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I am relatively new to this site but have found the users very honest and helpful in aiding my search for our new homestate. My husband and two teenage children (who will be entering high school in the fall) are gearing up to move this summer, and crossing our fingers that the house sells. We currently live in Oregon, and as much as we love everything the state has to offer, we have unfortunately been priced out of any desireable area. Also, schools are getting rather large and less and less suitable. We have narrowed in on the south for affordability reasons, and have come across many beautiful areas, Tennessee in particular, but there are still many variables involved. Our criteria being:
~ Good high schools for two kids. We currently live in a small town, which is growing every day, pushing the one single high school's student body over 2000. We are looking for a smaller school where there is still enough students for kids to socialize, but a smaller student to teacher ratio.
~ Affordable homes. Our budget is below $300,000 for a large, 3+ bedroom house, which we have found is more than possible in the south. Low property taxes are also a factor. We are also looking for land if possible.
~ Low crime. We have many a time come across our dream home in the south, only to find that the crime rate is out of hand. My husband is often overseas due to his job, and I need to live in a place where myself and two children can feel safe being home on our own.
~ Close to a medium sized city where there is shopping and entertainment for kids, and also an international airport for my husband.
~ Some natural beauty (coming from Oregon we have rather high standards!), state parks, lakes, mountains, etc., stuff for kids to do.
We have found that Tennessee is an absolutely beautiful state with affordable homes and natural beauty, however there are several issues. Crime rates, and also the fact that we do not want to be to "isolated", and are also wondering if it would be too much culture shock coming to TN. We have lived overseas and experienced different cultures, so its not that we are not tolerant/openminded towards other lifestyles, just curious as to how different it is. I realize that there are many misconceptions about the south, but also that some of them stand true. Also, it is difficult to find information about TN high schools, and we wonder if the kids would be getting a good education there?
Any and all advice would be extremely helpful! We are having a difficult time finding our ideal area, as this a very large change in our lives, and we want to make sure that it will be right for us.
Thanks for reading!
I am relatively new to this site but have found the users very honest and helpful in aiding my search for our new homestate. My husband and two teenage children (who will be entering high school in the fall) are gearing up to move this summer, and crossing our fingers that the house sells. We currently live in Oregon, and as much as we love everything the state has to offer, we have unfortunately been priced out of any desireable area. Also, schools are getting rather large and less and less suitable. We have narrowed in on the south for affordability reasons, and have come across many beautiful areas, Tennessee in particular, but there are still many variables involved. Our criteria being:
~ Good high schools for two kids. We currently live in a small town, which is growing every day, pushing the one single high school's student body over 2000. We are looking for a smaller school where there is still enough students for kids to socialize, but a smaller student to teacher ratio.
~ Affordable homes. Our budget is below $300,000 for a large, 3+ bedroom house, which we have found is more than possible in the south. Low property taxes are also a factor. We are also looking for land if possible.
~ Low crime. We have many a time come across our dream home in the south, only to find that the crime rate is out of hand. My husband is often overseas due to his job, and I need to live in a place where myself and two children can feel safe being home on our own.
~ Close to a medium sized city where there is shopping and entertainment for kids, and also an international airport for my husband.
~ Some natural beauty (coming from Oregon we have rather high standards!), state parks, lakes, mountains, etc., stuff for kids to do.
We have found that Tennessee is an absolutely beautiful state with affordable homes and natural beauty, however there are several issues. Crime rates, and also the fact that we do not want to be to "isolated", and are also wondering if it would be too much culture shock coming to TN. We have lived overseas and experienced different cultures, so its not that we are not tolerant/openminded towards other lifestyles, just curious as to how different it is. I realize that there are many misconceptions about the south, but also that some of them stand true. Also, it is difficult to find information about TN high schools, and we wonder if the kids would be getting a good education there?
Any and all advice would be extremely helpful! We are having a difficult time finding our ideal area, as this a very large change in our lives, and we want to make sure that it will be right for us.
Thanks for reading!
Livvy,
I lived in Hendersonville, TN for several years, and as a single mom raised my daughters there while I worked in the Critical Care Unit of the local hospital. The only reason I am not still there is that I remarried and moved out of state! Great little town, basically a bedroom community for Nashville, which is 20 miles away (I also worked at Vanderbilt University Hospital in the Emergency Room). Wonderful people there, very friendly. The local high school (Hendersonville High) has numerous programs that encourage students to get involved and learn new skills. One of my daughters was involved in DECA in high school, and succeeded in making it to the national level in her division. Nashville has an International airport that your husband could easily fly in/out of. Very low crime rate in that area (as opposed to Nashville proper), and I felt quite safe living on my own and raising my children there. There are several universities in Nashville, and a community college in Gallatin. You will be close to the mountains--about 2-2 1/2 hr. from Knoxville where the Smoky Mountains are (Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg are just down the road from Knoxville), and you will be surrounded by Old Hickory Lake, with plenty of camping/swimming areas close by. The area is rich with history, and you know Nashville is the Country Music Capital of the World. Many celebrities live(d) in the Hendersonville/Gallatin area (Johnny and June Carter Cash, Conway Twitty [was a member of my church!], Roy Orbison, Reba MacIntire, Barbara Mandrell, the Oak Ridge Boys, Bill Monroe, Clint Black, just to name a few!). Get used to seeing them shopping in the local stores...many times we'd see them in the local Kroger's, or Baskin-Robbins, or shopping for western boots for their next show. I'd be there today if I could get my husband to move; much preferable to the Atlanta, GA area we live in now. Hendersonville has much to offer if a small-town lifestyle is what you are looking for (pop. about 40,000 so it's not too small). I still have friends that live there, and I really do miss being there. I hope this helps. You can get stats by googling it, or go directly to the city website at: [URL="http://www.hendersonvilletn.com"]Hendersonville Tennessee - City Web Site - Hendersonville TN - Sumner County TN[/URL] and find info about what's there. It's worth your time to check it out, maybe take a vacation and fly out to spend a week there, just to familiarize yourself with the slower pace. Hope this has helped, and wish you well.
I am relatively new to this site but have found the users very honest and helpful in aiding my search for our new homestate. My husband and two teenage children (who will be entering high school in the fall) are gearing up to move this summer, and crossing our fingers that the house sells. We currently live in Oregon, and as much as we love everything the state has to offer, we have unfortunately been priced out of any desireable area. Also, schools are getting rather large and less and less suitable. We have narrowed in on the south for affordability reasons, and have come across many beautiful areas, Tennessee in particular, but there are still many variables involved. Our criteria being:
~ Good high schools for two kids. We currently live in a small town, which is growing every day, pushing the one single high school's student body over 2000. We are looking for a smaller school where there is still enough students for kids to socialize, but a smaller student to teacher ratio.
~ Affordable homes. Our budget is below $300,000 for a large, 3+ bedroom house, which we have found is more than possible in the south. Low property taxes are also a factor. We are also looking for land if possible.
~ Low crime. We have many a time come across our dream home in the south, only to find that the crime rate is out of hand. My husband is often overseas due to his job, and I need to live in a place where myself and two children can feel safe being home on our own.
~ Close to a medium sized city where there is shopping and entertainment for kids, and also an international airport for my husband.
~ Some natural beauty (coming from Oregon we have rather high standards!), state parks, lakes, mountains, etc., stuff for kids to do.
We have found that Tennessee is an absolutely beautiful state with affordable homes and natural beauty, however there are several issues. Crime rates, and also the fact that we do not want to be to "isolated", and are also wondering if it would be too much culture shock coming to TN. We have lived overseas and experienced different cultures, so its not that we are not tolerant/openminded towards other lifestyles, just curious as to how different it is. I realize that there are many misconceptions about the south, but also that some of them stand true. Also, it is difficult to find information about TN high schools, and we wonder if the kids would be getting a good education there?
Any and all advice would be extremely helpful! We are having a difficult time finding our ideal area, as this a very large change in our lives, and we want to make sure that it will be right for us.
Thanks for reading!
You've come to the right place!
Hendersonville is definitely a good suggestion.
Since your husband needs to be near an international airport, that pretty much means Memphis or Nashville. I don't think you'd want to be near Memphis because of the crime rate.
There are a few high schools in the Nashville area that offer the International Baccalaureate Program. In general, you can expect those schools and those school districts to be top-notch. They are:
Cookeville HS
Franklin HS
Murfreesboro Oakland HS
Cookeville is a college town about an hour east of the Nashville airport. It has a city population of just under 30,000. Because it's a college town (and not a party school, trust me) it has more shopping, restaurants, etc., than most towns its size.
Franklin is a booming and very prosperous (read: wealthy) suburb about a half hour south of downtown Nashville. It's got a city population of around 50,000 and also has the area's largest shopping mall. It's got a very nice, historic downtown as well as sprawling office parks.
Murfreesboro is a booming suburb/college town a half hour southeast of Nashville. It's more affordable than Franklin but also has 21,000 college students and a city population of around 100,000, triple what it was in 1990.
I agree with Persia48, Hendersonville is also worth investigating. While neither of its high schools offers the IB program, it's still got a good school system. It's a booming suburb just north of the city, right on a lake.
For natural beauty, the Cookeville area is hard to beat particularly with the abundance of waterfalls and lakes in the area. Hendersonville is also beautiful because of its location right smack on a big lake. Franklin is surrounded by rolling hills that are popular with large horse farms and estates of country music stars.
Of the four cities I mentioned, here's how they would probably be ranked by affordability:
1. Cookeville
2. Murfreesboro
3. Hendersonville
4. Franklin
Others will probably chime in with their opinions. In the meantime, I'd suggest you peruse the city-data sites for those four cities and check out the pictures and stats to see what you think.
You should also check out the Tri-Cities area in Northeast TN. It is scenic and mountainous with good schools in the area. The area is made up of Johnson City, Kingsport, and Bristol and the many small towns around them. We moved up here from FL and love the area.
You should also check out the Tri-Cities area in Northeast TN. It is scenic and mountainous with good schools in the area. The area is made up of Johnson City, Kingsport, and Bristol and the many small towns around them. We moved up here from FL and love the area.
I guess you didn't see the part where the OP's husband needs to be near an international airport.
I am wondering about TN as well. I was looking into Texas but I am moving from Oregon and really want the nature, but also the entertainment. Texas seems like too much culture shock. I want a down to earth state that has a city similar to Bend, Portland, Seattle...any advice? Also what area has the best real estate market?
I am wondering about TN as well. I was looking into Texas but I am moving from Oregon and really want the nature, but also the entertainment. Texas seems like too much culture shock. I want a down to earth state that has a city similar to Bend, Portland, Seattle...any advice? Also what area has the best real estate market?
You didn't say anything about jobs. So in that case I'd recommend Chattanooga. It's surrounded by luscious green mountains and is actually a pretty cool town. It's only 100'ish miles from Atlanta and Nashville for those times when you just have to see more skyscrapers and experience more traffic.
However, Nashville has a much better job market than Chattanooga and, given its size, has a lot more to do as far as big city entertainment.
Pretty much all of Tennessee is down to earth. Because of the entertainment industry Nashville is probably the closest thing we have to a hip and trendy city, although for many people it's not hip and trendy enough.
My mother told me that when she lived in Nashville in the 60's that Hendersonville was the Brentwood of the 60's.
Lots of nice people live here and contrary to what some will tell you, There is diversity in Hendersonville and Hendersonville is a town with people that work hard and have money.
How come so many people seem to think TN is crime infested? Is it Memphis? I live several hundred miles from Memphis but it might as well be another planet for as much influence as it has on crime rates in my local area.
When I thought of Tennessee before I moved here, crime was just not even on the radar. We visited my Knoxville inlaws at least once a year and I would always just laugh until I cried at the ridiculous and inane newscasts and how they would soberly intone about some horrible crime wave that had taken over the city. Usually that equated to five cars broken into down by Back Yard Burger over the space of about a month.
Then I would go back to my Florida home, watch the Orlando news, and cry at the difference--and I don't even consider Orlando particularly crime infested!!
Good luck with your decision. Don't go Memphis way and you won't really have any crime worries. It's nice here. Promise!
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Tennessee is great!
