Moving to Lafayette?????

[twostepper]

Thinking about purchasing a house here, and wondered if anyone has anything good to say about this town? It is only 50 miles from Nashville, and close to Clarksville, so you don't have to go very far to get to the city.

What are some of the good things about living here?????

[dirty laundry 37083]

Don't let the map fool you.
Clarksville is about 2 & half hours (west).
It's actually closer to go to Nashville & then take I-24 to Clarksville than the backroads ( 52 to Orlinda and then across from Springfield/Whitehouse)
Good things about living in Lafayette? Few.
Um - we do have a 24 hour super walmart so not all convince is lost.
If you don't use Verizon Cell phones you're up a creek. North Central Telephone Co-op is a rip off & if you are not related to the board of directors or a business owner - you get zilch done in a speedy manner.
However the economy of Macon County is in the toilet. If you live here, you work in Nashville. Nashvillian's scoff at you when they find out where you live because they think its such a *long drive*. They are right. Most new houses are actually cheaper in Nashville, yet we are a rural, underdeveloped "deprived" county.(Never have figured that one out.)
Uh, it smells like Chicken Houses on the west side of the county.
On the east side of the county :
Red Boiling Springs' city council is chocked full of Misdemeanor committing idiots.(Public Records)
Smells like Chicken Houses over there, too.
On both sides of the county the tap water smells so strongly of chlorine its nauseating at times.
Um... Meth houses still abound - but that's basically the only real crime we have around here, besides Theft.(Keep them doors locked!)
No one in this town knows how to execute a 4 way stop. Everyone thinks they go first, even though they got there 30 seconds after you. On the other hand, there are the people who get to the stop WELL before you & sit & wave you to go on.(That's annoying, too. Just go.)
Thankfully we now have 2 traffic light operated stops along high way 52.
Oh, here's my *favorite* one.
Everyone thinks they know your business - even when they don't know your business.
Negative rumors abound through this area like wild fire. Everyone is either a slut, a dope head, or a thief according to someone else. It's even worse if you drink beer. Too many Grannies at the stores working checkout.
Trash abounds along the side of the road since all the folks are too lazy to clean out their vehicles at home.(What, City & County vehicles are the same way. Trash is always flying off of them, too.)
There is NOTHING!!! for youth to do. They promised a Civic center when I was in high school (10 years ago). It's not built.
So if you have a teen - and they are an unpopular geek like I was - fully expect them to get into Drugs & Sex.
Churches around here stab everyone's back. That's why there is a new one pop up every 6 weeks. 90% are Baptist (Free will, southern, missionary...whatever.)
Other than that Lafayette is a great place.
There's trees & hills. They are pretty.
Pretty is a good thing!

[my opinion]

Any town is what you make it. Sure, smaller towns have the disadvantage of everyone's "business" spreading. But the people of Lafayette pull together in time of need. Just look back at February '08. If you have a bad attitude about your surroundings, then everything is crap. Your life is what you make it no matter where you live. It bigger towns and cities, the rumors still fly. I know because I'm not from around here and I like this area very much.

[why even bother]

dirty laundry 37083 wrote:

Don't let the map fool you.
Clarksville is about 2 & half hours (west).
It's actually closer to go to Nashville & then take I-24 to Clarksville than the backroads ( 52 to Orlinda and then across from Springfield/Whitehouse)
Good things about living in Lafayette? Few.
Um - we do have a 24 hour super walmart so not all convince is lost.
If you don't use Verizon Cell phones you're up a creek. North Central Telephone Co-op is a rip off & if you are not related to the board of directors or a business owner - you get zilch done in a speedy manner.
However the economy of Macon County is in the toilet. If you live here, you work in Nashville. Nashvillian's scoff at you when they find out where you live because they think its such a *long drive*. They are right. Most new houses are actually cheaper in Nashville, yet we are a rural, underdeveloped "deprived" county.(Never have figured that one out.)
Uh, it smells like Chicken Houses on the west side of the county.
On the east side of the county :
Red Boiling Springs' city council is chocked full of Misdemeanor committing idiots.(Public Records)
Smells like Chicken Houses over there, too.
On both sides of the county the tap water smells so strongly of chlorine its nauseating at times.
Um... Meth houses still abound - but that's basically the only real crime we have around here, besides Theft.(Keep them doors locked!)
No one in this town knows how to execute a 4 way stop. Everyone thinks they go first, even though they got there 30 seconds after you. On the other hand, there are the people who get to the stop WELL before you & sit & wave you to go on.(That's annoying, too. Just go.)
Thankfully we now have 2 traffic light operated stops along high way 52.
Oh, here's my *favorite* one.
Everyone thinks they know your business - even when they don't know your business.
Negative rumors abound through this area like wild fire. Everyone is either a slut, a dope head, or a thief according to someone else. It's even worse if you drink beer. Too many Grannies at the stores working checkout.
Trash abounds along the side of the road since all the folks are too lazy to clean out their vehicles at home.(What, City & County vehicles are the same way. Trash is always flying off of them, too.)
There is NOTHING!!! for youth to do. They promised a Civic center when I was in high school (10 years ago). It's not built.
So if you have a teen - and they are an unpopular geek like I was - fully expect them to get into Drugs & Sex.
Churches around here stab everyone's back. That's why there is a new one pop up every 6 weeks. 90% are Baptist (Free will, southern, missionary...whatever.)
Other than that Lafayette is a great place.
There's trees & hills. They are pretty.
Pretty is a good thing!

SOunds like you need to move! Any small town has it's faults. But it is a pretty good place to live and raise children. I would much rather live here, than a larger town. The job situation is not great I will agree. Wish there were more to do for the kids, but you always want more to do than you have!!

[twostepper]

There are bad drivers and drugs everywhere, so that doesn't bother me. As far as people and gossip, people do that everywhere too, so you have to get over it, and go on about your business.

I don't have kids, so am not worried about having them entertained.....want a safe, small town to live in and enjoy life, go to Nashville, and take small trips around the state...

Do you all have any things that the town does every year, like a tree lighting ceremony at Christmas, things like that??????

Where is the closest Catholic church in the area???

Are there any antique shops around???? How about a weekly farmer's market??????

[Jane Doe]

Yes they have a farmer's market, usually at the park near down town.

Yes there is a Catholic Church in town, although I am not Catholic, I hear it is a very good church.

Lots of Antique shops, especially in Lebanon Tn, which is not far.

We are also about an hour away from Dale Hollow Lake in Celina TN, a wonderful lake for boating and fishing.

We also have abundant game if you like to hunt, deer and turkey especially.

With the depressed market you can probably find a good deal, or nice land to build on, have a garden, a few critters, etc.

There are "Hillybilly Days" "Dog Days" and the County Fair and several other things that go on throughout the year. It is a nice quiet place to live, especially if you enjoy nature and a simple life.

Make friends with your neighbors and you will probably have all the fresh produce you can use, such as squash, corn, tomatoes, etc.

It is what you make it, but you can drive over into KY to buy your groceries, no tax on food, the sales tax in Macon Co. is a bit steep at almost 10%, but hey, no state income tax, at least not yet anyway. Hope this helps.

[resident]

i lived in lafayette all my life. it is a typical small town. but the one thing you should definitely know before moving there is that the school system is horrendous. the administrators play favorites and unless you are on an athletic team or a cheerleader, you get nothing. now before anyone attacks this, i know the education system in this country as a whole is going down the toilet, but i graduated with honors from macon county and didn't know anything when i got to college. i had to take remedial everything. so if you have school age children and are considering moving to lafayette, think about what i've said.

[Blessed]

well, I dont live in macon county but I do work there. In my line of work, I meet a lot of the local people and for the most part the people are very kindhearted and warm. They have a very nice judicial center but their elementary schools look very ancient.(I still have not figured that one out yet). There is absolutely NOTHING for the teenage population to do, so they just drive aimlessly around town and get into things that they probably wouldnt if they had something better to do in town. If your looking for a place where you can kick back and relax and take time to "smell the roses" then Lafayette is that kind of small town. I would definately take Lafayette over some of the other TN towns. I agree with the comment above, when things get bad the folks in this town pull together to get the job done.

[twostepper]

Thanks for the info....have no children, so don't have to worry about the schools.....just the medical care, and daily living....and where to shop, and things to do.....

[Wannagoagain]

We visited Lafayette in late July. It was a pleasant, laid back town and we returned home to Illinois with fine memories of our experience in the area.
We had a very enjoyable lunch at a restaurant on the Square where we experienced friendly conversation and open hospitality, in an attractive atmosphere, and good food.(the vegetable beef soup was very good).
Although we visited a number of locations in Lafayette, I commented to my husband that I did not hear one "F-word." He commented further that he did not hear any profanity (nor did I once I thought about it). I'm not saying there is no profanity or undesirable people in Lafayette, we just did not experience any. There are enough quality folks, that one does not need to subject his or her self to undesirable situations or people (of which every town has some.
As for Red Boiling Springs; we experienced no offensive odors, and only pleasant and relaxing days and nights at the Armour with wonderful folks who went out of their way for our comfort (Dennis and Debbie).
We read of some unwise choices of folks in Town Hall but this is no different than any other town and appears to be minor infractions which are being corrected.
Small towns all over the country are slow to accept newcomers as part of their community politics and decisions; and newcomers could be folks who have resided in that location for decades. I don't expect this area to be any different.
If you're looking for a nice place to live, I think you are considering a good one. If you are looking to slow down and enjoy a beautiful piece of this country this area fits the bill. If you so choose, you can find a little faster pace by visiting Nashville.
We will be returning to the area (Monroe Co. Ky and Macon Co., Tn), either as visitors or residents; whichever way works out for us.

[Been there]

One thing nobody said was you might want to learn Spanish!!! This place is getting covered up with ILLEGALS!!! Nobody seems to care that soon they will outnumber us. I know because I have worked with/around them since 1994! They are 95% illegal and more and more are getting FOOD STAMPS!! Go to Wally world on a Sun morning. They are everywhere!!! Now don't get me wrong... I'm all for LEGAL immigration. These folks are illegal committing Identity Theft. Get in trouble...buy a new name! What happened to the laws??? Does anybody else care??? You might in ten years. But it is still a nice place to live. Not for long..........

[not as many]

most illegals that are still here are because they married some super morbidly obese chick.
when the gubment bought out tobacco farmers most of the illegals went away.

[Been there]

I don't know where you are but saying MOST have gone away??? Look around!!! I know a few that have, but there are still VERY MANY here taking advantage of the gov. hand-outs. As for marrying the certain kind of "chicks" here, that is actually beside the point. They are still and always will be illegal. After marriage there are many many steps and more than a few dollars needed to become legal. It takes years AFTER they turn themselves in. Illegal is illegal and needs to be stopped. Especially the "societies" that are helping them commit fraud by lying to get food stamps and tax refunds. Just think about the innocent people whose names are being "stolen". There may be serious problems for the owners of these names in the future. These people will just buy a new name and move on. Us legal citizens can't do that. We have one name and we all need to try and protect that name. Call your elected officials and tell them to BUILD THE FENCE!!! Nobody wants to do anything about the millions already here so at least stop the invasion!! Have a good day!

[Dan]

Whatever you do, don't move to Tennessee. It is the sex offender/pedophile capital of the world.

[Fairly new]

dirty laundry 37083 wrote:

Don't let the map fool you.
Clarksville is about 2 & half hours (west).
It's actually closer to go to Nashville & then take I-24 to Clarksville than the backroads ( 52 to Orlinda and then across from Springfield/Whitehouse)
Good things about living in Lafayette? Few.
Um - we do have a 24 hour super walmart so not all convince is lost.
If you don't use Verizon Cell phones you're up a creek. North Central Telephone Co-op is a rip off & if you are not related to the board of directors or a business owner - you get zilch done in a speedy manner.
However the economy of Macon County is in the toilet. If you live here, you work in Nashville. Nashvillian's scoff at you when they find out where you live because they think its such a *long drive*. They are right. Most new houses are actually cheaper in Nashville, yet we are a rural, underdeveloped "deprived" county.(Never have figured that one out.)
Uh, it smells like Chicken Houses on the west side of the county.
On the east side of the county :
Red Boiling Springs' city council is chocked full of Misdemeanor committing idiots.(Public Records)
Smells like Chicken Houses over there, too.
On both sides of the county the tap water smells so strongly of chlorine its nauseating at times.
Um... Meth houses still abound - but that's basically the only real crime we have around here, besides Theft.(Keep them doors locked!)
No one in this town knows how to execute a 4 way stop. Everyone thinks they go first, even though they got there 30 seconds after you. On the other hand, there are the people who get to the stop WELL before you & sit & wave you to go on.(That's annoying, too. Just go.)
Thankfully we now have 2 traffic light operated stops along high way 52.
Oh, here's my *favorite* one.
Everyone thinks they know your business - even when they don't know your business.
Negative rumors abound through this area like wild fire. Everyone is either a slut, a dope head, or a thief according to someone else. It's even worse if you drink beer. Too many Grannies at the stores working checkout.
Trash abounds along the side of the road since all the folks are too lazy to clean out their vehicles at home.(What, City & County vehicles are the same way. Trash is always flying off of them, too.)
There is NOTHING!!! for youth to do. They promised a Civic center when I was in high school (10 years ago). It's not built.
So if you have a teen - and they are an unpopular geek like I was - fully expect them to get into Drugs & Sex.
Churches around here stab everyone's back. That's why there is a new one pop up every 6 weeks. 90% are Baptist (Free will, southern, missionary...whatever.)
Other than that Lafayette is a great place.
There's trees & hills. They are pretty.
Pretty is a good thing!

Everything in this quote is so true. I have visited here for years and now live here. True to the T.

[Barby]

twostepper wrote:

Thinking about purchasing a house here, and wondered if anyone has anything good to say about this town? It is only 50 miles from Nashville, and close to Clarksville, so you don't have to go very far to get to the city.
What are some of the good things about living here?????

Franklin Ky. would be a better choice, jobs available, small town, close to b.g. and nashville. Maybe even Portland Tn

[welll]

No way in hell would I move here. I am here only because of a situation beyond my control. I have lived in Florida, Arizona, KY, and California, and here. I liked every place I lived better except Cal, because of the crime there, and L.A. was just too big. Gainsville Fla. was my fav, and Tuscon AZ. was great.
I would move back to either in a heartbeat if I could talk my husband into it.
The people here are nosy, unforgiving, backstabbing for the most part, however there are some very good people here, but they are few.I would suggest Lebanon or Gallatin or just North slightly of each if you want Country. Such as out of the city limits. The towns are still not too big, and you would be just about 35 minutes from Nashville. 15 to 20 minutes from the Mall and big shopping and more jobs. Sumner County has a much better School system I hear. Oh and more of a Selection in Churches, definately.