anyone from sacramento move to tennessee? (Knoxville, Chattanooga: insurance, crime, house)

[emz916]

anyone from Sacramento, Cali move to Tennessee?
if so is it really cheaper?
jobs better?
how are you liking it?
which city and why?

[N.Cal]

Originally Posted by emz916

anyone from Sacramento, Cali move to Tennessee?
if so is it really cheaper?
jobs better?
how are you liking it?
which city and why?

SF to Nashville
Overall, it's not cheaper for me. The cost of the house is less.
I have the same job that I had in San Francisco (so kept my SF salary). The pay here is much much less for comparable jobs.
I would prefer to be back in California.

[My_home_town]

From what I hear, the cost of living is much less here in Tennessee. Just housing alone is probably half. For instance, you can get a standard 3 bedroom 2 bath home in a reasonable neighborhood for $100,000 or even less. There is no state income tax.

Depending on your job, the salary could vary. But it really depends on your skill set, who you work for, and for what position you are applying.

The biggest difference would be the landscape and probably weather.

[TheShadow]

My DH and I lived most of our lives in Sacramento and are now retired outside of Knoxville. Yes, it is cheaper here, a lot cheaper for us. It can depend a lot on which city or county in TN in which you live, just like California. Bay Area is much more expensive than Rio Linda right?? Well it is similar here, except that there are some big exceptions, no state income tax, lower property taxes (depends on city/county again), lower vehicle fees, lower utility rates (similar to SMUD, much lower than P&E), lower water/sewer/garbage rates, lower home prices in MOST areas (not Nashville), cheaper gas. A few things are higher here (besides the humidity LOL) such as groceries, liquor/beer/wine. WAGES here are lower, so if you are still working that should be something you investigate. Also the job market/economy vary widely depending on where in the state you go. In the Knoxville/Oak Ridge area the economy is growing and there are lots of jobs being created in technical and manufacturing areas, as well as service industries. In other areas, especially the small rural communities, quality jobs are much harder to find, and poverty is evident. I do not recommend moving anywhere without a job in place unless you have 6 months of living expenses saved up.

We live in an area SW of Knoxville because we like the lifestyle here, the weather, the mountains and the lakes. If I had to chose another city, it would probably be Chattanooga. It has a younger more progressive vibe, although downtown Knoxville is like that too. I like Nashville to visit, lots of fun, but home prices and taxes are higher there...similar to Sacto.

[lae60]

I will be moving to TN when I retire in 2 years, but for now bought a home and visit as a vacation. I do not live in Sac, but a small rural mountain community in southern CA. In TN my home is a small community between Knoxville and Nashville, lots of transplanted retirees in that area.

Housing cost to purchase a home is similar to where I currently live. But the property taxes are significantly lower in TN and so is the property insurance. ( In Ca I am in a wildfire risk area, so property insurance is way high, if one can even get it outside of the state exchange.)

Electricity is lots lower in TN. At my house in CA we have the tiered rate and in TN the rate is always the same, and lower than CA house's lowest tier. Gas is also lower in TN, both for the house and car. Water is very much the same, but in CA mine is rationed and has penalties if I go over the ration. No ration in TN

Groceries are much higher in TN, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, and they are not nearly as fresh in TN. I have not gone to the Farmer's markets in TN, so that may lower the cost. Restaurants, non-major chain, are much lower priced in TN.

[lae60]

Oh, forgot the jobs part, they are very hard to find, and salary is much lower...and they will hire the friends and family before a new comer.

Oh and my kids and I love it in TN, right on a lake for swimming and playing, lots of self directed activities for the kids right at the backyard, friendly neighbors, very affordable...but we are from a rural slower paced area of CA, everyone knows their neighbors and the neighbor's pets too. It could be a social shock to move to a small town where entertainment is more up to you, not a lot of 'hot spots' like where I am moving to in TN, just a lake to kayak or boat or swim, playground, pools, etc. if you are used to a fast paced, externally stimulated environment. Its not a place for those wanting a night life. Maybe the main towns, but not the smaller communities.

[TheShadow]

The job market in TN is highly dependent upon WHERE in TN you move to. Small towns and rural areas, jobs will be much harder to find. In the cities, it is like anywhere else, dependent upon marketable skills. Pay can be somewhat lower, but so is cost of living.

[2Koalas]

We currently live in Sacramento and have been searching for jobs in Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho. Very recently my fiancé was offered a good job in Tennessee and it has thrown us into looking into moving there. Everything looks good on paper, but I am curious about the crime activity and the weather. I know summers are humid, but what is the rest of the year like? What about tornados, are they frequent or very rare.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by 2Koalas

We currently live in Sacramento and have been searching for jobs in Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho. Very recently my fiancé was offered a good job in Tennessee and it has thrown us into looking into moving there. Everything looks good on paper, but I am curious about the crime activity and the weather. I know summers are humid, but what is the rest of the year like? What about tornados, are they frequent or very rare.

You'll have to be more specific. Where in Tennessee is the job?

Generally speaking, the weather is more hot and humid in the west and less hot and humid in the east. There are generally more tornadoes in the west and fewer in the east.

[2Koalas]

The job is in Dyersburg. We are looking at surrounding areas. We would like a house with some property in a smaller town.