Anyone living in Tennessee??

Hi, i'm moving back to Tennessee lived in Chattanooga for about 20 years been gone awhile we moved to Alabama lived about 5 yrs before going north to help with parents now moving back . I have found land in Tennessee is more reasonable. what I'm looking for since i'm single older female a place that's safe. I want to be off grid and homestead just don't want to be in known problem areas if any one could point me in the right direction i would appreciate it. Thanks Diane

this conversation happens often at the Homesteaders of Middle Tn Facebook page you can get lots of opinions there
https://www.facebook.com/groups/HoMTG/948500491945335/?notif_t=group_activity¬if_id=1470502418292714

Hi Diane,

Knoxville Permaculture Guild is a good resource for you, THe Mayor of Knoxville, Madeline Rogero and her husband, Gene Monaco are members.

GREAT resource.

http://www.knoxvillepermaculture.net/

Hi Dianna,

My wife and I are building off grid in cannon county. Property here is affordable and little to no building codes. There are a number of off gridders in the area.

Good luck finding the right location for you! I'd be happy to tell you more about the area if you want.

My wife and I are looking to purchase some land in middle TN. Centerville seems like a cool place to start a farm/bed and breakfast.  Anyone in the area?

Thank all of you for your help had to place things on old until next summer. Then I will start looking again thanks again great info.

I am in copperhill, Tennessee. Just outside of town. We've been here for 4 years, and couldn't be happier in this old copper mine town. Today the area attracts tourists bc of the Ocoee River was used for the Olympic Games, and there are lots of old generational orchards. We chose this area because it is rural, and the amazing creeks, rivers, and entire water system here, and it has a good employment opportunitys for side jobs (national forest jobs, cabin cleaning, lawn work, construction, etc.), so we always have something to do if we decide to make some money else where.

Copperhill is about 2 hours east of Chattanooga, and from my experience, it seems to be a good region of the state for off grid like people. I run trails and back roads around the national forest, and always find modern off grid folks, who are very nice. Most people are nice to runners, it is a very active area for outdoor trails and water sports, so the community is growing in diversity and health.

My husband works a lot of side jobs with fellow workers who live off grid in this area. Or at least live very minimally with the system.

My advice is  find an area that is lively,
Both in social cultural and in plant diversity.

We're over here on the other side of the state, in Chester County. There are a lot of people living off grid out here. There is a company that sells land on a rent-to-own basis (that's how we're buying our place), and many of us don't have the income to put everything in right off the bat. There are no building codes unless you're in the city proper. We love it!

I live in middle Tn and have been wanting a piece of land to live and grow my organic veggies. I have been looking and talking about this MY WHOLE LIFE, and just yesterday my oldest son told me to look into IC's and Permaculture. Would love to find a place in northern Tennessee, between Hartsville and Pickett county.
Cannot believe it took me so long to find out that there is a whole group of people here doing what I've dreamed of my whole life. Now I'm going to look for like minded people in my area.

Off grid eco village in Lawrence county here

Middle TN here - Rutherford county.  I am due south of Nashville and west of Murfreesboro.  A lot of homesteaders in my area, fairly rural.  Area is growing and the city crowd is starting to show up building McMansions.  This entire south corridor below Nash is growing by leaps and bounds.  To elaborate on this a bit:  When we "checked out" 7 years ago in our early 40's our kids had a 1:45 minute bus ride to school.  We had one new school system go in and it filled up in 3 years, now we are getting 2 new high schools within 5 miles of us...that's pretty fast growth over 7 years or so.  Our closest gas station used to be 8 miles away and the grocery store was 10.  Now there is Kroger's 4 miles away and a gas station.

Hid Dianna! did you find an offgrid location? i have a perfect one! it took me 3 years of looking to find my piece of paradice! it's on Cordell Hull Lake, very safe, no crime gorgeous area, 1hr east of downtown nash, about 45 min from murfreesboro. i'm looking to sell off a piece. give me a call anytime. 615-484-3209 i just got back from earthship academy, and super excited to start building off grid, would love a neighbor doing same.

I'm looking (from afar) at Tennessee, but find it hard to figure out without going there, which I intend to do, but it's hard to leave the farm here (in Oregon).  I want to be at least 1.5 hours away from a city, to the south between Nashville and Memphis.  Any suggestions or leads would be appreciated.  You can also tell me I'm crazy and need to be living there already to find a proper homestead.

I'm looking for land that can support sheep on grass without grain.  Twenty to 50 acres with a pond or stream would be great.  Want to avoid problems like crime, flooding or tornados etc.

I do though I live about 40 miles west of Knoxville close to I-40.  Cumberland county.

Just bought land in Wayne County,  on my way there next month.

Welcome to Permies... and Tennessee!

Hi All -

Just joined the forum.  Living in Middle TN for Approx. 3 years.  Found my way here via the Building a Better World Kickstarter.  I've known about Paul and his work through his affiliation with Jack and the TSP.  Been a listener/member of TSP for several years.

-Gene

I'm hoping this thread stays active as I'd like to network and share with my fellow like-minded types in the community.  I'm in an older  West Knoxville neighborhood. I work a typical full time job so I get to do what I love part time which is gardening and observing the wonderful nature around me.  I have a big yard by suburban standards and dreams are forming of pond building, raising livestock and more. My new experiences since moving here include composting, no till gardening, and rain catchment.  Hope to see you around!

Jason

Dianna L Marshall wrote:Hi, i'm moving back to Tennessee lived in Chattanooga for about 20 years been gone awhile we moved to Alabama lived about 5 yrs before going north to help with parents now moving back . I have found land in Tennessee is more reasonable. what I'm looking for since i'm single older female a place that's safe. I want to be off grid and homestead just don't want to be in known problem areas if any one could point me in the right direction i would appreciate it. Thanks Diane

I'm in TN.

TN has low state tax, but the food tax harms the very poor.   I like the state in general, good representatives.

Hi.   I’m on the North side of Nashville near KY border (Gallatin/ Bethpage).    Would love to get engaged with a local in person group for discussions and experiments!    I have about 25 acres rolling pasture, 300 acres hilly wooded.

-Cindi

hi cindi, I'm out east about 45 miles from Knoxville  I'm growing chestnuts hopefully my oldest trees will start having nuts next year. ive been wanting to go to Nashville and go busking in the street, lotsa fun.

Add me to the Middle Tennesseans list!

Until we are able to buy more land, I'm going to be doing Permaculture in my city lot!  It's a 95% shaded yard, so contemplating mushrooms in the backyard and flowers for pollinators in the sunny patch for 2022. Looking into rainwater harvesting options and all that good stuff too!

bruce Fine wrote:hi cindi, I'm out east about 45 miles from Knoxville  I'm growing chestnuts hopefully my oldest trees will start having nuts next year. ive been wanting to go to Nashville and go busking in the street, lotsa fun.

Are you, or for that matter anybody here looking for a partner, or helping hands?

I love Tennessee. Im in New Jersey right now but i was in Nashville for a week two months ago.

Im 27 years old, and i love foraging

Ferne Reid wrote:We're over here on the other side of the state, in Chester County. There are a lot of people living off grid out here. There is a company that sells land on a rent-to-own basis (that's how we're buying our place), and many of us don't have the income to put everything in right off the bat. There are no building codes unless you're in the city proper. We love it!

That's not what the building codes guy told me..and I'm outside city limits. I have the email w him last season saying I have to have septic, no compost toilets probably, he doesn't know what cob is n I need an engineers letter of approval etc. For this area it seems a bit off
But then it's actually a nice enough area so it could have something to do with it..