If you relocated to Nashville, how has your experience been? (Murfreesboro: appointed, transplants)

[sickofsnowychi]

We are looking at the possibility of relocating to the Nashville area, probably the Franklin area. We are from Chicago and we are looking for a milder climate and a more laid back place to raise our girls. We are also looking for a better cost of living, the move would allow me to stay home with the kids at least until they start school. We will be leaving some family in the Chicago area, which will be hard, but the trade off is that we will be moving closer to other family that is spread throughout the south. I just wanted to get some first hand experiences from anyone who has taken the plunge already and see how things are going. We also looked at Atlanta area and Raleigh, but those areas seemed so much bigger and seemed like they have grown too fast and the cities have not caught up yet. I also do not like the idea of poisonous spiders and snakes, and it seems that it is a little more controlled in Nashville vs. some of the cities further south. It seems that a good contract with an exterminator will pretty much do the job.

[Why_Am_I_Here]

I relocated (to Rutherford County) last year from New England and couldn't be happier. Everything here is so much more inexpensive, home prices, taxes, electricity. Although people "from here" will tell you they are expensive.
Like you most of my family is spread across the mid south, with only my and my spouses immediate family in New England.
The "laid backness" you are looking for is a bit different than the what is seen other parts of the US. The one thing I like is the fact there is still some liberal thinkers here, but it is not forced upon you everyday in the papers or on the news. You will get the "damn yankee" title, but it is mostly in jest and not meant to be a slur (although from some it is a slur).

Any other questions let me know...

[BP300]

I relocated from NYC and really like it here, but most of my friends are from out-of-state and moved for business purposes or for lower cost of living. I don't like the locals. I'll refrain from writing my reasons here, b/c my post will be cut by the moderators. If you would like more information, feel free to PM me.

[Mary_Moon]

There are several newer developments near my home in Murfreesboro that are mostly populated by transplants with many coming from the Chicago area. So many so that I often wonder if some sort of memo went out to Chicagoans directing them here! Most of the women I'm acquainted with are stay-at-home moms or have part-time jobs that revolve around their kids' school schedule. Even though most 'natives' have their quirks that can take getting used to, I often hear how much transplants like the slower pace of life here and how much more affordable the overall cost of living is. I only know of 1 person who wants desperately to move back to Chicago, but he's a cold-weather lover and can't stand when the mercury rises above 85. I was just speaking to a couple of 'transplants' at my children's school yesterday about winters here. We had one of the longest, coldest, snowiest winters in the Nashville area in 30 years this year and they thought it was nothing compared to what they were used to dealing with back home. It's all relative.

On fitting in - only those who move here with an attitude or elitist mindset tend to have problems with locals - kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy. I know not a single 'local' who would judge someone solely on where they moved here from or ethnicity. I have one Chicago-originating friend who laughs at some of our cultural idioms which becomes tiresome, especially when she uses typical 'Yankee speak' on a daily basis. Pot, meet kettle. That kind of hypocrisy tends to be lost on a few who move here expecting Nashville to be a carbon copy of their hometown. The south, just like other regional areas, is not just a physical place; it has a history, customs and a culture unlike anywhere else and the overall character and tone is not going to change anytime soon no matter how much some people b*tch and whine about it.

It's funny you mentioned spiders - I have one friend from Pittsburgh who refuses to build a playhouse for his kids outside because he doesn't want them exposed to spiders. Most here are harmless and locals are pretty used to all kinds of critters in the yard and in time, you will be, too. Exterminators do a nice job of keeping the bad-critter population under control, tho, and are very reasonable!

[septimus]

I often feel like I'm an anthropologist. I like it here, but it doesn't have a lot of the things that make the northeast desireable. Most of my friends aren't natives.

[groovamos]

Originally Posted by BP300

I relocated from NYC and really like it here, but most of my friends are from out-of-state .... I don't like the locals. I'll refrain from writing my reasons here, b/c my post will be cut by the moderators. If you would like more information, feel free to PM me.

Really brilliant. Its like someone likes a city and local institutions built by "locals", but doesn't like the "locals". This is the attitude driving the cultural split in our country, unfortunately by lending credence to the notion some have that north-easterners habitually look down their noses at those from other cultures. So much for the multicultural ideal. My guess, and this just a guess, is that the poster thinks of them-self as "progressive".

I was born in Atlanta and moved to Nashville at age 5 and grew up there, and later transferred to VU, from where I graduated. I would estimate that 90% of my friends during my early years (and many of them are life-long friends) were born in the area. The other 10% included my best friend in elementary school (from Boston), and a pair of twins in my neighborhood from Detroit. I detected no significant difference in those born there from the ones not. As a kid, you are attuned to some "ethereal" things in the local culture, but to describe them as negatives would be laughable.

"Locals" must be doing something right. The local healthcare economic sector was entirely established by "locals" in the beginning, one of which, Tom Frist Sr. was father to one of those "locals", former senate majority leader Bill Frist. With whom I was acquainted at Montgomery Bell Academy, one of those institutions established and built almost entirely by "locals" into one in the top 3 schools in the south. I don't know of any school in Texas with the reputation of MBA. Local culture was behind the generation of a classic film, "Dead Poets Society", inspired in my MBA classmate, "local" Tom Shulman, who was awarded an Oscar for the screenplay about his experience at our school with a "local" English instructor.

Likewise Vanderbilt has been pushed into the top 15 in the nation in research funding, and piloted there by a board of trustees heavily weighted by "locals". The "local" chairperson of that board (Martha Ingram) was also, in a major way, behind the creation of the exquisite symphony hall in Nashville, and contributed millions to both institutions.

Yeah, the poster shows some great taste, great attitude, in not liking "locals" such as these.

[rossc]

We moved from New England and I don't miss the north even a little. People here are friendlier, the weather is better and cost of living is cheaper. The downside to the cheaper cost of living is that wages tend to be a bit lower on the average. We also moved at about the same time the job market tanked, so that has been a challenge.

[kad1974]

I am from CT and my husband and I would like to relocate very soon! we are very disappointed with CT and most of all the way the kids are raised. No respect, No discipline and so many little groups of kids that dont like to share friends. Its so sad, my kids are 7 and 13 and we want to be in an area that parents actually care how their children behave and act towards others. We would be leaving family which will be so hard, but hopefully gaining a area that is friendly, supportive, good schools, and disciplined. Can you tell me if I have found the right place? We lived in South Charlotte for several years and that is exactly how it was, my husbands job has brought us back to CT and now has an offer to TN. Any advice for me???? Thank you

[Big TR]

We relocated from suburban Chicago to Franklin 2 years ago. We left all our family and friends and came down here knowing nobody. We love the weather, cost of living, schools and don't even think about moving back home. Things are much much more laid back, less traffic, less rush rush rush, etc. I live 33 miles from my office and get to work in 30 minutes.

Kad1974, kids with no respect and discipline are universal. Idiots procreate all over the place and Tennessee is no exception.

[bionic2006]

I moved here five years ago for a job. Raised in the upper Midwest I had lived in other areas of the Southeast before coming to Nashville. I have enjoyed my time here. You do need to be mindful of the change in culture. Its not a huge change....at least it wasn't for me. There are definitely different colloquialisms in different areas of the country. That's about the biggest difference I have noticed. I have friends here that are transplants and I have friends that have always lived here. There are nice people everywhere IMO....its your job to find the people that you mesh well with. As for a previous post about disrespectful children.....my husband teaches for a local district....the poster who mentioned that children are like that everywhere is correct. Its becoming a universal problem....same thing with adults.