Just recently Tennessee failed to pass a budget (again!!). A fiscal emergency was enacted which required that all state employees be forced to either take vacation days or not be paid. In addition, residents do not want an income tax and demonstrate that by driving their cars around the Capitol building and honking their horns all day long.

Live there at your own risk!!

Musiccityman: Philip may have made some inflammatory remarks, but nothing deserving of your response. Everyone else on this thread may back you up, but I think you came across sounding like a pompous prick. I guess some people need to pump their ego on a travel board to make themselves feel good.

This entire thread has cracked me up. I only entered a search on Tennessee out of curiosity and I got this. I have lived in East TN most of my life. My parents moved here (mercifally from the North) over 30 years ago. I have grown up here and am now raising my daughter here. We visit in Chicago and in Missouri .....sorry not NYC as we have no desire. I love Chicago but have no desire to live there. I have taught school for 15 years and got my masters from a college in Nashville.... that dreaded not so classy place LMAO
We all have to get along. We have had a big wave of "yankees" in our small town due to the recent building of big factories of "yankee" owned Industries. They all seem very nice and we are greeting with them with open arms. Perhaps they are not as sophisticated as you but needless to say they are fitting in "just fine" and also pouring big bucks into our economy.
Sure our government has problems. Is your's without fault?? Ohhhh I think not.
I'm just thankful that we are where we are.....Tennessee.

To the guy/gal who stated a couple of posts up that they are moving because Tennessee refuses to pass an income tax - Don't let the door hit your dumba** on the way out. One more thing - please take our incompetent crooked governor with you.

I left Chicago to live in Nashville.
I like TN. I think I prefer the smaller towns and will probably move to one of the smaller towns in TN. But, Tennessee is a nice place. All larger cities have their perks AND their drawbacks. You have to live where you are comfortable and happy. If you don't you are wasting precious years of your life. If I so rabidly disliked an area and its people, I would be moving to a place I enjoyed. What's up with Philip??? Probably the name.......

I am a native Tennessean who has traveled extensively. I have lived in Nashville for nearly twenty years. I find New York (the state and the city) enchanting. Upstate New York in autumn is much like Nashville in autumn except that our weather is a bit warmer and we don't have the advantage of your wonderful apples and wines. We also are a small city and by no means have the great wealth of cultural opportunities which NYC's possess on every corner, but what we don't have in quantity, can be found in quality. You will find that we are growing and as any growing city we are experiencing growing pangs, but I think if you come South you will be able to find places and things in Nashville that you will enjoy. Just as New York is not for everyone, Nashville is not. You need to like slow paced days, be tolerant of crazy drivers, be willing to stand in line an hour for a seat at the Pancake Pantry, act as if you didn't see Dolly Parton at the table next to you even if she is your favor Country Star, understand that if you are a star you may have to wait in line like all the rest for a table at the Boundry, know enough about classical Greek art to appreciate that the Parthenon is not just that building in the middle of Centennial Park, tolerate crazed Titan Fans, relish the fact that the old post office was saved to make it The Frist Center for the Visual Arts, appreciate the history preserved here (both North and South) of men who died during the Civil War, like Sweats Barbecue, know how to find Germantown and Molene's, Van Vechten and Fisk, enjoy the pickled grapes at the Red Wagon in East Nashville and watching the ducks at Mallard's near Hendersonville, and on and on, but most of all you have to be able to be tolerant of our countrymen who come here and speak ill of us because they just don't get it. We are not New Yorkers. We are Nashvillians. We relish the fact that we love being different. We love and laugh at our differentness. We hope that if you come here that you will as well.

I grew up in South Florida and do NOT consider myself a southerner (as most in South Fla wouldn't). I went to college in Nashville and I have to say, it's not a bad city. I wouldn't mind going back to live, even, except that I like to be near water and that is the one thing it isn't near (an ocean, I mean). It is a great location-close to mountains, 4 distinct seasons, lots to do (and I don't mean all country stuff), it has a great university (although I am biased). The school system has good and bad-if you live in a nice area you'll be fine, it's like any urban school district. There are some really nice suburbs too. I never felt unwelcome or out of place. But you do have to get used to life at a bit slower pace! Overall, a great city with lots to offer. If you are church-goers, you will find lots of social opportunities at church. I particularly noticed that Church of Christ is a very big denomination there.
Good luck!

In the immortal words of Lewis Grizzard, "Eat our food, marry our women, just don't tell us how y'all do it back in Cleveland". And finally " If you don't like it here, Delta is ready when you are".

Doesn't it bother Tennesseans that their driver's license isn't accepted in four states?

I grew up in New York and went to Nashville for college (Vanderbilt). I'm sure that if you look, you will find plenty of intelligent, sociable folks in Nashville. I doubt they would cut you out or laugh at you just because you're a Yankee.

I made a lot of friends, Southern and otherwise, but (as in NY or anywhere else) there were some people who never considered me as friend material simply because of the color of my skin, or did consider me friend material but harbored prejudices. Note that some people still display the Confederate flag, although one guy told me he did this because he liked the culture of the time, not because he was a racist(I told him that many people feel the flag represents the SLAVE culture).

One night I went out with two guys (college friends) who both turned out to be carrying handguns for protection. I realize NY is known for violent crime, but I'd never seen a friend with a handgun before and I was rather disconcerted. I'm not sure how common handguns are in the South compared to the North, but I do know that a much higher percentage of my Southern male acquaintances hunt than my Northern male acquaintances. ROTC also seems to be more popular in the South for some reason. In general, I think the South's more conservative and traditional, including manners.

There are a lot of good, and some excellent, restaurants in Nashville, although of course the breadth of choices is narrower than in a big city. There are also fun music and dance clubs. Lectures, readings, concerts, dance performances, sports events, and movies are offered at Vanderbilt and other venues, but I did miss having a range of decent museums (perhaps there are some now). I agree that there are some nice green areas.

I hope this helps.

This thread is over a year old. Bruce has probably made up his mind by now.