Tennessee??? From Northern California? (Memphis, Knoxville: low crime, neighborhood, movies)

[whatalady]

(I also posted this on South Carolina's thread)

Okay, first let me say I have read alot of threads from people asking the same question. However, I am now more confused!
I have never lived out of state as an adult. So I am nervous and excited. Please give me suggestions on areas to settle down in. Please be direct and understand I am not familiar with this part of the country.
Info: married with 4 biracial children.
I like most all music
I am very much a homebody, but I do like to get out with the family
We like going to the movies and restaurants
Good schools are super important to us
low crime rate, that's why we're moving
low cost of living, we'll be living off DH retirement income
I like the country feel but close to the city
I don't want to drive more than 20 mins to shopping (grocery, target, wal mart)
I don't want to live in an area that is overrun with ghettoness or intolerance.
I like the water, but just don't want to live too close to it.
A place where I can feel safe to let my children play out front.
Easy access to medical facilities
A lot to ask but I want to be as specific as possible.
Weather is important, but not the end all and be all. No tornadoes please.
Also, my son wants to join the reserves, Air Force, is there an active air force base in Tenn.?
Thanks
Thanks y'all!

[BirdieBelle]

Arnold Air Force Base is outside of Tullahoma.

Arnold Air Force Base - Home

I would look into Chattanooga or Maryville outside of Knoxville.

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by whatalady

(I also posted this on South Carolina's thread)

Okay, first let me say I have read alot of threads from people asking the same question. However, I am now more confused!
I have never lived out of state as an adult. So I am nervous and excited. Please give me suggestions on areas to settle down in. Please be direct and understand I am not familiar with this part of the country.
Info: married with 4 biracial children.
I like most all music
I am very much a homebody, but I do like to get out with the family
We like going to the movies and restaurants
Good schools are super important to us
low crime rate, that's why we're moving
low cost of living, we'll be living off DH retirement income
I like the country feel but close to the city
I don't want to drive more than 20 mins to shopping (grocery, target, wal mart)
I don't want to live in an area that is overrun with ghettoness or intolerance.
I like the water, but just don't want to live too close to it.
A place where I can feel safe to let my children play out front.
Easy access to medical facilities
A lot to ask but I want to be as specific as possible.
Weather is important, but not the end all and be all. No tornadoes please.
Also, my son wants to join the reserves, Air Force, is there an active air force base in Tenn.?
Thanks
Thanks y'all!

You have quite a few criteria to meet and some of them conflict.

Typically good schools are found in more affluent areas, but it looks like you only have one source of income. This will probably price you out of the better suburbs of Nashville like Brentwood, Franklin, and Hendersonville, and maybe out of the better suburbs of Knoxville like Farragut. Many of the county and smaller city school systems are not very good in a state that is itself below average in education metrics. If you have a housing budget, we can help more.

TN is a high crime state overall. Yes, there will be people on here who dispute this due to reporting methods, and there are very safe places all over the state. However, the state has a severe drug and poverty problem, and this causes a lot of crime. According to the FBI, TN is the most violent state in the country. Property crime is also through the roof in some areas. My little town in far east TN has seemed to have gotten out of control with drugs and drug related crime over the past few years. My neighborhood is mostly older baby boomers and some people in their 70s-80s, and it's still fine, but I wouldn't feel safe having my kids play outside within most of the city limits of Kingsport. Many of the rural counties are just awash in drugs and domestic issues.

Tennessee most violent state says report

You're going to save a bundle in taxes compared to CA, but the nice places to live in TN are not as cheap as you may expect. Still, I'd expect it to be a bargain compared to most of CA. You get what you pay for in the truly "cheap" places.

TN is really a state of four metros - with Nashville being the prime choice, Memphis a close second in population, Knoxville being the "anchor" city of east TN, and Chattanooga with kind of alternative vibe and distant fourth in population. The Tri-Cities is the fifth largest metro, but the economy is too depressed and its too isolated to justify moving there. Clarksville is growing, but it's a military town and kind of off to itself. Most other cities are just small towns in rural areas. You need to stay in close to the "big four" if you want to live a regular life with shopping, conveniences, etc.

Tornadoes are more common in middle and west TN than east TN, but your odds of being hit by a tornado anywhere are so low that I don't know if I'd even consider it that heavily.

I'd also recommend some of the smaller towns on the outskirts of Knoxville. Reasonably safe, reasonably cheap, and I've heard Maryville has good schools

[DubbleT]

Again?
Look, from the source of the report YOU linked to-> "On its website, the FBI instructs readers to avoid comparing state violence because rankings tend to be simplistic and ignore factors that influence crime, as well as the different ways crimes are measured and reported."
Do you have something, anything, other than "one news organization’s analysis of FBI crime statistics" as a basis for telling people that the FBI says TN is one of the most violent states in the nation? Anything in the way of hard fact?
(Even your own source says "with the problem most heavily concentrated in Memphis and Nashville.")

[LEFT]TN isn't all rainbows and puppies but it's not quite the den of depravity you enjoy painting it to be either. TN is a lot like many other states, worse than some and better than others, but it's not that difficult to stay away from the worst areas unless you truly live in dire poverty.

[/LEFT]

[85rx-7gsl-se]

Originally Posted by Wmsn4Life

Arnold Air Force Base is outside of Tullahoma.

Arnold Air Force Base - Home

I would look into Chattanooga or Maryville outside of Knoxville.

Arnold has a pretty small Air Force presence. Most are civilians contractors and it a technology testing center. Doesn't seem like a place a new service member would get assigned to.

[jchometeam]

Originally Posted by DubbleT

Again?
Look, from the source of the report YOU linked to-> "On its website, the FBI instructs readers to avoid comparing state violence because rankings tend to be simplistic and ignore factors that influence crime, as well as the different ways crimes are measured and reported."
Do you have something, anything, other than "one news organization’s analysis of FBI crime statistics" as a basis for telling people that the FBI says TN is one of the most violent states in the nation? Anything in the way of hard fact?
(Even your own source says "with the problem most heavily concentrated in Memphis and Nashville.")

TN isn't all rainbows and puppies but it's not quite the den of depravity you enjoy painting it to be either. TN is a lot like many other states, worse than some and better than others, but it's not that difficult to stay away from the worst areas unless you truly live in dire poverty.

If Tennessee could give Memphis to Arkansas, our education and crime numbers would be so much better than they are. As far as violent crime, most areas of TN is a very safe place. And East TN's drug numbers are high partly because the police focus so much on it.

Bottom line, don't let crime deter you from moving anywhere in the state (except Memphis?)

[BirdieBelle]

Originally Posted by 85rx-7gsl-se

Arnold has a pretty small Air Force presence. Most are civilians contractors and it a technology testing center. Doesn't seem like a place a new service member would get assigned to.

I agree. It answers her question, though.

Millington has the nation's largest inland Naval base. Maybe he would be interested in the Naval Air Station.

Millington doesn't fit many of her other requirements, however.

[whatalady]

Okay, thanks. Maybe Tenn. is not the state for us after all. We definitely don't want to jump out of the pot and into the frying pan! Property crime is important to us as police seem to put it very low on the list unless someone is caught in the act. We're just fed up with California. Having our son close to us is important so I'll have to look into states that has active AFBs. Next stop Texas?????

[BirdieBelle]

Originally Posted by whatalady

Next stop Texas?????

Sounds like it.

FYI At the risk of jinxing myself, I feel the need to state that I have not been a victim of property crime since 1975, and I've lived in TN my whole life including 25 years in *gasp* Memphis.

[J&Em]

An active Air Force base is not always where you find the Reserves, and it isn't a full time position. Do you mean ROTC or is he in the reserves or Air National Guard? What are you actually trying to be near?

For Air National Guard, here's an example of what is here in Tennessee on this side of the state.

McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base

If you want to know where the Air Force bases are with Air Reserve Wings use this:
Air Force Reserve - Air Force Reserve

As far as crime goes there is a lot of hot air being made about it, when so far we have found it is far less than in other areas of the country where we either have family in or have lived. It is certainly less than an awful lot of places in California!!

Tornadoes are everywhere but almost never have occurred on the eastern edge of the state. Weather is 4 season moderate, with fairly hot and somewhat humid summers.