I have been looking for a possible second place in the Northern GA or Southeast TN "mountains". Mainly hoping that the slightly higher elevation will be cooler in the summer and it would be closer to my son and his family.
Is there a place?
- Thread starter ChucksKLRST
- Start date
Uncle Phil
Site Supporter
For grins Mr. Google says -
Yes, Cookeville, TN is generally considered a good place to live, especially for those seeking affordability, a small-town feel with amenities, outdoor access, and proximity to larger cities like Nashville and Knoxville, though some note higher crime rates compared to national averages. It boasts a low cost of living, no state income tax, a revitalized downtown with shops and restaurants, good schools (thanks to TN Tech), abundant parks, and nearby lakes for recreation.
Personally I've always like Crossville which is a bit further east but then that's me.
Yes, Cookeville, TN is generally considered a good place to live, especially for those seeking affordability, a small-town feel with amenities, outdoor access, and proximity to larger cities like Nashville and Knoxville, though some note higher crime rates compared to national averages. It boasts a low cost of living, no state income tax, a revitalized downtown with shops and restaurants, good schools (thanks to TN Tech), abundant parks, and nearby lakes for recreation.
Personally I've always like Crossville which is a bit further east but then that's me.
It took me 2 summers, then I was ok with it, but everyone is different. Coming from SoCal, I just love the roads here. You don't have to go far for a great ride.
Donk
Site Supporter
Stop telling people about it. Please
Landon
Site Supporter
I might know a guy who recently purchased some property in Greeneville, TN. Checks a lot of your boxes. Great riding in all directions. They do average 7-9 inches of snow annually but I don't imagine it stays around long like it does it Colorado. Even here in southern Indiana when it snows the snow typically melts away within a few days.
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Chuck I think you are looking for the place everyone wants but can't find. Maybe it is time to think differently, Maybe two places. Summer and Winter locations. The winter location does not necessarily need to be fancy, but it needs to be in the right location and livable. There are many where I live that have two places.
the Ferret
Daily rider since May 1965
I'd love to find a place like Chuck described only it has to be located in SW Ohio as I am anchored by a large family here lol.
Chuck, I was faced with a similar dilemma, albeit in Canada. We lived in Calgary, Alberta which I suspect is quite similar to Colorado in both climate and geography. I loved it; the mountains, the lack of humidity, temperate summers, some of the best riding in Canada out in the mountains a 30 minute ride away. Heck, I even liked the winters; clear sunny gorgeous days on end. I was also a diehard skier.
But winters got longer, or at least felt longer. It wasn't unusual to get snow in October and it lasting into April. The -40C days were also a bit tough though frankly we would only get a couple weeks of those before a Chinook rolled in and warmed things up to +10. Shoveling snow wasn't too bad with a decent snowblower but it got old when you had to do it for 5 months out of the year.
In the end, my wife and I decided to move to Vancouver Island. We had talked about moving here in retirement but her health declined and we thought if she has to deal with crappy health, she may as well do it in her dream location. Plus, it seemed like a good idea to move before retiring to help build connections before I stopped working.
I'm not going to lie, it does get grey and it does rain. We don't get those gorgeous sunny blue sky days in the winter for days on end that we used to in Calgary. I miss Alberta.
But it would take something pretty monumental to get me to move back. The rain isn't incessant and we do get sunny days. Summers are amazing. Maybe a bit more humidity but the ocean tempers the climate so that temperatures are mid-20's Celsius and during the winter the days are typically 5-10C. With no snow to shovel. And, I can ride all year round. We get the odd couple of days with snow which shuts everything down that would have been shrugged off in Calgary as a bit of a dusting but for the most part, I commute to work year round on my bike. The availability of awesome roads to ride is less, you have to hop over to the mainland to find those in greater quantity but there's enough here to keep me happy.
The point of this long winded recitation is to say, I had the same reservations you have expressed about the PNW but it turns out, there are compensations and it isn't as bad as initially feared. (Edit: reading this over again, it sounds like damning with faint praise, it's not. I've come to love it out here. Another plus is that everything is green all year round)
Maybe look into renting a place in the PNW for January and February and live there for a month or two to see if you can adapt. Also, there is, as in everything, great variation; there's far less rain in Victoria than elsewhere on the Island or the lower mainland thanks to the Olympic Mountains across the water casting a rain shadow over us (Clouds predominately pass over the mountains on their way to Victoria so they dump all their water there before they get to us).
Anyway, good luck with your search! Even if you choose not to move, it can be fun to speculate and research other possibilities.
But winters got longer, or at least felt longer. It wasn't unusual to get snow in October and it lasting into April. The -40C days were also a bit tough though frankly we would only get a couple weeks of those before a Chinook rolled in and warmed things up to +10. Shoveling snow wasn't too bad with a decent snowblower but it got old when you had to do it for 5 months out of the year.
In the end, my wife and I decided to move to Vancouver Island. We had talked about moving here in retirement but her health declined and we thought if she has to deal with crappy health, she may as well do it in her dream location. Plus, it seemed like a good idea to move before retiring to help build connections before I stopped working.
I'm not going to lie, it does get grey and it does rain. We don't get those gorgeous sunny blue sky days in the winter for days on end that we used to in Calgary. I miss Alberta.
But it would take something pretty monumental to get me to move back. The rain isn't incessant and we do get sunny days. Summers are amazing. Maybe a bit more humidity but the ocean tempers the climate so that temperatures are mid-20's Celsius and during the winter the days are typically 5-10C. With no snow to shovel. And, I can ride all year round. We get the odd couple of days with snow which shuts everything down that would have been shrugged off in Calgary as a bit of a dusting but for the most part, I commute to work year round on my bike. The availability of awesome roads to ride is less, you have to hop over to the mainland to find those in greater quantity but there's enough here to keep me happy.
The point of this long winded recitation is to say, I had the same reservations you have expressed about the PNW but it turns out, there are compensations and it isn't as bad as initially feared. (Edit: reading this over again, it sounds like damning with faint praise, it's not. I've come to love it out here. Another plus is that everything is green all year round)
Maybe look into renting a place in the PNW for January and February and live there for a month or two to see if you can adapt. Also, there is, as in everything, great variation; there's far less rain in Victoria than elsewhere on the Island or the lower mainland thanks to the Olympic Mountains across the water casting a rain shadow over us (Clouds predominately pass over the mountains on their way to Victoria so they dump all their water there before they get to us).
Anyway, good luck with your search! Even if you choose not to move, it can be fun to speculate and research other possibilities.
drrod
Site Supporter
Payson area of AZ has most of your wants. It can get over 85 in the summer but if you go up a mountain a bit, you can avoid that.