Back from Cookeville and loved it!

[Dex]

Mr. Sparkman:

Thank you VERY much.

As others have said, it's great to have other refugees from Illinois who can make solid comparisons between here and Tennessee.

I've spent all of my 61 years here and happily raised the children, put up with goofy weather, taught high school for four decades, endured road construction season and then winter, and all of the hands that continually raid our wallets. What really irked me last November was when Illinois was THE ONLY place in the Midwest to NOT largely throw the bums and big-spenders out of state government.

We could put up with an occasional bum in Springfield (as I'm sure they can in Nashville) but when the electorate keeps reelecting the same riff-raff over and over, it's time to get out.

Cookeville is where we seek to put Illinois behind us.

Any other tips from forum folks on how Cookeville compares favorably (or unfavorably) with "Ill"-inois?

[Buffalo Lake]

I grew up in Lockport and spend about half my time in Cookeville. I think it's a lovely place for you to come down to.

-For starters, and it's already been touched on, the cost of living is much less costly here.

-As someone who actually kinda misses the weather in Illinois, Cookeville is more comparable to it than say, Knoxville. (but it's still definately hot in the summer)

-Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga are all within driving distance if you ever need to get a more 'urban' experience that you might be used to living near Chicago.

[Dex]

Thank you, Buffalo Lake.

We've taken out an online subscription to the Cookeville newpaper and have been amazed at the prices of homes.

I was also stunned when I read an article three days ago mentioning that a municipality near Cookeville will be lowering its property taxes for the second year in a row. LOWERING taxes? What a novel idea!That never happens up here. The high school district from which I'm retired (Lincoln-Way #210) boasted about how they have built two new schools (one of which is 45% empty, the other which already has falling enrollment) without raising taxes.

Well, by extending tax rates over many years they have, for all intents and purposes, raised them.

And in April, the voters here re-elected the same local machine candidates that have put us in this mess.

I want no 'urban' experience. The Joliet 'urban' experience is close enough. We have visited Nashville and Chattanooga and found the locals to be very friendly and helpful. The crime rate statistics, however, will keep us away from there.

BTW, I've looked at the City-Data.com crime numbers for Cookeville and was somewhat surprised to see that the rates - especially for theft - are much higher than in New Lenox (300+ compared to just over 100 in NL). Is this phenomenon a function of having TTU in Cookeville or is there a problem in a certain part of town that skews the numbers for the entire place? I did notice that there have been numerous drug/meth arrests in and around Putnam County.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Dex

BTW, I've looked at the City-Data.com crime numbers for Cookeville and was somewhat surprised to see that the rates - especially for theft - are much higher than in New Lenox (300+ compared to just over 100 in NL). Is this phenomenon a function of having TTU in Cookeville or is there a problem in a certain part of town that skews the numbers for the entire place? I did notice that there have been numerous drug/meth arrests in and around Putnam County.

The crime rate is something that throws some people off, and I can understand. However, keep in mind that a city's crime rate is calculated per resident of the city. In a case like Cookeville, the city has 30,000 residents but swells to over 60,000 in any given day. (Cookeville's ZIP codes go into four different counties.)

This is also why tourist towns like Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge look like they're riddled with crime when in reality they're very safe.

I wouldn't worry about crime in Cookeville. As you read the crime reports in the paper you'll see that most of it is petty in nature, i.e. someone left her purse on the front seat of the car with the windows down, etc. The local university actually has the lowest crime rate among all of Tennessee's public universities. Cookeville really is a safe place.

Welcome to Cookeville!

[Dex]

Thanks, JMT.

I had a feeling that the crime stats weren't as much a lead-pipe indicator of mayhem as they would be in a city/suburban situation such as we have up here.

Another question. We've looked at all sorts of Google Earth shots of Cookeville and there don't seem to be many front sidewalks. It's not a big deal at all but does a lack of sidewalks go hand in hand with only septic and well?

I guess it's obvious we're looking for a home with city sewer and water. Where would these homes likely be?

Thank you, again!

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Dex

Thanks, JMT.

I had a feeling that the crime stats weren't as much a lead-pipe indicator of mayhem as they would be in a city/suburban situation such as we have up here.

Another question. We've looked at all sorts of Google Earth shots of Cookeville and there don't seem to be many front sidewalks. It's not a big deal at all but does a lack of sidewalks go hand in hand with only septic and well?

I guess it's obvious we're looking for a home with city sewer and water. Where would these homes likely be?

Thank you, again!

That's right, there just aren't many sidewalks in the South except right smack in the cities, generally. And if you want to avoid having a septic tank you'll need to restrict your search to homes within the city limits. And even then there's a risk you'll find a home with septic. As the city annexes once-rural areas, it takes a few years to extend sewer service to those areas.

However, even rural areas have "city" water available through rural utility districts which are often also the electric providers for those areas. Out of the 73,000 residents of Putnam County there are probably just a few hundred who don't have city water.

[AmberFlynn]

If you stay with homes in the city (especially newer ones), you can typically avoid a septic tank, although I'm always curious when my out of town buyers have such an aversion to them - we've got a septic tank and never had any issues at all (of course my home is only 2yrs old). I wonder if it's a geographic thing?? You can ask you agent to limit your parameters to only city sewer as you search if it's a deal breaker

[Dex]

Thanks, Amber. In all our years of marriage, we've never had anything but municipal water and sewer. In fact, one of the few positive things about being where we are now is that Lake Michigan water is pumped to our town. It tastes great, women claim it's good for their hair, and it makes a water softener unnecessary.

All too often, we've heard of costly septic tank fiascos. Couldn't manage that on a pension.