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Looking to Relocate to TN....
DH and I are looking into a possible relocation to TN from CA. Is there an active board where I could ask questions about areas? This board doesnt seem to be very active. I know that the Norcal baby board moved to a private FB page when the Bump made some changes a while back. Did this happen to your board too? I am looking for a friend or few to help me with what areas in TN are good and which are bad. Which have good schools and which dont. Hows the economy? And a plethera of other questions.....can anyone help? Thanks
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Re: Looking to Relocate to TN....
Nashville is a great move from Southern CA for sure. My family was from Nashville, Tn and I grew up in LA and San Diego. I can't imagine living anywhere else in Tennessee but Nashville except if I was in the smokies or in Joelton or Kingston Springs where you're in the country but its a short drive to Nashville. My friends like Chattanooga but its a little too laid back for me!
As far as Nashville Metro Public Schools go Eakin Elementary is a great school in a great neighborhood (Hillsboro West End) in Nashville. The Magnet High Schools are okay (I like MLK Magnet best), but most of the public high schools in metro are a cesspool of bad influences. My only experience with this is as a substitute teacher and having friends in public high schools as a teen. I was home schooled.
I wish I could point you towards some message boards designed for folks moving here, but I don't know of anything that could be helpful in your situation. Good Luck!
The price of living in TN is WAY lower than in CA, thats for sure.
Maryville, which is in east TN, is know for having the #1 school system in the state, and its been voted by Forbes as one of the top 5 places to live in America. I live in knoxville, the 3rd largest city in TN, and we're about 30-45 minutes from Maryville.
In middle TN, Henderson in sumner co is a really up and coming part of town. Sumner boarders Davidson co, which is Nashville. so the biggest city would be close by. The cost of living in middle TN is higher than east and west TN though.
I don't know much about west TN. =/
I hope you make the move! TN is a really beautiful state.
Chattanooga is a WONDERFUL city to raise a family. Chattanooga takes great pride in being an active, family-friendly area. The entire area is litered with activities and parks, as well as great schools and entertainment.
Just a few attractions in and around Chattanooga: The Tennessee Aquarium, See Rock City, Fall Creek Falls, Coolidge Park, The Chattanooga Choo Choo... any WAY too much more to name. Chattanooga also boasts tons of local farmer's markets and amazing local food fare. Check out www.chattanoogafun.com.
Also, Chattanooga is located within 2-3 hours of several major cities, including Nashville, Knoxville, and Atlanta.
I've lived in several places across the country and I don't ever want to leave Chattanooga!
It's actually Hendersonville, not Henderson.
I don't live there or in Sumner County (so I speak as an outsider), and while I would agree that it is an up and coming area, I do want to point out that Sumner County is having school issues.
They were supposed to start school the 6th, but due to disagreements on budget, the earliest they can possibly start is the 15th. The 15th is VERY iffy too.
Anyway, it doesn't look like the budget issues will get fully resolved this year, so if you move there, don't be surprised to see them pop up again.
Just a heads up...
You could seriously look at relocating to the ENTIRE state of Tennessee?
There isn't somewhere specific that you or your husband's job might take your family?
There are 95 counties in Tennessee (if I'm not mistaken) and I would assume there are even MORE school districts than that. So to answer "which have good schools and which dont" might be a bit difficult.
I'm sure each of those 95 counties have different outlooks on their economies too.
It might help return better answers if you would narrow it down a bit.
If it is the entire state of Tennessee, is there a certain type of life-style that you're looking to obtain? Country vs city? Something? Anything?
I'm not trying to be snarky, but you asked some very broad questions...
Thanks for all the info. As far as where we are looking.....DH's job has locations throughout the state. However we have been looking in the Mt. Juliet area. I do know if a potition open in Pulaski and Gay I think its called. I still need to ask DH if he can get a list of all the comapnies locations throughout the state. But we are open to other areas.
What I am looking for is just a better lifestyle for my kids. I have a 6.5 and 2.5 yo boys. I am also not done having kids. Here in CA the homes are $$$ and small. We want a larger lot, larger house. I want my kids to ride bikes, play in the mud, build a tree fort. I am sure I amm looking for something that is often seen in the movies. 4 seasons is ideal and not lots of snow if any. I would prefer to not be snowed in for days at a time.
I need good solid schools and medical care. I am a high risk PG person. I need a good perinatologist and a good NICU nearby.
My oldest has Aspergers and is thriving with OT and school support. He requires no assistance during classtime. He gets OT at school along with Adaptive PE, and that is it. Otherwise we have a great psychiatrist who manages his meds so that will be needed too.
I have grown up in Northern CA and do like it here. However, I feel that things are way too money driven. I hate the "competing with the Joneses" feeling. Is there such a place where people are truely happy for you and what you have accomplished? Will be there for you in your time in need? I want better friendships. I want my kids to have better friendships. I want weekend BBQ's for no reason at all. I want to help my neighbor in their time of need.
Does such a lifestyle even exist? Major rambling right? I think since having and lost children I personally have a new outlook on life.
Side Note: My parents, uncle and grandmother are also seriously considering a move with us as well as DH's BFF from HS and his GF. Both are police officers and will relocate. (Yay for bringing an entourage to TN)
So now that you all think I am crazy (which I am not really).....I hope to make your acquaintance!!!
I don't have a lot of experience that far outside of Nashville.
That being said, I think you're considering a move to the right place.
Look into Spring Hill, TN. It's "out in the country" but that means you are close to Amish farms where you can get the best food! And there is not a lot of cons that go along with bigger cities. They actually have many omforts and conveniences as well as wide open spaces. My aunt lives there with her twin son and daughter who turned 4 in April. She is a single mother now but moved there with her husband after living in Las Vegas with him since their engagement and several years of marriage before the children were born. After the kids, she wanted that white picket fence/American dream sort of life. I think she's really happy with her Spring Hill subdivision even as a single mom. You can she her children's' school from her back yard. Her neighbors are very friendly and the families in the neighborhood get together for stuff and their kids play together. My cousins seem really happy!
Franklin, TN is also awesome. I have family that live there too. And they have a cute little square where they have a farmer's market and there is a cute vintage cinema that shows retrospectives as well as new movies. It's pretty great too.
I agree that Chattanooga, TN s a great town for families!
Good luck with your search and let us know when you have a list of possible relocation towns.
We live in Morristown. Its a quiet little town between Knoxville and Bristol. The Educational system is quiet great, there are many activities for children to do around here. There are many parks great access to Cherokee Lake (including Cherokee and Panther Creek State Park) Morristown may be small but for a family it is the perfect place. (Thats my opinion) I've lived here my entire life. The people, the places, the love of a community, is something I would suggest at least taking a look at.The Weather is mild. Very little snow occurs. And the husing market isnt that bad. We bought a 5 Bdrm 2 bth and 3 acres for about 150k its a big house. If you do consider Morristown you should deffinately let me know i would love to give you a helping hand and be a friend. I hope I was a little bit helpful. Good Luck!
I'm going to suggest something crazy... be ready for it. There is a tract of over 200 acres off of 840 in the Arrington, TN area. Check out the website for the Arrington Vineyard to get an idea of the scenery in the area. I think you all should look into getting a portion of it and just build a family farm with houses for everyone! There are a couple smaller plots for sale in Arrington as well. Cotton and Wampler has a lot of local real estate for that area. Another good realtor for the Nashville area is Bob Parks Realty, which has a number of offices in the greater Nashville area.
But seriously, if you go the route of investing in a farming commune, I would totally want to be a part of it! I am a sucker for that sort of thing... especially if it is built using green technology. It is my dream to build a shipping container house... a rather sprawling one with a courtyard area. Trust me, you do not see that much in Tennesse... I am a little outside of the box, or maybe inside it?
Oh and the Nashville area definitely has loads of support for all the medical issues you mentioned. Although I will say the public school systems are not the best for special needs children, but there are some great private schools geared towards solely educating special needs kids! There are also some great homeschooling programs as well, if you should ever choose that route.
Now... I can help you with Mt. Juliet! That narrows it down quite considerably.
I live on the Wilson Co (Mt. Juliet & Lebanon) / Davidson Co (Nashville) line.
Unfortunately (??) I live on the Davidson Co. side.
Wilson Co. has MUCH better schools.
(We plan to home school, so school's weren't super important. The Hermitage area was just more convenient for us.)
Having just bought a house within the last year (and priced in Wilson Co/Mt Juliet area during our hunt), as a ball park of my house: a new construction house approx. 4,000 sq ft will cost you $315k-ish. It obviously depends on how much "cheese-cake" you add and such, but that's a ball park. $80-85/sq ft on the "low/average" end... You can ALWAYS get more expensive.
If you're going to choose the Mt. Juliet area for work, I would not recommend the Spring Hill or Franklin area to live as a previous poster suggested. The commute will eat up so much of your family time.
(For full disclosure though, Franklin does have a good school district. Prices will be noticeably higher in the Franklin area too. A more "money driven" area with Brentwood close by.)
I don't know the Nashville area has 4 even seasons, but I would say in general we have four seasons. Depending on the year, Spring & Fall seem short. The snow in Winter is not bad at all though - we may have a handful of days that it actually snows
If you think you'll be a high risk pregnancy, a 30 minute (in traffic) drive will take you to Nashville where you'll have quite a selection of doctors & hospitals.
All 3 of the "major" hospitals have level 3 NICUs. (At least when I looked Spring/Summer 2011, please reconfirm for yourself.)
*Baptist is "known for babies." (Some have criticized it as a factory feel - get you in, get you out.)
*Vanderbilt has the name behind it and has the highest level NICU - level 3C.
*Centennial just kind of gets overlooked in general. (It's where I delivered; I thought it was the most personable when touring facilities.)
I'll recommend my OB/GYN if you're interested; it's a practice of women and they deliver at all the "major" hospitals.
Having Vanderbilt close by will probably also give you a good selection of doctors for your son too. I'm not familiar with Aspergers, so I cannot comment on how the schools will work with you/him.
I think your neighbor relations will greatly depend on your attitude and openness once you move in... I don't think people in modern America are going to beat down your door to be your friend, but if you're out in your yard and are sociable & nice, I think you'll have no problem making friends.
You'll probably have to host the first weekend BBQ, but I can't imagine people wouldn't respond.
I would also suggest meetup.com groups and church if that's you're comfortable with that.
I know nothing of the police force... hiring, pay, etc.
Anything I left off?
I thing I will say for the Franklin area, that a previous poster suggested, is that it is closer to "healthy" food areas.
I'm surprised Mt. Juliet does not have a Whole Foods, etc.
I don't know if that's a concern for you or not...
(I wouldn't want a 30-45 minute commute for groceries.)
I think that lifestyle can exist! I have lived several places across the eastern side of the country, and I can tell you I don't want to live ANYWHERE but Chattanooga! My parents and some of their close friends have also moved around (A LOT), my parents over 30 times RT my dad's job. They all say "I wasn't born in Chattanooga, but I got here as fast as I could!" It's an amazing place to be! My husband and I have a three bedroom split foyer home on 3+ acres outside the city, and when my husband bought it about 8 years ago, he paid about $120,000. It's an older home, but you can easily buy a great newer one for a great price! (I'm sure MUCH cheaper than Cali!) I cannot say enough about how much I love this city and how BEAUTIFUL it is!