Moving from MI and looking for advice on best area! (Johnson City: transplants, sales) - Tennessee (TN) - City-Data Forum

Patrick_Quin · 03-10-2009, 11:25 AM

I currently live in Michigan. My wife and I plan on moving to Tennessee around the end of April. We aren’t exactly sure where though.
Lately I’ve been in the researching stage. However, all this web research is wearing me out. So I thought I’d go straight to the professionals.
I’m interested in hearing the side of the seasoned veterans. I’ve read enough technical articles and am onto the stage where I would typically ask someone I know who lives there for advise. However since I don’t know anyone in TN, you’re all the next best thing!

Here’s some of my areas of interest
-Safeness
-Least safe areas / where should I definitely NOT move?
-We’re artists and I’m a musician so an area with a nice art/music scene would be cool (I’m saying this with the knowledge that Nashville specifically is all about music)
-Jobs ( My wife recently became a Certified Nurses Aid/CNA and I have been working as a sales associate. We also both like to volunteer for different non-profits and have been interested in working with the less fortunate)
-Location of businesses to where we would live (apt.)
-We like to be able to walk
-Beautiful nature (for hiking, photography and thinking clearly)

The reasons we are planning this move from Michigan is mostly because of horrible east side economics. This economy is much worse than non-Michiganders realize. (Not to be a jerk but if your town sucks, mine does more. In your face!)
We are currently living in what was at one point the 3rd worse county in the country (yes…the country).
Besides the lack of work I’m also tired of:
-Flat boring nature
-Freezing, gloomy winters that kick my little car in the groin every morning
-And absolutely nothing to do.

We are:
-Newly married
-Have no kids
-Will be looking for either a townhouse or apartment for under $600
-And prefer a warmer climate (something not as important if it turns out the warmest TN climate is in the middle of ghettos surrounded by crackheads...

Any response would be greatly appreciated whether it’s personal advice or a quick link to other helpful sites that could aid me in this process. Thanks!

kpell · 03-10-2009, 11:44 AM

My family and I moved to West TN from Lansing MI in August of 2006 after both my husband and I lost our jobs. At that time the economy here in TN was much better! The cost of living here is so much cheaper than in MI and remain so, but the job front is bleak. As of late, TN has been steadily rising in terms of the number of people being laid off. I would really research this area more and make sure that this is where you really want to live. You may find yourself regretting it and having to find another state to live in. With that being said I think you would want to check out East TN as they do not seem to be hit as hard as we have here in the Western portion of the state.

Patrick_Quin · 03-10-2009, 12:06 PM

Thanks kpell. I have been leaning a bit more towards the eastern side. It's a good thing we've still got some time before the move to really think things through about other options if needed. I appreciate the response!

Tri-Cities Native · 03-10-2009, 06:07 PM

Hey Patrick! One site that is very helpful is Retire Tennessee. It has a wealth of information on the various areas of the state. It should prove useful to you. Another good one for demographics, crime stats, climate, etc. is Melissa DATA: Free Lookups. Odds are you'll get some biased inuts on what area(s) are the best. Of course mine would be the Tri-Cities area

Good luck to you guys!

beachmouse · 03-10-2009, 07:02 PM

Michigan native here who spent two years in rural West Tennessee and absolutely hated it. Nothing but flat soybean fields and people who seemed hostile to transplants. Anyone who was interesting and under the age of 30 moved to one of the cities the first chance they got.

I really liked Nashville though. It's at the point where the topography starts to get interesting for outdoor activities, and the country music scene seems to give it a really nice artsy vibe even if you aren't terribly into country music.

Patrick_Quin · 03-11-2009, 11:55 AM

Thanks for those links Tri-Cities Native! Tri-cities are looking pretty good right about now.
Yeah beachmouse, I'd definitely like to be somewhere that doesn't remind me of flat Michigan. I'm very interested in Nashville mainly for the music scene as I wouldn't mind joining or starting a band. Though I don't think I'd want to be located directly inside the city. I'd imagine it's too busy inside for me.

Patrick_Quin · 03-13-2009, 08:22 AM

So i'm hearing more and more that the west side is hurting more than the east side, job opening wise. Does anyone know more about the areas suffering the most?
Also my wife will be searching for CNA positions (Certified Nurses Aid) at hospitals, nursinghomes, etc. Anyone have experiance in the nursing field on the east side with job/location advice??

Tri-Cities Native · 03-13-2009, 09:09 AM

Patrick,

Here's some links that might prove helpful regarding local CNA jobs:
Johnson City CNA Jobs - Tennessee CNA Job Listings - Search CNA Agencies
Mountain States Health Alliance - (http://msha.jobscience.com/JsrApp/index.cfm?prodApp=cc153c84-af0b-4f17-a32a-75aec3b65159 - broken link)
Job Search

Hope these help!

LauraC · 03-13-2009, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrick_Quin

I currently live in Michigan. My wife and I plan on moving to Tennessee around the end of April. We aren’t exactly sure where though.
Lately I’ve been in the researching stage. However, all this web research is wearing me out. So I thought I’d go straight to the professionals.
I’m interested in hearing the side of the seasoned veterans. I’ve read enough technical articles and am onto the stage where I would typically ask someone I know who lives there for advise. However since I don’t know anyone in TN, you’re all the next best thing!

Here’s some of my areas of interest
-Safeness
-Least safe areas / where should I definitely NOT move?
-We’re artists and I’m a musician so an area with a nice art/music scene would be cool (I’m saying this with the knowledge that Nashville specifically is all about music)
-Jobs ( My wife recently became a Certified Nurses Aid/CNA and I have been working as a sales associate. We also both like to volunteer for different non-profits and have been interested in working with the less fortunate)
-Location of businesses to where we would live (apt.)
-We like to be able to walk
-Beautiful nature (for hiking, photography and thinking clearly)

The reasons we are planning this move from Michigan is mostly because of horrible east side economics. This economy is much worse than non-Michiganders realize. (Not to be a jerk but if your town sucks, mine does more. In your face!)
We are currently living in what was at one point the 3rd worse county in the country (yes…the country).
Besides the lack of work I’m also tired of:
-Flat boring nature
-Freezing, gloomy winters that kick my little car in the groin every morning
-And absolutely nothing to do.

We are:
-Newly married
-Have no kids
-Will be looking for either a townhouse or apartment for under $600
-And prefer a warmer climate (something not as important if it turns out the warmest TN climate is in the middle of ghettos surrounded by crackheads...

Any response would be greatly appreciated whether it’s personal advice or a quick link to other helpful sites that could aid me in this process. Thanks!

Under $600 and safe? Good luck.

Patrick_Quin · 03-13-2009, 06:11 PM

Thanks again T-CN! You prove to be very helpful! My wife greatly appreciates the links.
And LauraC it may sound rediculous but we've been living in a large apartment complex for a year now that happens to be one of the safest places I've ever lived. Great neighbors, great workers. The price? $535. I win!