Not a good outlook for the area.
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6/11/2021
My wife and I both moved here to work for state government. Other people are right, the pay is awful, hovering around $28k for people with masters and doctorates. Rental houses are going from $1600+, apartments are going from $1200+, and mortgages are in the $350-400k range. There is little to do, other than shopping for food and clothes.
The area is very conservative and evangelical. There is a "good ole boy" system between all the major players in politics, the judiciary, and law enforcement. Stay away from law enforcement due to how crooked they are. This is also true with the surrounding counties. Everyone from the surrounding counties come to Cookeville for low-paying work and to spend their money, because there is nothing in their counties either.
I have tons of clients with mental health and substance abuse issues and no one wants to help them. There are hardly any services or supports for an hour and a half to two hours in any direction. Churches are only there to look good and do not provide clients with any help, nor do they volunteer in the community. Tennessee Tech students usually end up moving away for better pay and housing.
The area is undergoing a huge social and economic depression that is not sustainable and reflects the years of conservative policies destroying the already-resource deprived area. Drug use, mental health issues, and homelessness are rampant and have only ballooned due to the pandemic and on-going right to work policies.
This used to be a really good area, but my heart hurts for the people and their complete hopelessness. I hope it gets better in the area. At one time I really did think this area was a gem to live in.
David | Cookeville, TN