Family Looking for a Town to Call Home

[NYS2Tennessee]

Originally Posted by Oryce47

Thank you! This is the info I was looking for. I was looking for some where low key and we could just travel in when we needed to. How are the schools in Powell? I will look into that area a little more and thanks again for the help.

Powell schools are decent, I think they'll continue to get better. Powell is growing up fast. The elementary school isn't greatly rated but the other one in the area Bricky McCloud is. Those I've met in Powell elementary are happy with it though.
We just bought a house in Powell yesterday actually. All locals who live there that we've encountered have had nothing but great things to say.

Oak Ridge, great schools. Nice parks. But something was missing there for us. Also we were told by several people that radiation and such is still a concern in Oak Ridge (out inspector told us that radon is a concern in houses and my husband's boss's son tests the water in Oak Ridge, he said he wouldn't live there). Powell put us close enough to enjoy Oak Ridge parks occasionally without actually living there.

Other parts of Anderson County have good schools (well, in some areas... Norris, Andersonville, Clinton) and has fantastic outdoor activities. Knoxville would be a bit of a commute, but doable. Commute to Oak Ridge or Powell would be fairly easy.

[westcoastlife]

Originally Posted by Oryce47

Hi everyone,

My wife, son and I are looking to move to Tennessee and lay down some roots. We have fallin in love with Tennessee every time we have visited. I have done alot of research trying to find the perfect town to move to. I was wondering if I could get some suggestions or some places to look into. We want to find a town so we can start looking for jobs. We are both from small towns so we would like something along those lines, preferably in east Tennessee but open to anything.we have looked at places around Chattanooga, Farragut, Nolensville, ect. But just looking for some feedback on personal experience.

Some Background:

We have an active 2 year old

We both work in school districts right now

One a teacher and the other IT

We like the outdoors and swiming

But also like to be home bodies every now and again.

We are moving from California, and are both in education too! And, we are both from small towns. We looked in many areas (Johnson City, Oak Ridge, Knoxville), but landed in Spring Hill. Haven’t landed yet; we move in two weeks. Anyhow, I really wanted to move to Knoxville, but our jobs led us to Williamson County Schools. People have nothing but wonderful things to say about Spring Hill. Might be an option?

[Oryce47]

Originally Posted by CaptiveinCali

We are moving from California, and are both in education too! And, we are both from small towns. We looked in many areas (Johnson City, Oak Ridge, Knoxville), but landed in Spring Hill. Haven’t landed yet; we move in two weeks. Anyhow, I really wanted to move to Knoxville, but our jobs led us to Williamson County Schools. People have nothing but wonderful things to say about Spring Hill. Might be an option?

Awesome! Thanks so much I will look into that area. I hope your move goes well and everything turns out amazing for you guys! Did you guys just plan a trip and ride around to the different towns? We are trying to plan a trip to go get a feel for a few places. Just trying to get an idea of how best to do that. It's usually hard to get info on schools and stuff because the website numbers say one thing and the people say another. Hard to read between the lines. Just wondering if you might have any tips?

[westcoastlife]

Originally Posted by Oryce47

Awesome! Thanks so much I will look into that area. I hope your move goes well and everything turns out amazing for you guys! Did you guys just plan a trip and ride around to the different towns? We are trying to plan a trip to go get a feel for a few places. Just trying to get an idea of how best to do that. It's usually hard to get info on schools and stuff because the website numbers say one thing and the people say another. Hard to read between the lines. Just wondering if you might have any tips?

Yes, we took a two week trip and visited Johnson City, Nashville, Knoxville, and Oak Ridge. We met with a realtor in Johnson City and visited many homes in the area. We talked to anybody who was willing to have conversation; waiters/waitresses, hotel staff, gas station clerks, and even had a two-hour, in depth conversation with a local we met while doing laundry at a laundromat. The road trip was hard on my husband’s back, so we made an appt with a chiropractor and chatted with him about the area too. Funny thing, we ended-up in Spring Hill (which we didn’t visit) b/c of my husband’s job. Regarding the schools, one thing we know to be true is that Williamson County Schools have an excellent reputation, as does Oak Ridge. Since we both work in education, and we have school-age children, this is important to us. Great Schools seems to be a reliable source for this information. You can see test scores and comparisons with national averages. I hope this info helps. If you have any questions, I am happy to answer!