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Dry and arid in Texas? Yes, true for some parts but definitely not all. I live in central Texas and it's miserably humid most of the summer, very often with temperatures in the 100s and 'feel like' temperatures up to 115 due to the humidity, like a 75 dew point as bad as Saudi. Here are today's dew points in the state and just because of Laura, don't let that matter.
It's a very humid state.
Dry and arid in Texas? Yes, true for some parts but definitely not all. I live in central Texas and it's miserably humid most of the summer, very often with temperatures in the 100s and 'feel like' temperatures up to 115 due to the humidity, like a 75 dew point as bad as Saudi. Here are today's dew points in the state and just because of Laura, don't let that matter.
It's a very humid state.
Yeah, she/he obviously has never been to Central or South Texas, or ESPECIALLY to the Texas Gulf Coast. There's no way you can categorize a state as large as Texas as being just one way temperature wise.
Texas seems to pay the highest wage for nurses between the two states. I know someone who's a nurse and moved back Memphis and took a $10k paycut. On the other hand, while Nashville is a more appealing city, it seems to pay lower in the medical field than Memphis. A relative of mine was offered a salary of almost 40% less in Nashville compared to Memphis in one of the higher paying medical positions. Apparently there is a saturation of students graduating from the colleges in the Nashville area putting a downward pressure on the wages. Also the fact that it's one of the 'hot cities' to move they have people lined up ready to take those jobs just to get into Nashville. Add to the fact that Nashville's rental and housing market is significantly higher than Memphis, it may not be the best option to choose, if deciding between Texas and Tennessee.
I have lived all over Texas, in Memphis, and am very familiar with Nashville as I have plenty of family there.
1. In any of its big cities (Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, or San Antonio), Texas will definitely pay the most for nursing as well as in other professional professions. But the thing is, the cost of living is not going to be commensurate with the pay; the pay will look GREAT on paper compared to anywhere in Tennessee, but when you factor in how much more expensive Texas housing and rent will be, how much bigger those cities are and how bad traffic is (gas and TOLL BOOTHS), and things like MUCH higher property taxes, then Texas having higher pay than Tennessee doesn't make Texas pay that much higher after all.
2. Nashville has pretty much gotten as expensive as any of the big cities in Texas, but with MUCH lower pay than Texas to top it off (so, not worth bothering with, in my opinion).
3. Memphis will pay quite a bit less than any big city in Texas, but quite a bit more than Nashville. But here's the kicker: YOUR MONEY WILL GO WAAAAAY FARTHER IN MEMPHIS than it will in Texas OR Nashville. I don't think many people realize how well a middle class person can live in Memphis compared to bigger and "hotter" cities where solidly middle class workers like nurses, teachers, and policemen have pretty much gotten or are getting priced out. Yeah, Memphis gets a bad rap and isn't as cool, sexy, or well regarded these days as Nashville, Austin, Dallas, Atlanta, Charlotte, etc., but at the end of the day, when you live in a place where you can very comfortably pay all your bills, then you can use the money you save to play with and scratch any entertainment itch that you can't scratch locally, like shopping at stores that aren't in your city online, vacationing in bigger/cooler cities and enjoying all the pros that they offer and then going back home and not having to deal with any of the cons on a daily basis, etc. vs. living in a daily rat race and trying to keep up with the Jones just to be able to tell people, "Yeah, I live in (insert your cool/trendy/sexy city here)!!!"
I have lived all over Texas, in Memphis, and am very familiar with Nashville as I have plenty of family there.
1. In any of its big cities (Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, or San Antonio), Texas will definitely pay the most for nursing as well as in other professional professions. But the thing is, the cost of living is not going to be commensurate with the pay; the pay will look GREAT on paper compared to anywhere in Tennessee, but when you factor in how much more expensive Texas housing and rent will be, how much bigger those cities are and how bad traffic is (gas and TOLL BOOTHS), and things like MUCH higher property taxes, then Texas having higher pay than Tennessee doesn't make Texas pay that much higher after all.
2. Nashville has pretty much gotten as expensive as any of the big cities in Texas, but with MUCH lower pay than Texas to top it off (so, not worth bothering with, in my opinion).
3. Memphis will pay quite a bit less than any big city in Texas, but quite a bit more than Nashville. But here's the kicker: YOUR MONEY WILL GO WAAAAAY FARTHER IN MEMPHIS than it will in Texas OR Nashville. I don't think many people realize how well a middle class person can live in Memphis compared to bigger and "hotter" cities where solidly middle class workers like nurses, teachers, and policemen have pretty much gotten or are getting priced out. Yeah, Memphis gets a bad rap and isn't as cool, sexy, or well regarded these days as Nashville, Austin, Dallas, Atlanta, Charlotte, etc., but at the end of the day, when you live in a place where you can very comfortably pay all your bills, then you can use the money you save to play with and scratch any entertainment itch that you can't scratch locally, like shopping at stores that aren't in your city online, vacationing in bigger/cooler cities and enjoying all the pros that they offer and then going back home and not having to deal with any of the cons on a daily basis, etc. vs. living in a daily rat race and trying to keep up with the Jones just to be able to tell people, "Yeah, I live in (insert your cool/trendy/sexy city here)!!!"
Thanks for the info! I’ve seen a lot of negative comments about
Memphis so i guess I would have to research it more. As to the big cities, I plan on commuting 30-40 mins wherever I end up because I want to be away from the city in a rural/country town..I’ve looked at places outside of Dallas and FW honestly those housing prices look cheaper or around the same as where I’ve been looking outside of Nashville/Knoxville area. It does make sense though about how you said the property tax and so forth is higher in Texas. I’m just trying to compare the pay in both states and how much of a house I can afford
Thanks for the info! I’ve seen a lot of negative comments about
Memphis so i guess I would have to research it more. As to the big cities, I plan on commuting 30-40 mins wherever I end up because I want to be away from the city in a rural/country town..I’ve looked at places outside of Dallas and FW honestly those housing prices look cheaper or around the same as where I’ve been looking outside of Nashville/Knoxville area. It does make sense though about how you said the property tax and so forth is higher in Texas. I’m just trying to compare the pay in both states and how much of a house I can afford
DFW and Nashville could NEVER beat Memphis when it comes to cost of living, the amount of house you can get for your money, and quality of life in general, honestly. (Don't know much about Knoxville, but if it keeps getting hyped up at the rate it does, it won't be too long before it gets too crowded and too expensive just like DFW and Nashville did).
Here's the thing about Memphis: It's not perfect and sure, it has its problems. But its problems and negatives get WAY overhyped by a very vocal minority online (mostly folks who look down on Memphis because it has too many black folks, working class folks, and working class black folks for their tastes). The people who love and enjoy Memphis for what it is hardly ever refute the negative vocal minority online though, because they don't want Memphis to become overhyped, overpriced, and overcrowded seemingly overnight like Nashville did. in fact, I'm convinced that a lot of crime reports and such you see put out in the Memphis media are DELIBERATE attempts to keep Memphis a well-guarded secret. Heck, you can still get anywhere in Memphis in 30 minutes or less. Try that in DFW or Nashville. And Memphis has enough nice, safe upper class suburbs and areas that all that crazy stuff you see about Memphis in the news would 9 times out of 10 never even affect you anyway (just like ANY city, basically). Definitely check Memphis out for yourself and do your own independent research, and not just believe any and everything you see about Memphis on City-Data.
Last edited by NoClueWho; 08-27-2020 at 06:21 PM..
Hopefully someone from over that way can offer input.
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I Live in an Ag County in southern Middle Tennessee. My county has a good sized hospital with a helipad that Vanderbilt in Nashville utilizes. The county east of me also has a good sized hospital (I’m under 20 miles from both hospitals) that I THINK also has a helipad, and also has a superb outpatient surgery center.
I’m about 65 miles from Nashville but it might as well be 165 miles where driving times are concerned. Murfreesboro which is on the way to Nashville from my county has some some great medical facilities; St. Thomas being one.
Real estate in my county has more than recouped from the 2008 crash and smaller parcels in good/safe areas are hard to come by.
For example, The 48 acre horse and cattle farm, thru the woods from me, sold for 465K two years ago. That doesn’t sound like much for your area but it’s a huge amount for rural Tennessee and it would take a substantial income to pay taxes & insurance along with the house payment.
Our 25 acres have caused jaws to drop and it’s been called “bucolic” by more than one person. That 465K sale increased the value of our place considerably. Meaning nothing good in a safe area will be cheap in Middle Tennessee these days
I think Memphis is fine and agree that it gets a bad rap. I assume most people reading City Data aren't planning to get involved in the drug and crime scene there and hang out in the tough neighborhoods. It's a decent place to live overall, and I like the riverfront and downtown.
Middle and East Tennessee will have the best overall scenery and recreational opportunities (hiking, etc.). The whole state will be greener than most of Texas (of course, East Texas is green). If you're dreaming of rolling green hills and pastures and white fences, that is definitely going to be more of Tennessee look than a Texas one. Of course, Texas has the whole Texas/Southwest atmosphere going for it, and the Hill Country near Austin and San Antonio looks really cool. Nevertheless, aesthetically Tennessee will likely win out for most people over the population centers of Texas.
Yeah, she/he obviously has never been to Central or South Texas, or ESPECIALLY to the Texas Gulf Coast. There's no way you can categorize a state as large as Texas as being just one way temperature wise.
We moved from central Texas to northeast Tennessee. The humidity is stifling here in comparison. Never had such a problem in central Texas in 20 years there.
Thanks for the info! I’ve seen a lot of negative comments about
Memphis so i guess I would have to research it more. As to the big cities, I plan on commuting 30-40 mins wherever I end up because I want to be away from the city in a rural/country town..I’ve looked at places outside of Dallas and FW honestly those housing prices look cheaper or around the same as where I’ve been looking outside of Nashville/Knoxville area. It does make sense though about how you said the property tax and so forth is higher in Texas. I’m just trying to compare the pay in both states and how much of a house I can afford
I have never lived in Memphis, but I am going to assume there is a reason that Memphis is in the top 10 for people fleeing American cities. Do you want to be that person moving into a city that is in the top 10 for people leaving? If you do, you have to ask yourself, what do they know you don't know.
You have a good plan. Dallas or Nashville. Hopefully people will help you with your decision between the two. You are certainly young enough to recover from a mistake if you don't wind up falling in love with your first choice. You can always try the other city if worst comes to worst.
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