Looking to move (Memphis, Knoxville, Clarksville: transplants, job market, living in)

[Rick from Mich]

if you were going to move to western Tenn. and liked rolling hills and wanted a place with a strong economy, where would you go?

[BirdieBelle]

You could look into Bartlett. It is a small town that is now considered a suburb of Memphis and always on lists of "best places to live." The eastern portion of Shelby County is more upscale but still has rural areas. Since you don't like city life, you could look into living in Arlington, Lakeland or Collierville. As far as rolling hills, I don't know that you'd see those. It is mostly farmland. But it is still beautiful.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Rick from Mich

if you were going to move to western Tenn. and liked rolling hills and wanted a place with a strong economy, where would you go?

Why is this in the Nashville forum? Nashville isn't in western TN. You might get more responses in the Memphis forum.

At any rate, I can't think of anywhere in West TN that has a strong economy. Those Tennessee rolling hills get a lot flatter the further west you go. If you want rolling hills and a strong(ish) economy you're better off looking in the Nashville or Knoxville areas.

[Diane Giam]

Originally Posted by JMT

Why is this in the Nashville forum? Nashville isn't in western TN. You might get more responses in the Memphis forum.

At any rate, I can't think of anywhere in West TN that has a strong economy. Those Tennessee rolling hills get a lot flatter the further west you go. If you want rolling hills and a strong(ish) economy you're better off looking in the Nashville or Knoxville areas.

I agree on that. Also you will find more people from Michigan in Nashville than in Memphis. I really don't think you will like it there.

[Wingz]

I agree with the others who suggested Middle or East TN for rolling hills and better economy, BUT you specifically asked about West TN so I suppose you have a reason and I'll pitch in what I can.

The problem is that you're looking for a good economy, not a big city (saw that in your other post), and rolling hills. There is no place in West Tennessee that has all three, so you will have to decide which of those have priority.

The best chance of finding a job will be in the Memphis area, but you don't want a big city and it's flat there. The next best place to find a job would be Jackson, and it's flat, also. The only hilly area of West Tennessee is along the Tennessee River, but there are almost no towns in that area so a job would be tough to find.

You might take a look at Paris. I have no idea what their economy is like compared to other towns (it's bad in all small towns here). I suggest Paris because it is the largest "small" town near the Tennessee River where it's hilly. Paris definitely won't give you the big city experience, but it's large enough you might have a decent chance in the job market.

One other suggestion would one of the small towns west or south of Clarksville, those areas are very hilly. Clarksville is in Middle Tennessee, but close to West Tennessee, and may offer job opportunities.

[Ratherfly]

I would check out Bell Buckle, TN. Beautiful land, quiet surroundings, but not too far from civilization.

About an hour south of Nashville, and yes... lots of Michigan transplants.

We were visiting there recently (from New England) and a local commented on our accent asking if we were from Michigan. <lol> Now there's an accent not easily confused.

[blueraider08]

Originally Posted by Wingz

I agree with the others who suggested Middle or East TN for rolling hills and better economy, BUT you specifically asked about West TN so I suppose you have a reason and I'll pitch in what I can.

The problem is that you're looking for a good economy, not a big city (saw that in your other post), and rolling hills. There is no place in West Tennessee that has all three, so you will have to decide which of those have priority.

The best chance of finding a job will be in the Memphis area, but you don't want a big city and it's flat there. The next best place to find a job would be Jackson, and it's flat, also. The only hilly area of West Tennessee is along the Tennessee River, but there are almost no towns in that area so a job would be tough to find.

You might take a look at Paris. I have no idea what their economy is like compared to other towns (it's bad in all small towns here). I suggest Paris because it is the largest "small" town near the Tennessee River where it's hilly. Paris definitely won't give you the big city experience, but it's large enough you might have a decent chance in the job market.

One other suggestion would one of the small towns west or south of Clarksville, those areas are very hilly. Clarksville is in Middle Tennessee, but close to West Tennessee, and may offer job opportunities.

you are so right! i've lived in West Tn for the majority of my life and i can tell you if we came across a hill we were amazed...its flat farmland perfect for cotton and corn and whatever else ( and also for tornados which hit every year)

Memphis is the biggest city in the region so if you are looking for industry that would be the best place to start, though it may not be as thriving as somewhere in middle or east tn. The only problem with living in Memphis is, because of the crime, many people are moving to the suburban areas like Bartlett, collierville, germantown, etc, which may or may not be what you are looking for.

My advice would be if you don't have a specific reason to move to West Tn other than a job, etc than I would consider Middle or East Tn... it has more of what you listed/looking for