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Hi All!
My husband & i live on the Central Coast of California (Arroyo Grande-15mins from San Luis Obispo) with our 2 year old son. We have been dreaming about leaving this state for years mainly because of the COL & mainstream influences. It hurts to say we will move away from my family but i know it is something we must do to live the life we dream of. We love our simple little life & hope we can live it more comfortably somewhere else. I dont want to raise my kids in apartments & have to pay $1800+ in rent just to have a small yard.
Heres are our needs:
- Somewhere we can afford to live on $60k-$70k/year & eventually buy a 3 bdrm home with a little land (honestly a normal size yard is fine, as long as my kids have space to play & grow our garden) for under $260k in a safe * friendly neighborhood.
- Scenery & Weather are important to me. I know that by leaving california i will have to give something up. I am willing to deal with a little less scenic drives, more heat/humidity & a little snow. However, The less snow the better. I like sunshine & would never live somewhere like Portland Oregon or in the state of Washington (for weather AND political reasons)
- friendliness! I am a social, homeschooling mama that likes to be apart of groups, co-ops & just have a circle of girlfriends to do life with. Im the type of "millennial" thatll make you a meal id you just moved in or give birth to new life. My husband is light skinned african american so its important that my kids will not encounter problems with this
- Good Churches/Like minded Faith followers that arent afraid to live out the Gospel
- Urban /suburb with a country or small town feel
- Outdoorsy + things to do
I have narrowed it down to Chattanooga or Knoxville TN and Boise ID.
We just traveled all around Nashville & Chattanooga a couple weeks ago, and although it was raining most the time, we did enjoy Chattanooga and everyone we spoke to seemed to love it there. We loved & would totally buy in the town of Ooltewah. I have never visited Boise ID but out if the 3 it would probably be my top choice due to proximity to family. i heard the prices are skyrocketing due to all the California transplants and that its pain in the rear if you want to travel anywhere outside of Boise is at least a 5+hr trip. I do not want to move to somewhere thats gonna turn into California in 10 years.
If you have visited any 2 of these areas and can give me a detailed reason as to why you prefer one over the other i would greatly appreciate it
Forgot to mention- my husband works For Samsung and can pretty much transfer just about anywhere by request, so locations other than listed are also welcome. Thanks in advance!
Hi All!
My husband & i live on the Central Coast of California (Arroyo Grande-15mins from San Luis Obispo) with our 2 year old son. We have been dreaming about leaving this state for years mainly because of the COL & mainstream influences. It hurts to say we will move away from my family but i know it is something we must do to live the life we dream of. We love our simple little life & hope we can live it more comfortably somewhere else. I dont want to raise my kids in apartments & have to pay $1800+ in rent just to have a small yard.
Heres are our needs:
- Somewhere we can afford to live on $60k-$70k/year & eventually buy a 3 bdrm home with a little land (honestly a normal size yard is fine, as long as my kids have space to play & grow our garden) for under $260k in a safe * friendly neighborhood.
- Scenery & Weather are important to me. I know that by leaving california i will have to give something up. I am willing to deal with a little less scenic drives, more heat/humidity & a little snow. However, The less snow the better. I like sunshine & would never live somewhere like Portland Oregon or in the state of Washington (for weather AND political reasons)
- friendliness! I am a social, homeschooling mama that likes to be apart of groups, co-ops & just have a circle of girlfriends to do life with. Im the type of "millennial" thatll make you a meal id you just moved in or give birth to new life. My husband is light skinned african american so its important that my kids will not encounter problems with this
- Good Churches/Like minded Faith followers that arent afraid to live out the Gospel
- Urban /suburb with a country or small town feel
- Outdoorsy + things to do
I have narrowed it down to Chattanooga or Knoxville TN and Boise ID.
We just traveled all around Nashville & Chattanooga a couple weeks ago, and although it was raining most the time, we did enjoy Chattanooga and everyone we spoke to seemed to love it there. We loved & would totally buy in the town of Ooltewah. I have never visited Boise ID but out if the 3 it would probably be my top choice due to proximity to family. i heard the prices are skyrocketing due to all the California transplants and that its pain in the rear if you want to travel anywhere outside of Boise is at least a 5+hr trip. I do not want to move to somewhere thats gonna turn into California in 10 years.
If you have visited any 2 of these areas and can give me a detailed reason as to why you prefer one over the other i would greatly appreciate it
Forgot to mention- my husband works For Samsung and can pretty much transfer just about anywhere by request, so locations other than listed are also welcome. Thanks in advance!
If you want easy access back to California, I would scratch off Chattanooga and Knoxville as neither airport has any direct flights to the west coast. The Nashville airport, does, and on several different airlines. So I'm going to suggest you check out Cookeville which is an hour east of Nashville in the beautiful Highland Rim of Tennessee. It's a thriving college town that's become popular with retirees and young families alike, it has excellent schools, it's very family friendly (children's museum, chidren's library, children's theater), it's got four distinct seasons, and it's surrounded by beautiful countryside (100 waterfalls and 1200 miles of lakes within 40 minutes of town). Your dollar will go a lot farther, too. And if you're looking for a town with a lot of churches where people aren't afraid to show their faith, Cookeville is right down your alley, too.
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its - possession
it's - contraction of it is
your - possession
you're - contraction of you are
their - possession
they're - contraction of they are
there - referring to a place
loose - opposite of tight
lose - opposite of win
who's - contraction of who is
whose - possession
alot - NOT A WORD
If you want easy access back to California, I would scratch off Chattanooga and Knoxville as neither airport has any direct flights to the west coast. The Nashville airport, does, and on several different airlines. So I'm going to suggest you check out Cookeville which is an hour east of Nashville in the beautiful Highland Rim of Tennessee. It's a thriving college town that's become popular with retirees and young families alike, it has excellent schools, it's very family friendly (children's museum, chidren's library, children's theater), it's got four distinct seasons, and it's surrounded by beautiful countryside (100 waterfalls and 1200 miles of lakes within 40 minutes of town). Your dollar will go a lot farther, too. And if you're looking for a town with a lot of churches where people aren't afraid to show their faith, Cookeville is right down your alley, too.
Thank you for your response and the beautiful video. Cookeville is somewhere i researched but when compared to Chattanooga, i was told by a handful of people they would choose Chatt. I still would consider it though because ive read wonderful things about the area. Do you have an opinion between Boise and Chattanooga?
Thank you for your response and the beautiful video. Cookeville is somewhere i researched but when compared to Chattanooga, i was told by a handful of people they would choose Chatt. I still would consider it though because ive read wonderful things about the area. Do you have an opinion between Boise and Chattanooga?
For day-to-day living, there's not much difference between Chattanooga and Cookeville. Chattanooga, being much larger, has of course more stuff, but that also means more traffic, higher property taxes, more crime.
But for vacationing, it's no contest; Chattanooga all the way. But Cookeville is only an hour from Nashville which has a bajillion times more things to do than Chattanooga.
Between Chattanooga and Boise, it's a difficult choice. I used to live in Utah and spent a lot of time in Boise where my girlfriend was from. It's a very clean, thriving city. If I didn't mind its relative isolation and colder, drier climate, I wouldn't mind living there. It's also safer than Chattanooga. But Chattanooga is just so beautiful and is so much closer to other places, 100 miles or so from Atlanta and Nashville. If you like things like boating and swimming in lakes and rivers, Chattanooga (and Cookeville) beat Boise. But if you like winter sports, Boise wins. Chattanooga is hotter and more humid, of course, which isn't for everyone. And the crime in Chattanooga shouldn't be overlooked, particularly when compared to places like Boise and Cookeville.
---
its - possession
it's - contraction of it is
your - possession
you're - contraction of you are
their - possession
they're - contraction of they are
there - referring to a place
loose - opposite of tight
lose - opposite of win
who's - contraction of who is
whose - possession
alot - NOT A WORD
Thanks for helping out JMT. Funny you mention that, Utah was on my list as well but when doing a side by side comparison to SLC or Ogden area to Boise, Boise seemed like the better fit. Plus i dont think i could deal with the snow in SLC.
Are you currently living in Cookeville? Just when i am pretty sure we have decided on East Tennesse, i read & hear from other people about the poverty & culture there. Some say yes you are safe inside the cities like Chatt, Knoxville, Nashville & its suburbs..but once you leave, for say a roadtrip, its "infested" with toothless unhealthy & backwards people. Not my words! But things i have read from others on citydata forum. I know its a different culture and that each place has its pros and cons, but for the majority would you say that is true or false of Tennessee? Its like when people say "move to Bakersfield or Fresno, there are some really nice areas for cheap!"..but when you leave your bubble its a warzone of low standard living and low quality people.
Thanks for helping out JMT. Funny you mention that, Utah was on my list as well but when doing a side by side comparison to SLC or Ogden area to Boise, Boise seemed like the better fit. Plus i dont think i could deal with the snow in SLC.
Are you currently living in Cookeville? Just when i am pretty sure we have decided on East Tennesse, i read & hear from other people about the poverty & culture there. Some say yes you are safe inside the cities like Chatt, Knoxville, Nashville & its suburbs..but once you leave, for say a roadtrip, its "infested" with toothless unhealthy & backwards people. Not my words! But things i have read from others on citydata forum. I know its a different culture and that each place has its pros and cons, but for the majority would you say that is true or false of Tennessee? Its like when people say "move to Bakersfield or Fresno, there are some really nice areas for cheap!"..but when you leave your bubble its a warzone of low standard living and low quality people.
I live about a half hour outside of Cookeville in a very rural ZIP code with fewer than 1000 people. I'm 8 miles from the nearest gas station, and the only "businesses" in my ZIP code are the post office and a couple of small churches. I'm not originally from here, but I love it here. I can see why some people think rural Tennessee is nothing but toothless hillbillies, but the toothless hillbillies who are my neighbors are the kindest, warmest people I've ever had the privilege of living around. They have welcomed me with open arms, even offering me eggs from their hens, honey from their beehives, blackberries and strawberries from their vines, and vegetables from their gardens. In the 5 years I've lived here, other "outsiders" have moved into the area, mainly retirees from the North and West (and one from Britain), and all have been welcomed just as warmly. I should note that Cookeville, being a college town, has people there from all over the world, and my house is between Cookeville and Nashville which is one of the fastest growing cities in the country. I'm also just a couple of miles off of an interstate, so it's easy to get to either Cookeville or Nashville. In other words, even though where I live is very rural, it's not really very isolated.
Having said that, I used to live in rural East Tennessee outside of Knoxville, and it is absolutely not the same. The mountain people are much more reserved and, historically, not as trusting of outsiders. Many of the rural areas of East Tennessee have bad reputations even among other Tennesseans. I lived in a very rural area east of Knoxville for 3 years and never once met any of my neighbors except when one neighbor's son was selling something for his school. Even when I moved into Knoxville, the only time I met my neighbors was when my house was broken into and the neighbors came over to see what happened when they saw the police car.
In short, I've found the rural people of Middle (central) Tennessee to be much more welcoming than the rural people of East Tennessee. Others may have different experiences.
---
its - possession
it's - contraction of it is
your - possession
you're - contraction of you are
their - possession
they're - contraction of they are
there - referring to a place
loose - opposite of tight
lose - opposite of win
who's - contraction of who is
whose - possession
alot - NOT A WORD
If you want the small town feel then that is Cookeville. I don't associate Cookeville with poverty. As for safety, I'd say Cookeville>Knoxville>Chattanooga, though Chattanooga is making some good strides in property crime. Still some problems with murders but that will be people who know each other.
Have a discussion with your husband about race. Cookeville has the lowest percent of AAs but that doesn't necessarily translate to discrimination. IMO Knoxville has the highest percentage of professional AAs. Historically the AA population in Chattanooga represented mostly laborers for the heavy industry.
I agree that if you choose Knoxville, you will be better off finding a friendly neighborhood within the city/suburbs. The exception will be Oak Ridge and possibly Maryville/Alcoa. I think of the surrounding smaller towns as being pretty insular.
Last edited by creeksitter; 10-20-2018 at 03:44 PM..
Thank you again for your kind replies. If we moved to Knoxville srea it would be Marysville, and if we moved to Chattanooga it would be a nice suburb area like Ooltewah. If anyone has more in depth comparison between those areas and Boise id love for you to chime in
Maryville may fit your bill. Blount Homeschool Education Assoc is run by Allison Elder and if for some reason you find yourself leaning toward public school later on, Maryville is one of the better school districts. Your budget is very do-able in Maryville and depending on where you buy, you may even have a view of the mountains.
I haven't personally seen any prejudice in Blount county, but I can connect you with some friendly inter-racial couples who live there and can better speak to that. You'll also find a nice selection of churches, depending on your affiliation. Foothills Church is just one of the many Baptist-based churches with a ton of kids/families. Blount Community Church is a non-denominational church with an equally strong childrens program.
Chattanooga is also a beautiful area, but my opinion is that Chattanooga has a bigger/faster city vibe than Maryville. The biggest downfall to Maryville/Knoxville is the airport -- it's one of the most expensive places to fly into or out of. You can save hundreds of dollars per tickets by driving to Nashville, Charlotte, or Atlanta. Maybe your California relatives will fall in love with Tennessee and move this way. That's what my best friend's family did. Now all of her adult children settled in the area (from Pennsylvania) and even and ex-husband, believe it or not!
Hi All!
My husband & i live on the Central Coast of California (Arroyo Grande-15mins from San Luis Obispo) with our 2 year old son. We have been dreaming about leaving this state for years mainly because of the COL & mainstream influences. It hurts to say we will move away from my family but i know it is something we must do to live the life we dream of. We love our simple little life & hope we can live it more comfortably somewhere else. I dont want to raise my kids in apartments & have to pay $1800+ in rent just to have a small yard.
Heres are our needs:
- Somewhere we can afford to live on $60k-$70k/year & eventually buy a 3 bdrm home with a little land (honestly a normal size yard is fine, as long as my kids have space to play & grow our garden) for under $260k in a safe * friendly neighborhood.
- Scenery & Weather are important to me. I know that by leaving california i will have to give something up. I am willing to deal with a little less scenic drives, more heat/humidity & a little snow. However, The less snow the better. I like sunshine & would never live somewhere like Portland Oregon or in the state of Washington (for weather AND political reasons)
- friendliness! I am a social, homeschooling mama that likes to be apart of groups, co-ops & just have a circle of girlfriends to do life with. Im the type of "millennial" thatll make you a meal id you just moved in or give birth to new life. My husband is light skinned african american so its important that my kids will not encounter problems with this
- Good Churches/Like minded Faith followers that arent afraid to live out the Gospel
- Urban /suburb with a country or small town feel
- Outdoorsy + things to do
I have narrowed it down to Chattanooga or Knoxville TN and Boise ID.
We just traveled all around Nashville & Chattanooga a couple weeks ago, and although it was raining most the time, we did enjoy Chattanooga and everyone we spoke to seemed to love it there. We loved & would totally buy in the town of Ooltewah. I have never visited Boise ID but out if the 3 it would probably be my top choice due to proximity to family. i heard the prices are skyrocketing due to all the California transplants and that its pain in the rear if you want to travel anywhere outside of Boise is at least a 5+hr trip. I do not want to move to somewhere thats gonna turn into California in 10 years.
If you have visited any 2 of these areas and can give me a detailed reason as to why you prefer one over the other i would greatly appreciate it
Forgot to mention- my husband works For Samsung and can pretty much transfer just about anywhere by request, so locations other than listed are also welcome. Thanks in advance!
On the "Pro" side for Boise.
-Idaho is very homeschool friendly, absolutly no state requirements (though most homeschoolers voluntarily take tests)
-Boise is pretty sunny, nothing like Portland in this regard.
-Plenty of family friendly religious type people.
-Way better and cheaper flight access to California.
-Houses in your price range near Boise. Yes, it will be hard to find that in town, but Kuna, Nampa etc should all have plenty of stuff in that price range.
-"Turn into California" Depends what you mean. The area continues to grow, but lots of the transplants are California Conservatives, so it isn't swinging left anytime soon.
Preference for beauty is subjective, I prefer the drier mountains of the west personally, so in my opinion, Boise is closer to much better scenic beauty than TN,but that is just a preference.
Don't forget that if you are from California, the Humidity in TN could be a rude awakening. It is very humid there. TN also still gets cold, and when it's humid and cold it's even worse. Boise gets kind of cold, but the winters arn't harsh and not that much colder than TN,where you will still see many lows below freezing.
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