I’m an urban commie pinko fag in Seattle and I’m thinking of moving to a tiny town about 1.5 hours SW of Nashville. What’s it going to be like for me?
If I can’t hack the tiny town, Columbia would be the nearest small city, population about 10K. It has some amenities.
I’m a loner, but not too weird-looking. I have roots in TN but never since early childhood lived in a city smaller than 1M, nor in the South.
1.5 hours SW of Nashville? Jackson? I am from there so which particular community?
I’m in a small town on the other side of Nashville. If you do move here, we should have another middle Tennessee Dopefest to welcome you. 
Back to the question. IME, you’ll be close enough to Nashville to go to cultural events and the like. My small town (Lebanon) is pretty agriculture oriented, but close enough to the city that many of us commute (we have commuter rail service from N’Ville). And Comumbia isn’t an hour and a half…more like forty-five minutes.
I’m not sure what you’ll find in the GLBTQ community in Columbia, but some small towns with art, music or tourist based economies do have a few urban ex-pats. Otherwise, you may be more comfortable living closer to the city.
A lot of folks only know Nashville as a country music center, but you’ll find all kinds of entertainment here, from the street fairs on Jefferson Street, the International festival in the south part of town, a few good blues bars, a couple of jazz clubs, alternative theatre, a reasonably good symphony, ballet, rep theatre and opera. It has also changed greatly from the town that twenty years ago had very few ethnic restaurants (besides barbeque and meat and three, which, by the way, are good enough to gain some serious weight on ) to the current melange of decent Mexican, El Salvadoran, Persian, Ethiopian, Cuban, Creole, Greek, Lao, Thai, Vietnamese…well you get the picture. If you like sports, there’s the Titans, the Preds and the Sounds.
You have to look harder for variety in the small towns though. A lot of life seems to revolve around church, high school football and the local eateries / watering holes.
If you get involved with some community endeavors, folks will usually come to accept you, even if your lifestyle differs from the local norm. I’ve learned to accept the “Have a bless-ed day!” thing with a “You too!” for the most part, heathen that I am. I’ve also learned to put my foot down when the whole evangelistic thought train goes over the line.
You’ll likely find that life moves at a slower pace here. If you’re a person that needs constant action, you’ll probably die of boredom. If not, then you’ll be in hog heaven.
I can only speak from my middle aged, straight, no school kids, Yankee, agnostic, single woman’s perspective, so take this with a grain of salt.
I think Missred misread. The unnamed tiny town, presumably smaller than Columbia and farther from Nashville, is 1.5 hours out.
I recommend city-data.com for a broad overview of any town in America, big or small. It provides information about crime, housing costs, employment, climate, education, health care etc. They even have estimates of the percentage of households that are gay or lesbian. For example, http://www.city-data.com/city/Columbia-Tennessee.html and http://www.city-data.com/city/Seattle-Washington.html
It seems to me there are two kinds of places where you can be a loner if you really want to be. First a big city, where there are so many people around that nobody will pay attention to what any one of them is doing. And second, the back-of-beyond where there are no other people to pay attention. (If you can see your neighbor’s house from your own, or if you can walk to your neighbor’s house without getting out of breath, then you don’t live in the back of beyond). Suburbs, small towns, and ordinary rural areas are the worst places to try to be a loner.
As another middle aged, straight, no school kids, agnostic, single woman (albeit a native Southern one), I’ll say that missred has the gist of it. I live IN Nashville and have no shortage of “things to do” culturally, etc. I wish NashVegas had more in the way of jazz, but otherwise there’s music of all kinds all the time. It’s not Atlanta, but for a city of its size there’s plenty going on.
In the rural parts, you are naturally going to be further removed from that. For restaurants you’re going to have BBQ and “home cooking” types in addition to some chains in your nearest bigger town. There may be a yearly festival or whatnot. Politically, yeah, the people are gonna be red state loons in large part, but, being Southern, they’ll be nice and helpful and friendly on a one-on-on basis. “Where do you go to church?” will be an introductory question, followed by an invitation to go with them to their church. Don’t get all riled up by it – it’s just a way to break the ice and be neighborly.
In other words … life in rural TN, the rural South, is no different than life in rural ANYWHERE America. The question to ask yourself is … not “what about rural TN?” but “what about rural life period?”
Now … one thing you’ll find here is that it’s pretty damn gorgeous. If you like outdoor activities, you would die before you hiked all the trails and fished all the streams. Summers are hot and humid. Last I heard, Nashville gets as much rainfall per year as Seattle, it’s just bunched up more.
I would encourage you to visit, if you haven’t already. Spend a week or two in the area where you’re thinking of moving. Drive around. Visit a spell. See if you can embrace what’s different and appreciate the good things without looking down your Yankee nose, if you know what I mean.
Another middle-aged, straight, no-school-kids (Catholic) woman. I live in the country, about 50 miles southeast of Nashville. I have 14 acres and a 160-year old farm house, 6 dogs, 4 cats (that new kitten dumped in my yard last week doesn’t count!) amd two horses. I work 35 miles from home, but the commute is quick (less than 40 minutes). My neighbors are friendly and helpful (plenty of people stopped when I flipped my tractor over on top of me, and my neighbor killed a rattlesnake in my front yard this past weekend) but not usually in-your-face. Neighborly. I leave my back door unlocked and open while I’m at work (which drives my cop neighbor crazy).
I don’t have many non-farm, non-work related activities, but I’m close enough to Nashville (an hour’s drive) to go into town if I want to see a play or meet up with Dopers or go to the flea market. Murfreesboro, the closest town, has shopping, movie theatres, regional theatre, good local restaurants and usual chain restaurants.
Taxes aren’t oppressive. No income tax. Home ownership is pretty easy for most people.
Welcome to Tennessee!
StG
I live in Columbia. We have more like 30,000 people living here, I believe (with about 50,000 in the county).
Frankly, there isn’t really much to do around here-I go to Franklin, Nashville or Murfreesboro for entertainment. Franklin is about 20 mintues north; Nashville is about 45 minutes north; and Murfreesboro is about an hour east.
Life in Columbia is slow paced. I am from here originally (well, since I was 12, which was forever ago), lived in Dallas for the last 10 years, and just moved back a few months ago. I had forgotten how slow things move here and that has been the biggest adjustment to moving back for me. I’m used to the convenience of big city life and you are not going to find that in Columbia.
I live in the country at the moment but am moving “to town” in a couple of weeks. Our neighbors are wonderful and helpful, as other posters have mentioned. Yes, people will probably ask where you attend, and by that they mean church. No one will get upset if you don’t attend anywhere.
You will like the housing prices and low cost of living. And I don’t think you’ll find a prettier state in the union. This area is also great if you are interested in the Civil War-I think Middle Tennessee has the most preserved battlefields in the nation and Columbia has the most preserved antebellum homes in the nation.
BTW, I’m a married female, mother of one, in my early 30’s.
Feel free to ask me questions specifically about Columbia (or PM me) and I’ll do my best to answer them.
Jelly Roll - You need a kitten. I’ll pay to have her spayed…
StG
I hate cats, so…no.
Besides, I have 3 dogs, a baby and a husband. No more room at the inn.
Heh…coming from Seattle to the rural South is going to be a major culture shock in more ways than you can imagine. Guns are more common…most households will have at least one. During hunting season, you may well see dead deer in the back of pickup trucks. Football is huge…any football…high school on Friday nights, College Saturdays, NFL Sundays. Once you move in, people will knock on your door to invite you to church. You may be moving to a dry county–I think TN has a few–meaning that alcohol is not sold there. Even if you live in a wet county, you may not be able to buy alcohol on Sunday. If bad weather, particularly ice or snow, is in the forecast, go to the grocery store. That’s what one is expected to do. You may as well buy orange clothing and learn the words to “Rocky Top”–unless you’re going to be a Vanderbilt fan. Positive references to Volunteers or Commodores are encouraged. Do not, for any reason, upon pain of death, utter the following phrases in public: “Roll Tide”, “Suey Pig”, “Geaux Tigers” “War Damn Eagle” “How 'bout dem Dawgs”, “Go State”, “Hoddy Toddy”, or anything at all positive regarding alligators. Do not hum or sing “Battle Hymn of the Republic”, especially not the week of the Georgia game.
Biggest thing to remember to ease the transition–you are the outsider coming in. You will need to adapt to the local culture. The other way around ain’t gonna happen.
If you piss off Skald the Rhymer, his flying monkeys can strike middle TN and still be home for breakfast.
Snerk. You probably shouldn’t be too enthusiastic about crocs or caymans either, because those are like gators. Stoopit Gators.
This is brilliant, and correct. I don’t want to name the small town because it’s, like, really small and naming it online could easily identify me if I do move there. I’m considering the possibility of taking an early retirement to take care of my mother, who is dead set on moving there as soon as she gets on Medicare (assuming she escapes the Freedom Panels for a bit longer).
She’s not quite to the point where she needs somebody around 24/7, but more like daily checkups are starting to be much more in order. I’m an only child. Ever since we saw Where’s Poppa she made me promise never to put her in a Home.
Biblio, your links are wonderful, thanks.
It’s not like I’m a committed, dedicated loner. It’s just sort of how it turned out. I can try to get along and fit in, just not sure if I’ll be at all accepted in a town where everybody knows everybody. The ultimate Mama’s Boy; the Town Faggot. I’m thinking of the tiny town, not Columbia. Columbia strikes me as more like commuter-exurb, a lot of city folk around.
My mistake about the population; that’s nice to know. Columbia may turn out to be ideal - close enough to mom, and close enough to Nashville for big-city needs.
I do intend to take a visit this fall, scout out the whole area and just hang out for a few days.
This is a sports thing, yes?
Not just any sports thing. The Mother of All Sports Things.
SEC FOOTBALL
It’s like a secondary religion. Even if you don’t watch it, you will be aware of it.
Isn’t it also predominantly white? What’s it like if you are a minority and you move there? Are there any ethnic restaurants? Would people regard you as some kind of exotic vase (serious question… I’ve been to rural parts of CA where people stared at me unabashedly as if I were an alien)?
No…you’re likely thinking of the mountainous part of the state.
Middle and west Tennessee are culturally part of the Old South, ethnically salt and pepper. In Davidson (Nashville) and surrounding counties, there has also been an influx of light industry and call centers in the past thirty years, bringing in even more diversity. In the seventies and eighties, a number of churches sponsored immigrants from SE Asia for resettlement as well. Fort Campbell Army Post is only an hour from Nashville, and Davidson County is home to one of the largest (if not the largest) Kurdish populations in the USA. There are quite a few Somalis in the area too.
In my workplace, I am actually a minority majority (if that makes sense) in that I’m an American born caucasian.
If you get bored and want something to do, you probably won’t be too far from The Farm at Summertown, Tennessee. I think National Georgraphic did a piece on them once. I’ve been told that it’s a really cool place.
Lynchburg is fun to visit. You have to get a reservation to eat at Miss Mary Bobo’s before you even plan your trip. Then you go and eat and then take a tour of the distillery where Jack Daniel is made. It’s in a dry county though. If you are ever going to go there, send me a PM and I will tell you about someone famous who lives there.
I taught in integrated schools here in Nashville and many races seem to get along very well. You will find racial bigots anywhere though if you are looking for them.
There aren’t mountains in this part of the state, but it is lush and green in the summer – with rolling hills and lots of trees. Sometimes fall colors are pretty. Last year was particularly pretty. If there is an inch of snow on the roads, schools are closed. It doesn’t snow often. In the summer you will need air conditioning.
I hope that you like it here and can make yourself comfortable.
Missred, never in a zillion years would I have thought that you were born a Yankee. You have embraced Southerninity as much as anyone I know!
Nashville has the largest Kurdish population in the US. As with most places in the US, there is also an exploding population of Hispanics. Nashville is also known as one of the places where “lost boys of Sudan” were brought to settle. It’s a surprisingly diverse city, and diverse in unexpected directions. Check out: http://wnpt.org/productions/nextdoorneighbors/index.html
Zoe, not just a Yankee, but a damnyankee, as I came to stay! 
I’d proceed with caution. I’m a suburbanite and own a vacation cottage in rural Kentucky. My neighbors are the salt of the earth, but they are not exactly tolerant. It is the Bible Belt, after all.
Socially, there’s not a whole lot to do, even in town. We do have cinemas and a drive-in and the county fair is a huge deal. We’re literally a half an hour ride from the nearest crappy hospital, and more than two hours away from a decent hospital.
Also know that much of Tennessee is dry.
Me? I love Kentucky but would never move there full-time.
According to Wiki, this is the list of dry counties in Tennessee.
Tennessee
The consolidated city-county government of Lynchburg and Moore County, Tennessee, is a dry county, notwithstanding that it is home to the Jack Daniel’s distillery. (A special state law allows the distillery to sell small, commemorative bottles of Jack Daniel’s whiskey to tourists, but not on Sundays.)
Campbell, Cumberland, Hancock, Sevier, and White are also dry counties.
StG