Considering move to Germantown Area/Memphis/ possibly Nashville (Chattanooga, Franklin: transplants, car insurance)

[GrizzFam]

Hello everyone,

I'm sure the following questions have been asked before but since some opinions may have changed since then I figured I would ask again.

Here a few facts about me and my family. We are a family of 5, currently living in Montana. My husand is a veteran and we were thinking about moving to a warmer climate.

We are looking for a small to medium sized town, around 8000 to 60000 residents, with a great safety rating as well as a great school rating. We were also hoping to be around general friendly and outgoing people where common courtesy is one of the basics.

In our research about towns in Tennessee we found several places which seemed to be great but there are so many pages and forums where it says on one page it has a great crime rate and overall great rating and then the next page is nothing but criticizing, so we were hoping for some personal experiences and opinions. The towns we have in mind so far are Germantown, Arlington, Cordavo, the suburbs of Memphis and Nashville ect. We are looking to buy a house as well.

Also we are trying to find a place where we do not have to face gang wars or gang related crimes since we are just trying to move to a safe and happy area to continue to raise our wonderful kids. Here in Montana the drugs are getting really bad.

Also, of course, this is a little girly girl question, but how are the bugs down there? Are there any dangerious species like spider problems, scorpions ect. Up here we have Hobo spiders pretty bad and the occasional grizzly or black bear which gets lost in town. I'm just trying to gather as much info as possible.

Thanks already in advance. Have a great day

[DubbleT]

Originally Posted by GrizzFam

We are looking for a small to medium sized town, around 8000 to 60000 residents, with a great safety rating as well as a great school rating....
The towns we have in mind so far are Germantown, Arlington, Cordavo, the suburbs of Memphis and Nashville ect. We are looking to buy a house as well.

Does it help if I say that the 'towns' near Memphis you mention aren't really separate from Memphis other than having borders so they have their own city gov't? In most instances you would not know you were leaving Memphis and entering another city if there weren't a sign there to tell you so. If you are looking for something that feels like a separate town, small town kind of vibe you'll need to go further out. Arlington might fit but I haven't been that way in a long while and don't know how built up that area has become.

Bugs to be wary of would be black widow, brown recluse and people say there are scorpions. Personally I've never run across scorpions, and very rarely a black widow. Brown recluse on the other hand loved my old stand alone wooden garage and any wood left piled in the yard, good idea to wear hat and gloves if you plan on handling things like that. Never actually been bit though.

[Geneyus]

Your range of 8,000 to 60,000 sounds more like Arlington, Oakland, or Lakeland to me. They are smaller towns that are growing, and they're close to Memphis for any big-city needs (medical, Grizzlies basketball, Orpheum theatre, fine dining, etc). Germantown and Collierville are excellent, but they are booming... especially Collierville. Both are right under 50,000 people, but I think Collierville is supposed to double its population in the next 20 years or so. Germantown and Collierville are my favorite cities in Shelby County regarding what you get for your taxes and safety. The parks are beautiful, the roads are nice, the neighborhoods are clean, and the politicians welcome public input. You won't have many violent crime problems in those two cities because the police departments are excellent, but of course thefts and petty crimes are everywhere. Germantown and Collierville will also be at the top of any school rankings you find.
As for bugs, mosquitoes can be a problem in the evenings during the summer months. I try to make sure there are no idle pools of water around my property for them to breed, and that seems to help. If you go to a 4th of July celebration or outdoor event, expect to bring some bug spray or you could be eaten alive. We have a few black widow and brown recluse spiders when looking through attics and under rocks outside. I've been here 30 years and have never been bitten (knock on wood), but I've found a bunch of them. I'd say the harmless wolf spider is the most common spider/bug I see around. Around Shelby County, most of the wildlife you'll see near cities are: coyotes, bobcats, skunks, armadillos, foxes, and squirrels. I've never seen a bear, but black bear live in TN. Recently, there have been rumors of a panther or something snatching dogs out of backyards with 6 ft fences.

[GrizzFam]

Thanks so so much for the feedback! I'll definitely do some more research also regarding the housing market ect.

Thanks again and have a nice evening 😊

[My_home_town]

Greetings. With a name like GrizzFam you're a natural for the Memphis Grizzlies! The basketball team would be about the only bear you'll find around these parts. Deer may be the main wild animal you'll run in to other than the occasional armadillo and perhaps a fox which somehow have made their way to these parts.

As for small towns, all mentioned are great places to live. Germantown borders the city of Memphis to the east. It's an interesting city in that they are tight on how things look and how things run. All signage is a certain way, police are every where and it's a good place. It's got less shopping areas than Collierville which is another 10 minutes or so away. Collierville which is east of Germantown has pretty much every commercial type place you'd want. Most "franchise" restaurants, groceries, athletic stores, big box hardware stores and pretty much the works are available.

Cities northeast of Memphis like Cordova are fine cities, however, they have become crowded. Germantown Pkwy is one busy over retailed road. Lots of great stuff, but traffic has become intense. Bartlett is a really nice city with parks and golf courses and shopping. It's probably under rated quite a bit, but might be a place you'd want to consider. Once you get out of the city heading east on I-40, you'll find those cities of Lakeland, Arlington, Oakland etc. There's more land to be had with your property. If that's your goal, consider those towns.

Every city has it's crime. I've lived here my entire life and so long as you know where not to go, you'll be fine. Check out the stats in any city. They all have the same thing. But also consider living in Memphis. There's plenty of fine places and then you'll be close to many great attractions and things to do, place to go and food to eat.

At the end of the day, come on down for a visit. Plan 3 days and get a lay of the land. This has been an odd winter for us. We're normally not hit with this kind of weather (snow and ice). It's cyclical, generally occurring every 4 or 5 years. So this much be the year! May would be a great time for a visit. We have the annual Memphis in May festival down by the Mighty Mississippi River. Each weekend during the month something fun is going on.

Hope you get a chance to come visit. Good luck!

[kimberlykeno]

I would NOT move to Memphis. We moved here from Chicago a year ago and I hate it. I am a nervous wreck to go places. We actually live in Collierville which is a few towns over from Memphis, but there isn't much here so if I need to go to Whole Foods, for example, I need to drive to Memphis. The crime is horrible. It's not just in a contained area...it's all over. I also just found out that 40% of Memphis drivers do not have insurance. Our insurance sky rocketed when we moved here.
I would check out Nashville. Franklin (I think that's the name of the town) is supposed to be really nice.
Good luck!

[kimberlykeno]

As a follow up to my previous email. I have found that people who have always lived here, like the area. Not to sound pompous, but they don't know any better. We have moved a lot due to my husband's job and I find the area to be awful.

[Geneyus]

Originally Posted by kimberlykeno

I would NOT move to Memphis. We moved here from Chicago a year ago and I hate it. I am a nervous wreck to go places. We actually live in Collierville which is a few towns over from Memphis, but there isn't much here so if I need to go to Whole Foods, for example, I need to drive to Memphis. The crime is horrible. It's not just in a contained area...it's all over. I also just found out that 40% of Memphis drivers do not have insurance. Our insurance sky rocketed when we moved here.
I would check out Nashville. Franklin (I think that's the name of the town) is supposed to be really nice.
Good luck!

I would agree that around 40% of drivers in Memphis don't have up-to-date car insurance cards on them. Whether they have insurance at all, I don't know. This is based on the people I have pulled over.

I don't understand driving to Memphis to buy groceries when you live in Collierville. Collierville has Kroger and Aldi's, and there is a Fresh Market in Germantown near the Collierville line. I'm sure there are other grocery stores I'm missing, but what is special about Whole Foods?

Crime is all over... as in all over the county. Yes, Memphis has the most crime, but the suburbs also have plenty of thefts from stores, vehicles, and homes. The violent crime comes with living near a large urban area with a lot of uneducated people. However, a lot of the non-violent crimes are committed by residents of the suburb where it happens... many by teens.

Originally Posted by kimberlykeno

As a follow up to my previous email. I have found that people who have always lived here, like the area. Not to sound pompous, but they don't know any better. We have moved a lot due to my husband's job and I find the area to be awful.

I've lived in Memphis my whole life, and I'm not really fond of the city. I do love Germantown and Collierville. I will probably move to another large city later on that is run better. Chattanooga sounds pretty nice.

[My_home_town]

I'm not surprised the Chicago poster hates Memphis. I didn't read where this person had been robbed or involved in a crime, so perhaps they just read a lot. As I visit Chicago often, Memphis isn't Chicago. If this poster lived in the city, then sure every corner has plenty of stores and shops. To complain about coming in to the city to go to Whole Foods is a bit much. While Collierville is a great city, it's a good 20 minutes away. What's the deal?

To the OP, don't base your decision over one negative opinion. Not all transplants hate Memphis. My wife and I have lots of friends who moved here and love it. Take all you read and then come experience it for yourself.

[Watshisname]

FWIW, there is a Whole Foods under construction in Germantown (as well as a Sprouts), and while not Collierville, is closer than East Memphis.