Tennessee

[next_migration]

Hi folks - I'm skipping ahead again to start presenting individual states in the Southeast, beginning with Tennessee because a reader expressed interest in it in a private conversation.

Tennessee is one of the more promising parts of this region if you want, or don’t mind, a very right-wing government. The U.S. Census Bureau reports population growth in most of its counties, not only the urban counties, which suggests that smaller towns are doing a good job of being livable for their residents. Geographically and culturally it has much in common with Kentucky, but there are more towns of moderate size where a migrant might find a home, and it appears to be better managed in some ways that will become important in future. On the downside (IMHO), partly because state law makes it easy to use public parks as one pleases, the state has become a meeting place for hordes of white nationalists.

The Nashville metro area exceeds 2 million people (extending to such cities as Hendersonville and Murfreesboro), and the Memphis region 1.3 million. Though Knoxville and Chattanooga have fewer than 200,000 people each, the surrounding metro area is over 860,000 for the former, 540,000 for the latter. Most migrants will wish to avoid all of these as too large. More acceptable places might include the following:

 

 

o  Clarksville, at the northern edge of the state, has a population over 165,000 and a metro area over 300,000. Employing industries include a diverse array of manufacturers as well as the military, IT, and education; it is home to a state university and community and technical colleges. Usually has above-average unemployment, but at the moment not much worse than the country as a whole. Housing is more expensive than in smaller towns.

o  Columbia (42,000 people) to the south of Nashville is known for its historic antebellum architecture and weeklong mule festival. There is a variety of manufacturing in the area, and the city is constructing an industrial park to attract more. Columbia is home to a community college.

o  Cookeville (35,000 people) offers jobs in health care, retail, services, manufacturing, distribution, transportation, education, and government. It is the home of Tennessee Technological University. There are a variety of performing arts in the region and three state parks. Housing is affordable, though students complain of exploitative landlords.

o  Shelbyville (22,000 people) is famous for pen and pencil manufacturing and for hosting the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration. There are several other major manufacturing and distribution businesses and a technical college. However, local jobs are limited.

o  Tullahoma (20,000 people) hosts several aerospace businesses; it has a community college and a state university graduate aerospace engineering institute. There is public broadband, and the schools are good. Some residents complain that there is crime and meth, but this is true of virtually every affordable town in Tennessee.

o  McMinnville (about 14,000 people) and its county are known as the “nursery capital of the world,” with about 450 nursery businesses and great growing weather. It would be a good place for a person with a horticulture degree to get work, though wages are not high. The local culture is such that only conservative Christians would likely be welcome or happy. An extensive cave system (Cumberland Caverns) and lovely state park are nearby.

o  Lewisburg (12,000 people) has suffered from factory closures, but the region still offers some manufacturing jobs as well as catering to agriculture. The town is the home of the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders’ and Exhibitors’ Association. Local police killed a jail inmate on video in 2020.

o  Crossville (over 11,000 people) claims to be the golf capital of Tennessee, with 12 courses in the area. It is considered to be very conservative (with large KKK meetings in the area, though most attendees are outsiders) and to have a significant meth problem.

o  Lawrenceburg (about 11,000 people) near the southern border is home to the Vaughan School of Music. There are some well-paying factory jobs and some reliance on tourism; “David Crockett State Park” is nearby and annual events include Davy Crockett’s birthday, a gospel music festival, and a fair. There is a small community college. The town is conservative, homogenous, and perhaps a bit run-down.

o  Manchester (less than 11,000 people) hosts the huge annual Bonnaroo music festival. Residents consider it a quiet, conservative town with plenty of outdoor recreation.

 

Larger towns at the west end of the state include the following.

 

o  Jackson (68,000 people) usually has unemployment slightly above the state average, and high crime is a persistent problem. The economy emphasizes retail and services, health care, and manufacturing. Jackson has a community college, private religious colleges, and the West Tennessee School for the Deaf. It is known as the birthplace of rockabilly music.

o  Martin (over 10,000 people) is the home of the University of Tennessee–Martin, which is not particularly well reputed academically but is known for its beautiful, safe campus and concern for sustainability. Martin is a small, conservative town with low crime rates. It may be hard for an outsider to find a job, and wages are often low. Attractions include a historic downtown and a soybean festival.

 

The northeastern corner of the state is conservative, lacking in diversity, and high in violence and poverty; still, people who can fit in might find opportunities here, and the scenery is beautiful. Some of the “towns” listed by City-data in this region appear to be unincorporated areas or villages whose population centers have a small fraction of the claimed size. Outsiders should not consider moving to very small towns. Cities or towns that might be of most interest to migrants include the following.

 

o  Johnson City (71,000 people) is the largest city in the Tri-Cities region and a regional shopping center. Major employers include East Tennessee State University, health care (including colleges of pharmacy and medicine), and a nearby chemical plant; there are also jobs in other manufacture, banking and telecommunications. Bus service and walkability are limited. There are some big-city issues and housing is not as cheap as in small towns, but schools are well reputed.

o  Bristol (27,000 people) is on the state line, across from Bristol, Virginia. It has an economy emphasizing retail and health care. Bristol is considered the birthplace of country music; there is a country music museum and a motor speedway. The town is very white, and transplants warn that Yankees might not fit in well.

o  Greeneville (15,000 people) has employment in retail, health care, and some manufacturing (including a greeting card company). Housing is cheap and there are plans to redevelop the downtown. There are several elder care facilities. The Appalachian National Forest provides outdoor recreation. Though there is a drug problem (like everywhere else in the region) and some residents complain of corruption, Greeneville seems to be friendlier than many small Appalachian towns. It hosts a particularly good county fair and, though largely white, holds an annual Street Dance on Davis celebration that honors local Black history.

 

There are regional transportation systems in Tennessee, and the state cares enough to pay attention to them. In a recent assessment, it suggested that service was adequate, but that efforts should be made to add stops in certain areas. Long-distance bus service is provided primarily by Greyhound, with stops in all the towns recommended above but Shelbyville; McMinnville is indirectly connected to a bus route via a state-supported feeder line. Amtrak stops are located in the west in Memphis and Newbern-Dyersburg.