Tennessee Real Estate
When you think of Tennessee, you think of country, country music in Nashville and the country traditions of the Great Smoky Mountains. Tennessee is also the home of many other cities, such as Memphis, Chattanooga, and Knoxville and icons such as Vanderbilt University and The Grand Ole Opry. Homes there are affordable luxuries which any retiree can enjoy.
If you are partial to the higher elevations and cooler weather of the mountains, you might look in the Blue Ridge area on the eastern side of the state. The average elevation of the region is 5,000 feet above sea level.
East Tennessee also has stretches of fertile valleys and wooded ridges called the Ridge and Valley Region. The Tennessee Valley flattens out to a much larger area called the Great Valley, home to Knoxville and Chattanooga, the 3rd and 4th largest cities in the state.
Middle Tennessee is marked by flat-topped mountains. The Cumberland Plateau stands at an elevation of 1500 to 1800 feet above sea level. Nearby is the Nashville Basin known for its fertile land, farms, and wildlife. Here, the last American Chestnut trees still grow and may yield clues to the survival of other American Chestnuts.
West Tennessee runs down to the Gulf Coastal Plain, the largest area in the state. It begins at the Gulf of Mexico and runs up to southern Illinois. Memphis is where steep bluffs overlook the mighty Mississippi River. Down at 300 feet above sea level is the Mississippi Alluvial Plain and below that are the swampy lowlands of the Delta Region.
Education abounds in Tennessee with about 50 colleges and universities dotting the state. The University of Tennessee operates the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, one of the country's largest government research facilities. Vanderbilt University in Nashville is where you can find the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
So whether you are interested in as many outdoor activities as you can think of in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park or prefer to ski at any time of year at the Ober Gatlinburg Ski Resort which houses the world's largest artificial skiing surface, you will find what you want.
If that doesn't tempt you, perhaps the sound of country music will draw you. Elvis Presley's home, Graceland, is the second most visited house in the country.
The weather in Tennessee has four seasons, with an emphasis on summer heat. Although the entire state is humid, due to the influence of the Gulf, the higher elevations are not as hot in the summers as the lowlands and experience up to 16 inches of winter snow, although freezing rain is more common. Situated out of the direct paths of hurricanes, the state receives the soggy remnants of the huge storms. Tornadoes are fairly common and some are quite severe, so be sure to consider that fact when purchasing a home. There are about 50 days of thunderstorms a year and the average precipitation is 50 inches annually.
Housing in Tennessee is affordable, there is no state income tax, and property taxes remain low. The average price for a house in 2005 was $135,000, up 20% from 2000. These are prices have been unheard of in other parts of the country for the past 30 years. The median family income in 2006 was just over $51,000.
The variety of affordable housing options is vast. If you are thinking about retiring to a lakeside estate, a townhome in the city, a planned suburban community, a golf and resort community, or a country home, Tennessee is a place everyone should take a little look-see and then settle down.