Tennessee, the “Volunteer State,” is the birthplace of famous musicians, actors, and American heroes. Don’t take the low profile and easygoing attitude of this state too seriously. Many people have the wrong impression of what Tennessee has to offer.
If you’re planning to move to Tennessee, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the state’s pros and cons.
What Is Tennessee Known For?
Tennessee is home to exclusive whiskey, popular musicians, and the great smokies. The state has many famous musicians and music artists and singers such as Dolly Parton, Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Elvis Presley, and more.
Why should you move to Tennessee?
Tennessee is known for its diversified history, culture, and economy. Tennessee is a retired-friendly state and is also an ideal place to live for young professional students and families. This is because it has the lowest property tax rates, low cost of living, beautiful landscape, rooted to the music, and southern tasty cuisines.
[elementor-template id=”13252″]
Retiring in Tennessee Pros
There are many pros and cons for living in Tennessee for retirees, as we’ve already discussed. Here we’ll look at some of the best benefits of retiring in the Volunteer State.
1. Lower Cost Of Living in Tennessee
At the present time, Tennesseans pay 12% less than the national average for the same standard of life. This means that the cost of living in Tenessee is 89.9. Because of this, residents of the Volunteer State will see lower prices across the board.
This state can be inviting and easy on the wallet, even if you have a large family or a lot of extra bills. Average home prices are 30 percent below the national average.
What part of Tennessee has the lowest cost of living?
Memphis, the city of blues, is the most affordable city in Tennessee that has the 15% lowest cost of living than the national average and 13.5% higher than Nashville’s cost of living.
Why is the cost of living so cheap in Tennessee?
According to MERIC, Tennessee is the sixth most affordable state in the US. This is because Tennessee has a developing economy and a low unemployment rate. It provides reasonable options for its residents that include housing prices, groceries, utility costs, low property taxes, and rental costs.
2. Better Economy in Tennessee
In a recent study, the economy of Tennessee was placed 11th in the nation. With a 9.9 percent increase in GDP between the third and fourth quarters of 2021, Tennessee ranked second only to Texas in terms of annual GDP growth.
While the Volunteer State rated fourth in economic activity and fifth in economic health, its innovative potential ranked only 38th.
Does Tennessee have a good economy?
Tennessee has been ranked as the 11th best state economy in the US in 2022.
How is the economic growth in Tennessee?
The economic growth of Tennessee is slowly developing after the COVID -19 pandemic got over with a fall in the unemployment rate. The economic growth has grown by 0.9% over the last 5 years till 2022 ranking the state at 9th out of 50 US states according to the growth rate.
3. Tennessee Booming Real Estate Market
In comparison to the national median home value of $354,649 in the same time period (2022 July), the local median home value was $297,943. Tennessee has both low property prices and low home prices relative to income.
It’s no secret that house prices in California range greatly. Nashville and its surrounding areas are just one metro area that has seen significant price increases.
Where is the hottest real estate market right now in Tennessee?
According to realtor.com the hottest real estate market in Tennessee currently is Johnson City and Knoxville. These cities are listed under the top 10 undervalued real estate markets in Tennessee.
Where is the best housing market right now in Tennessee?
The best housing market in Tennessee currently is Knoxville which has a median home value of $316,873 and a median mortgage cost of about $1236.
[elementor-template id=”13242″]
4. Low State Tax Rates in Tennessee
The state of Tennessee has exceptionally inexpensive property taxes, which is a major attraction for retirees. The average effective property tax rate in Tennessee is 0.71% in 2022.
Residents in this state spend an average of $1,548 per year in property taxes, making it the fifteenth-cheapest state in which to own a home.
What part is the most tax-friendly in Tennessee?
Johnson City is the most tax-friendly area in Tennessee that offers low property and sales tax rates to its residents.
What are the 7 lowest tax rates in Tennessee?
The lowest taxes imposed in Tennessee are as follows:
- State and local individual income tax – $36
- State and local tax burden – 7.6%
- Income tax rate – 6.50%
- Combined state and average local self-tax rate – 9.55%
- Property tax rate – 0.68%
5. Safest places to live in Tennessee
The FBI reports that in the most recent reporting period, Tennessee had 595.2 reports of violent crimes and 2652.6 reports of property crimes for every 100,000 residents.
A city’s safety may often be gleaned from its rate of criminal activity.
What city in TN has the lowest crime rate?
Germantown city has the lowest crime rate in Tennessee. The area records a violent crime rate of 0.95 incidents for 1000 people. This means German towns are 86% safer than other cities in Tennessee.
What is the best area to live with low crime rates in Tennessee?
Other than the German Town City, Spring Hill, which is situated in Hernando county, is known to be one of the safest areas to live in Tennessee. The area records a violent crime rate of 1.15 incidents for 1000 people. This means the Spring Hill area is 82% safer than other areas in Tennessee.
Retiring in Tennessee cons
We’ve already gone over the many reasons why Tennessee is such a great place to retire. We’ll take a look at some of the drawbacks that might make you rethink your plans to leave right away.
1. Tennessee Traffic Congestion
If driving is your primary mode of transportation in Tennessee, you should be prepared for heavy congestion. In reality, when it comes to traffic congestion, Nashville ranks in at number 24.
Some people call Route 1-29 in Tennessee the “Tail of the Dragon” because of how perilous it is. While it is undeniably one of the most beautiful drives, this road is also well recognized as being among the most hazardous in both the state and the nation.
Is it hard to drive in Tennessee?
Yes, Tennessee has the most dangerous roads in the US. The highway patrol of Tennessee had reported 1500 car accidents in 2022, making the state the most “hard to drive” state in the country.
What time is traffic the worst in Tennessee?
The rush hour in Nashville Tennessee is around 7 am to 9 am and 4 pm to 6 pm. During this time the city experiences heavy traffic congestion. Therefore, it is advised to start the journey 1 hour before or after rush hours.
2. Lots of Tornadoes in Tennessee
While the Volunteer State isn’t geographically located in Tornado Alley, it does have more nighttime tornadoes than any other state. You should know that on average, 30 tornadoes touch down in this state every year.
Tornadoes can strike at any time, and people rarely have much warning before they hit, but the spring is when they are most common. It’s crucial that you know if a tornado watch or warning has been issued for your area.
What city in Tennessee has the most tornadoes?
Memphis city of Shelby County experiences the most tornadoes in Tennessee. Till 2021, Memphis has seen more than 55 tornadoes in total from the year 1950.
Why are tornadoes common in Tennessee?
The reason why tornadoes are common in Tennessee is that the city remains warm most of the time and moist air on the ground collides with colder air in the atmosphere. This then mixes with winds in the atmosphere above moving in an opposite direction than the winds closer to the surface making winds shear.
3. Tennessee Climate & Weather
Tennessee is situated in Tornado Alley, so inhabitants can anticipate severe weather conditions at any time of year. Destructive storms and tornadoes occur often in the state, with an annual average of 50 tornadoes. Hurricanes, strong thunderstorms, and flooding are also threats. Take precautions against natural catastrophes if you reside in Tennessee.
However, if you ask, does it snow in Tennessee, yes, it definitely does, in the month of October. But the winters and snowfalls are not as extreme as tornadoes.
What kind of bad weather does Tennessee get?
Tennessee experiences storms that made strong winds, lightning, heavy rain, and thunder. Only 50% of thunderstorms in the state are considered to be the worst. The city experiences heavy rainfall in winter and spring, especially in early March.
Does Tennessee have bad winters?
Tennessee has moderate winters featuring cool breezes and not so cold climate.
Does Tennessee get severe weather?
Tennessee gets long-term severe weather including stronger storms, floods, and tornadoes.
[elementor-template id=”13247″]
4. Tennessee Population Growth
One of the most popular states for family relocation is Tennessee, along with North Carolina and Georgia. Cities, although experiencing a welcome increase in diversity and multiculturalism, are also experiencing a significant increase in population density.
Many businesses, not just families, are relocating to the Volunteer State. The state’s transportation system is straining under an excessive load, therefore improvements are required across the board.
What percentage of TN is black?
Of the total population, 16.8% of the residents are black people.
Is Tennessee overpopulated?
Tennessee is the 20th overpopulated state in the US. With a small area of 42,143 square miles, the state has approximately 6.9 million residents living in the state.
Retiring in Tennessee Pros And Cons FAQ’s
What part of Tennessee is best for retirees?
Tellico village of Loudon County is one of the best communities to retire in Tennessee. With a population of 7615 residents, the community has mostly senior people over age 65.
Is TN retiree friendly?
Tennessee is a retiree-friendly state as the retirees don’t have to pay any taxes on pensions are social security benefits from their retirement plans. The state does not have any inheritance, estate, or income taxes imposed for retirees.
Why should you not move to Tennessee?
Reasons why one should not move to Tennessee, mainly because Tennessee is bad for living for retirees, is because of its extreme weather conditions, traffic congestion, and a landlocked state that doesn’t have any access to oceans or lakes.
Conclusion
Our goal in the preceding paragraphs was to provide you with a high-level overview of some of the pros and cons of settling in Tennessee. This overview contains the information that is necessary things to know before moving to Tennessee. Tennessee is known for its whisky, but the real Tennessee also contains its pleasant rural and urban living environments, its music, and its animals.
[elementor-template id=”13257″]