Tennessee

Best and Worst State: Pros and Cons of Living in Tennessee

2021-06-19
Visual
Visual Freedom
Community Voice

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1796 marked Tennessee's entry into the union as the 16th state. It is 112 miles wide, but stretches 432 miles from the Appalachian Mountains bordering North Carolina east to the Mississippi River borders with Missouri and Arkansas in the west. Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Muddy Waters, Johnny Cash, B.B. King, and Dolly Parton have all played in the two largest cities in Tennessee, Memphis and Nashville, respectively. A well-attended barbecue competition is held every year in Memphis called "Memphis in May.".

Would you like to know what living in Tennessee has to offer? That's why you're here. Are you considering moving to Tennessee for work? Could you spend your golden years in Tennessee? The state of Tennessee offers many benefits regardless of your circumstances. Additionally, some reasons should be considered before moving to Tennessee. 

The following are some pros and cons of living in Tennessee, which might help you decide whether to visit or move to the state. Let us start with the pros below:

1. Tennessee doesn't require you to pay personal income taxes

You will find that Tennessee does not have an income tax when you move there. Therefore, the federal withholdings that your employer is required to make will not be deducted from your paycheck. A slight caveat with this advantage is that interest and dividend earnings are taxed. Taxes can be higher if you derive your income primarily from investing. The remaining tax is supposed to be phased out by 2022, but it is not guaranteed.

For single filers, the first $1,250 of taxable income from interest and dividends is exempt. The first $2,500 goes to joint filers. Everything else is taxed at a flat rate of 6%. In addition, if you are over 65 and earn less than $37,000 (for a single person) or $68,000 (for a married couple), you are not financially responsible.

2. Literature has a home in Tennessee as well.

There is a lot of literary talent to discover in this state, as well as music, agriculture, and booze. Several famous writers were born in Tennessee, including James Agee and Alex Haley. The Sewanee Review has been publishing continuously for more than 150 years in the United States. Additionally, the state is home to dozens of poets, playwrights, and other writers. Tennessee is a great place to live and work if you are an artist.

However, the following are some of the cons of living in Tennessee:

1. It can be challenging to make new friends when living in this state.

Perhaps no other time in history has seen our relationships are more polarized than now. The friendliness of each community is encouraging when you move to Tennessee for the first time. However, you will also discover that it can be difficult to make new friends in the first few days and weeks after moving.you will also discover that it can be difficult to make new friends in the first few days and weeks after moving. The surface interaction in this area leads to people sticking to their tribes. If you are outside looking in, this environment can feel exclusionary, and there may not be much that you can do about it.

2. The growth levels in Tennessee’s cities can be challenging as well.

There are so many cities like Nashville and Memphis that planners seem unable to keep up at times. Nashville has borderline insane traffic levels during rush hour, although every city experiences it at some point. If you plan to move soon, you will also discover that housing prices are rising rapidly, so you should start looking for a place to live as soon as possible. As long as you can afford a house and find a good job, the cost of living is relatively reasonable here. If not, then it may not be the best option right now.

Bonus: Here are more fun facts about Tennessee:

  1. The city of Murfreesboro lies in the exact geographical center of the state.
  2. Grinders Switch, entertainer Minnie Pearl’s fictitious hometown is now an entertainment complex in her real hometown of Centerville.
  3. Conifer forests similar to those in Canada are found in the higher elevations of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
  4. Hattie Caraway (1878-1950), born in Bakersville, became the first United States Senator.
  5. Davy Crockett was not born on a mountaintop in Tennessee, as the song says. He was born on the banks of Limestone Creek near Greeneville, where a replica of the Crockett’s log cabin stands today.
  6. The Tennessee Aquarium is the largest facility of its kind to focus on freshwater habitat. It features 7,000 animals and 300 species of fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals.
  7. The largest earthquake in American history, the New Madrid Earthquake, occurred in the winter of 1811-12 in northwestern Tennessee. Reelfoot Lake, located in Obion and Lake Counties, was formed during this earthquake.
  8. Reputed “Turtle Capital of the World,” Reelfoot Lake also features thousands of sliders, stinkpots, mud, and map turtles.
  9. Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry is the longest continuously running live radio program in the world. It has been broadcast every Friday and Saturday night since 1925.
  10. The legendary railroad engineer Casey Jones, who was killed when his train crashed on April 30, 1900, lived in Jackson.

What can you share about the pros and cons of living in Tennessee? Please share them in the comment section below!

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee

https://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0210/7-states-with-no-income-tax.aspx

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Writers_from_Tennessee

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nashville,_Tennessee

https://www.50states.com/facts/tennessee.htm

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Visual
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Visual Freedom
California-based frequent traveler that loves to explore cities & counties and write about lifestyle, business & food.