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Residents will also find local Cane Creek Park, a
lovely 262-acre community park, Dogwood Park, a
verdant downtown oasis, the well-equipped Putnam
County Family YMCA, a softball complex, 12 golf
courses, five rivers and three major lakes
nearby. In fact, the lakes are what primarily
attract many to this area. Cordell Hull Lake,
Center Hill Lake and Dale Hollow Lake are surrounded
by lush vegetation, little development and are quite
peaceful during the week but become more crowded on
weekends, attracting water skiers, fishermen and
sailors.
Nearly all religious faiths are represented here (Cookeville has 137 churches), although we were
unable to locate a synagogue. There is also no public bus
system, so residents will need a car or a good friend with a car
to attend church.
Cookeville is home to roughly 105 restaurants,
covering nearly all cuisines, from Mexican to Cajun (no vegetarian
or French restaurants, though). Shopping is adequate but not spectacular.
Most items can be found in town, and the Cookeville Mall has 35
specialty stores (and is the only indoor mall in the Upper
Cumberland area), but this not a shoppers' Paradise. Downtown Cookeville is, however, undergoing a major renovation
that is being overseen by a non-profit group called CityScape, and
this is bringing new business ventures to this southern
community.
Retirees will find two senior centers, the
Algood Senior Citizen Center and the Putman County Senior
Center. Both offer social, recreational and educational
classes and activities. Cookeville also has 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 falls,
Cookeville's weather is seasonal but without many
extremes. January temperatures average 37 degrees and
July sees averages of 88 degrees. Five to six inches of precipitation
fall each month but very little of it is snow. Humidity
averages 68% and the sun shines roughly 50% of the time.
Retirees will also appreciate that Cookeville has
a crime rate well below the national average, but there are a
couple of drawbacks to living here. This is rural Tennessee
and not a particularly ethnically diverse area. The
nearest large city is Nashville, 80 miles away, so it is a trek to
find symphonies and museums and other big city
amenities. The lack of a public transportation system
is also something to consider if thinking of retiring here.
Editor's Note: Thanks to one of our
readers for sending us this email (9/10/2007):
"There is a French restaurant in Cookeville called
Sebastian's Cafe, located just off the Square downtown. While
there's no synagogue, there is this announcement in Cookeville's
paper: HAVURAH: Cookeville Jewish Havurah meets regularly to
celebrate Shabbat and other occasions. Worship is informal, but in
the tradition of Reform Judaism. For information, call 526-4126 or
528-1140."
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