Cookeville Apartments and TTU question (Sparta: apartment complexes, rent, transfer)

[catwandering]

Wow. Google and this site have saved me a whole lot of trouble, I think.

Right now, I'm looking into moving from Raleigh, North Carolina, to Cookeville, TN. From the limited info I could find on the web, apartments seem to be a lot cheaper over there. This would be a very good thing.

However, it's gonna be a while before I can get to Cookeville for a visit, and I was wondering if any of you might be able to help me out. I'm looking for a cheap place to live without compromising on safety. Are there any "shady" sides of town to avoid? I need a place that allows cats, and that I can have internet at. And where I wouldn't mind going out to my car in the middle of the night.

Any apartment recommendations?

My second concern is I'm considering going to TTU. Probably would do the smart thing and wait a year after moving to qualify for in-state tuition. The thing is, if I do that, I'll be 28 when I return to college, with about 3 years left to go after transferring.

I am originally from Michigan, and at Eastern Michigan University, there were students of all ages, though mostly in the 18-30 range. Knowing nothing of TTU, other than its in a small town, I couldn't find demographics anywhere. If I go to school at ages 28-31 am I gonna stick out like a sore thumb?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

[JMT]

Originally Posted by catwandering

Wow. Google and this site have saved me a whole lot of trouble, I think.

Right now, I'm looking into moving from Raleigh, North Carolina, to Cookeville, TN. From the limited info I could find on the web, apartments seem to be a lot cheaper over there. This would be a very good thing.

However, it's gonna be a while before I can get to Cookeville for a visit, and I was wondering if any of you might be able to help me out. I'm looking for a cheap place to live without compromising on safety. Are there any "shady" sides of town to avoid? I need a place that allows cats, and that I can have internet at. And where I wouldn't mind going out to my car in the middle of the night.

Any apartment recommendations?

My second concern is I'm considering going to TTU. Probably would do the smart thing and wait a year after moving to qualify for in-state tuition. The thing is, if I do that, I'll be 28 when I return to college, with about 3 years left to go after transferring.

I am originally from Michigan, and at Eastern Michigan University, there were students of all ages, though mostly in the 18-30 range. Knowing nothing of TTU, other than its in a small town, I couldn't find demographics anywhere. If I go to school at ages 28-31 am I gonna stick out like a sore thumb?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

While most students at Tech (TTU) are younger, you definitely won't stick out like a sore thumb. I taught a class at Tech one summer and had lots of older students. Cookeville is a popular retirement area, and many retirees enjoy taking classes just for the fun of it. So, depending on your major, you might not even be the oldest student in your classes!

There is no "bad" part of Cookeville, although since you're older than the average college student you might want to avoid the neighborhoods right around Tech, especially just north of Tech where there are a lot of apartment complexes that cater to students. Even though Tech is not a party school, if you get 10,000 college kids together, it's bound to get noisy sometimes.

When I was in Cookeville a couple of weeks ago I picked up an apartment guide, but I can't find it. grrrrrrr It had web sites, and I can't find those web sites on my own. Sorry about that. Have you tried to Google "Cookeville apartments" or something like that?

HOWEVER, if you check the Herald-Citizen (local paper) on-line you'll see lots of classified ads for apartments, duplexes, etc.

If you still have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. There are several of us here in this forum who love Cookeville and enjoy helping others love it.

Good luck!

[jessicashane]

Hey i went to TTU for a semester right after highschool and i was stuck in the dorm but i had a few friends that lived in apartments and yes there were a lot of older people on campus i mean yes the majority was under 25 but there were also a LOT of older people in my chemistry class there were 125 ppl and about 20 of them were over 30 and about apartments i dont really know a whole lot about them but i do know that there are some called Saxony and a lot of college students live there but its not all college students and i really dont know how they decide the rent but the best bet is to go to cookeville and look at all the different apartment complexes because there are so many but when it comes to "shady" parts of town i dont think its that bad there its a pretty safe comunity from what i understood and the campus is one of the safest in the state but if you have any more questions or need anything else i can email some of my friends from there and see what they have to say

[KC38506]

I finished at TTU at the tender age of 37! You'll love it! Cambridge Apartments are on 10th street and are about 5 minutes from TTU but not in the "college apartment" part of town. I would be careful about apartments right around college because of students (not threatening, just noisy) and north of campus along Dixie and Washington because it's a highly Hispanic area. This is a safe town overall, but it pays to be smart.

There are also properties offered by Gaw Properties. They're a little more expensive, but they own so much in town you could tell them what you're looking for and they could help you out.

If cost is a big factor, you might consider "married student housing" at TTU. It's not only for married students. It's also available to older students and faculty. It's VERY cheap, although a little Spartan, and might be a good place to start off while you get to know the area. Talk to the Office of Residential Life about it.

[catwandering]

Wow. This reply was late. But thanks to everyone who answered! My family is coming down here to drive me to Cookeville in May, to explore apartment options. I can't express how excited I am to be moving out there, and I'm now also reassured that my age won't be an issue at TTU.

These forums are amazing.