Good schools, small town... (Knoxville, Chattanooga: low crime, house, high school)

[MandiC]

My husband and I currently live in a small town outside of Green Bay, WI and are considering a move south

My husband hunts and fishes in his spare time so we need to be in an area where he can continue that. I don't want to live somewhere where lots are less than an acre a piece, I want to be able to continue owning chickens, have a nice garden, and good schools are a must. Cost of living can't be too ridiculous (though I am under the impression that it generally isn't in TN) and crime needs to be low. As far as the weather, I am sure anything will be mild compared to WI I don't mind some snow, but would rather the kind of snow that melts within a day or two. I think I'd like to be within an hour or two drive of the Nashville airport.
We're just in the very beginning stages of planning right now, my husband's job has given him the opportunity to 'pick a town and pick a date' recently and we would really like to live somewhere a little less depressing where we are not trapped in our house for months of the year due to the extreme cold.

Any suggestions on where to start looking as far as locations?
Some favorite things about living in TN? Least favorite? Anything someone from out of state might want to know prior to moving to TN?

[JMT]

Originally Posted by MandiC

My husband and I currently live in a small town outside of Green Bay, WI and are considering a move south

My husband hunts and fishes in his spare time so we need to be in an area where he can continue that. I don't want to live somewhere where lots are less than an acre a piece, I want to be able to continue owning chickens, have a nice garden, and good schools are a must. Cost of living can't be too ridiculous (though I am under the impression that it generally isn't in TN) and crime needs to be low. As far as the weather, I am sure anything will be mild compared to WI I don't mind some snow, but would rather the kind of snow that melts within a day or two. I think I'd like to be within an hour or two drive of the Nashville airport.
We're just in the very beginning stages of planning right now, my husband's job has given him the opportunity to 'pick a town and pick a date' recently and we would really like to live somewhere a little less depressing where we are not trapped in our house for months of the year due to the extreme cold.

Any suggestions on where to start looking as far as locations?
Some favorite things about living in TN? Least favorite? Anything someone from out of state might want to know prior to moving to TN?

Sounds like you need to check out Cookeville. It's just over an hour east of the Nashville airport. Excellent schools, zero zoning ordinances outside of the city (you can do whatever you want, raise whatever animals you want on your land), low cost of living, low crime, gorgeous countryside.

Check out the Cookeville photo thread and see what you think: https://www.city-data.com/forum/cooke...ea-photos.html

[alleycat]

Cookeville isn't a bad suggestion.

Possibly also Wilson County, east of Nashville/Davidson County.

We have some nice places to fish (the big TVA lakes and smaller lakes and streams) assuming you are willing to drive a short distance. Bass and crappie fishing are big here. Hunting can be problematic. There are places to hunt on public lands, but it's not the best. If you're coming from out-of-state, you will probably have to either get to know someone who will let you hunt on their land, or join some kind of hunting club. Small game hunting would be easier to arrange (rabbits, squirrels; possibly dove and quail if you know the right person), but deer hunting is tougher because people are protective of their own deer hunting areas. We do have lots of deer, by the way--LOTS of deer.

I think you will like our winter weather compared to Wisconsin but, of course, it does get very hot and humid here most summers, especially July and August.

It sounds like you will also enjoy the natural areas around Middle Tennessee. We have some nice state parks and other natural areas. And it's not too bad of a drive over to East Tennessee and the mountains, which are spectacular.

I know it's going to be hard to change a Cheesehead (or next to impossible), but hopefully you and your husband will still enjoy the Tennessee Titans and the Nashville Predators.

[jabogitlu]

Greeneville has good schools and a good high school. (Greene County schools aren't so good.) It's close to the mountains, roughly equidistant between Asheville and Knoxville. Very much small town life - wouldn't be hard to live way out in the county and still send your kids to city schools (gotta pay the tuition though, if you're not in the city district).

If your husband lost his job, or if you needed to find one, it would be difficult in Greeneville. Good jobs are hard to come by. It's also much farther from an international airport than Cookeville or Wilson County, as other posters have suggested.

[nashvols]

I think Cookeville is a good suggestion. I would also look at Tullahoma (population ~18,000), which is a little more than an hour from Nashville, and a little less than an hour from Chattanooga.

It is the home of AEDC, an Air Force wind tunnel facility, and the UT Space Institute (UTSI), so there is a higher concentration of college graduates and those with advanced degrees than you will find in most small towns in Tennessee (mainly in engineering disciplines).

Oak Ridge in East Tennessee is an option as well. It's a fair sized town (like Cookeville, ~30,000), and is the home of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. It is closer to a larger city than the others (30+ minutes from Knoxville), but it does not really act like a suburb.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by jabogitlu

Greeneville has good schools and a good high school. (Greene County schools aren't so good.) It's close to the mountains, roughly equidistant between Asheville and Knoxville. Very much small town life - wouldn't be hard to live way out in the county and still send your kids to city schools (gotta pay the tuition though, if you're not in the city district).

If your husband lost his job, or if you needed to find one, it would be difficult in Greeneville. Good jobs are hard to come by. It's also much farther from an international airport than Cookeville or Wilson County, as other posters have suggested.

Originally Posted by nashvols

I think Cookeville is a good suggestion. I would also look at Tullahoma (population ~18,000), which is a little more than an hour from Nashville, and a little less than an hour from Chattanooga.

It is the home of AEDC, an Air Force wind tunnel facility, and the UT Space Institute (UTSI), so there is a higher concentration of college graduates and those with advanced degrees than you will find in most small towns in Tennessee (mainly in engineering disciplines).

Oak Ridge in East Tennessee is an option as well. It's a fair sized town (like Cookeville, ~30,000), and is the home of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. It is closer to a larger city than the others (30+ minutes from Knoxville), but it does not really act like a suburb.

The OP asked to be within an hour or two of the Nashville airport, so that rules out Greeneville and Oak Ridge.

Tullahoma is definitely a good suggestion, but in order to benefit from Tullahoma's city schools one must live in the city of Tullahoma. There is no such restriction in Cookeville which is part of a county school system with open enrollment, meaning one can live anywhere in the county but still go to Cookeville schools. And with zero zoning ordinances in the county, the OP can have as many animals on their land as they want with no restrictions.

[the_commuter]

Originally Posted by JMT

And with zero zoning ordinances in the county, the OP can have as many animals on their land as they want with no restrictions.

Of course, with zero zoning ordinances in the county, the OP's neighbor can have as many noisy, annoying, unsightly, horrid ________ as they want on their land with no restrictions.

Having no zoning is a double-edged sword.

JMT undoubtedly knows that, but I think it's always worth pointing out that while no zoning can have some benefits, it can have very serious consequences as well.

[nashvols]

I could make it from Oak Ridge to BNA in 2 hours....

but point taken.

[jabogitlu]

Sorry, didn't see the airport requirements. Within 2 hours of BNA, I personally would try to live around Cookeville.

[moving123]

Originally Posted by JMT

The OP asked to be within an hour or two of the Nashville airport, so that rules out Greeneville and Oak Ridge.

Tullahoma is definitely a good suggestion, but in order to benefit from Tullahoma's city schools one must live in the city of Tullahoma. There is no such restriction in Cookeville which is part of a county school system with open enrollment, meaning one can live anywhere in the county but still go to Cookeville schools. And with zero zoning ordinances in the county, the OP can have as many animals on their land as they want with no restrictions.

Just a clarification. You can pay tuition and still attend Tullahoma City schools.