CHAT What do y'all think of Tennesee - as a place to live?
- Thread starter Betty_Rose
- Start date
Of course it is. But so are a lot of other places. The “attack spiders” have been a larger pain than snakes. If you go into snake territory, you just carry a weapon. I use a hoe. But the sneaky spiders? Uh.
And I really can’t recall killing a whole bunch of snakes. Spiders. A daily occurrence. But frankly, most of them I let live, because they’re generally harmless.
MinnesotaSmith
Membership Revoked
Go cold if you hate snakes.
Ping Jockey
Inactive
Most, if not all, snakes will get out of your way. They dislike humans more so than I do. I’ve walked up on timber rattlers, eastern diamondbacks, and copperheads with no issue at all. Give them clearance and they’ll leave you alone.
Most people get bit from either screwing with them or by not watching where they step.
Most people get bit from either screwing with them or by not watching where they step.
Displaced hillbilly
Veteran Member
Any place within a tank of gas right now is close to "BLMcrap."
Alabama is my home state, there is a lot of variation in population and climate south to north there. Alabama is the "thank God for Mississippi" state, because the existence of Mississippi keeps Alabama from being at the bottom of lots of lists people do not want to be #50 on.
North Alabama may be bearable at sufficient elevation, but unless you are enamored of subtropical or tropical climes, stay out of the rest of the state. And do your CityData homework on the demographics and politics of ANYWHERE you are considering.
Alabama is my home state, there is a lot of variation in population and climate south to north there. Alabama is the "thank God for Mississippi" state, because the existence of Mississippi keeps Alabama from being at the bottom of lots of lists people do not want to be #50 on.
North Alabama may be bearable at sufficient elevation, but unless you are enamored of subtropical or tropical climes, stay out of the rest of the state. And do your CityData homework on the demographics and politics of ANYWHERE you are considering.
Once the war is over, things will be different. Either lots better or lots worse. No matter which 'side' you are on, one of those things will prevail.
WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO NOW IS MAKE IT THROUGH THE WAR.... and your choice of location might help or hurt your prospects.
WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO NOW IS MAKE IT THROUGH THE WAR.... and your choice of location might help or hurt your prospects.
Lol! Truth.
My hand is up. Thank you Bobbie Gentry.
beDplorable
Senior Member
I can verify this. Grew up North Bama, live central NC. I just need to get over it and move Tn mountains.
vessie
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Yep, except for Possum Town, in Lebanon, Tn.
Too many conservatives own large tracts of land just northwest of town and even the big landowner across from us, will never sell out to the developers.
We are very lucky! V
vessie
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Yes, some of the towns are like that in Tn. and many of the other southern states.
A friend of mine moved to Johnson City, Tn. before she moved up to Wa. to work for Microsoft.
When she moved there, she had all these neighbors and people from several churches show up with casseroles, goodies and even fridge magnets from their churches!
She felt very welcome but when it got out that she was Jewish, they actually came over to her house, asking for everything back, Including the refrigerator magnets!
I'll never forget her telling me that and we still laugh about it.
Luckily, you won't find that in Lebanon, Tn. V
vessie
Has No Life - Lives on TB
I know, right!
I noticed this too!
Boy, once HGTV started doing those fixer upper shows in and around Nashville, the libs started invading like a 'fungal bloom' and changing everything to suit themselves. It was weird.
Nashville and even Mt. Juliet are not the same anymore.
Even seeing where some of the shows were of flippers buying up houses in the Antioch area, which is a third world shithole, was surprise to me.
My mother in law and I cruised the old house on Hilson Rd. and it was like a different world down there. (Brenda Lee lived across the street when my husband was growing up there).
Luckily, there are still vast tracts that won't become mini Nashville/Seattles, like east of Mt. Juliet in Lebanon, in Possum Town. V
WanderLore
Veteran Member
I always looked first of what kind of wild life is at a place. Snakes ants scorpions etc.
I got Ida May's book for my middle daughter who had a home birth. Great lady!
I got Ida May's book for my middle daughter who had a home birth. Great lady!
MinnesotaSmith
Membership Revoked
You know, when living in a very predominantly Protestant Christian area, there's nothing stopping the Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Unitarians, Wiccans, Satanists, Hindus, JWs, Bahai, Santeria adherents, Unification Church types, etc. from converting if they want to fit in. Shave your head, wear nothing but yellow robes, and say "Hare Krishna" after every other sentence, and you can expect your neighbors not to have much to do with you if you move into a part of the U.S. where people still have a religion. (Hint: if your church doesn't have crosses on the wall and Bibles as the holy book, in Heritage America, you're a weirdo.)
Last edited:
I moved to South Knoxville in 2015 from Northern VA. While the city is liberal the surrounding area is conservative. Housing costs are low, but climbing very quickly, no income tax, the sales tax is 9.25%. The area we found is very safe, very little crime. It is hot in the summer but so is all of the South. One aspect of Knoxville, it's in a bowel pollen settles in the area and stays, if you have allergies this is one of the worst areas, but also one of the best for medical. I found some of the best doctors I've ever had which includes VA, and CA. PM me if you have any questions I can answer for you.
Well, pass the black eyed peas!
I happened to listen to “Ode to Billy Joe” last night. I seriously couldn’t really get into the drama as I had been left at their table thinking how good the food was. Last I remember, Papa died of a virus last spring and I didn’t want to do much of anything (only I’m thinking about peas and cornbread tonight).
SouthernBreeze
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Mississippi and Alabama...."Kissing cousins". That's what we in Mississippi call Alabamians.
Make sure you say it correctly or they'll know you are from out of the area. It is La - FAY - ette with the emphasis on "fay". My people are from western KY and western TN and still have a bunch of relations there all the way to shirt tail cousins.
Anywhere around Christian Co, KY and Montgomery Co, TN you are going to deal with Ft. Campbell Army Base. I was born there. My grandfather helped build the original barracks. Have family that owned some of the land that the base/reservation now sits on. Even have some of my people buried there.
Spent my early years in Christian County, KY ... Hopkinsville. Locals call it Hoptown.
Have my share of people in Trigg Co, KY as well and my cousin does some kind of thing with the government in Todd County. She lives in the shadow of the Jeff Davis Monument (looks like Washington monument in DC). Lots of mennonites in the area ... or were. They moved in by the truck load back in the 70s when so many small farmers went under including a pair of my grandparents. For a long time you either went to the mall in Hoptown to shop or drove to Clarksville. Might still be that way, not sure.
There's the state mental hospital outside of Hoptown (called Western State, or was) and Hoptown also has a big hospital. If you don't go there from the surrounding counties you have to go to the big hospitals in Clarksville or Nashville depending on what's ailing you.
Ground is real dirt ... the black stuff, not just sand or clay though there is some of that as well, but mostly dirt. It is why that entire area used to be primarily tobacco growers and if not that then soy beans. Not sure what the main crop is these days as the whole family has gotten away from it, at best only having a kitchen garden. Sad but I understand how it happened. Mennonites bought most of the truck farms like my grandparents' place. I've got some relatives (my mom's generation) that still grow big fields of stuff but they either leave it to their kids that do it part time along with town jobs, or they rent their land out to the big operations.
Christian county used to have a big flour mill. My cousin was the mechanical foreman there a number of years ago before going into contracting overseas. Think it is called Sunflour Mill or maybe Hopkinsville Mill, something like that.
Big newspaper in the area in the Kentucky New Era. A set of my grandparents (townies) lived across the street from their old publishing offices. That grandfather has a display in the downtown museum because of his support of minor league sports from back in the dark ages.
Places in western TN you might want to look into are Bear Springs, Dover, Paris, and Erin.
Other thing you might like is the drive to Paducah, KY that is right on the border. I have an aunt who lives there and she loves it. Right near Land Between the Lakes which is a great vacation spot, there's a dam there for electricity, KY Lake, and if you are into quilting there is a huge annual show in Paducah as well that draws international quilters of the highest caliber and creativity. Paducah itself has a river walk and is very historical and interesting.
The TVA did a lot of geological changes in the area ... lots of small towns and cemeteries got flooded out or moved. Places my relatives were born and lived in no longer exist and the cemeteries were moved to historical locations ... headstones anyway.
As far as the people themselves, let's just say you have the same gamut as you do in other places but even the libs are more conservative than those you find on the West Coast or the Northeast.
As someone else mentioned you may take a while to get used to the twang. My cousin, the one in Todd County, is known to talk so fast even the squirrels have trouble keeping up. Oh my Lord, I kid you not. Then there are those that talk so slow you almost doze between words.
Crime? About like other places I suppose. Just remember when you live in a small place you aren't going to have the infrastructure you do in other places and it is going to impact how much the cops can throw at a problem. Feuds? Yeah, they still happen but the Hatfields and McCoys are in a different area.
By and large I'm partial to the area. Not sure I would move back because I've become a Florida girl and frankly I hate snow. Hate it with a passion. But that's me. Summers are hot but not unbearable. Humidity isn't as bad as it is in the deeper south or places like Virginia and the Carolinas. Winters can suck but like I said, it is because I can't stand snow.
There are some ignorant types and not all of them live back in the hollers or on the ridges. Some of them live in fancy historical houses. It takes all types as they say. But by and large the knotheads are a much smaller population that in some areas of the county. I would visit in all four seasons before setting your heart on something. That means you are a year out but jumping too fast can wind up as not smart as moving too slow.
I only read the OP. A few thoughts:
First, it doesn’t matter what WE think of a place; it’s what YOU think of it
Second, if you’re going to live like a hippie/nomad at your age, just get a freakin RV and DO IT RIGHT. The major national RV associations will, for a modest annual fee, provide you with a “permanent” address and mail forwarding service to wherever you happen to be.
Third, and speaking strictly “editorially,” what’s your “deal?” I mean, why at this point in your life do you feel driven to act this out? I’m not trying to be snarky; this is a legitimate question. I’ve never understood folks who can’t, throughout their lives, seem to “find themselves.” Your posts on TB have convinced me that you’ve never been happy in your own skin. IMHO that’s no way to live.
Learn to skydive, or SCUBA, or get a motorcycle and cruise the country. Learn to fly.
It’s not about where you live; it’s about doing what you want. What makes you happy. I know you’re a published writer. Evidently that hasn’t fulfilled you emotionally. Try to find something that does.
Just a suggestion. I don’t expect an answer, because you never answer me when I ask the hard questions.
First, it doesn’t matter what WE think of a place; it’s what YOU think of it
Second, if you’re going to live like a hippie/nomad at your age, just get a freakin RV and DO IT RIGHT. The major national RV associations will, for a modest annual fee, provide you with a “permanent” address and mail forwarding service to wherever you happen to be.
Third, and speaking strictly “editorially,” what’s your “deal?” I mean, why at this point in your life do you feel driven to act this out? I’m not trying to be snarky; this is a legitimate question. I’ve never understood folks who can’t, throughout their lives, seem to “find themselves.” Your posts on TB have convinced me that you’ve never been happy in your own skin. IMHO that’s no way to live.
Learn to skydive, or SCUBA, or get a motorcycle and cruise the country. Learn to fly.
It’s not about where you live; it’s about doing what you want. What makes you happy. I know you’re a published writer. Evidently that hasn’t fulfilled you emotionally. Try to find something that does.
Just a suggestion. I don’t expect an answer, because you never answer me when I ask the hard questions.
Depends on what you call West TN. Nashville is middle TN and that's where all the lunatics live. West TN is Dover, Bear Springs, and places like that. Much smaller, different mindset than you find in places like Nashville.
The problem is that many of those places don't have the jobs. Or it isn't frou-frou or whatever you want to call it. I mean they have country clubs but for the most part those places are just an excuse for the men to get together for drinks, golf, shoot crap and for the women to gossip or charity work. Yacht Clubs ... uh, try bass boats and house boats with astro turf. LOL
My cousin who works a county government job (and is dang good at it and got re-elected) says most of the libs are "vacation home" types rather than permanent residents, and it is because of the job market and similar issues. They do like to try and have their say in how things are run but locals look at the vacation people as money makers and not influence makers. If their address isn't their primary one then they don't get to vote and the locals are just fine with that.
Dafodil
Veteran Member
My son moved there to go to college. He says, he'll never live anywhere else! He lives in Murfreesboro in the middle of the state. We ended up buying a house there for him to live and hubs thinks he'll be able to flip it and make a profit!( Not all lunatics live in middle of TN)
Ping Jockey
Inactive
You do know why trees lean towards the East in Mississippi and towards the west in Georgia, right???
Cuz Alabama sucks!!!
(An old SEC joke)
Betty, Dennis raised an issue that I think you should consider. You have no heirs. You have your health. You have your time. Why not use your brother's place as base and just travel? They have women's groups that travel together for fun and safety. This would mean you could even travel internationally if you'd like to.
If you have a house of your own it is going to take most of your time (and resources) to keep it up. Eventually your health is going to preclude being able to keep up with that sort of thing. My parents moved to a rural area (five acres and a house) and it got away from them and started weighing them down rather than being a safety net. They had us to help dig them out and give them a place to go and someone to help on a daily basis while still allowing them the freedom of their own space, you don't sound in the same position. You divested yourself of the anchors that hold a body down, and God made it easy to do it, so maybe that is a sign to keep the anchors to a minimum and just go out and influence people instead.
If you have a house of your own it is going to take most of your time (and resources) to keep it up. Eventually your health is going to preclude being able to keep up with that sort of thing. My parents moved to a rural area (five acres and a house) and it got away from them and started weighing them down rather than being a safety net. They had us to help dig them out and give them a place to go and someone to help on a daily basis while still allowing them the freedom of their own space, you don't sound in the same position. You divested yourself of the anchors that hold a body down, and God made it easy to do it, so maybe that is a sign to keep the anchors to a minimum and just go out and influence people instead.
Well, it’s probably truth since part of Alabama was Mississippi at one time. (That May be reversed). I had never heard that.
However, there was a tale around about a man who was a big wig in town and right before the devil Yankees rode into town he took some slaves and transported the gold somewhere and then shot the slaves after. But he had taken it to MS. I never figured out how he would do that from a mileage standpoint and gold being heavy... (his place is right smack in the middle of the north part of the state - and yes, it’s still there.)
Normally, I would think this was a wild tale. However, I have read history on this man and it would have been quite possible. (Besides the fact that it was an often repeated tale among the elders.).
If you look at the maps at the time it was very possible given where he lived. Not sure now if it was just MS or the MS Territories.
I always wanted to go look for this as a child as my Great Aunt lived just down the mountain from him. I still want to look, but SURELY one of his sons retrieved it. He gave the Yankees a place to set up quarters so, who knows? Could still be out there.
Muffreesboro is a neat place. I think there was a song about it back in the 70s. And Elvis did a concert in the college there he made an album from I think. LOL Rutherford county and Muffreesboro was the state capitol prior to Nashville so it is well set up historically.
1eagle
Veteran Member
Yes! Maybe you'll be needed on the book tour/speaking engagements... travel paid!
Jackalope
Irregular
Well yesterday was a typical day for us here in Tennessee. Before breakfast we did a 2 mile hike on one of the local trails, nothing rigorous, just a hike in the woods. After breakfast we worked in our garden a bit (the okra and Italian peppers have been abundant this summer). In the afternoon, a friend came over to visit, and while we were chatting in the driveway a snake started sneaking up behind my friend. We escorted the snake off the property at gun point (It was the first snake that we had seen for a couple of months). My wife tried to ID the snake, but we never did figure out what it was. After that we went out back and did some shooting at our backyard range. After dinner we spent some time enjoying nature while sitting on our front porch. Life is good in Tennessee. In some ways life here reminds me of Mayberry, but if you read the newspapers it sounds like we're inundated with meth heads.
AnniePutin
Veteran Member
Okay - thanks. I stand corrected. West of E. Tn. lol Yes, Nashville and Memphis are the pits.
Freeholder
This too shall pass.
I've heard people mention that one reason they didn't want to move to this part of the country was the meth heads (I'm in south-central KY). I didn't get into the far eastern part of KY when I was house-hunting, but I did get somewhat east. And I know some people here now, since we've been here a couple of years. There most likely IS a drug problem -- I don't know of any place that doesn't have a drug problem. But I haven't seen or met one yet. It's not like you have a meth house on every corner. I would say to anyone looking for property, do your due diligence, inspect the property in person (don't buy on-line without actually checking the place out!), take a good look at your near neighbors, and then go for it!
Kathleen
Kathleen
Jackalope
Irregular
I actually met some folks last month that purchased a home here in Tennessee through an on-line purchase. They were Californians, and discovered that their old home in California was worth a lot of money, so they listed it, and it sold within a day or so. So they immediately started looking for a new home here in Tennessee. This occurred during the Spring at the height of Chinese virus panic. They found a home with some acreage on-line and paid for it with cash from their home sale. Overall they are pleased with their purchase. They did have the home inspected. They've had to re-do a deck, but that's about it. Personally, I wouldn't purchase a home, sight unseen, I like to see the neighborhood and the lay of the land. It took us a couple of trips before we found a place suitable for us, and I did a lot of internet research to narrow down locations.
Barry Natchitoches
Has No Life - Lives on TB
I live in West Tennessee.
Stay away from the Memphis area, unless your idea of idealic life is living in a racially charged war zone.
Get out into the rural areas at least an hour out of the greater Memphis, and things are much different.
Lots of MAGA hats and supporters of the Second Amendment.
It is a racially mixed area (and yes, most blacks even out in the country are Democrats), but that seldom presents a problem. People of all races tend to show respect and kindness to one another.
I don’t know about other parts of Tennessee, but rural west Tennessee is OK, once you get away from Memphis.
Stay away from the Memphis area, unless your idea of idealic life is living in a racially charged war zone.
Get out into the rural areas at least an hour out of the greater Memphis, and things are much different.
Lots of MAGA hats and supporters of the Second Amendment.
It is a racially mixed area (and yes, most blacks even out in the country are Democrats), but that seldom presents a problem. People of all races tend to show respect and kindness to one another.
I don’t know about other parts of Tennessee, but rural west Tennessee is OK, once you get away from Memphis.