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I never thought I’d say this, we are retiring soon and looking to leave CA. My dad came to CA from Canada in 1957. In 1966 he started a small business in NorCal where I was raised and eventually took over the business. Today, I look around my hometown and it’s a sad, liberal shell of itself with overpacked terrible schools (remember when they told us voting “yes” on the CA lottery would solve the school problems?), homeless overrunning our streets and public spaces, handing out free needles to drug addicts on Sundays in the park, marijuana dispensaries and taxes and costs so high even the $15 minimum wage doesn’t help folks pay their bills.
We are a conservative, homeschooling family and we are looking for a better quality of life not just for us, but a future for our daughter and her kids.
We had her late in life so she will be just 20-22 years old when we retire and relocate. So we are not only looking for a great retirement spot where we can stretch our retirement money, we are also looking for a place with a good community college and a place that she will want to stay and raise a family.
We need good access to medical care as I had cancer (now in remission) 3 years ago.
Our current city is 100,000 people which is a good size for us as we like options for food, entertainment and shopping.
Space is important to us and we would be looking to buy a place with elbow room.
My husband is into off roading/rock crawling and we’re just hours from the Rubicon trail where he makes several trips a year with his 4 wheel drive club. I would love to move someplace where he could keep up his hobby.
We have a list of options that include, Idaho, San Antonio TX, Arizona, Alabama, Florida and of course Tennessee!
The Eastern area of TN looks almost perfect for us except for: allergies. I have terrible allergies/hay fever since I was young. I’m afraid to move to TN because of this! I’m not afraid of the humidity or a bit of snow, but living in the #1 allergy spot in the US scares me.
Does TN fit what we’re looking for? Is there any good off roading? Should I stay away from TN because of my terrible allergies?
Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome, thanks everyone!
I, too, had terrible hay fever growing up in Southern CA, usually in September/October when the winds kicked up. I moved to the Tennessee Valley and really had no allergies at all for the 1st 7-8 years I lived here. Mostly what gets me is when they defoliate the cotton around early October. The Tennessee Valley is well-known for being an allergy hot spot. But, after having lived here 12 years, I can report that my allergies were worse in CA. Your mileage may vary. I'd visit during Spring and Fall to see how you do. It can take time for allergies to develop, so a short-term stay may not reveal anything, but if you suffer from the get-go, you will know to cross it off the list.
The best medical care will be at Vanderbilt University in Nashville and at UT in Knoxville. But Nashville has turned into a big city with a ton of traffic, so you may need to be an hour+ away for your "elbow room". East TN is definitely less congested, and in my opinion, it's more scenic than middle or Western TN.
I can't really speak to off-roading. Hoping someone else can.
I went through the same process a decade ago. Born and raised in California and never thought I would leave. But by the time I was near retirement I had enough and knew we needed a better place to live and retire. I searched for two years and finally found what we thought would be perfect, and it turned out better than we imagined.
We want the same things, lots of elbow room, lots of outdoor activities and not too crowded but close enough to everything we needed. My main thing was being close to great lakes and rivers to boat and fish on but we also have tons of off road access. Most of my neighbors have UTVs and or ATVs and we get together for a beer or two on the dirt roads behind our street. Off road jeeps and other 4x4's are also big out here.
The local town (Cookeville) is only 10 miles away and has everything we need for medical, shopping and restaurants. Nashville to our west is only an hours or so away for big city needs and Knoxville is east and Chattanooga to the south east and both about the same distance as Nashville.
I am following this thread with interest, as the area and the elbow room are also on our list of potential places. We are looking at Overton and Putnam counties especially, but also interested in Sparta and Jamestown. We would like a house on small acreage, probably 3/2 with garage or shop, not a fixer-upper. If there is a granny unit, even better.
As retirees, medical care is very important…how easy is it to find doctors who are accepting new patients, and at least a few specialists such as oncologists and cardiologists?
Thank you all for the moments and perspectives. This is so helpful.
Californian living in Tennessee until I can move back. I have suffered with horrible allergies from the minute I stepped into the state and the allergies led to allergy induced asthma. There’s a reason that Vanderbilt has its own allergy and pulmonary clinic. As for the rest of your wants, no idea because I’m a no-kid, big city, not conservative gal.
We moved here from WI just about a year ago - I've been visiting the state for over 20 years and always knew I'd be happy here. DH had allergies in WI, and they're a bit worse here, but he gets by without medicating. The house we found was in Putnam County, but with a Sparta mailing address. Love it! Close to everything but on 6 acres, downsizing from 17 in WI, but still enough elbow room. DH is retired but I run my own business.
Found a doc we love right away, he referred me to an oncologist (13 year BC survivor) who saw me within a couple of weeks - same experience with a dermatologist - referral and seen within a week. I'm not a fan of the hospital in Crossville, we'd go to Cookeville if it was anything life-threatening. Nashville is 1 1/2 hours away, so not feasible for emergency.
We're part of a local group of transplants (many from CA and NY and WI) who get together and pot luck at local state parks. Many friendships have formed from that group. DH wishes he'd listened to me and moved here many, many years ago!
Born and raised in SoCal. Moved to Knoxville in 1994. My allergies in SoCal were pretty bad as far as grasses went. I could not cut the lawn without breaking into hives/rash.
Moved to Knoxville, and it seemed to get better, I could actually cut the grass. That said, after several years, I started clearing my throat a lot, and could not cut the grass (different grasses here). I went to an allergist and got tested. Turns out, I am allergic to 45/50 things I was tested for. Just about anything green.
I started on allergy shots. I get both arms (because of the number of allergies) once a week. Its been about three years, and its a world of difference. Im still bothered when pine pollen is at its peak, and will break out if I get in contact with some plants gardening. But, I feel so much better.
My point is, allergies can be treated.
While I miss the Sierras (avid mountain climber), I wouldn't go back for anything. While I can't really stand that our State is so red, I don't discuss politics, and don't let it rule my life. I found that most people I'm around, just don't discuss it much. I'm pretty sure some of my friends I've had for 20 years don't really know where I stand, and I don't really know where they stand either.
I suggest you visit in the spring and spend some time here, and see how you feel. It took me a long time to get used to the humidity here (I'm not sure you ever get used to it).
I never thought I’d say this, we are retiring soon and looking to leave CA. My dad came to CA from Canada in 1957. In 1966 he started a small business in NorCal where I was raised and eventually took over the business. Today, I look around my hometown and it’s a sad, liberal shell of itself with overpacked terrible schools (remember when they told us voting “yes” on the CA lottery would solve the school problems?), homeless overrunning our streets and public spaces, handing out free needles to drug addicts on Sundays in the park, marijuana dispensaries and taxes and costs so high even the $15 minimum wage doesn’t help folks pay their bills.
We are a conservative, homeschooling family and we are looking for a better quality of life not just for us, but a future for our daughter and her kids.
We had her late in life so she will be just 20-22 years old when we retire and relocate. So we are not only looking for a great retirement spot where we can stretch our retirement money, we are also looking for a place with a good community college and a place that she will want to stay and raise a family.
We need good access to medical care as I had cancer (now in remission) 3 years ago.
Our current city is 100,000 people which is a good size for us as we like options for food, entertainment and shopping.
Space is important to us and we would be looking to buy a place with elbow room.
My husband is into off roading/rock crawling and we’re just hours from the Rubicon trail where he makes several trips a year with his 4 wheel drive club. I would love to move someplace where he could keep up his hobby.
We have a list of options that include, Idaho, San Antonio TX, Arizona, Alabama, Florida and of course Tennessee!
The Eastern area of TN looks almost perfect for us except for: allergies. I have terrible allergies/hay fever since I was young. I’m afraid to move to TN because of this! I’m not afraid of the humidity or a bit of snow, but living in the #1 allergy spot in the US scares me.
Does TN fit what we’re looking for? Is there any good off roading? Should I stay away from TN because of my terrible allergies?
Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome, thanks everyone!
The big issue with eastern TN (especially north and east of Knoxville) is job availability and pay level.
Jobs around $15/hr or so are generally readily available. Anything better paying or white collar really needs to be secured before you move. I am in IT, am a senior individual contributor, work for an employer based in the area, and would never have had the skills for this position had I not left eastern TN and moved elsewhere earlier in my career. My pay is good for the local area, but I could easily make 30%+ more by moving to somewhere like Raleigh or Charlotte.
I left the area in 2012 making $15/hr with a job title at a F500. I moved to IA. Same title at the F500 there, same work, was $22/hr. The cost of living was a bit higher, but not that much higher.
While the cost of living here is lower than many areas of the country, a cost of living that is, say, 20% below the national average, isn't that helpful if your salary is 40% below the national average. The local cost of living is for remote workers with salaries based on major city pay.
Drugs and similar things have ravaged plenty of cities in rural TN. You won't be escaping it. At best, it generally goes on behind closed doors here.
Homeschooling is fairly common here, but it's mostly from the socially conservative population. You should be able to find like-minded folks.
No idea on the offroading specifically. One of the best attributes of this area is that most outdoor activities, from mild to aggressive, can be performed here, at least part of the year.
I'm from here originally. I've always had allergies, though not unbearable with standard OTC medicines, and allergy shots on occasion. I had zero allergy symptoms in Iowa. Moved back, and it was fairly heavy. For me, it's manageable, but YMMV.
I will do my very very best to say only one thing and not go on a rant: I heartily encourage people to sleep in the beds they made and polluted, instead of crapping in new clean ones.
Most of the people I know (both locally born and transplanted) express similar opinions. Some even say that if one is left-leaning here, people will be polite - it is the south - but they won't be welcomed with open arms. They'd probably be more comfortable somewhere else.
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Done with California too
