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  1. #1
    Member
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    Jun 2017
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    Retirement Center Hill or Tim's Ford??

    Looking at Center Hill or Tim's Ford as a place to retire, Looking for opinions on which area is nicer to live?Thanks

  2. Banned
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Muscle Shoals, Alabama-Wilson Lake
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    #2
    It depends on if you prefer water front property or off the lake. They're completely different.

    Center Hill is a much larger lake, and it's in the deep hills. And as a Corp of Engineers lake, you will not find the boathouses and docks like Tims Ford. Center Hill Dam has had structural problems in recent years, and the lake was drawn way down for construction. Both lakes are drawn down to a winter pool--15' or so at Tims Ford.

    Smithville is the closest city to Center Hill, and it's not nearly as nice a town as the Winchester/Lynchburg area which is really, really nice. On the other hand, Cookeville is 20 minutes from Center Hill and it's a university town and regional retailing center. Both cities are within 75 minutes of Nashville.

    An alternative is south of Winchester and over the mountain--Guntersville. It's one of the holy grails of bass fishing, and both Scottsboro and Guntersville are really beautiful cities. Guntersville has many more beautiful homes to choose from than either Center Hill or Tims Ford lakes, and the lake is drop dead gorgeous.

    We live on Wilson Lake at Muscle Shoals which is 2 hours south of Nashville. Pickwick is 6 miles and Wheeler Lake is 10 miles from me. Our water level goes up and down 3-4' per year, and our residential properties are absolutely incredible. And with 140,000 people, we have all the amenities, restaurants, shopping and healthcare required. And in my case, two Robert Trent Jones golf courses are on my street. We like it just fine as the lake is in the middle of 4 cities.

  3. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    Varnell, GA
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    7,410
    #3
    As we age and think of retirement, medical care needs to be in the forefront of our thoughts. With that in mind, between those two, I would choose Center Hill due to it's location close to Cookeville and thus, Cookeville Regional Medical Center. A very fine medical facility. Tims Ford has gotten overly developed over the past 20 years and just not as much fun to be there as it used to be.

  4. Member
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    Oct 2009
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    Lynchburg TN
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    901
    #4
    Tims is so overcrowded it's hard to enjoy it.
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  5. Member Jason Hale's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Cookeville,TN via McKenzie, TN
    Posts
    6,909
    #5
    If you choose Cookeville and center hill you aren’t far from dale hollow at all for a change of scenery if needed.

    Feel free to give me a shout if you have questions about the area

  6. Honda / Raymarine Moderator Hickory Legend's Avatar
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    Jun 2004
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    Old Hickory
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    #6
    Not going to live on the lake in Center Hill. Lake Wilson down south has some less expensive property, Old Hickory is the closes to Nashville to live on.
    You have homes around Ashland city, Barkley, Kentucky Lake, Guntersville, etc. Tons of lakes out east around Knoxsville, just depends on what area your looking for.

  7. Member
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    Jun 2017
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    #7
    Thanks for the replies.Not looking to live on the lake but close to a landing.Don't want a busy area but like was said services near by like health care, shopping are needed without a big metropolitan area and all the problems that go with that.

  8. Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Cowan Tn.
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    5,031
    #8
    well for location Tims ford area is hard to beat!!It is getting crowded but we still got alot of stuff. And Huntsville is less than 45 min away Guntersville, nickajack the same and Chattanooga in under an hr you can be at Woods,normandy,center hill, percy prist,nickajck,guntersville,chickamagua and im sure im missing some. and to be honest its about a wash to the big city you like we go to Chattanooga more here lately but like i said you can to murfesboro or huntsville in the same time frame. just depends on what your looking forall yea tullahoma is only 15-20 min its a little bigger than winchester.