektown, no Chinatown, etc, etc. And to make things worse you have to drive to Timbuktu to get to these restaurants. You cant hop on a train or a bus to get to them, and theyre spread out waaaay too far. Atlanta is a little better, but still nowhere near the level of Chicago. Trust me on that. Phoenix has your usual shopping centers, endless strip malls, etc. Scottsdale has the more upscale shopping, but once again nowhere near the level of Chicago (naturally). I cant really speak for Atlanta's shopping as I didnt spend much time, but I can tell you that their downtown shopping was a complete joke. Naperville has more shopping if you ask me, no joke. Nightlife in PHX is pretty much non-existant unless you head into the burbs to Tempe or Scottsdale. LIke I said, urban lifestyle in those two cities, compared to Chicago, is nothing to write home about.