Hi Josie, I happen to live in the very area you mention. We moved here because of the military but ended up staying after my husband got out of the Army. I work in Hopkinsville, live about 20 miles from there on the KY side. I have also worked in Nashville. I might be able to give you better advice if you email me and let me know what you and your sister do for work. I know that for a few years we wished we would have picked a place on the TN side, they don't have income tax whereas KY does. It's a beautiful place here, many nice farm areas. On the same token, a trip to Nashville for shopping or entertainment is but 45 min away. Lori

Hi, Josie.

My wife and I live near Fayetteville, TN (which is 45 minutes from Huntsville, AL) and found our farm for much less than we expected to pay. My wife (who grew up in Whitehouse, between Nashville and the KY line) tells me that property in Robertson county (I think... whatever county the north side of Whitehouse is in) is a bargain right now because of some school zoning issues. Anyway, good luck in your search! We certainly like living in TN and KY isn't much different.

Darren

TN has 9.25 percent sales tax on EVERYTHING, even food and medicine. I don't know about KY. That is another thing to factor in. Either one is really pretty.
What we did when trying to decide which to move to between the Smoky mtn areas of TN, SC, NC and N GA is look at all costs and compare. That way, you compare apples to apples. Look at State income tax, sales tax, gas tax, property tax, property costs (avg $ per sq ft and avg per acre, along with rates of appreciation of property per year. You can find all that on the net.
Good luck!!

I'm in Hoptown, as well. Been here 10 years now. KY does have state income tax, but sales tax is only 6%, and food is exempt from sales tax.
We bought our farm(192 acres) 10 years ago, about 5 miles out of town, 2/3 open pasture/crop land, 1/3 hardwood forest, for about $550/acre. I don't have any idea what land prices are doing at the moment, but as you know, you'll pay more per acre for a smaller parcel, even more if there's a habitable dwelling on it.
If you're like me, and all you really care to do is go to work, do your job, then go home to putter around the farm, it's fine, but if you have any desire for any cultural enrichment, fine dining, or shopping, it's the armpit of the world - hey, but we just got a Lowe's, and Tractor Supply will be opening soon.
Some of the elementary schools are good, but the middle schools are abominable, and the high schools are close to the bottom of the barrel - it seems that the bulk of the population here don't place much value on education, and it shows. My wife hates it here.
But, you're only an hour away from Nashville, 30-45 minutes from Madisonville, a little over an hour to Paducah, and you can be in Louisville in under 3 hours.
We spent 5 years in southern middle TN(Giles Co.) just west of where Darren is, and to me, it's still the prettiest place on earth. Wife was satisfied there(there was a foxhunt she could ride with), but we left before our kids started school, so I can't comment on the educational system there.

Consider the east side of Nashville. We moved from New York to this area. Land is still reasonable especially if you're willing to buy something that needs a little work. Beautiful weather, lots of state parks and lakes. There's no state income tax and even though we have a fairly high sales tax, the initial cost is very reasonable.

Thanks so much for the information and personal experiences, you guys. I really, really appreciate it. I still have a lot of research to do, but you have all been a huge help.

Josie

Looking to move near Clarksville, TN We were wondering about the fishing (we love walleye fishing) and hunting for that area. Also what is the best town for hospital and drs?

Hi Chris;

I live in Clarksville, and can attest that there are no good fishing spots here. :( I moved here from IN a few yrs ago, and have yet to even GO fishing because there just aren't any areas close by..... as for hospitals, Nashville would definitely be my choice if, god forbid, I would ever have to go for anything major. I'm a nurse so I speak from experience. LOL Don't get me wrong; I like Clarksville, we have a small share of strip malls and the restaurants are nice, we have a theater (in the mall) but it's definitely small city living. :)

I was just curious, how does everyone feel about these areas now? We have been interested in relocating after retirement and was wondering the current views. Thanks so much!

hey workingmom41: I lived in Clarksville for a while (12 years off and on) and currently live in mount juliet. (Both in TN) in Clarksville there are plenty of places to fish but honestly I would never EAT the fish that came from the cumberland river. That's the opinion of everyone that i know from a biology standpoint. A lot of people go up to LBL (Land between the lakes) to fish - it's like an hour away from clarksville in the middle of nowhere. I think the water there is pretty clean but i'm not 100% sure on that.

The hospital in clarksville is abysmal but they DO have good schools. Mount juliet is to the east of nashville and is one of the fastest growing areas in the country and property values show that. costs are super high.

Greenbriar has some GREAT Prices on land (That is just south of clarksville and isn't a very big area)

If you are looking to garden, clarksville is a good place for that - there are plenty of places you can go to get supplies. I know of people who live off the grid in clarksville with solar panels etc. there is a state university there in clarksville and it's not a bad place to live. I personally prefer being closer to nashville since my children are ages 4 and 5 and will be attending school soon and I like having lots of places for my kids to be able to go and do things. It depends on what you are after in a place to live. many folks i know who live up near the state line go shop across in kentucky to take advantage of no state sales tax. there are several amish markets that people shop at (Specifically) to obtain organic produce etc.

Let me know if you have specific questions :)

Good luck!