mass family moving to middle tn

[nashvols]

Originally Posted by moving_on_south

My husband would love the idea of not spending 600k!! I looked a little at houses down there and it seems like there is A LOT on the market. So maybe we can shop around and spend closer to the 400k mark. We would really like something open with high ceilings 4bed/3bath or more, 3 car garage would be great but if we got lucky and bought something with a basement we'd only need a 2 car.

Yeah...$600k will either buy you a very nice historic home, or a rather large (say 4-5,000 sq ft) house out in the suburbs. You should easily be able to get what you want for $400k...and depending on the area...possibly somewhere in the mid-higher $200s. If location is important, it will figure in on the price. If you are thinking you want to spend $400k for a 4br/3ba, Franklin and Hendersonville should be good picks.

Originally Posted by moving_on_south

Most of the jobs that my hubby will apply for seem to be in Franklin or Brentwood, he is a Pre-Sales Engineer/Director of Engineering for a small forensic science company in Boston now. Our top concern would be schools, where we live now the schools are outstanding and we don't want that to change. We'd prefer not to do private schools. Also we like living in areas where you can walk through downtown, good restaurants and I hate to admit it but I need to be near good shopping! HA! We are in our early 30's with 2 kids (6 & 3) so activities for kids like sports and dance studios are key. My daughter also takes music classes here and I assume those are readily accessible in "Music City!". Living near a lake would be a dream come true for us...as long as its not in a remote area. We like to be near people and as for acreage, I don't want to live on a postage stamp but certainly don't need a whole acre to myself!

Well...if the jobs are in Franklin and Brentwood, that's where I would suggest you live, bottom line. Hendersonville can be a hellish commute to Brentwood (because it is 30 miles away, and you have to go through downtown). Schools in Williamson County are great...same with Sumner. If schools are the biggest issue, I don't think you would have a problem picking either county. If possible, try to square away jobs before choosing on a place to live.

Both Franklin and Hendersonville have good shopping...Franklin has more variety, though.

If living near a lake is a dream, Hendersonville would be the clear leader (although parts of Mount Juliet are on Old Hickory Lake as well).

As for the acreage...you should probably go ahead and get used to the idea that an acre is not all that huge.

Originally Posted by moving_on_south

I should mention we would be very open to building something new...are there any good developments we should look into? I love homes with lots of detail and moldings, that kind of thing.

Not my area of expertise...

Originally Posted by moving_on_south

Thanks for getting back to me...I am astonished at the kindness that seems to pour through these threads. Its unlike any other area I have seen. I am right there with the original poster and her reasons to want to leave New England. I add to it that I am a very musical person and while I would not come there with dreams of chasing fame and fortune I think it would be good for my soul to live near all those talented and creative people! Thanks again!

Just remember, while there are a ton of talented and creative people here, the suburbs will have the same type of people the suburbs have anywhere.

I am glad you have found the forum to be accepting and helpful...I think most of us just want to make sure that a person is "comfortable" before a move.

[brentwoodgirl]

Originally Posted by nashvols

Just remember, while there are a ton of talented and creative people here, the suburbs will have the same type of people the suburbs have anywhere.

I would disagree with that. Growing up in a wealthy Memphis suburb and attending private high school there, the parents were pretty much all standard professional types- doctors, lawyers, business leaders, etc.
You certainly have a lot of those in Brentwood, but there are also tons of people involved in the music industry. 3 families on our street are involved in the music industry, one is a performer. In my son's class at his public school, one mom is a performer, another dad is an award winning writer, etc. My kids have song writers workshops at school, and a few times parents from their classes have come to school to sing for the class. One pianist at church has recorded at Abbey Road in London twice.
So I definitely see a difference here compared to suburbs in other cities. I can only speak for Brentwood, I haven't lived in the other burbs. But everywhere we lived in the city and then in Brentwood, we have always been known at least a couple musician/songwriters that were close by.

[bobtn]

We also have musical types in Hendersonville, and corp folks who work all over metro area, as well as some who work in manufacturing, office as well as some blue collar.

Other than the musical group, the same can be found all over the US. So in terms of mix, I'd say nashvols is more right, than wrong. The overall percentage in the music industry are a relatively small percentage of the population, as would be the case if you replaced music with any industry. Its what I LOVE about our metropolitan economy-its very diverse.

[nashvols]

Originally Posted by brentwoodgirl

I would disagree with that. Growing up in a wealthy Memphis suburb and attending private high school there, the parents were pretty much all standard professional types- doctors, lawyers, business leaders, etc.
You certainly have a lot of those in Brentwood, but there are also tons of people involved in the music industry. 3 families on our street are involved in the music industry, one is a performer. In my son's class at his public school, one mom is a performer, another dad is an award winning writer, etc. My kids have song writers workshops at school, and a few times parents from their classes have come to school to sing for the class. One pianist at church has recorded at Abbey Road in London twice.
So I definitely see a difference here compared to suburbs in other cities. I can only speak for Brentwood, I haven't lived in the other burbs. But everywhere we lived in the city and then in Brentwood, we have always been known at least a couple musician/songwriters that were close by.

Originally Posted by bobtn

We also have musical types in Hendersonville, and corp folks who work all over metro area, as well as some who work in manufacturing, office as well as some blue collar.

Other than the musical group, the same can be found all over the US. So in terms of mix, I'd say nashvols is more right, than wrong. The overall percentage in the music industry are a relatively small percentage of the population, as would be the case if you replaced music with any industry. Its what I LOVE about our metropolitan economy-its very diverse.

Yeah...I guess that came off like a generalization. I didn't mean it as a slight at the burbs or to say there aren't creative types to be found there. It was more along the lines of 'don't expect a bunch of your neighbors to be musicians'...you aren't going to see a huge difference between the suburbanites here and those elsewhere. They are largely the same.

Although, yes, you're still more likely to come across a musician in the suburbs here than you might in most places.

[buddyjo143]

Originally Posted by 12buttons

What made you decide on Murfreesboro? I am in Lascassas, the "country" and am finding it quite a nice change from Ct. What lifestyle changes have you encountered?

We moved here from the "country" in New Hampshire. Having all the conveniences of a city with the country so close is a nice change. People I meet here expect to have everything close by so if they have to drive a bit it is a stretch.

We picked M'boro for it's convenience to the airport since my husband travels for business. It has MTSU which provides lots of social and cultural as well as educational opportunities. Our housing dollar went far here too.

I think the southern lifestyle is very different. Very slow and laid back. People don't get too worked up over things (except the mosque). People I have met are deeply religious and wanted to invite us to their churches.

There are many different foods down here and some of the foods we were used to just aren't available here.

Those are some things I have experienced. Just differences, not better or worse at all.

I do love it here.