Best area/place to move to in TN (Memphis, Knoxville: foreclosure, condos)

[rusty222]

Being from CT We would like to move to TN. What area has the best hospitals? We are both retired and would like to find a condo to buy. We can spend $50,000-$60.000. We like a mid size town. What area would be best to move to? I don't want to move to Memphis (no offense) I hear the crime rate is outrageous there. We like to eat out. We dont want to live in a rural country town. We need to be by civilization, with things to do. Are there any towns that meet my criteria? We have never been to TN. We were looking at Nashville/Mufreesboro/tri city area? Any help is appreciated.

[Lizpricepiskin]

Nashville is the best!

[hiknapster]

Being from CT, I now live in Knoxville. Some of the cities here are very small and will seem more like large towns. I'd check out Chattanooga and Knoxville. Nashville and Knoxville have excellent hospitals. Chattanooga may have great hospitals, too, but I just don't know anything about their healthcare. I'm not a fan of the Tri-Cities or Murfreesboro. Nashville might be too far from friends and family and their weather might be a bit more than you are used to.

[danielj72]

I think a trip here is in order first before you seriously consider the move. Im not sure what you consider a medium sized town, but Im going to guess you mean places like Knoxville and Chattanooga. Those two would be on the top of my list. Nashville is a bigger city, has more amenities but its further from the outdoorsy kind of stuff that you may like (east TN mountains). Retired people seem to like the areas around Crossville and Cookeville as well, but those towns are smaller. I would not call them rural however. Good luck.

[creeksitter]

You say you are looking for a 50 - 60K condo? Not going to happen in Nashville or Chattanooga. Maybe you'd find a foreclosure in Knoxville - are you handy? How is the condo market in smaller towns, anyone??

[hiknapster]

Oh wow, I hadn't noticed that. I found one very small and plain condo in Crossville for $60,000. By the way, I consider Crossville to be a small, rural town. It only has about 10,000 people and not a heck of a lot going on.

There are a few decent condos for that money in West Knoxville are other areas. They are small as well, though. Not much of a selection of condos in most small towns or rural areas.

[Serious Conversation]

Your budget is really too small to work with for something that doesn't need a lot of work or in a bad area, even for the Tri-Cities, which is probably the cheapest of your options. As I said in another post on this forum from someone who was from the northeast and looking to relocate, why are you not able to afford a more market rate property, especially coming from CT?

Knoxville and maybe Chattanooga (and the surrounding towns) are your only potential options for having both things to do and staying within your budget limits. Truth be told, you need a higher housing budget before relocating.

[EVAunit1981]

You can get a decent house for 50-60K in TN but it'll be in a rural area or small town.

Have you looked around Jackson or Columbia TN?

[Holly1989]

Finding a condo at that price range in any decent area around Nashville is going to be difficult, unless you want to do a lot of renovation on a somewhat cruddy property.

You also need to understand that, in those areas of Nashville where you could afford a condo, the crime rate is going to be fairly high. Certainly not to the extent of Memphis's crime problem, but substantial enough to likely make you uncomfortable. There are the rural areas to the north and west of Nashville, but you've ruled those out due to wanting to be close to amenities. Nashville's big suburbs, like Franklin and Hendersonville, are going to be way out of your price range. Murfreesboro has many of the same problems, and I think that the Tri-Cities might be a bit too remote for your tastes, despite the higher population compared to the surrounding areas.

Going to agree with most in this thread and suggest Knoxville. Cheaper housing market, decent hospitals, reasonable crime rate in most areas. I think you'll be pleased by what you find there.