OT - Looking to move south of Nashville, any tips?

All,

Thanks for indulging me here, I'm currently living in MN but just don't want to deal with the long winters any more. I like a change or seasons, just not 6 months of winter.

I love the outdoors and nice people, fishing, hunting, 4 wheeling. Really most anything if the people I'm with are good folks. I like people but not huge crowds all the time. Job isn't an issue as I work remotely and they don't care where I live (Within reason).

So I'm looking for a place wit 10 - 30 acres, smaller house but with outbuildings(workshop, storage) outside of a big city. smaller town area with neighbors that are distant enough I can shoot and hunt on the land.

So I've be looking for the areas south and a little east of Nashvile.

Any hints on what to look out for? Where not to go because of crime or anything. I need to be within an hour and half of the airport and a safe enough area I can leave the place often alone for a week at a time.

Other areas you would recommend? Feel free to direct message me as well if you'd prefer not to talk in the open.

Thanks again!

You have picked a good area, with plenty of good fishing all around. I would encourage you to look to the west however, because of the nearby TN River. That opens up many more possibilities. As far as nice people go, TN is full of people who will greet you kindly. Several years ago I retired and moved to SD for four years. I knew what I was getting into because I had been going there since the 70's. People treated me greatly. After being all over the USA I have found that people by and large are welcoming. I will confess something that is a major concern to those of us who call ourselves native Southerners.....we are concerned that many who are fleeing the North because of the political climate will continue to vote the same way down here as they did up there and cause this blessed way of life to be in jeopardy. That's not an accusation against all who move South, and probably does not apply to you, but just food for thought. Come on down, learn to like biscuits and gravy, grits, and catfish....and don't get me started on the BBQ !!!

Let me put some minds to rest, part of my choice of TN was like mindsets on a number of things.

As for the food...ohh man...no need to teach me, I have traveled extensively around the US and world and LOVE southern cooking! As for BBQ, my Big Green Egg and the 14 hour pork roasts, steaks, low and slow chickens, Tri tips, even pizzas can speak for me on that one! Still learning brisket but I'll get there!

Thanks for the advise on looking a bit more west, I start checking that out.

I've had a couple people mention crime to me as a concern in the outlying areas...any insight on that?

We live to the east, but never lock our house ;-)
Drugs have caused an increase in many areas all over the country and TN is not immune to that plaque.
But fear of that is no way to live.
I like your mindset statement and your appreciation/affinity for good food.
You'll fit in fine....you betcha !!!

Check out Tennessee Land Watch with Google. Lots of land around where I live has been bought up by hunting clubs. The dirt in TN ain't cheap anymore.

Nashville is growing extra fast... Current 1.5 hr commutes could easily jump to 2+ hours in a few years. Housing prices are sharply moving upward. Find the lake you want to fish, and buy nearby. Get to the 2.5-3 hour to the airport zone and you will find significant price drop and more open space.

I think the key is going to be finding the land that is in the parameters you mention......at an affordable price. I’m in the East, near Knoxville. I live 3 miles from the airport, have 35 acres a half hour away, and am about 40 minutes from the GSMNP entrance. If you asked me where land as you described was available, I would have no idea. In your case, I would probably enlist the services of a good Realtor.

To the airport is the only commute I'd have to do, but that can be 2 - 3 times a month during normal life. 3 hours each way could be tough, I'll need to think about that. Thanks for the insight!

There are lots of opportunities within a 2 hour circle of the Nashville airport. Certainly you can find that amount of acreage in the immediate suburban counties, but it'll obviously cost significantly more. I'm in the next ring out and can get there in about an hour. Land here is more affordable and semi-rural. Zillow is another good site to browse around on as land prices can be quite variable. As others have said its a very popular area. Several farms/properties in my neighborhood have sold to folks from Franklin and Brentwood(wealthy Nashville burbs) as recreation/hunting/investment properties. We've got folks from California moving in as well. Deer and turkey hunting is solid in all of the counties around Nashville. Anywhere in that 2 hour circle is also likely going to be within a 1.5 hour range of multiple lakes. Might factor in what kind of lake you want. The lakes east and south of town like Dale Hollow, Center Hill, Tims Ford, and Normandy are deep and clear highland fisheries. You've got your big river run lakes like Old Hickory, Barkley, and Kentucky Lake on the Cumberland and TN rivers. Percy Priest, which is basically in Nashville, is more of a fertile lowland reservoir.

Fishguy, I would suggest checking the Winchester area. We have 3 lakes( Tims Ford, Woods and Normandy) within 20 miles plus 2 river systems with trout, smallmouth and panfish. Within 50 miles there are several TVA lakes. Airports( Nashville 1.5 hr., Huntsville 1hr., Chattanooga 1.5 hr.). Mountains for hiking and 4 wheeling 5 to 10 miles away. Excellent deer and smallgame plus duck hunting. We have a crappie fishing club(Middle Tn. crappie club). We even let a few guys from your area join and they seem to be enjoying there time here. As a sidenote to the airports, there is a transportation company that shuttles between Nashville and Chattanooga several times a day. If you have ?s, PM me and I'll try to answer them. Good luck in your search.

guys, thank you very much for the additional insight. The Winchestor area is kind of where I have been looking on Zillow. Frankly I think I would have bought one of the places I saw if the current house I am in was ready to immediately sell. another couple months of work needed though.

Crime is my big concern...I don't want to wind up in a meth infested area....I'll be taking some weekend trips down there to have some looks around specific areas and will come back with some questions I am sure.

As for fishing, I've always been more or a lake rather than river guy. But fly fishing for Trout would be great to get into as well. Up here I fish for Pike and Crappie mainly.....bass is fun but I like catching dinner and those are not the best eating up here.

I need to spend some time to look at the areas Coach mentioned....

I must admit I'm a little biased.....

11 Reasons Why You Should Move to Cookeville, Tennessee | The Realty Firm

I've been there but it was a turkey hunting trip and I didn't get to see much besides some woods. LOL
What I did see was a very pretty place. The lake at Standing Stone was awesome.

If you going to come as far as Winchester Tn just come on across the mountain into Gods country! :biggrin(Northeast Alabama ) great folks here and crime rate is low .born and raised in Tennessee but My home is In ALABAMA!! Love it here ! Can be on 10-12 plus different Lakes in 1-1 1/2 hours and less than 10 minutes from Lake Guntersville !

if you look at winchester just close your eyes and look out to the country. I live about 10 minutes and 40 years from winchester. 1 neighbor within 1/4 miles and almost landlocked so now new houses being built any closer. 1 hour from huntsville Alabama airport. 50 minutes from lake guntersville, 10 minutes from Tims Ford lake, 25 minutes from Woods reservoir. Country setting with the best neighbors, they watch my place but not nosey. I have 2 stocked ponds that i can walk or drive to and just rest and fish. PM me with any questions.

I don't miss hardly ANYTHING about up North. Do miss catching Walleye and Northerns in Canada, do miss Lake Erie, do miss M GO BLUE football (but not as much as I did when they could actually compete). Have learned to catch Walleye down here and DO NOT miss those yankee winters (although they're WAYYY worse where you are than where I'm from). This place is heads-n-tails better than the flat North (although the deer aint as big :dono)

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Originally Posted by The Shootist

if you look at winchester just close your eyes and look out to the country. I live about 10 minutes and 40 years from winchester. 1 neighbor within 1/4 miles and almost landlocked so now new houses being built any closer. 1 hour from huntsville Alabama airport. 50 minutes from lake guntersville, 10 minutes from Tims Ford lake, 25 minutes from Woods reservoir. Country setting with the best neighbors, they watch my place but not nosey. I have 2 stocked ponds that i can walk or drive to and just rest and fish. PM me with any questions.

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Wow, thanks for the response. What you describe is very close to what I am looking for.

Any issues with Crime? Doesn't sound like it but thought I'd ask.

Are there any issues with the fish cops on the stocked ponds?

Anything that might surprise me moving, not bad, just didn't think of that kindof things? Stores all being an hour a way....things like that?

Thanks again for responding!

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Originally Posted by M GO BLUE

I don't miss hardly ANYTHING about up North. Do miss catching Walleye and Northerns in Canada, do miss Lake Erie, do miss M GO BLUE football (but not as much as I did when they could actually compete). Have learned to catch Walleye down here and DO NOT miss those yankee winters (although they're WAYYY worse where you are than where I'm from). This place is heads-n-tails better than the flat North (although the deer aint as big :dono)

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The winters, big city, and politics are what I want to escape in that order. I'll miss nothern fishing..walleye...not so much.

I have never shot a deer due to lack of land to hunt on, so this move is meant to fix that as well! So, any deer I get will be better than nothing!

thanks for insight!

10 times the amount of deer here than up North, but nowhere near the size. As a bowhunter, fine by me. Turkey hunting is WAYYYY BETTER than up there. You won't miss much about the North, I promise you. Crime down here isn't anything like up North, as long as you stay away from the big municipalities. Folks down here are way friendlier than up North. I agree with what everyone on the site has advised you upon.

I would recommend any county in southern middle Tennessee,lots of beautiful country side with rolling hills,plenty of lakes for good quality fishing,also highly recommend the middle Tennessee crappie club.you can check us out on the web at middletennesseecrappieclub.com

This may sound like a dumb question but I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on it...what is the real difference between east and western TN?

Both in terms of livability and fishing of course :)

You need a road trip to do some exploring! In broad terms, once you get 30 minutes out of the cities there is not much difference except for the Delta region of far west TN along the Mississippi and the high mountains of far east TN. Lots of rolling hills and ridges and winding rivers with mixed pasture/woodland. There are some very isolated areas, there are some very poor areas, but there are plenty of nice small-mid size towns scattered throughout the state.