Ability to get a job in Nashville might be paramount.

I'm corporate training with an extenseive healthcare background. Is your point that there aren't many jobs in Nashville?

I've only touristed in Nashville and have never lived there, but I really like the city--it's very pretty, and the people are nice. It has a nice airport and I have always been able to find my way around quite easily. I've always gotten the impression, although it is admittedly superficial, that the economy is pretty good there and from what I recall at least one large healthcare provider (Humana? HCA?) is based there.

That said, the main thing that comes to mind is that you might find the humidity stifling after living in Phoenix.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

Thanks musicfan! I appreciate the comment.

Funny you mentioned living in Dallas before. Texas is the first place I thought of when you mentioned getting a new job and the economy. Of everywhere I've been the past 3 or 4 years, Texas still seems to be booming as much or more than ever(we go to Dallas a few times a year).

Healthcare is actually the biggest industry in Nashville - even bigger than music. HCA is indeed headquartered here, and just announced a new office development on West End (close to downtown). Our economy suffered some with the downturn, but not nearly as badly as many other places.

You can really find whatever sort of environment or community you want in the general Nashville area. We have tons of families, tons of hipsters, tons of aspiring singer/songwriters, hippies, yuppies, you name it. If you do live in the Lebanon/Mt. Juliet area, that's definitely family-focused. The schools question is extremely dependent on where you end up living. Metro Nashville schools are hit and miss, and the better schools are either magnets or are in the more expensive neighborhoods. They do have some charter schools, but that's a topic of controversy right now. My understanding is that the Wilson County schools are good, but I don't have kids and don't live in that area, so take that with a grain of salt!

As is its reputation, Nashville is a fairly Bible Belt-y area in general, though how much of that you encounter depends on exactly where around town you live. That might be a plus or a minus for you, depending on your background and beliefs. Nashville/Davidson County itself is pretty diverse politically, but aside from Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee is a very red state, so depending on your politics that could also be a consideration.

Our traffic isn't nearly as bad as Dallas or other huge cities, but there are some crazy routes, and the Lebanon-downtown commute is pretty popular. That IS, though, the one route that our commuter train currently takes, so if you work directly downtown that could be an option.

Things I love: Lots of great local restaurants in Nashville (fine dining and great casual places), a very laid-back vibe, a more diverse community than people tend to think, plenty to do all the time, lots of nature around town and the area. The Lebanon/Mt. Juliet area has grown a ton in the last decade, but my impression is that the growth is mostly chain restaurants and that sort of thing. That's based on what I hear and what I see from I-40, so your relatives might have better information there. There's no state income tax, which you probably know, but our sales tax is high (9.25% on everything but groceries; I think groceries are 7.5% or something). I think the weather would be fairly similar to Dallas. The humidity doesn't bother me (I grew up in Tennessee, so I'm used to it!), but it does bother lots of people.

I can't compare it to Phoenix, but I really love it here. I don't have kids, but I know lots of people who do and are very happy. It's a very "happening" place right now, and I think there's a lot of good growth going on. One thing I do suggest (and it sounds like you're planning this already, but just in case) - when you're here being a tourist, make sure to explore outside of downtown, and spend a lot of time around where your relatives live. Downtown Nashville is tourist central, but most locals I know don't go down there much unless they work there or are seeing a show. It's fun, just not representative of what it's like to live here. And the Lebanon area is very different than some of the neighborhoods around central Nashville. If you wanted to suggest a price point for housing, I could direct you to some general areas to check out in Nashville itself (I'm not as familiar with the outlying counties).

Whatever you decide, I hope you have a great trip here, and are able to make your fresh start wherever you choose!

My wife went to Vandy, so we've spent a few weekends in Nashville and like it a lot. Other than it being too landlocked for us we could see ourselves living there.

If you don't find Nashville to your liking, or find it too big, take a look at Chattanooga about 2 hrs away. It's a great little city with a growing economy and a lot going for it.

Thank you spirobulldog & jent103, I appreciate the comments!

Dallas will forever be 'home,' but I'm not eager to go back for a variety of personal reasons. Otherwise, I know it would be a good place to raise my kiddos.

I've been a bit infaturated with Tennessee for a while, but can't really put a finger on exactly why, so I'll blame it on the seasons, trees and grass. I'm not scared off from the idea of living in a 'red' state or in or around the Bible Belt, I'm fairly used to that and know how to socialize with a more conservative crowd and not lose myself completely.

The hustle and bustle of Phoenix (and Dallas, I suppose) makes me feel like Nashvile/Lebanon might offer a needed reprieve and slower pace. I'm trying not to be too ideallistic, though...the grass might not be greener (although compared to AZ the fact that there IS grass is something to argue! LOL)

Lebanon would definitely be a slower pace! Nashville is still a city, but I don't feel like the pace is very hectic at all. And it's lovely right now with all the leaves changing colors.

Brian's right about Chattanooga - it's a great town. It's still smallish, but has undergone a lot of great planned growth in the last 20 years or so.

And thank you, Brian! I will keep Chattanooga in mind.

I always thought it would be nice to live just enough outside of a city to get that feeling of being removed, yet still be close enough to enjoy a night out on the town. At heart, I'm a city girl and I enjoy some of what the city offers. Maybe it's my old-age desiring to calm things down a bit? LOL

The Nashville area seemed to offer a little bit of everything, which Phoenix just can't do. I can live outside the city limits to get that removed feeling, but I'll have one heck of a commute to work (it's 20 miles currently from Phoenix to Scottsdale.) I'm hoping that I can find enough to share with my 15 y/o to help him have a little more interest in the city, but that's a much tougher sale.

Thoughts on Phoenix from anyone? I know it's not a horrible place to live...

I did get through your original post and the rest of the thread. There are hundreds of small or medium sized cities that would meet your requirement of being "not Phoenix" and that have good schools and other amenities that you might desire. I'll name one that my family and I lived in in the 60's for three years. Lincoln, Nebraska. Currently we live in an LA suburb, but we still have some nostalgia for Lincoln (except long about February).

I think you should not home in on Nashville. Plenty of other options. But the most important consideration is finding work.

My thought on Phoenix. I wouldn't want to go through a summer there. And yes, I have visited there in the summer. I check the weather every day and there have been a few summer days where the hottest temperature in the US was not Death Valley, but a Phoenix suburb.

Thanks dbdurand! Nebraska, huh? I hadn't really considered the cornhuskaer state. I'm not sure I could survive a winter there, LOL! My mom is from there and I'm sure she'd love to visit often up there.

The Phoenix summers are so grueling and a big reason I'm ready for a change. 5-6 months of straight triple digits is rough, even if it is a dry heat (once the thermostat is over 115, you don't really care if it's dry or not.) However, now that we're at the end of October, this is the time we're so thankful for.

I'm leaving for Nashville this Thursday to be a tourist first and see if I even like the city before indulging more serious thought into a move. I appreciate everyone's comments and feedback!

Enjoy your visit to Nashville-- I was just there at the beginning of the month--my seventh visit since 2005. I would love to hear what you think of it.

And while I am familiar with Lincoln (I grew up in Omaha), it is no Nashville!

Have a great trip, pvjenna! If I hear of anything fun going on around town this weekend (other than the usual), I'll post back here. There's a lot going on in the summer and early fall, but November tends to not have many festivals or other things. But at least the weather looks pretty seasonal and not rainy!

Oh my! Just looked at the weather out there...I'm going to freeze! It's a good 20-25 degrees colder there; Nashville's high isn't even Phoenix's low right now. Thank goodness for whiskey, bonfires and cottony layers? LOL

pvjenna -

I think I can offer you some great insight as I moved to Nashville from Las Vegas over 11 years ago. For many of the same reasons you stated. I have 2 kids (16 and 10 boys) and I did not want the oldest to begin attending school in LV. Also, I was totally over the desert weather and landscape. All that brown is just depressing.

I did the exact same as you and first visited for a week playing tourist. It took a bit longer to make the move as I really wanted to make sure and I returned with various family members as well as my then 5 year old 3 more times over about 18 months and in every season. One of our visits happened to coincide with a massive heatwave in August.

We looked at surrounding counties once we learned that the metro school system was not the best. We settled on Sumner County to the North. We are 25 miles from downtown Nashville and all it has to offer. We have been very pleased with the school system and the education provided.

It is a very conservative area though and is sometimes difficult for me still to fit in. I am the only Jewish person at my company and one of very few liberals. There is a small Jewish population in Middle TN and a few synagogues but as I live a bit removed from the area I don't participate in as many things other than services and my kids attending and myself teaching religious school. If you are in any way a liberal you will learn to bite your tongue and remember you moved here for the beauty, weather and schools!

Overall, I have been happy living here and as jent103 said there are some good job opportunities. It seems we are attracting more business types and even some HQ places.

As for weather, the first couple of summers were difficult but now I have totally adapted and the dry heat of the desert bothers me. I love the changing seasons with all the leaves turning beautiful reds and golds in fall and then watching them return on those most perfect spring days when the sky is amazingly blue. The weather this weekend will be in the mid to high 60's and perfectly fall.

If you have any questions or want to chat about my experiences let me know and I will get you my email address or if have time and want to meet for lunch I would be happy to do that too.

Your post is timely as I am currently stranded in Nashville due to Sandy.

I'm a Vanderbilt grad and I loved Nashville back in the day before it is what it is now (I was here for reunion). This is THE happening city right now. It's beautiful, vibrant, easy to navigate, the people are AMAZING - and I live in New York City. I'm actually jealous of people who live here as opposed to all the people who think living in NYC is so wonderful. Yes, it's exciting, but after spending time here this week as a "resident" (thankfully my awesome friend and her family took me in) every day I've made a comment about moving here. I don't know much about the school system but I have a client who is a senior at a magnet school that's supposed to be very good. Private schooling is best if you are in the city. Traffic is okay - I only go up and down West End and 21st/Green Hills for now - but compared to NYC it's paradise.

The people here are friendlier than I've ever known. As I said, I went to school here but that was a while ago, and after being in Chicago and NYC for a long time maybe I'm jaded. I cannot get out of a store because everyone wants to know your life history and they are just the nicest people ever. Like EVER. I'm praying for my flight home to be cancelled so I can stay here longer.

My only thing is that like trvlgirlmq I too am Jewish although not religious. It's the buckle of the Bible Belt and there are Romney signs everywhere. However, there are lots of synagogues and even in the 90s I was invited to people's houses for Passover. I think being from the Northeast would be more of a standout than being Jewish (if you are, I have no idea).

I could live like a queen here. I can't seriously consider moving at the moment because I don't want to leave my family back east. The airport is great and there are a lot of non-stops to big cities like NYC, Chicago, Dallas, etc.

I can't get enough of this city. If I were in your position I'd pack it all up and move ASAP. Have fun this week! It is quite cold which is unusual. Definitely pack a winter jacket and boots. Have fun and good luck!

Oh wow, Skiergirl - I saw you post about being stranded, but didn't know you were here! I'm so glad you were able to enjoy the time away so much. You sound like somebody we'd love to move back. I'm guessing your client's child goes to MLK or Hume-Fogg? Those two are magnet schools and consistently get ranked among the top schools in the country, though many of the other high schools struggle. The Metro school system is so wacky.

The politics are so interesting around here. Outside Nashville proper, as I mentioned, it's Romney all the way for the most part (there are some Democrats regularly elected to Congress or the state legislature, but they're of the more moderate persuasion). But I drive through Hillsboro Village every day and all I see there are Obama signs. East Nashville is also pretty Democratic. As you drive through town you just see all these pockets.

It was COLD this morning! I had two shirts and a jacket on running and was still cold. Fortunately it's supposed to warm up on Saturday, but past that it definitely looks like fall.

I have to hand it to you Jenna. I couldn't have stuck it out in Phoenix for 10 years! I think you are making a good choice given what you having trouble with in Phoenix.

We have friends who moved to Phoenix about 10 years ago as well, but they found the people very friendly, much friendlier than they expected. And all their friends (transplants felt the same way). It may be that they live in residential track type home neighborhoods.

But, I personally have never liked visiting Phoenix. I find it brown. Everything is brown. And it's hot, blistering hot 6 months out of the year. I would think Nashville, would be a delight in comparision

jent103-
I didn't even think to try and contact you! My bad. I was very overwhelmed with work and what was going on at home. I got back to NYC so I'm stuck here now (well, home) and we have a nor'easter coming next week. Oh good times! I LOVE NASHVILLE. I cried when the plane took off. My kid is at MLK. I've never even been to Phoenix and have desire to go there. Nashville for the win!!!!!

I too went to Vanderbilt for part of my education -- a long time ago -- and really enjoyed much of the city, though I lived in the West End and then Belle Meade, a long story.

The climate in Nashville is the best of anywhere I ever lived. It had four distinct seasons, and the summer was not too hot and the winter not too cold. We would have a couple of snows in the winter -- once magically on Christmas Eve -- that would promptly melt. Daffodils appeared about 6-8 weeks earlier than in the north, and fall was colorful. Very satisfying.

Nashville also has a good location. It is a day's drive from Chicago in one direction, the mountains and Gulf are reachable in another, and it is a quick flight to a lot of other places. The Symphony was excellent last I knew and it has a terrific public library system.

I would carefully explore the schools in any town where you might want to settle. Next to employment, in hand before you move, it is the most important thing in your situation.

Several people mention the fundamentalist ethos. Churchgoing in the south is generally much more important than in other parts of the country. I don't have a problem with this as I am a churchgoing, would-be Christian, but I belong to a mainstream denomination that is accepting of all kinds of diversity. Depending on how and why you are a single mother, you may find yourself in uncomfortable situations in situations where religion and evangelism may intrude. Or not.

If you have extended family there to offer a supportive center to you and your children, it is a really nice city.

Skiergirl - I wasn't offended! I would totally have taken you for coffee or something, though. If you had to be stuck somewhere, I'm glad you got to be here! I bet it seems a little like a vacation now.

Ackislander, the symphony is still excellent. Have you seen the new symphony center (well, new five or so years ago)?