Decatur (Knoxville, Chattanooga, Cleveland: houses, theatres, schools)

[ThinkinTN]

Can anyone tell me about this area? We have been looking at houses pretty much all around TN (East of Nashville) and I found something promising here, but I need to knwo what kind of area it is. Is it pretty to look at? Any old town charm? Any festivles or anything there or near there? What are the schools like?
Thanks for any help

[sienna]

Go to our Home Page and you can get the stats on any city in the USA Just type the city & State in the box provided
//www.city-data.com/

for Decatur specifically .............
//www.city-data.com/city/Decatur-Tennessee.html

[ThinkinTN]

Oh I know the stats already. But I want to know what actual "people" think lol. I have seen schools rate a 10 and yet the parents hate it. So I am looking more for people who have been there or live there and what they think about it.

[BRH]

I can't give any real specifics on schools and so forth, but I live in Sweetwater, which is about 15 or 20 miles away from Decatur. Also, I have friends who live north of Decatur (in Ten Mile, TN), so I'm in the area from time to time. I can tell you that it is a pretty area. Decatur is in Meigs County (pronounced "meggs"), which is one of the smallest counties in Tennessee, landwise. It basically runs along the valley of the Tennessee river and Watts Bar Lake. It is a pretty rural area, with Decatur being the largest town (and it is very small.) There is one grocery store (a Piggly Wiggly) and I believe there is a Dollar General now also. As far as fast food, Hardee's is the only chain restaurant in Decatur. You are, however, close to the larger town of Athens, TN (about 10 miles), where there is a Super WalMart, Ingles grocery, Food Lion, K-Mart, Belk, Lowe's, Staple's, etc. And Athens has most all of the fast food type chains (McDonalds, Wendy's, Burger King, Krystal, T. Bell, Captain D's, Sonic, Bojangles, Zaxby's, KFC, Long John Silver's, Steak 'n Shake, Firehouse Subs, Pizza Hut, Papa John's, Buddy's BBQ, etc.) Also, other family and casual restaurants include Applebee's, Ruby Tuesday's, Shoney's, Western Sizzlin', Monterey Mexican, Cracker Barrel, and Gondolier. All of these restaurants and stores would be within a 10 to 15 minute drive from Decatur, and this is where most people in the area would drive to shop. (Other towns that are fairly close and have some shopping and dining include Cleveland, Dayton, and Sweetwater).

Also, Decatur is kind of in the middle between the larger metropolitan areas of Chattanooga and Knoxville, where you can find almost anything you need (malls, airport, shopping, theatres, dining, etc.) Decatur is actually closer to Chattanooga than Knoxville, and is also considered part of the Chattanooga Metro Statistical area. (In other words, you would receive local TV stations and so forth from Chattanooga.) Also, Chattanooga is about a 45 min. drive straight down Hwy 58, which runs through the center of Decatur and Meigs County. Or you can drive over to Athens and take I-75 to either Chattanooga or Knoxville (both about 50 miles from Athens.)

As far as the immediate area itself. As I said it is pretty rural. Also, it's a bit flatter than a lot of east Tennessee, since it sits in the river valley. There are some nice recreational areas around the river and Watts Bar Lake, and of course fishing opportunities. (Speaking of Watts Bar, Decatur is about 5 miles from Watts Bar Nuclear plant and Watts Bar Dam in the Ten Mile area of northern Meigs County. Which is no big deal and there have never been any problems, but some people are a bit freaked out by nuclear power plants, so I thought I'd mention it). But overall, as long as you don't mind being in a rural location, it is a pretty area. The lake is the main feature of the county and even though it is rural, it is growing and you will not be alone in being new to the area. The Ten Mile area around Watts Bar Lake, is seeing a lot of growth and a lot of out of state people are moving in and building near the lakefront.

Sorry for the long rambling post, but I hope this helps a bit. As I say, I can't comment directly on living there since I'm about 20 miles away, but I hope this helps in giving a basic overview of the area. Feel free to ask anything else you want, and I will do my best to help.

[Rach1966]

will you be looking for jobs or is this for retirement?

[piedmont]

I live a bit north of Decatur. It's a quiet place. There is not really a big downtown, more like a cross roads. Meigs county as a whole is quite rural and has a small population. What are you planning to do in the area? That will affect whether it is viable for you. Athens is probably the nearest town with substantial services/shops. Decatur is commutable to Chattanooga, but it is not quick via 58.

I actually think Meigs is a really beautiful county---a long valley that borders ridges and Watts Bar Lake/Tennessee river. But there are probably more cattle than people here, if you know what I mean!

Ask more questions if needed.