If you moved to Tennessee from another state, how did you do it? (Charleston: house, schools)

[TN Tin Man]

Every time I came to Tennessee from Florida..I crammed the truck full of stuff not needed in Florida..and stuck it in storeage. Only took 4+ years and numerous trips..It worked for me.. Like Johnny Cash song... One piece at a time..

[Kim918]

We moved here from Florida. We visited once on vacation and decided we wanted to live here. Went home put our house up for sale. I had a transfer and fully paid move, but my husband had to find a job. After several prospective buyers failed to close, we almost gave up. 1 year later we finally sold and my transfer was still available. My husband sent out resumes from FL. He was called for a job while we were still there. We ended up moving at that point so he interviewed after we had already moved and got the job.

Sometimes you have to just take a chance, but do your research first. Does your profession have jobs here? Do you have a financial cushion in case it takes awhile to find employment? Also keep in mind most rental communities require that you be employed before you can put in an application. I ended up renting over the phone last minute sight unseen. Put the app in over the phone and picked up the keys as soon as we got here. 3 months later we bought a home. It's hard to coordinate everything in a long distance move. Cover as many bases as possible and hope it all goes as planned. Be ready to be flexible if it doesn't.

[smtygoingeast]

We're noticing so many different ways it has worked out for people. That's exactly it, be flexible and just plan for anything. I'm seeing a lot of people come from Florida, we're coming from California...so much farther...longer trips and more costly...but I'm sure Tennessee will be worth it :-)

[Memphis1979]

Originally Posted by smtygoingeast

We're noticing so many different ways it has worked out for people. That's exactly it, be flexible and just plan for anything. I'm seeing a lot of people come from Florida, we're coming from California...so much farther...longer trips and more costly...but I'm sure Tennessee will be worth it :-)

I liked Florida. I like my family more. A lot of folks move to Florida expecting magaritaville all year long. When you're there for a while, it simply becomes another place to live. I knew what I was getting into, but Florida was better then Michigan. The ultimate goal was to get back home to Tennessee. Finally got that done.

Your the one being responsible in the other thread, finding employment before moving. I just don't see how anyone with kids can pick up and move without a plan to care for their family when they get there. You have a plan, for that, I welcome you if you get here.

[F250Glock]

I and my wife were extremely lucky. I had a conversation with my manager, letting him know that we desired to move to Tennessee in the next twelve months (had conversation in June of last year), he promoted me to a national role, and said "what are you waiting for".

We vacationed in Oak Ridge in August to neighborhood shop. Got very lucky again with a realtor in Sevierville. Really liked the area, decided we'd build a house and started the process. My wife told her employer we were leaving in April, and they asked her to stay on as a remote worker. So in short. Unlike many coming to Tennessee, we brought two jobs with us, and supported I don't know how many building our house.

We move into an apartment in April while the house is being finished, and will be full time residents April 10th.

And as an added bonus, we are dragging my retired parents along. Dad bought a cabin in Pigeon Forge, mom and stepdad are buying a house near Lake Douglas. Plus at least one of my close friends is currently shopping for a cabin to move into. He is a pilot, so his job comes with him as well. Only his wife will be looking for local employment, and she's a mail carrier by trade, so with that drying up, she will likely go to school for a bit, and find something she has a passion for.

All in all we are very exited to be joining the Tennessee family. NYS can suck it (and we are all very conservative politically.)

[jvicks4]

When we first moved here from Michigan in 2005, we had some savings, only a few thousand. I was a student and my husband searched for a job. It took several months before he found something, but we made it work. The cost of living is low in the small town where we live so that helped. When we moved away and came back, he got a transfer.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by jvicks4

When we first moved here from Michigan in 2005, we had some savings, only a few thousand. I was a student and my husband searched for a job. It took several months before he found something, but we made it work. The cost of living is low in the small town where we live so that helped. When we moved away and came back, he got a transfer.

Interesting that we both moved here in 2005. The economy was very good back then, thanks to the housing boom. I think the lesson in this is you can't always go by what others have done since there are different circumstances, different skill sets and resumes, different economic times and also, ultimately different locations. Tennessee is a big state with unemployment rates from 5 to almost 17 percent. Your mileage will definitely vary.

[Bluemerle]

Originally Posted by N.Cal

No way. I moved from Northern California and would go back there in a heartbeat. But my work situation forced me to move. I will be returning to California when situations play out. I will likely have to pay for it myself, so I'll sell pretty much everything buy my bikes and load them up and drive away.

I have been in Nor Cal for almost 50 years and would give anything to be able to move to mid-Tenessees. We visited in 2005 and were pretty much sold and then came home and husband ended up being offered an excellent job. in many ways, we were blessed with this job but I was MAJORLY disappointed that we were not moving to beautiful Tennessee.

I am not sure where in Nor Cal you were from but I don't think you are missing much.

Just my opinion.

[Leonard64]

Originally Posted by smtygoingeast

We're noticing so many different ways it has worked out for people. That's exactly it, be flexible and just plan for anything. I'm seeing a lot of people come from Florida, we're coming from California...so much farther...longer trips and more costly...but I'm sure Tennessee will be worth it :-)

We arrived in Aug 2009 after 3 trips narrowing it down to Eastern, TN and my wife tells me if I want to move, it is OK with her, she will buy me a note pad and pen and tell me to write often.

[groovamos]

My brother is not on C-D but he became a Tennessean a couple of weeks back, moving from the Atlanta area (Lawrenceville) to Chattanooga (Hixson). His wife works for one of the health insurers who have a contract managing government health benefits, so she's on the phone all day as a caseworker from home. He is an antique dealer who moved all his wares into a rented space in an antique mall. They have been planning a move to East TN for a couple of years deciding between the two significant metros there but I think the 'noog always had the upper hand. And I was there as a college freshman when he was in elementary school in Arlington Heights IL (what year? Hendrix cracked the top 40 with his only hit single when I arrived) and would have been stupefied had someone predicted he would ever spend time there, much less move there. They have been going for a few years to the riverfront music festival (what's it called?), and the town has grown on them.

He bought last fall and rented to the sellers for a couple of months and has been making trips to the house since Jan. renovating.