good towns for retirement living (Knoxville, Murfreesboro: condo, house, theater)

[theoldnorthstate]

Hi

I will be up in the Murfreesboro area this weekend and thought I would drive through some towns in Middle Tennessee to see if any caught my fancy for full retirement.

I am a single retired lady, went to college at MTSU years ago, and always liked middle tennessee. I am ready to downsize to a low maintenance home and looking for a good place to settle in.

I am very familiar with TN but anticipate that it has changed in the 40 years I have been gone.

If anyone has heard of nice towns from the perspective of a retiree, I would appreciate hearing from you. In the meantime I will continue to search the forum for retirement advice.

thanks

[septimus]

Franklin has a lot of retirees. Most seem to move here for quality of life and close to grandkids.

[N.Cal]

What is your budget?

[KendraC]

I guess it depends on what you really want. Franklin is a great place to retire where you can enjoy the convenience of everything you need nearby. Whereas Murfreesboro has grown just as much as Franklin, both have alot of congestion probably more so for the Boro.

If you want to be in a smaller town, then Spring Hill might be the place although the need for extra roads to control the traffic has been a huge issue for the last 10 years. If you want seclusion, for some reason I am drawn to Bell Buckle and it's charm. It's very small but not to far from everything you need in Murfreesboro...it will take just a little longer to get there.

Your definition of retirement may be different from others so what exactly are you looking forward to in your life?

[JMT]

The state has established a system where communities can be "certified" as retirement-friendly.

Our Communities | Retire Tennessee

Then there's the American Association of Retirement Communities which also "certifies" communities as being retirement-friendly.

When those two lists are cross-referenced, the Middle Tennessee communities that appear in both lists are:
Columbia
Cookeville
Winchester

[theoldnorthstate]

Thanks all. My budget would be 150-250K$ for a downsized low maintenance home. Condo and town house ok. Wary of SFR unless it is easy to take care of. I am downsizing so I don't want to creep up into something more than I need. Less is more for me nowadays.

I am 66 yrs old, full retiree, do not work but like to stay busy and do things. I am physically able and am outside most of the day. But with time I guess that will change to less active. My days of climbing trees are over. Would like clubs and activities where I could join interest groups. It would be nice to make friends that last the duration. I do not play golf or tennis and do not want to be on a course. My dog is a large Weimaraner and I must consider a suitable environment for him.

I would like convenience and medical. I use the VA hospital here in FL but can go pure civilian if that is better. I currently take classes at the local college and would like to do the same elsewhere. But that is mostly to keep me busy and my mind active, not to achieve anything academic. I like to travel.

Thanks for the info, I will research them more. The congestion and traffic flow will be something I check this weekend.

My daughter just married a Pittsburgh PA fellow and will be staying there. My son is finishing Pharmacy school in Knoxville and it is unknown where they will end up, must follow the job but things may work out they can stay. I like Farragut where they live now but get respiratory problems when I stay too long in the Tennessee Valley. I would like to be 2-3 hours away from one or the other but need to consider to find a place that suits me.

Thanks again, hope this info helps. Judy

[N.Cal]

but get respiratory problems when I stay too long in the Tennessee Valley

Then you will likely have worse problems in Middle TN.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by N.Cal

Then you will likely have worse problems in Middle TN.

Not necessarily. Knoxville is ranked as having worse allergies than Nashville. Nashville's allergy score is about the same as Pittsburgh. Of the nation's 100 largest metro areas, Knoxville is ranked 10th, Nashville 27th for allergies.

http://www.aafa.org/media/Fall-Aller...t-Dec-2016.pdf

[JMT]

Originally Posted by theoldnorthstate

Thanks all. My budget would be 150-250K$ for a downsized low maintenance home. Condo and town house ok. Wary of SFR unless it is easy to take care of. I am downsizing so I don't want to creep up into something more than I need. Less is more for me nowadays.

I am 66 yrs old, full retiree, do not work but like to stay busy and do things. I am physically able and am outside most of the day. But with time I guess that will change to less active. My days of climbing trees are over. Would like clubs and activities where I could join interest groups. It would be nice to make friends that last the duration. I do not play golf or tennis and do not want to be on a course. My dog is a large Weimaraner and I must consider a suitable environment for him.

I would like convenience and medical. I use the VA hospital here in FL but can go pure civilian if that is better. I currently take classes at the local college and would like to do the same elsewhere. But that is mostly to keep me busy and my mind active, not to achieve anything academic. I like to travel.

Thanks for the info, I will research them more. The congestion and traffic flow will be something I check this weekend.

My daughter just married a Pittsburgh PA fellow and will be staying there. My son is finishing Pharmacy school in Knoxville and it is unknown where they will end up, must follow the job but things may work out they can stay. I like Farragut where they live now but get respiratory problems when I stay too long in the Tennessee Valley. I would like to be 2-3 hours away from one or the other but need to consider to find a place that suits me.

Thanks again, hope this info helps. Judy

I'm going to suggest you look into Cookeville. Lots of retirees move to Cookeville for the same things you're looking for: low cost of living, good medical care (Cookeville has a VA clinic in addition to an excellent community hospital), very little traffic, a university for classes, concerts, lecture series, galleries, theater, etc., beautiful countryside with waterfalls, lakes, several state parks, and many clubs and interest groups for retirees.

[theoldnorthstate]

Thank you all. I will try to visit as many as I can this weekend