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Northeast Ohioan here. I'm 21 and I want to get a jump-start on my dream life. I don't belong in Northeast Ohio due to the weather, fast-pace work environment, and people. Ohio also continues to go more and more blue politically (I'm sorry, America; my vote is red, but I'm only 1 vote because I follow the laws).
My dream region is the South, and I love everything I hear about Tennessee. I have yet to visit, but I have a cousin who is currently attending Belmont and has confirmed all of the positive rumors (southern hospitality is real, the weather is great, and everything is great haha).
Here is what I am looking for...
1A) Small town. I live near Akron, OH, and not terribly far from Cleveland, OH, yet I'm from a smaller town. I like the vibe, and my dream is to own land which can't be found in a big city.
1B) Small town lifestyle. Low and slow, where I can enjoy life.
4) Warm weather. And yes, that includes as warm a winter as I can get.
5) East Tennessee over West Tennessee? East Tennessee seems to fit the bill for me more when it comes to environment, but would West Tennessee provide better opportunities?
Here are my dilemmas...
1) Despite attending college for almost a year, I don't have a degree (who knew it took around 4 years to get a degree...), which in today's world makes very unattractive when it comes to employment. My resume is filled with retail/customer service positions, and volunteer work. Which cities/towns are better for finding employment? I'll pretty much do anything, especially to get down to Tennessee. My goal in life is to work for the Wounded Warrior Project, or a group like it that benefits our military/veterans. I'm about as Patriotic as they come, and tried to go military after leaving college, but was denied due to food allergies. I know the WWP has an office in Nashville, but are there any organizations like it around the state?
2) Being 21, while working retail and having a little bit of college debt, doesn't necessarily equal a house or apartment in Beverley Hills. Affordable living is key, and the statistics I've read would suggest Tennessee is a good place to look, but is someone like me necessarily the best fit at this stage to move to Tennessee?
I'm not looking for life counseling or anything of the sort. I'm just looking for every tip and trick out there that will help me either move more immediately, or get a better gameplan for the future when the time is more right.
Thank y'all in advance! God Bless you, yours, and America!
Last edited by KMayUSA6060; 05-29-2016 at 11:41 PM..
Northeast Ohioan here. I'm 21 and I want to get a jump-start on my dream life. I don't belong in Northeast Ohio due to the weather, fast-pace work environment, and people. Ohio also continues to go more and more blue politically (I'm sorry, America; my vote is red, but I'm only 1 vote because I follow the laws).
My dream region is the South, and I love everything I hear about Tennessee. I have yet to visit, but I have a cousin who is currently attending Belmont and has confirmed all of the positive rumors (southern hospitality is real, the weather is great, and everything is great haha).
Here is what I am looking for...
1A) Small town. I live near Akron, OH, and not terribly far from Cleveland, OH, yet I'm from a smaller town. I like the vibe, and my dream is to own land which can't be found in a big city.
1B) Small town lifestyle. Low and slow, where I can enjoy life.
4) Warm weather. And yes, that includes as warm a winter as I can get.
The good news is there are a lot of towns in Tennessee that offer what you just described. You could pretty much throw a dart at a map of Tennessee, and wherever it hits would meet your criteria.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMayUSA6060
5) East Tennessee over West Tennessee? East Tennessee seems to fit the bill for me more when it comes to environment, but would West Tennessee provide better opportunities?
There's also Middle Tennessee which is essentially the Nashville metropolitan area and areas immediately surrounding it. Clarksville and Cookeville are towns that aren't part of the Nashville metro area but are in Middle Tennessee. Cookeville is surrounded by lakes, waterfalls, hills and hollers. It's not as mountainous as East Tennessee but it's not as flat as West Tennessee.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMayUSA6060
Here are my dilemmas...
1) Despite attending college for almost a year, I don't have a degree (who knew it took around 4 years to get a degree...), which in today's world makes very unattractive when it comes to employment. My resume is filled with retail/customer service positions, and volunteer work. Which cities/towns are better for finding employment? I'll pretty much do anything, especially to get down to Tennessee. My goal in life is to work for the Wounded Warrior Project, or a group like it that benefits our military/veterans. I'm about as Patriotic as they come, and tried to go military after leaving college, but was denied due to food allergies. I know the WWP has an office in Nashville, but are there any organizations like it around the state?
You'll find organizations such as that in every corner of Tennessee. Tennessee is a popular retirement area. You'll find retired veterans everywhere, but especially in places with a large military presence (Clarksville, Millington, Tullahoma), VA hospitals (Johnson City, Memphis, Nashville, Murfreesboro), and VA clinics (Athens, Chattanooga, Cookeville, Jackson, Knoxville, Sevierville, and more). Towns with a lot of retired veterans will likely have more organizations that are actively involved with the types of volunteer work you're looking for.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMayUSA6060
2) Being 21, while working retail and having a little bit of college debt, doesn't necessarily equal a house or apartment in Beverley Hills. Affordable living is key, and the statistics I've read would suggest Tennessee is a good place to look, but is someone like me necessarily the best fit at this stage to move to Tennessee?
If you're looking for small towns with low cost and job opportunities, I'd stick to the college towns of Cookeville and Johnson City. Cookeville, in particular, is experiencing quite a bit of job growth right now with a couple thousand new manufacturing jobs and hundreds of new retail/restaurant jobs in the pipeline. There are help wanted signs just about everywhere you look, and the cost of living is cheap. Even though Cookeville is a college town (just over 12,000 students) it is not a party town in the slightest, but you're only an hour'ish from Nashville for those times when you just have to let your hair down.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMayUSA6060
I'm not looking for life counseling or anything of the sort. I'm just looking for every tip and trick out there that will help me either move more immediately, or get a better gameplan for the future when the time is more right.
Thank y'all in advance! God Bless you, yours, and America!
You would be wise to have quite a bit of money saved up before moving. Moving always costs more than people think, so however much money you think you'll need, double it. You would also be wise to get a job where you are with a company that would let you transfer to Tennessee.
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its - possession
it's - contraction of it is
your - possession
you're - contraction of you are
their - possession
they're - contraction of they are
there - referring to a place
loose - opposite of tight
lose - opposite of win
who's - contraction of who is
whose - possession
alot - NOT A WORD
The good news is there are a lot of towns in Tennessee that offer what you just described. You could pretty much throw a dart at a map of Tennessee, and wherever it hits would meet your criteria.
There's also Middle Tennessee which is essentially the Nashville metropolitan area and areas immediately surrounding it. Clarksville and Cookeville are towns that aren't part of the Nashville metro area but are in Middle Tennessee. Cookeville is surrounded by lakes, waterfalls, hills and hollers. It's not as mountainous as East Tennessee but it's not as flat as West Tennessee.
You'll find organizations such as that in every corner of Tennessee. Tennessee is a popular retirement area. You'll find retired veterans everywhere, but especially in places with a large military presence (Clarksville, Millington, Tullahoma), VA hospitals (Johnson City, Memphis, Nashville, Murfreesboro), and VA clinics (Athens, Chattanooga, Cookeville, Jackson, Knoxville, Sevierville, and more). Towns with a lot of retired veterans will likely have more organizations that are actively involved with the types of volunteer work you're looking for.
If you're looking for small towns with low cost and job opportunities, I'd stick to the college towns of Cookeville and Johnson City. Cookeville, in particular, is experiencing quite a bit of job growth right now with a couple thousand new manufacturing jobs and hundreds of new retail/restaurant jobs in the pipeline. There are help wanted signs just about everywhere you look, and the cost of living is cheap. Even though Cookeville is a college town (just over 12,000 students) it is not a party town in the slightest, but you're only an hour'ish from Nashville for those times when you just have to let your hair down.
You would be wise to have quite a bit of money saved up before moving. Moving always costs more than people think, so however much money you think you'll need, double it. You would also be wise to get a job where you are with a company that would let you transfer to Tennessee.
Good luck!
Thank you very much for the in-depth, detailed response. I really like Johnson City, Cookeville, Tullahoma, Sevierville, and Athens, of the names you mentioned.
Not to be an annoyance, but how much money do you think I would need to save?
Yuck on the VA. Not that I wouldn't work for them if it meant a job helping veterans, just hate the corruptness involved. But I'm glad to hear there are plenty of organizations around the state to help our military/veterans.
Anything else I should know about Tennessee or moving?
Thank you very much for the in-depth, detailed response. I really like Johnson City, Cookeville, Tullahoma, Sevierville, and Athens, of the names you mentioned.
Not to be an annoyance, but how much money do you think I would need to save?
Yuck on the VA. Not that I wouldn't work for them if it meant a job helping veterans, just hate the corruptness involved. But I'm glad to hear there are plenty of organizations around the state to help our military/veterans.
Anything else I should know about Tennessee or moving?
I'm not suggesting that you work for the VA. I'm just saying that where there's a VA facility, there will be a lot of retired veterans. And where there are a lot of retired veterans, there will be the kinds of organizations you're looking for, organizations similar to Wounded Warriors. By the way, Wounded Warriors has had its share of corruption, too: Wounded Warrior Project's top execs fired amid lavish spending scandal | Fox News
You should have, at minimum, enough money saved up to live on for three months, preferably more than that. However, keep in mind that it will be very difficult to rent an apartment if you don't have a job. You can rent a room in an extended stay hotel but those aren't cheap, either. This is why I think your best shot would be to get a job at a company that has locations both where you are and in Tennessee and then try to transfer to a Tennessee location. A friend of mine has done that; he got a job at a Jersey Mike's where he lives and is transferring to a Jersey Mike's in Cookeville.
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its - possession
it's - contraction of it is
your - possession
you're - contraction of you are
their - possession
they're - contraction of they are
there - referring to a place
loose - opposite of tight
lose - opposite of win
who's - contraction of who is
whose - possession
alot - NOT A WORD
Just so you know, winter is still a thing in TN, especially in the mountains. We're not Florida. And finding a job that pays well without a degree or trade certification is hard anywhere. Good luck.
Just so you know, winter is still a thing in TN, especially in the mountains. We're not Florida. And finding a job that pays well without a degree or trade certification is hard anywhere. Good luck.
When was the last time it was either in the single digits or negatives for several weeks straight?
My definition of winter and your definition of winter are different haha. I can deal with 20s/30s. In fact, 30s and 40s are warm for me in the winter.
When was the last time it was either in the single digits or negatives for several weeks straight?
My definition of winter and your definition of winter are different haha. I can deal with 20s/30s. In fact, 30s and 40s are warm for me in the winter.
It was in the single digits this past winter although for just a couple of days. It does get cold here, and it's not uncommon to be in the single digits, maybe once every few years. It's even been below 0 but that's even less common. Those cold snaps typically last just a few days. We had one good snowfall here where I live (between Nashville and Cookeville) this past winter, about 8" at my house, but two days later it was almost completely melted.
---
its - possession
it's - contraction of it is
your - possession
you're - contraction of you are
their - possession
they're - contraction of they are
there - referring to a place
loose - opposite of tight
lose - opposite of win
who's - contraction of who is
whose - possession
alot - NOT A WORD
If you have not done this already, take a look at rental property in the areas you may want to live in to see what you may be able to afford. A couple of helpful web sites may be Hotpads.com or realtor.com, some realty companies also manage rental property so call or look online at realty companies to see if they offer rentals.
FWIW, My wife and I moved to Cleveland TN last March and we found that some places offered to rent with a small security deposit while some wanted a full months rent a security and then the first months rent. We are older with excellent credit scores so we were able to get utilities without a security deposit. The total cost to change to a TN drivers license and car registration was less than $100. Since our car insurance was close to expiring we took out new insurance with a local Independent Agent.
Also depending on if you are moving just a car load of stuff or if you have a big Uhaul full will make a big difference.
I wouldn't move with less than a first month's rent, a security deposit, and enough rent to do six months, plus whatever the rest of your living expenses are, and at least a couple thousand for unexpected expenses and incidentals.
If you just want a low wage retail/restaurant/call center job to start out with, you can probably find that. JMT is also completely correct that many landlords will not rent to someone without income. Some won't even take the full lease amount in cash upfront. You want to be extremely careful you don't come to TN, can't find work, then have to go back home having blown lots of money in the process.
It was in the single digits this past winter although for just a couple of days. It does get cold here, and it's not uncommon to be in the single digits, maybe once every few years. It's even been below 0 but that's even less common. Those cold snaps typically last just a few days. We had one good snowfall here where I live (between Nashville and Cookeville) this past winter, about 8" at my house, but two days later it was almost completely melted.
The really sad part is I'd take that in a heartbeat. Haha. NEO weather truly blows.
Wasn't trying to be condescending with my weather remarks, by the way.
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