Looking to possibly relocate (Memphis, Knoxville: for sale, 2014, rent)

[nikki295248]

Hi! My name is Nikki. I am a 27 year old married mother of 3 children ages 11, 8, and 5. I currently live in a small town in southeast Michigan. My husband and I are considering relocating to Tennessee. Things are just too rough up here and we're just barely hanging on. I do have a few friends in Tennessee and have visited Gatlinburg and the whole family loved it. It is a beautiful state. I'm not really sure where to even begin on my search on where to go so thought I'd ask here. I am looking for somewhere that is great to raise a family, not too big but not too small, affordable, has job opportunities, great school system, low crime rate, and prefer northern Tennessee but that's not a must at this point. My husband is a construction worker and mainly does roofing so not sure if there's any opportunities for him down there. Any little advice or info would be greatly appreciated!

[DubbleT]

Hello fellow Michigander, sorry you have to leave southeast MI, I grew up there and it has some beautiful areas.

First if you need jobs you'll probably need to be near one of our larger cities, each of which conveniently has it's own subforum here.

Second we don't make much distinction between north TN and south TN as it's roughly just 2 hours between borders. More important is the distinction between west, middle and east TN.
Generally speaking west TN is cheaper, hotter, more of a gently rolling terrain. Biggest cities are Memphis and Jackson
Middle TN is maybe a wee bit cooler and more hilly, especially as you get to the Cumberland Plateau . Nashville is something of a 'trendy' city so the area is becoming more expensive. Cookeville is a popular option and probably worth taking a hard look at.
East TN is the mountain area and more or less divided between Knoxville, which has the Flagship University of TN and sits in a valley near the Smokies,
Chattanooga which is between the plateau and the mountains, convenient to Atlanta and somewhat known for it's internet service
and the tri-cities area which is in the foothills of the mountains and consists of three small cities spaced closely together.

Your wants list is pretty generic, maybe do a little more research, dig around more on the subforums and come come back with more specific questions, and more detailed info. What do YOU consider not too big or too small, 5K, 50K, 500K? What does affordable mean to you, rent for $500, $900, or buy on a budget of $100K, $300K, etc. etc.

[akwurts]

I'd say Clarksville, TN if you prefer northern tn. The schools are wonderful, I grew up there and went to public schools. The city is definitely growing, but its not big. Its next to an army town (Fort Campbell KY) and they are always building houses so there are probably plenty of opportunities for your husband to work. Its affordable, you can find a house in the low $100ks for sale and they're pretty spread out. Plenty of things to do in Clarksville also!