83,000 new Tennesseans (Hendersonville, Oak Ridge, Smyrna: house, employment, tornado)

[Brian]

Originally Posted by JMT

In today's Tennessean, Census figures show that Tennessee's population has topped 6 million, adding 83,000 between mid-2005 and mid-2006 and making Tennessee the 10th fastest growing state in the union. 50,000 of those are move-ins from other states.

Sorry to disappoint you all, South Carolina is the 10th fastest growing state in the US. Tennessee probably right now is 11th.

While I'm glad that so many people are recognizing what a wonderful place Tennessee is, I'm still amazed that so many more people are choosing to live in Florida. I'm a native Floridian, and frankly, they can have it.

Not everyone want to live in Tennessee, they have no choice but to move to Tennessee for affordable lands/houses/trailers and blue-collar jobs. I may be a Tennessee native, but I definitely don't miss living there.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Brian

Sorry to disappoint you all, South Carolina is the 10th fastest growing state in the US. Tennessee probably right now is 11th.Not everyone want to live in Tennessee, they have no choice but to move to Tennessee for affordable lands/houses/trailers and blue-collar jobs. I may be a Tennessee native, but I definitely don't miss living there.

In percentage, yes South Carolina is ahead of Tennessee. But in real numbers, Tennessee is ahead of South Carolina. The top 10 according to the Census:

State and Population Growth
1. Texas 579,275
2. Florida 321,697
3. California 303,402
4. Georgia 231,388
5. Arizona 213,311
6. North Carolina 184,046
7. Washington 103,899
8. Colorado 90,082
9. Nevada 83,228
10. Tennessee 83,058
SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau

South Carolina added 74,316 residents.

Also according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the per capita income in SC is about $500 less than in TN, and the average home in SC costs $900 less than in TN.

If you leave Tennessee and try to find a state with lower incomes and cheaper housing, there aren't many options. South Carolina, apparently, is one of them.

[LauraC]

I am all for people from Florida relocating to Tennessee, as long as they know what they're getting into.

And that's the key right there. Some appear to be so consumed with getting away from problems where they live now, they apparently aren't putting a lot of effort into finding out if Tennessee (and NC) has what they need/desire. Yes, it doesn't have this, that and the other problem you are fleeing but does it actually have things that you want?


Since I don't live in east Tennessee myself, it won't really affect me unless they all start swarming Nashville! But there is a fear that a lot of people have that they're going to complain about Tennessee as well. The other fear, obviously, is that they'll turn Tennessee into something like the place they left behind, except with mountains instead of beaches and not-as-warm weather. It's a real fear, since the areas that everybody seems to want to move to (the Great Smokies, which are just the far eastern end of Tennessee, for one) are relatively small and there's not a lot of interest in moving to the entire western third of the state, and considerably less in moving to middle Tennessee as well. Speaking of which, there are a few pretty spots in middle Tennessee (and even a couple in west Tennessee) that nobody on here seems to talk much about, but are more likely to retain their rural character than, say, the Gatlinburg area.

This is why I don't like the sub-forums. We virtually hear nothing about the Memphis part of the state because it has its own forum. I voted "no" on a Nashville sub-forum but I'm apparently in the minority.

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by TomNashville

I remember reading a National Geographic article about the Ozarks a few years ago and it seemed to be a common sentiment among the locals (and real estate agents) that they were "free of 'em" (you know what I'm talking about.) It wouldn't surprise me if east TN is the same way. Now, I am not saying that this is the reason many people want to move to east Tennessee, but you'll notice that few people on this board are looking to move to west Tennessee (yeah, it's flat, and there's not a lot there outside of Memphis, but it would seem that if you're looking for a rural area with cheap land that's likely to "stay" rural west Tennessee would be a better bet.) But few people are really thinking about that. I guess Kansas is likely to stay rural as well.

I think East Tennessee is attractive because many of the Floridians are former people from the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states with people still in those states that they would visit more than once a year. For me it's a 9 hour drive if I actually wanted to go back to Maryland but the Jerseyites and the downstate NYers could do it in a day trip, too. Also, tornadoes scare the bleep out of some of us and it was drilled into me that middle Tennessee is where tornadoes are. I'm thinking that Florida's hurricane refugees gave that a thought. I bet Middle Tennessee has more midwest transplants.

Memphis is hot...and I mean that in a temperature/humidity kind of way. I couldn't live there. I enjoyed my visits but I didn't want to be outdoors in the summer. Like Florida, I never even considered it because of the summers.

Northwest Tennessee doesn't seem to have a PR machine cranking for it. The Reelfoot lake area sounds nice but you have to dig for the info.

After reading about all of the places in TN, I'd like to do a driving tour of the entire state after I retire.

[hiknapster]

LauraC:

I don't like the sub-forums. either.

There are tornadoes in East Tennessee. Less than in the middle and west, but we still get them. I think it is a lot less up in the Tri-Cities area.

This past year, we had a couple of threats, one was in Crossville or Harriman, heading through Clinton. It was coming right up Raccoon Valley Road. Absolutely terrifiying. Fortunately, I'm in a holler and think that does a lot to deter them.

Tennessee is often in the middle of warm and cold air systems and gets caught in the middle. I think I've seen hail a couple of times in all of my 45 years. This past year, I had to have seen hail eight times. It hailed so hard here a couple of times that cars sustained damage and one of my windows in my house broke.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by LauraC

Northwest Tennessee doesn't seem to have a PR machine cranking for it. The Reelfoot lake area sounds nice but you have to dig for the info.

After reading about all of the places in TN, I'd like to do a driving tour of the entire state after I retire.

I hope you can take that driving tour of the entire state! There are some wonderful places in Tennessee. I wouldn't want to live everywhere, but there are some fascinating and nice places to visit.

You can start with Tennessee's state parks. There are some real gems out there, and they're reasonably priced. Also, the Natchez Trace from Franklin down into Alabama and Mississippi is a nice drive with lots of interesting things to stop and see along the way.

I don't think NW Tennessee is very popular because it's isolated, and it doesn't have the hills and mountains that the rest of the state has. And the economy out in West TN is pretty bad; not many people ever move to West TN because of jobs, particularly outside of Memphis. And actually, more people move out of Memphis than move in, which is probably the case in most of West TN.

[hiknapster]

What's your deal, Bubba?

This thread is about lots of people moving to Florida. About how a lot of us here prefer Tennessee. Nobody mentioned illegal immigrants until you brought it up. Nope. Wasn't even in "code."

I think you're losing your grip, babe.

[tallrick]

Originally Posted by joee

not to change the subject but, how many worry about there lil peice of the country life being gobbled up by the so called urbanization.

you've lived out in the country to yourself, no neighbors, peace & quiet for years then 1 day comes the heavy equipment and poof goes all the trees, in comes all the concrete & blacktop, cookie cutter houses & gated communities spring up, then naturally come all the businesses along with traffic.

your lil peice of heaven just went to the dogs, on to the next place 10 yrs later same thing.

This is what has happened to me in Florida. Prices go up, taxes go way up, and I can no longer afford to hold on to the vacant land I wanted to move to. It boggles my mind how people claim to want to leave the city or suburban life, then bulldoze some open country to fill it with the same stuff they left. Why would someone wilingly give up so many rights to live in a gated community with a HOA to tell them how to live? I built my home new in 1990, but did it 50's Florida style, and love it! Even though the lot was cleared many years before I bought it, today it's full of native trees and the house isn't even visible from the street anymore!

Tennessee is on my list of possible relocations, but I am very concerned about it becomming like Florida. I prefer the odd to the ordinary. In fact the last time I went to TN I was in Clarksville and discovered this really interesting bowling alley. It looked like a barn as was like the 50's inside.

I hope there is a place where people don't feel the need to go and replace everything every so often. Living in Miami I have grown to hate "progress"

[GrannyLois]

Originally Posted by tallrick

I prefer the odd to the ordinary. In fact the last time I went to TN I was in Clarksville and discovered this really interesting bowling alley. It looked like a barn as was like the 50's inside.

What a neat phrase: 'I prefer the odd to the ordinary'.

Amen, bro, that's what makes life interesting.

[utvolsfan13]

Originally Posted by bossMann

I like gated communities, do you ?

also congrats UTvol...you've lived in almost as many states as I have....so what....I bet you're monolingual too..

Everybody has an opinion and every body has a right to it on here as well...much to the chagrin of those who hate progress, or diversity....

Thank god every one is different, and the US is getting more 'different' as each month passes......funny stuff....the US is changing and some people seem to losing their grip....ha !

When did I ever say I had anything wrong with diversity? I'm white and spent two years of high school at a school that was 92% black in rural southeastern Georgia. From there, I went to a school in Alexandria, Virginia that was less than 40% white. I never said I had anything wrong with diversity. All I did was stick up for the state of Tennessee. You claimed that Tennessee is no different than any other state. That is an ignorant thing to say. Oh and congratulations on living in more states than I have. How old are you? I'm 21. I'd think someone who has lived in so many places would know that Tennessee has some things that other states don't, just as other states have things that Tennessee doesn't.