C.C.
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8/15/2006
Cookeville is a great city in many ways. It has a small town feel with many big city benefits. The scenery is beautiful. There are numerous retail and restaurant choices, Tennessee Tech is a fine university, Cookeville Regional Hospital provides excellent service, and the public schools are very good.
However, the economy is not particularly strong. Over the past few years, Cookeville's manufacturing base has eroded with the loss of hundreds of jobs. I personally know of several Tennessee Tech graduates who wanted to settle in Cookeville but were forced to leave in search of jobs in larger communities. High paying jobs for college grads are scarce, and it seems that who you know or who you are related to makes or breaks job seekers. If you are not native to the area and/or without connections, your job search can be very difficult. My wife and I have lived here for ten years, and I am currently without a job as a former school teacher / HR manager. We are doing as much as possible to stay here, but in the end we may have to leave as well.
Charles | Cookeville, TN