Tennessee move..info please

I live just East of Jackson in West TN. If I had to pick anywhere else in the state to live it would probably be the Manchester/Tullahoma/Shelbyville triangle. Fair amount of public land hunting opportunities by eastern standards for white tails and turkeys. Good population of black bears in the far eastern part of the state. Tough as hell to hunt without hounds but can be very rewarding. Killer fishing for lots of species within a decent drive. Chickamauga is one of the top 2 or 3 largemouth bass fisheries in the whole nation right now. Guntersville is phenomenal as well just over the Alabama line. Great smallmouth bass fisheries through the middle and eastern part of the state. I’ve fished Stripers on Center Hill as well and that was a great time. Tennessee is an amazing state. We’ll be glad to have you. Good luck!!!
 
The hardest part will be deciding between Memphis, Eastern Carolina and Western Carolina BBQ. You'll offend more than you impress but you will be forced to choose!
 
Good luck to you Cush.Maybe Randy will come visit and tape a hunt back there.:cool:
 
all the best on your move Cush, closet ive ever been to Tennessee is when the Volunteers came to Oregon and played the Ducks back in 2013, great people to tailgate with. Wishing you safe travels on the next chapter in your life and once again thanks for your service to this country

104819
 
My girlfriend and I have decided it's time to start a new chapter in our lives. Colorado has pretty much played out for me and neither of us want to move back to upstate NY. We have decided Tennessee seems kind of cool. She has a lung disease and the only specialist is in Nashville, as well as it having a large VA hospital for me. We're looking to be within 2 hours of Nashville. I'm hoping someone can give some info about the housing market (we're looking to buy as big of a piece of land as possible and build on it), hunting and fishing opportunities, and decent small towns to focus on within 2 hours of Nashville.

Thanks

There is a really nice Long Range Muzzleloader/BPTR Match in Oak Ridge every year in March. 200 - 1000 yds. You never know, might become your thing.

Used to be great spring flyfishing in the Smokies too. Maybe there still is.
 
I don't know much about TN. A buddy lives in Nashville and likes it. Says the turkeys are a lot of fun. Elk aren't too far either plus other things like bear, pigs, squirrels to keep a guy occupied. Proper bluegill and crappie fishing too.
 
Welcome to the neighborhood!

Might I suggest moving across the line into Kentucky? Many small town experiences within two hours of Nashville, and you'll be able to apply for Kentucky elk as a resident.

In south central Kentucky, you've got easy access to some great boating/fishing lakes (Dale Hollow, Cumberland), great small streams while still being fairly close to the Appalachian foothills (Big South Fork, Daniel Boone NF, etc.).
Guthrie (hometown of Robert Penn Warren) is a tiny gem that has avoided the surburbanization that has happened to many small towns near Nashville.
Glasgow is a little bigger, and Bowling Green has small town charm but with amenities.

Further west, you've got good access to Land Between the Lakes, and the lakes themselves. Plus, easy access to some great waterfowl opportunities.
Hopkinsville/Clarksville area (Ft. Campbell) has some cool things in the works.
Paducah (confluence of four major rivers - Ohio, Mississippi, Cumberland and Tennessee) and Murray are right at the 2-hour threshold.
 
Welcome to the neighborhood!

Might I suggest moving across the line into Kentucky? Many small town experiences within two hours of Nashville, and you'll be able to apply for Kentucky elk as a resident.

In south central Kentucky, you've got easy access to some great boating/fishing lakes (Dale Hollow, Cumberland), great small streams while still being fairly close to the Appalachian foothills (Big South Fork, Daniel Boone NF, etc.).
Guthrie (hometown of Robert Penn Warren) is a tiny gem that has avoided the surburbanization that has happened to many small towns near Nashville.
Glasgow is a little bigger, and Bowling Green has small town charm but with amenities.

Further west, you've got good access to Land Between the Lakes, and the lakes themselves. Plus, easy access to some great waterfowl opportunities.
Hopkinsville/Clarksville area (Ft. Campbell) has some cool things in the works.
Paducah (confluence of four major rivers - Ohio, Mississippi, Cumberland and Tennessee) and Murray are right at the 2-hour threshold.
Id second expanding horizons to southern Kentucky. I lived in Louisville and then for several years between Lexington and Knoxville in Southeast KY and it is full of opportunity for wildlife and there are enough small to middle size towns you can afford to buy a reasonable amount of land. In relation to Nashville, Id look east in you must stay in TN. Good luck.
 
The Eastern border with N.C. is hard to beat, prettiest country I've seen so far, that side of the Mississippi.
 
Hope for the best for you John. The Ark valley won't be the same. Good thing you can cook, the taco's back in TN lack a little.
Let me know when you're ready for guests for a WT hunt.
 
John, middle TN is a great place to live. You are within a days drive of at ton of things to do hunting/fishing/and otherwise. I live in Mt. Juliet a bedroom community of Nashville for 22 years and we enjoy it here. Originally from KS. I will caution you TN summers come with crazy humidity. There are a lot of outdoor activities to partake in here however I travel west every year to hunt big game. While we have elk hunting in TN and KY the tags are hard to draw. I agree with previous posts Cookeville, Crossville, Manchester, and McMinnville would be great places to look for some land to build a house and all less than 2 hours to a good VA hospital. With great hunting and fishing in your backyard.
 
John:

I have lived in Tennessee for many years I agree with what several other Volunteers have suggested. Since the VA is a priority to you and you want to be within two hours of that hospital, you have a vast area to choose from. My wife and I retired seven years ago and could have chosen anywhere in the the state to live. We also wanted to be close to a large town but with small town values, and great hunting and fishing. We chose a small town(Soddy Daisy) about two hours from Murfreesboro and 30 minuets from Chattanooga. That puts us 2.5 hours from Gatlinburg, 2.25 hrs to Atlanta, 3 to Nashville and 1.5 hrs. to Knoxville. Land values in the area from Murfreesboro to Chattanooga and then over to Pulaski are increasing yearly. But if you are looking for great hunting and fishing, friendly people, no state income tax and rolling hills, then that is the area I would look at. Crossville/Cookville are also great areas with Center Hill Lake close to both. Land prices up there are a little higher than further south because of the number of retirees in those areas. Whatever you decide, we welcome you and your girlfriend to Tennessee.
 
Just so you know, Bristol has an awesome night race! Good luck on your move.
 
Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill NC. Take a moment, or three, and look. It has all you require w/i a couple hours drive and a Boat Load of public land with deer out the ying-yang, turkey, and some monster black bear on the coast. OH ! Did I mention the fishing ???? I'm going to finally retire, for a last time, and this is where I'm going to rest my old worn out bones. PM me and I'll even tell you some of my old Hot spots. There's plenty to go around..............
 
I was looking at the hunting and fishing regulations online today....HOLY CRAP it's awesome out there!!!
The 10" minimum on crappie is definitely awesome. I lived down there for a couple of years so I kinda keep up with what's going on down there for a potential future move. Like others have said Nashville itself is crowded but there's plenty of space a little farther out.
 
Back
Top