TN - Need Help with Living Info...

[LadyD088]

Hi…I am hoping you can help me gather information for a future move.

My Dh and I currently live in SoCal and know that we just can’t afford to raise a family here (comfortably). So I am researching 4 markets to move to. I can find most information on the internet but am looking for “locals” to help with information as well, since neither of us has ever lived outside of California.

We will make a decision sometime next year and then move forward as to where to move. Of course we will visit the states we are looking at, but only for about a weekend – not much you can find out that quickly but it will help some. We will rent for about 2 years while deciding where to build the house of our dreams.

*Education (and benefits of kids remaining in state for college?)
*What are the best Grade Schools, High Schools?
*Seasonal Info – does it rain a lot or snow? Is it hot or humid? Etc…
*What are the best Suburbs? Which are the worst – which should I completely avoid?
*What do YOU like best about where you live?
*Anything else you think I should know or concern myself with about your state?

Any information you can provide is GREATLY appreciated!!! I can’t tell you how much it would mean to me. Again, THANK YOU!!!

Debbie

Feel free to PM me or just post to this thread.

[coquelicot]

I've only lived here for about 3 years, and I don't have children, but I'll try to help out...

*Education (and benefits of kids remaining in state for college?)
As of now, Tennessee has a lottery that funds college scholarships for students who maintain a 3.0 GPA and have a 21 on their ACT, as long as the student remains in the state to attend college. More info on this can be found here (http://www.tnlottery.com/wheremoneygoes/where_benefits.aspx). There are quite a few colleges just here in the Nashville area alone, both public and private. Tennessee State, Middle Tennessee State (technically in Murfreesboro, about 30 miles SE of Nashville), Nashville Tech, Belmont, Vanderbilt, Trevecca, Cumberland, and a ton more that I can't think of. Of course, UT is in Knoxville, and they have various campuses across the state--Chattanooga and Martin (west TN) are the only two I can think of off the top of my head. I don't know the costs of in-state college tuition, but I don't think they're all that high.

*What are the best Grade Schools, High Schools?
In Nashville metro, there are a lot of people who send their children to private schools because to them, the public-school system leaves something to be desired. There are a couple of decent schools, perhaps the magnet ones might be what you want to try for if you do go public. As an alternative to private school, some people move to neighboring counties to find higher-ranked public schools (such as Williamson County, home to Brentwood and Franklin, or even Wilson County, where I live). As for specific schools--not sure I can help you, as I'm not too much in tune with them.

*Seasonal Info – does it rain a lot or snow? Is it hot or humid? Etc…
In a word, yes to everything except the snow. :D In the off-chance that it does snow around here, even flurries can incite city-wide panic. Just ask anyone who lived here in January 2003, when 7 inches fell in a couple of hours. The schools have been known to dismiss early when flurries have been flying. I'm serious. We get our fair share of rain (maybe 40 inches a year?), and the summers can be pretty oppressive. But we definitely get 4 seasons. Sometimes in one week.

*What are the best Suburbs? Which are the worst – which should I completely avoid?
If you're looking for the ritziest, head for Brentwood or Franklin outside the county, Belle Meade inside. If you can't afford them but still want fairly affluent places, try Goodlettsville, Hendersonville, or Mt. Juliet. A lot of people will tell you to avoid Antioch because it's going downhill pretty quickly. Most of the other suburbs fall somewhere in the middle, as far as I can tell, anyway. As for other cities in the state--can't really help you there. If you're considering Knoxville, I know the west side is growing rapidly and has a lot of shopping. That's about all I know.

*What do YOU like best about where you live?
Generally friendly people, beautiful scenery, not too different from where I grew up (Kentucky)--aside from all that orange, that is. :P

*Anything else you think I should know or concern myself with about your state?
Rush-hour traffic can be a headache, although from what I've heard about some spots in SoCal, it's not THAT bad. Try to take a job that will let you come in before 7:30 and leave before 4. There's also a commuter train that's now running between downtown Nashville and the eastern suburbs. If you have to pay to park and have a gas-guzzling vehicle, it's not a bad deal.

Okay, brain has run dry now...

[LadyD088]

Coquelicot - Perfect!! Thank you SO much for giving me that information, I really appreciate it.

Hoping more people will chime in and give me their opinions as well.

Deb

[Elenna]

I've lived here almost 6 years and I agree with everything Coquelicot has said.

Colleges/Universities: Vanderbilt is a very good school, but it is pricey. I have friends who graduated from Lipscomb and really liked it, but it is a religious university. I've heard Watkins College of Art and Design is good, too. I think Coquelicot got all the other colleges I can think of in and around Nashville. In Cookeville there is Tennessee Tech. My DH and a lot of our friends graduated from there and say that school is really good. I haven't heard too much about UT Knoxville or Eastern Tennessee State.

grade schools/high schools: Almost everyone I know in Nashville/Davidson County sends their kids to magnet or private schools. I'm not sure how accurate it is, but everyone seems to think the public schools here aren't good. I know a lot of people who have moved out of the country for their kids to attend good public schools (Williamson County mainly). I really need to start researching this.

weather: It does get hot and humid in the Summer, but nothing like deeper in the south. It rains a lot (I've read we get even more rain than Seattle). But it is balanced out by a lot of sunny days, too. It has snowed every year I've been here, but the snow doesn't stay on the ground even a day (except 2003 where it did stay icy for a couple of days). East Tennessee gets more snow than Nashville.
Nashville also tends to not get the major weather patterns that sweep through Tennessee. We're in a bowl that diverts the weather around us. Which is good because it means less tornados and bad because we don't get as much snow.

suburbs: The best suburbs are Spring Hill, Brentwood, Franklin, and Bellevue. I haven't heard anything bad about any suburbs around Nashville, but I know from experience I wouldn't want to live in any of the suburbs because traffic is really bad. As Coquelicot said, there is a commuter train that just opened that goes between downtown Nashville and the eastern suburbs. They are planning on expanding it to go to all the other suburbs (south, west, and north). But it doesn't seem like people are using the train (traffic is still horrible during rush hour). I think the worst suburbs, traffic wise, are to the east and north. Traffic isn't all that bad to Brentwood, Spring Hill, and Franklin, but those areas are growing very quickly.

What I like best: I live in Nashville proper and really enjoy being so close to the city. I live in the Inglewood area of Nashville. There are other great areas in Nashville proper to live (Belmont, Vanderbilt, Sylvan Park), Green Hills, Belle Meade). What I like best about where I live is that we're very close to downtown, we're just a few minutes drive to two big shopping areas (Opry Mills mall, Rivergate Mall) and to a nice walking/jogging/nature park (Shelby Bottoms), our neighborhood is diverse, and the houses are older and have character.

Other stuff: I fully expected to have culture shock when I moved from Seattle to here, but I didn't, it doesn't feel like I'm in the South. Though, if you get outside the major metropolitan areas you do feel like you're in the South.

[mindy75]

I'm a little late, but I'm a Nashville native if that helps...The 2 PPs have truly covered just about everything. I'll see if there's something I can add.

*Education (and benefits of kids remaining in state for college?)
The new lottery scholarships are a benefit. Also there are discounts to state schools for children of teachers and state employees. TN Board of Regents (umbrella cover for ALL state colleges and universities) offers online degree programs. The tuition for state schools continues to be fairly reasonable. The one state university not mentioned by PPs is Austin Peay State in Clarksville (about 40 miles NW of Nashville). It's tuition is $3000 in-state plus room and board, meals and other fees. I imagine all the smaller state Us will be roughly the same cost. Community colleges will be cheaper and larger universities, UT Knoxville and the University of Memphis, will be slightly more.


*What are the best Grade Schools, High Schools?
I truly don't know much about Metro Nashville schools. I went through that system but it was many years ago and things have changed considerably. They've changed around busing and zoning so as to appeal to the many people who live in metro but send their kids to private schools. It's not worked, to say the least. Everyone I know who lives in Nashville sends their kids to one private school or another. From what I do know...I've heard good things about Brookview, HG Hills, and Julia Green elementaries on the west side of town. And John Overton High School (also on the west). North of downtown is Hunters Lane HS which has an excellent baccalaureate/college prep program (also my alma mater :D ), however the feeder schools for it are only mediocre. The magnet schools are excellent in Nashville, but the lists are long to get into them. Hume Fogg HS (downtown Nashville) was most recently topping the list of best high schools in the state. In the suburbs, the best school districts are in Williamson county(south), followed closely by Wilson(east) and Sumner(north). Brentwood in Williamson county is currently THE place to live in Mid-TN. The schools are excellent. I don't know much about Wilson county except I have a friend who lives in Mt. Juliet. Her sons go to Stoner Creek elementary and she raves about it. I live in Sumner. The best of the best up here is the Indian Lake Elementary School district in Hendersonville, which feeds into Hendersonville High School.

*Seasonal Info – does it rain a lot or snow? Is it hot or humid? Etc…
I ditto everything everyone else has said in this regard. We get a lot of rain, but not a lot of snow. Some snow that doesn't last for long. We manage to eek out 4 distinct seasons which is nice. The summers are both hot and humid. July and August can get nasty around here. January and February are traditionally the coldest months we have. The best weather months IMO in Nashville are May and October.

*What are the best Suburbs? Which are the worst – which should I completely avoid?

Well it depends on if you are determined to live in Nashville proper. Antioch to the east is getting bad. Crieve Hall used to be a nice little middle-class pocket south of Nashville, but it too is starting to go downhill. The best is Green Hills to the west, but it's pricey. Bellevue, farther west is also very nice. OH, Belle Meade! Tops Green Hills---very ritzy. There are little pockets of good and bad all over Nashville as with any city. Recently there as been work towards urban renewal in some of the worst neighborhoods in all directions of town. But I would still avoid--Waverly/fairgrounds area, East Nasvhille and Lockeland Springs and anything west of Nashville that isn't Bellevue or Green Hills. The suburbs north of Nashville are the ones I know best. Of those--Goodlettsville is the one I'd recommend. Also home! Madison used to be pretty good, but much like Antioch it's going downhill fast. East?? Lets see. Hermitage, Donelson, and Old Hickory all have some good points. Of those, I'd most likely pick Hermitage. Donelson is the closest to town and IMO it's the iffiest. However, it does have nice pockets of older homes with lots of character and retains some small town atmosphere. I would avoid it's public high school. McGavock is rough with a capital R. Another outlying county that is growing rapidly is Rutherford (Murfreesboro, Smyrna and Lavergne. I don't know much about either area, but lots of people are moving out there in droves. Real estate has good prices but I don't know about the schools.

*What do YOU like best about where you live?

I just like Nashville. People are mostly friendly. The seasons are pretty. Lots of live music venues (not just country).

*Anything else you think I should know or concern myself with about your state


Not that I can think of truly. I don't know much about areas outside of Middle TN. East TN (Knoxville) is lovely, but it's well East TN. There's a historic clash between the 3 regions of this state. East is the most rural and the most conservative both politically and socially. West TN (Memphis) is the opposite and in Mid-TN (Nashville) tends to fall somewhere in the middle. logically ;) . Coming from Southern California you might be concerned about, well food. If you are into organic/whole foods, it can be hard to come by around here. There are some markets for that to the west of town. Esp in Green Hills. Grocery stores like Publix (my fav) and Kroger have rather limited selections.

[MrsWilson]

Since all the other replies are from Middle TN, I thought I'd let you know about West TN. I have lived here my whole life, just outside Memphis.


*Education (and benefits of kids remaining in state for college?)
ITA about the lottery scholarships. It has really helped many kids pay for college. I would say the school system is about the same as the Nashville area. The Memphis City Schools suck. The mayor of Memphis royally screwed them up (and he used to be on the Board of Education!) But, the Shelby County Schools are the best in the area. They still have their problems, but for the most part, they are some of the best public schools in the state. My DH is a teacher at a local high school, so I have first hand experience because I spend a lot of my free time at the school as well. The private schools are very nice, and expensive. My mom is a nanny and the kids she keeps are in private school. She has been very impressed with not on the education the kids are receiving, but also all the exra activities that the school offers (everything from ballet to summer camps). As for universities, there are more in the Nashville area than anywhere else, but we also have a few nice ones. The University of Memphis has a lot of offer. My degree is from there, and my DH is getting his masters there now as well. We have both been pleasantly surprised with the quality of professions and education we have recieved there. Memphis also has Rhodes College and Christian Brothers University. Jackson, TN (1 hour up Interstate 40 from Memphis) has about 5 Universities. Another thing to note is that a few universities in Mississippi are close (The University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University, and Delta State University) and some will wave out of state tuition if you live in a county that neighbors the state.

*What are the best Grade Schools, High Schools?
I think I answered this one already, oops!

*Seasonal Info – does it rain a lot or snow? Is it hot or humid? Etc…
About the same as everyone else says. We get maybe 1 snowfall a year. It will get cold (into the 20s-30s a few times in the winter), but usually stays above freezing for the most part. We definitely get all 4 seasons, which is beautiful! The difference is which side of the state you are on. East TN has the mountains, Middle TN is hilly, and West TN is pretty flat. We do get our fair share of tornados ( mostly just warning/watches)though, although they haven't been too bad this year.

*What are the best Suburbs? Which are the worst – which should I completely avoid?
Most of the suburbs outside Memphis are nice. A lot of people live in the burbs because they don't want to pay the city taxes or have to have their car inspected. The most desirable burbs are to the east of Memphis, Germantown, Collierville, Arlington, and Bartlett is ok. Downtown Memphis has some nice spots, but you have to be very careful. East Memphis (what the area is called) also has some really nice neighborhoods. It really depends on what you are looking for and how much you can afford as to where you live. Memphis has a full range of prices on the housing market.

*What do YOU like best about where you live?
I love the history of where I live. I can go anywhere in the world and tell someone I live in Memphis. 99% of the time people respond with "Elvis!" We have a minor league baseball team, the Grizzlies NBA team, Gibson guitar is based here and so is FedEx. The airport is small, but still has international flights (although only to Amsterdam.) It is easy to get around and the traffic is not nearly as bad as other places! Many cities are within driving distance, including New Orleans (6 hours), St. Louis (4 hours), Hot Springs (4 hours), Nashville (2.5 hours), and Atlanta (6 hours).

*Anything else you think I should know or concern myself with about your state?
Nothing to add to what has already been said. I enjoy living here. People are very friendly and have what I guess is Southern Charm, although it is expected here. Don't let the crime rate scare you. We do have problems, but those go with any city. Memphis is the largest city in TN. There are lots of places to shop and eat! Come and visit! You'll love it!

[akacharlotte]

Just wanted to chime in to say just reading this thread I've learned a lot about the Nashville area that I did not know.

I actually drove through the Shelby Bottoms area Friday and liked what I saw. The homes are old and a lot are being renovated now or appear to have recently undergone renovation. My boss told me it is one of the up and coming areas.

I live on the outskirts of Belle Meade near Hillwood. I have not determined if we are actually Hillwood or not. If the districts stay the same our children will attend HG Hill Middle and Hillwood High. FH went to Hillwood. I would prefer to send our kids to private as I see the excellent education my nieces are receiving at their private schools but we'll see.

It appears there are still good real estate prices outside Nashville in the burbs. In our neighborhood the average home is selling for no less than 200k.
A lot of people come in, buy the lot/home and tear down the home to build much larger homes.

Deb-Let me know if you come for a visit!

Oh, traffic does suck. I can get to work in about 15-20 minutes in the morning but the evening takes me 30-45 minutes. The 3 interstates cause a bottleneck.