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No place is perfect, but the major FL metros (aside from Miami) would work much better for me than my current location in Kingsport or Nashville. I'd like to go to Knoxville or Chattanooga, but jobs remain a problem in these smaller metros, much more of a problem than in the larger FL metros. Everywhere but Miami in FL is likely to be cheaper than Nashville. Small towns in Tennessee have significant economic problems that while not significant to a retiree, are problematic to working age people. Many of the complaints about Florida - low wages, poor worker rights, etc., can also be said about TN.
This is so true--nowhere is perfect. Nowhere--ultimately, you have to compromise on a few things, almost anywhere you live. For me, I'm a native Tennessean myself, (and moved back recently too) and I've considered Florida. I love the warmth (even the super humid warmth) and the beaches are beautiful. BUT, all in all, for me, it's just too flat, too swamp like, too many snakes and insects, and a lot more development and transient type population, it seems.
California is a 2nd option for me, but it suffers from a lot of what I mentioned, depending on where you go--but has mountains, desert, and ocean--all huge pluses. I personally like the area I"m in now, because I"m so close to family and old friends....
But I totally get what you are saying about dating--the dating scene in the tri-cities leaves much to be desired, but that is pretty standard in any metro region this size in middle America.
I'm noticing a lot of florida tags today. They are fleeing the hurricane and the news says they are filling motels. I bet we get a lot more Florida transplants in coming months. Florida must be a not so great place to live if you believe the stories of recent transplants.
I've seen people make this move and ultimately I want to go the other way.
First, there is nothing comparable to Naples, a largely retiree, super affluent community, in the entire state of Tennessee. We have affluent areas in and around Nashville - Belle Meade and Brentwood come to mind, but they are totally different areas than Naples. Comparing Naples to some retirement area in TN is nowhere near an apples to apples comparison - Naples is far more affluent, and that drives up the cost of living.
I'm 31 and single, and have lived in larger metros since 2012 before coming back to Tennessee last year. I live in Kingsport, on the far northeast portion of the state. I just got back from a vacation in the Tampa area today, and have taken four other trips there since 2015. I love it there, and while I recognize no place is perfect - for me, it is much better than the Kingsport area.
I am in a white collar profession. There's virtually no demand for what I do in the local area. While I have a good job now, there are some storm clouds on the horizon in the form of a possible merger. If I were to lose my job in this merger, it is likely my pay would be cut by a third, possibly half, to simply stay in the area, and dozens of similarly qualified professionals would be dumped into the local market. There are not enough openings to absorb us.
Given that my career was pretty much stalled until I was 28 (and ultimately had to move away from TN to get any momentum at all), staying here and taking a significant pay cut is not an option. There are virtually no options for me locally if something happens to my current employment - in metro Tampa, I could probably find something decent without having to leave town. That's a huge benefit, especially for families with kids that do not need that kind of life upheaval should something adverse happen.
I've heard cost of living complaints. I took tons of pictures of various groceries in St. Petersburg this weekend at Publix. While I haven't been back to my comparable local grocer (Food City) yet, a few highlight items I buy regularly were cheaper at Publix than Food City. I will compare the Tampa prices to my local prices this week - in short, I expect Tampa's grocery prices (which Florida is known to be a high cost area for groceries) to be no more expensive to slightly cheaper than the local groceries. Food prices in this part of TN are extremely expensive. I took my list to Nashville a few months ago, and the Nashville Kroger was routinely cheaper on staples than up here in rural northeast TN.
I've heard car insurance cost complaints in Florida. I left TN when I was 27. My six month payment with State Farm for full coverage on a 2013 Hyundai Elantra with only one small claim for about $1,000 for a bumper repair, no tickets/DUIs, was $900/six months. When I moved to Indiana, my insurance dropped to about $300/six months, with the same carrier and the very same coverage. At 31, with no claims or tickets since I've left, driving a 2006 Escape, my insurance is still $600/six months. It is completely outrageous.
A modern 1BR in the few nice apartment complexes around here will run you roughly $700. A 2BR is between $800-$900. While cheaper than Tampa, it isn't much so, and Kingsport-Bristol is the lowest wage metro in the entire state, which is a low wage state in and of itself. Jacksonville is probably as cheap as here, with significantly better job prospects, better amenities, etc. With the exception of the last few years, the rental stock here is old, dated, and expensive for what you get. New construction is practically stalled. That doesn't happen in significant Florida metros.
I'm a lifelong native, and there is no dating scene in this part of the state for me. I need a larger area. This is more of a metro size/lack of professional women problem than something specific to Tennessee, but it's a problem for me nonetheless. I went on a date in St. Petersburg Saturday night over Tinder - I can't remember the last time I matched via Tinder in the Tri-Cities. With that said, given how few women in this area are doing reasonably well, and that those who are doing decently are almost certain to be married off, it is unlikely I'll find a good relationship in my current area. In a more cosmopolitan area with more people, a better jobs base, etc., I'm more likely to find someone.
The airport is another sore point. Aside from a few flights to specific destinations in Florida, going anywhere requires a connection in Charlotte or Atlanta, and those are the only places this airport flies to. Review the TRI schedules for confirmation. The small airport is convenient and fine for what it is, but flying out of here is expensive. Many common destinations can easily be $500+, even planning months ahead of time. The closest truly major airport is Charlotte - roughly 3.5 hours away. Aside from a handful of places in the western panhandle, which is lightly populated, you're unlikely to find anywhere in FL so isolated from a major airport as where I am in Kingsport.
I don't like winter at all. While our winters here are usually pretty mild, November-March are still dead, brown, and full of grey skies. I'd take a Tampa winter anytime over what we have. While summers in FL are hotter than here, I was outside for at least four hours per day each full day I was there, and I wasn't really bothered by it. I sweated a bit, but had water with me and didn't notice it.
Aside from a city park on a mountain and a local state park, I am no closer to great outdoor recreation than Tampa proper is to the gulf beaches. If I lived in Johnson City, that would be a slightly different equation.
No place is perfect, but the major FL metros (aside from Miami) would work much better for me than my current location in Kingsport or Nashville. I'd like to go to Knoxville or Chattanooga, but jobs remain a problem in these smaller metros, much more of a problem than in the larger FL metros. Everywhere but Miami in FL is likely to be cheaper than Nashville. Small towns in Tennessee have significant economic problems that while not significant to a retiree, are problematic to working age people. Many of the complaints about Florida - low wages, poor worker rights, etc., can also be said about TN.
I really wish that you would get your facts straight before you throw things out there that aren't true. First of all, you bring up Naples. Did you know that my daughter was born there? I lived in the area for almost 10 years. Good luck getting a job in your profession in that area. It's a service area, heavy snowbird/tourist. There is no industry.
Like old people? Well, you better if you want to live there. I left when I was in my 40s and I was considered a kid compared to the local populace.
Car insurance? When I moved from Florida to Knoxville, my car insurance was cut in HALF. Truly. Further, I was a corporate insurance agent for a few years and I know that insurance costs are STILL more expensive in Florida. Don't even think about condo or homeowners insurance. You can't even get a decent renters insurance policy from a reputable company down there. All the decent companies won't touch the place.
You are being disingenuous by comparing your costs with Indiana and then making the leap that the same prices will occur in Florida. They won't.
I could go on and on, but I don't have the time. Move to Florida if you must. Definitely stick around places like Tampa where there are going to be more "real" jobs, as opposed to Naples. Pay the car insurance and the grocery bills. Pay that outrageous electric bill. Deal with the traffic and the crime. Oh, and those friendly people. ((sarcasm))
Oh, I have to add something.
You talked about the affluence of the people in Naples and that is what caught my eye.
My brother-in-law installed A/C systems in that area for about 25 years. He moved up here in Knoxville this February and got a job with a moving company. He said to me that he thought people were really rich in Naples until he saw the wealth where I live. "My God," he said. "These people are FILTHY rich!"
I'm noticing a lot of florida tags today. They are fleeing the hurricane and the news says they are filling motels. I bet we get a lot more Florida transplants in coming months. Florida must be a not so great place to live if you believe the stories of recent transplants.
Would not surprise me at all. Hurricanes were one of the many reasons that we moved to Tennessee. Got tired of watching spaghetti plots on a computer half the summer not to mention the homeowners and flood insurance.
I really wish that you would get your facts straight before you throw things out there that aren't true. First of all, you bring up Naples. Did you know that my daughter was born there? I lived in the area for almost 10 years. Good luck getting a job in your profession in that area. It's a service area, heavy snowbird/tourist. There is no industry.
Like old people? Well, you better if you want to live there. I left when I was in my 40s and I was considered a kid compared to the local populace.
Car insurance? When I moved from Florida to Knoxville, my car insurance was cut in HALF. Truly. Further, I was a corporate insurance agent for a few years and I know that insurance costs are STILL more expensive in Florida. Don't even think about condo or homeowners insurance. You can't even get a decent renters insurance policy from a reputable company down there. All the decent companies won't touch the place.
You are being disingenuous by comparing your costs with Indiana and then making the leap that the same prices will occur in Florida. They won't.
I could go on and on, but I don't have the time. Move to Florida if you must. Definitely stick around places like Tampa where there are going to be more "real" jobs, as opposed to Naples. Pay the car insurance and the grocery bills. Pay that outrageous electric bill. Deal with the traffic and the crime. Oh, and those friendly people. ((sarcasm))
Oh, I have to add something.
You talked about the affluence of the people in Naples and that is what caught my eye.
My brother-in-law installed A/C systems in that area for about 25 years. He moved up here in Knoxville this February and got a job with a moving company. He said to me that he thought people were really rich in Naples until he saw the wealth where I live. "My God," he said. "These people are FILTHY rich!"
Well said. As a former long time resident of Naples and SWFL I fully concur everything you said here. We had some or very similar results moving here. Taxes are about a third what they were in Florida, home owners insurance is a fraction of what we paid down there and no flood insurance required. Our auto insurance is less that half what it was down there. Our home here cost us a third of what we sold our home in Florida for. No place is perfect but I am very happy with the results of our move.
Well, I can say that from living here in Jacksonville for the past three years, Florida living is a mixed bag.
We're semi-retired, but active. There are jobs aplenty here in Jax: the harbor, construction and related trades, airport, tourism, banking, etc.etc.
Culture: Museums, galleries, live theatre, symphony, music of every variety and venue. And, compared to our former home in the CT/NYC Metro area, incredibly affordable.
Housing: rentals are a bit high in the beach.intracoastal areas (1,000-1300 for a 2 b/r). But, to purchase a home in these areas is anywhere from mid-200"s to over $1,000,000. It all depends on where and what you are looking for.
For the most part Jax is safe. There are some "no go" areas like any large city. The people are friendly and come from all over with a large percent of transplants from the mid-west and upper central areas.
But, for some, like my wife and I, there are some downsides. Endless summer, except November thru March. For some folks that's a positive. For us, we miss the seasons. And, the cold temperatures of more temperate climates can help keep allergies at a minimum. Hurricanes can play a part for some folks feeling uneasy, especially if you're not used to them. Ditto, I suppose, with tornadoes and earthquakes - some people take them with a grain of salt and just adjust.
We're considering relocating to the Knoxville area. We just came back from exploring NC - Winston/Salem, High Point, Clemmons, and Mt Airy areas. Each had pluses, but not enough for us to move. We stayed in Maryville, TN overnight. Beautiful. And, we think worth another look. We'll be going to the Danville area with friends in January and will check out Seymour, Sevierville, Knoxville areas. Some of our priorities are: affordability (under 250,000, 3 br's, 2 bths), safety, access to some culture and amenities, friendly neighborhood and...within 1 hour of an airport with flights to DC and NYC.
My husband and I are moving our family to TN next year, and for us Florida is simply awful. We were both born and raised in South Florida. The people are simply awful, so terribly rude. We refuse to put our kids into the public schools here. The population density is disgusting. There's simply nothing for us here, this is not where we want to raise our family.
We want space, we want friendly neighbors and co-workers. We want our kids to be safe - I know that's not completely within my control but we stand a better chance someplace with a lower crime rate.
We can probably find these things somewhere in other parts Florida but we're simply fed up.
My husband and I are moving our family to TN next year, and for us Florida is simply awful. We were both born and raised in South Florida. The people are simply awful, so terribly rude. We refuse to put our kids into the public schools here. The population density is disgusting. There's simply nothing for us here, this is not where we want to raise our family.
We want space, we want friendly neighbors and co-workers. We want our kids to be safe - I know that's not completely within my control but we stand a better chance someplace with a lower crime rate.
We can probably find these things somewhere in other parts Florida but we're simply fed up.
You will absolutely love it here in Tennessee. This is a fantastic place to raise your kids. Good luck !
Hi I know this like 3 years later, but I am considering Chattanooga in the future (years from now) to buy a house as single guy (currently 26). Why say Knoxville is more attractive? Lots of things I read about Chatt are pretty positive. I'd be coming from NYC (staten island) so everything should probably be cheaper (taxes, housing, etc). From what I gather a nice home in Chatt for say $250K would fetch $600K on Staten Island with no land to go with it.
Hi I know this like 3 years later, but I am considering Chattanooga in the future (years from now) to buy a house as single guy (currently 26). Why say Knoxville is more attractive? Lots of things I read about Chatt are pretty positive. I'd be coming from NYC (staten island) so everything should probably be cheaper (taxes, housing, etc). From what I gather a nice home in Chatt for say $250K would fetch $600K on Staten Island with no land to go with it.
Either are good options. They are different, though. You should visit to see what would suit you. Both bring good value for the dollar.
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