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Small Town Values, a Quieter Pace,
Lake Recreation and a Low Cost-of-Living Bring Retirees to Cookeville
in Pastoral Middle Tennessee
Cost of Living: Below the National Average
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Located
in the scenic Upper Cumberland Plateau of Middle
Tennessee, about 80 miles east of Nashville, Cookeville
(population 28,000) is surrounded by rolling hills,
farmland, lakes, rivers and some spectacular waterfalls.
It is a conservative place where traditional values are
alive and well and where residents boast about the
city's quality of life. In fact, according to a
recent city survey, a whopping 96% of residents say that
they are either satisfied or very satisfied with
Cookeville's general quality of life, and they point to
its small town ambiance, friendly neighbors, pretty
scenery, affordable housing, excellent health care
facilities and relatively mild climate as reasons that
they live here. Thirty-three percent of Cookeville's population is age
45 or better, and more retirees are discovering this
appealing mid-South city every day (in fact, the city
has grown by 15% in the last 10 years).
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While Cookeville is the economic hub of
Putnam County, its cost of living is 15% below the
national average. The median home price of $145,000 is also
below the national median, and a
real estate dollar goes a long way here.
Older but well-kept homes with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and
1,000 square feet can be found for less than $85,000.
The median price of $145,000 will fetch a ranch-style,
brick home with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1,500 or more
square feet, a large manicured yard, mature trees, an
attached garage and a backyard storage shed.
Beautiful 2,000 + square foot homes with tile floors,
wrap-around porches, cathedral ceilings and acreage are
for sale for less than $175,000. Mini-mansions can be found in the low- to mid-$200,000s.
Most neighborhoods are leafy and tidy, but some have
"fixer uppers" in need of some TLC.
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Condominiums and town homes are not plentiful. Apartments are
in somewhat short supply as well, but the average price is around $600
per month for a 1 bedroom unit and $800 per month for a two bedroom
unit.
Private homes lease from around $650 per month. There are also
at least 11 manufactured home/mobile home parks in and around
Cookeville. Depending on home size and location,
prices range from approximately $12,000-$75,000.
When it comes to property taxes, a city residence is assessed at
25% of fair market value, and the annual taxes on a $125,000
home are approximately $850. Tennessee does not
offer a homestead exemption but does have a tax relief program for
those age 65 and better. There is also no state
income tax on salaries, Social Security or pension income. |
Residents find plenty to do in Cookeville, and cultural
options are impressive for a city this size. The Bryan
Symphony Orchestra presents year-round concerts and attracts top
talent from throughout Tennessee. The Cookeville Arts
Center exhibits works by regional artists. The 458-seat
professional Cookeville Drama Center produces the award-winning
Backstage Series and presents Shakespeare in the Park during the
summer and autumn. The Cookeville Arts Council sponsors a
Sundays in the Park concert series featuring an eclectic array of jazz
vocalists, bluegrass ensembles and mountain-style rock and roll.
The Cookeville Community Concert Band performs monthly
from May through August at the Dogwood Performance Pavilion.
The Cookeville Depot Museum, built in 1909, is home to an engaging
collection of railroad memorabilia, and the Cookeville History Museum
houses the city's extensive history collection. The city's
historic West Side showcase's Cookeville's past and is home to shops
and restaurants. Downtown Cookeville has been
undergoing a renovation that is being overseen by a non-profit group
called CityScape, and this is bringing new business ventures to this
southern metropolis.
This is an
interactive map. Click on the arrows in the upper left hand
corner to move the map to the East, West, North or South, and click on the +/- signs
(more than once if necessary) to zoom in
and out.
Cookeville enjoys a strong community spirit, and this
is seen in its celebrations. Festivals include the Fall Fun Fest
(a family-friendly street event), the Cookeville CookOff (a
competition to see who can stir up the best chicken, ribs, beef,
brisket, pork, sides and dessert dishes), the Renaissance Festival and
Faire (a celebration of days gone by), and Taste of the Town (a
foodie's delight as each spring as restaurants bring out their best
dishes for free tastings).
Tennessee Technological University, a four-year
institution with roughly 9,700 students, also makes its home here and
contributes to the community fabric through its concerts, art
exhibits, athletic events, plays and workshops. The
Appalachian Center for Craft, a satellite campus of TTC, has a
500-acre facility overlooking Center Hill Lake and exhibits handblown
glass, pottery, ceramic, fabrics, iron and metal pieces, handcrafted
wooden items and other treasures. Public workshops are available
as well.
For an outdoor-themed retirement, Middle Tennessee has
a lot to offer. Three large man-made lakes, Cordell Hull Lake,
Center Hill Lake and Dale Hollow Lake (400 miles of shoreline alone),
are within an hour's drive of Cookeville and are quite peaceful during
the week. They can become crowded on weekends, though,
attracting vacationing water skiers, fishermen, boaters and sailors.
State parks are plentiful and several with waterfalls (Burgess Falls,
Cummins Falls and Fall Creek Falls) are within 15 to 45 minutes of
town. Hiking, camping and fishing opportunities are in
abundance. In town, there are 13 parks, including Cane Creek
Park, a lovely 262-acre community park, and Dogwood Park, a beckoning
downtown green oasis. The active Cookeville Leisure
Services Department, the Putnam County Family YMCA, a softball complex
and 12 golf courses make staying in shape easy to do. Residents also have 105 restaurants from which to
choose, and nearly all cuisines are represented (no vegetarian,
though). Most eateries are chain establishments or mom and
pop diners. A good selection of major retail stores
includes Wal-Mart, Office Max, Walgreens, Kroger, Sears and more, and
the Cookeville Mall has 35 specialty stores (and is the only indoor
mall in the Upper Cumberland area). CATS is the
public transit system and provides service 7 days a week, major
holidays excluded. Rides are $1 each. Cookeville has
137 churches (this is the Bible Belt) and at least 2 Jewish
congregations. Cookeville Regional Medical Center, the primary health
care facility and a regional referrer hospital, has 247 beds and is
award-winning, having just recently received the Outstanding
Achievement Award by the Commission on Cancer of the American College
of Surgeons. CRMC has also won several national awards for its spine surgery and orthopedic surgery and is fully accredited
by the Joint Commission. It offers full service emergency
medicine, cardiac care and cancer care and has a diabetes center, a
rehabilitation center, a women's center and the Lifeline Program, a
personal emergency response system for the chronically ill, elderly
and disabled. Cookeville has won national recognition as well
for its work in increasing the survivability of sudden cardiac arrest
by working to train 25% of its population in the use of portable
defibrillators.
There are two senior centers, the Algood
Senior Citizen Center and the Putman County Senior Center. Both
offer social, recreational and educational classes and activities.
There are also numerous ways to volunteer in the community. The
local YMCA seeks people to teach preschool classes, coach teams and
cook for bake sales, among other things. The Putnam County
Habitat for Humanity is always looking for those handy with a hammer
and a nail gun, although they also welcome those with no building
experience. CASA is a non-profit group that works with the
courts and needs people to advocate for neglected children in the
Cookeville area.
With warm summers, mild winters, and breezy autumns,
Cookeville's weather is seasonal but without many extremes. It
sits at an elevation of 1,133 feet and is several hundred feet higher
than Nashville, which helps moderate summer heat. July daytime
temperatures top out in the high 80s and low 90s. January
temperatures are in the 20s, 30s and 40s. Five to six
inches of precipitation fall each month, but very little of it is
snow. Humidity averages 68% and the sun shines 208 days of
the year. Air quality is below the national average, but water
quality is excellent. The chance of a tornado is 100% greater
than the national average.
Cookeville, with a crime rate that meets the national average,
is popular with residents, but there are a
few drawbacks to retirement here. This is rural Tennessee and not a particularly
ethnically diverse area. The nearest large city is
Nashville, so it is a trek to find symphonies and museums and other
big city amenities. The Cookeville economy has been
tethered to manufacturing and has suffered some setbacks in recent
years, but retail, health care and education jobs have compensated for
some of the loss of manufacturing jobs.
In a hectic world, Cookeville is a pleasing haven, a
pretty spot with friendly folks and a quieter pace. And
with 96% of residents saying that they are happy with its quality of
life, Cookeville seems like a great retirement spot indeed.
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