Myquest55
Member
- Location
- Happily in MAINE
Well, not to burst anyone's bubble but I'll throw in my 2 cents. We moved to SE Tenn. for work in 2007. It was as our last child was graduating high school, in New England, so we figured it would be okay. We knew we were going for a paycheck, as we counted down to retirement. It was NOT a pleasant experience!! No income tax looks good but remember, that sometimes, you get what you pay for. Sales tax was 9.5% to make up for the short fall. We lived outside the city limits so our property taxes were low. We had city water but private septic for sewer. Auto insurance is crazy high!! The weather was too hot and way too humid to suit us - and our yard was always a battle.
The first thing we were told by locals is that "education is NOT a priority in Tenn" and boy, that seemed true. We even had to pay a fee to join the local library! Loads of people were friendly but they had no interest in being a friend. Everyone we got to know was also from out of state. Most of the area restaurants were fast food chains. The groceries were expensive and the quality was poor - even at Publix. When my husband was diagnosed with Parkinsons, we really found out how mediocre the medical community was. We ultimately ended up finding a specialist, a 2 hour drive each way, away.
Once DH left work on disability, in 2017, we came right back to New England (although, a different state), where we have quickly settled in to a totally new area and have made more friends than we ever had, in just a few short years. The medical is amazing and life here is much more to our taste. Most of the groceries, I buy are actually cheaper and the quality is SO much better. Our car insurance is 1/2 what it was in TN.
So, be careful what you wish for - and good luck.
The first thing we were told by locals is that "education is NOT a priority in Tenn" and boy, that seemed true. We even had to pay a fee to join the local library! Loads of people were friendly but they had no interest in being a friend. Everyone we got to know was also from out of state. Most of the area restaurants were fast food chains. The groceries were expensive and the quality was poor - even at Publix. When my husband was diagnosed with Parkinsons, we really found out how mediocre the medical community was. We ultimately ended up finding a specialist, a 2 hour drive each way, away.
Once DH left work on disability, in 2017, we came right back to New England (although, a different state), where we have quickly settled in to a totally new area and have made more friends than we ever had, in just a few short years. The medical is amazing and life here is much more to our taste. Most of the groceries, I buy are actually cheaper and the quality is SO much better. Our car insurance is 1/2 what it was in TN.
So, be careful what you wish for - and good luck.
