Why are so many out of staters moving to TN? (home, college)

[MomsTn]

My husband and I started out with our own Christian band... then, we branched off doing solos and duets.
We recorded one album.
Our desire was to have all of our kids involved in music.
Unfortunetly, it didn't happen that way.

So, we were pretty thrilled when our youngest showed an interest in singing.
She's been singing since she was four, and has an amazing ability to memorize new songs.
My husband and I have put ourselves on hold to help encourage our little girl.

Last year was the first time that we decided to let her work with a singing coach. He did a great job with her.

Originally Posted by LeapingFaith

WHAT! this is great. My girl (9)has an amazing annointed voice as well. She hasn't competed in anything but she is beginning to be featured as a singer at our church and yes she has a desire to develop a singing career too. My husband and I are recording artist and have recently released our CD "Perfect Peace" we also gig a lot doing the wedding/corporate functions thingy and expect to continue that when we get there! Getting excited! can't wait! gotta finish sprucing up the house to get it ready for the market

[MontanaGuy]

What alot of people don't realize is how much Americans tend to move these days. Although Tennessee is gaining population it also has people who move to other states, Georgia being the most popular. I also have to agree with others who've stated that the declining northern states that are having economic difficulties tend to be moving south and west. Michigan, Ohio and other states have been through some tough years and many of them are moving. Another factor is the weather. This past winter has been a bad one in many parts of the country and who can blame anyone who is sick and tired of blizzards. I'm moving from Phoenix to Nashville so it's obviously not the weather that's drawing me, it's more affordable housing and also the great variety of music that's happening, especially since I'm a guitar player (just like everybody else in Nashville).

[marilyn220]

Originally Posted by sliverbox

One thing I am concerned about from just reading this forum is figuring out what kind of population TN's future will have. Will it be a new retirement stronghold like FL or will it be a healthy mix of young and old? I hope for the later because too much of one group never bodes well for a developing, new economy like TN's.

One last comment: I keep hearing all these people from other states say they want to move here because it is slower, easier, simpler, etc etc.I've even heard people say how "simple" and nice the people are. After 20+ years of living there, I can't say that I ever felt that way when I was there.I'll agree that in many ways the people are more outgoing and trustful.

What it boils down to is that everyone everywhere lives about the same.Making an escape plan is seldom a permanent solution. One burden will be replaced with another. One nagging annoyance left somewhere else will reappear in a new form elsewhere.One economic advantage will be replaced by an unforeseen financial disadvantage. Look at the everyday pedestrian standard of living and not the generic picture. Ask some serious questions: Will a move actually improve your life? I am not trying to discourage anyone from moving here, or anywhere else. But I've heard this kind of talk before and more often than not, the problem you tare trying to escape don't go away. Just some simple advice. Good luck to everyone.

Your post is so on point for me sliverbox.

I wanted to move to Tennessee for "economic" reasons. I want to be able to live decently and not have most of my paycheck go on rent and the other on utilities and basic necessities with nothing left ove. It's one of the reasons I left NYC for LA three years ago. Believe it or not, Los Angeles WAS very affordable when I moved here. Now it's not. Also, trying to find a good paying job to match my skills has been a problem, but I guess I'm going to have to venture out into other fields for lower pay and probably take on two jobs.

The bottomline is I don't want to move to Tennessee or any of the "slower" states anymore, because I know I'm a city person at heart and always will be. I like everything close by and easy access. I don't want people knocking at my door bringing me pies or trying to get me to go church. I like to be left alone and find unwanted company (even from family) a nuisance. I don't need for my neighbors to be my "friends". Just wave to me from a distance and everything will be cool.

Make no mistake about it, Big City people will try to force change on the region and make it more like the cities they left. Hunting will be outlawed, gates/fences will be put up to block the "unwanted" neighbors from bothering them, many trailer houses will be replaced by "nice" homes, beautiful lake properties will be blocked off with "No Trespassing" signs or people will have to pay visit the area, high property taxes, and the list goes on. You'll see.

If I can't make it in Los Angeles, then I'll move back to NYC. I have family and thank goodness for the 24 hour bus/subway system to get me around. I know there are jobs for all shifts (day, night, eve) and will do what I have to do to make it work. Unfortunately, people don't quit jobs in LA. They will stay at that same job for YEARS or until the place closes. I feel this might be the same in Tennessee as well. I don't see people bouncing around due to the scarcity of some jobs being available.

I intend to make it work in Los Angeles. Running away or "escaping" won't solve my problems. Even with all the superficiality and fakeness, I'll do what's needed. I love my apartment here and luckily for me it's rent-controlled. People are nice, but "shady". You have to read between the lines of what they're really saying. Being from NYC it's hard to deal with, but I can play the same game. Will I ever own a home here? Maybe in a couple of years when the bubble finally bursts all over the region and houses will be given away by the banks due to the high foreclosures. To be honest, I don't want to be a homeowner right now anyway. Too many people are slaves to their homes and when something breaks you better have the money or else.

[highliner]

I wasn't going to comment here, until I read that absurd comment about Tennessee's cost of living being comparable to Wyoming. No way- no how, partner! I've spent considerable time in both states, and Wyo is much, much higher, in nearly every category, mostly due to the sparse population. Tennessee is a great deal more economical place to live, not to mention easier on the eyes than southern Wyoming.

[DeLaSalle]

Originally Posted by sliverbox

One thing I am concerned about from just reading this forum is figuring out what kind of population TN's future will have. Will it be a new retirement stronghold like FL or will it be a healthy mix of young and old? I hope for the later because too much of one group never bodes well for a developing, new economy like TN's.

One last comment: I keep hearing all these people from other states say they want to move here because it is slower, easier, simpler, etc etc.I've even heard people say how "simple" and nice the people are. After 20+ years of living there, I can't say that I ever felt that way when I was there.I'll agree that in many ways the people are more outgoing and trustful.

What it boils down to is that everyone everywhere lives about the same.Making an escape plan is seldom a permanent solution. One burden will be replaced with another. One nagging annoyance left somewhere else will reappear in a new form elsewhere.One economic advantage will be replaced by an unforeseen financial disadvantage. Look at the everyday pedestrian standard of living and not the generic picture. Ask some serious questions: Will a move actually improve your life? I am not trying to discourage anyone from moving here, or anywhere else. But I've heard this kind of talk before and more often than not, the problem you tare trying to escape don't go away. Just some simple advice. Good luck to everyone.

I'm going to start Referring to you as, "The Wise One".
Teach us more...We are but "Grasshoppers"...

[JMT]

Originally Posted by highliner

I wasn't going to comment here, until I read that absurd comment about Tennessee's cost of living being comparable to Wyoming. No way- no how, partner! I've spent considerable time in both states, and Wyo is much, much higher, in nearly every category, mostly due to the sparse population. Tennessee is a great deal more economical place to live, not to mention easier on the eyes than southern Wyoming.

How true! The coldest I have ever been in my life was while driving in the middle of the night on I-80 in southern Wyoming in January 1985, going back to college in Utah after spending Christmas in Tennessee. There were four of us in the car and the heat was on full blast, yet there was still ice on the INSIDE of the car windows.

I remember stopping for gas somewhere else along I-80 in Wyoming on another trip, and I think I offended the clerk. It was the only gas station at a lonely exit in the middle of the desert. There was nothing man-made as far as the eye could see except for the interstate. Attached to the cash register was a sign saying, "No out of town checks accepted." I pointed to it and laughed, thinking it was a joke since there clearly wasn't a town anywhere nearby. It wasn't a joke, and the clerk didn't appreciate my finding it funny. I felt bad.

[Angelrocks]

Well, first of all I am going to move there because I am a CCM writer.
Secondly, I want to actually speak to people that can communicate in English (I live in South Eastern, Florida). And for the third reason, most of the homes here are way overpriced and property taxes and insurance is more than anybody in Tennessee would ever consider paying. I want to move into a bigger home. I have lived in this 1,600 square foot home for 15 yrs. now! If I wanted to buy a 3,000 square foot home down here I would expect to pay over 15,000 a year in property taxes alone. I would also expect to pay at least $5,000 in insurance. Now do the math. That's $20,000 extra a year for property taxes and insurance. Would anybody from Tennessee want to pay that to live in an area where most people don't even speak any English? I want to have kids. This means I will have to send them to a private school down here if they want to have a decent education and learn to speak the English language.

If you were me, would you really want to live in South Florida? I could take all the money I would have to dish out to pay for property taxes, insurance and private schooling, and I could put that savings each year into our retirement account. I can also buy my 3,000 square foot home in Tennessee with cash. I wouldn't even need a mortage. Now what would you do?

Moving to Tennessee would also benefit first time home buyers - Many people I know can't even afford the median priced home here in South Florida. My old roommate and his girlfriend had to move to St. Augustine, Florida, because there was nothing to buy in their price range here. They had a huge assortment of "Crack Town" houses to choose from in the 200k range, but nobody in their right mind would want to live in those neighborhoods. In the reality of it all, unless somebody can put down 20% (about 75k) and make 100k per year you can't even qualify for the average median priced home loan. And these average size homes aren't very large. However, it's easy to afford a starter home in Tennessee, and the mortage rate is lower in Tennesse. If you were to stay in Florida and purchase the median size house in a safe neighborhood, on top of the outrageous mortage you would be paying, with a higher mortage rate than Tennessee, you would look forward to paying an extra $1k a month for property taxes and insurance. In addition, your children seeking a public education can count on gang activity in their schools (even in the good districts like mine). Since the cost of living here is much more than an average teachers salary, many of the teachers here in South Florida left. So, the local government has been recruiting teachers whose first spoken language is Spanish, and not English. I never heard of an English speaking American going to Spain or Puerto Rico to teach the locals Spanish, however in South Florida is become commonplace to have a teacher from another country.

Heck, don't forget the staff in the emercency rooms at the hospitals. When I was growing up I remember splitting my ear lobe in half. I had to be taken to the emergency room to get a few stiches. I remember the doctor who performed this simple procedure didn't do it properly. As a matter of fact, he could barely speak English. Because of this language barrier I couldn't communicate with him. I tried to let him know that I wanted to be able to have enough room to still wear earrings. After it healed I couldn't wear any earrings. Not only did he mess up simple procedure, but it cost us more in the long run to fix it. I had to go to a plastic surgeon to have him correct this botched up job. That was the only time I ever had stiches and it was from a doctor that couldn't even speak English. Do you really want to live here?

[artzeeann]

Whoa,
I hope U folks go easy on me. I just posted a new thread asking about Tennessee. I was looking in the area of Memphis. I need culture, warmth and peace of mind. I would not mind a deep lake too.
Awww... go ahead, read my post...I don't mind the "blatant truth".
Yeah....I want to escape.....
I am ready...need some feedback....Tired of winter...
I am getting the impression that there R some underlying factors that may make me re-think Tennessee. Am I reading too much into this thread?

[LeapingFaith]

Originally Posted by artzeeann

Whoa,
I hope U folks go easy on me. I just posted a new thread asking about Tennessee. I was looking in the area of Memphis. I need culture, warmth and peace of mind. I would not mind a deep lake too.
Awww... go ahead, read my post...I don't mind the "blatant truth".
Yeah....I want to escape.....
I am ready...need some feedback....Tired of winter...
I am getting the impression that there R some underlying factors that may make me re-think Tennessee. Am I reading too much into this thread?

DON'T BE BULLIED! If people on this forum think for a minute that they can discourage me or give me advice as to whether I move to TN or not is ludicris(sp) hope that's spelled correctly - I came to this forum to get an idea of neighborhoods - logistics - etc NOT to be swayed one way or another concerning my move! I trust GOD for those decisions - this forum is one of many tools I am using to create a big picture for myself - take it all with a grain of salt - get the info you need - eat the meat and spit out the bone!

[vasinger]

Virginia is another southern state that has a lot of transplants. The main reason is jobs, I think and also a nicer warmer climate, and just a better level of living.
Most places in the North are actually losing population.