The 8 Best Cities to Retire in Tennessee

Tennessee gives retirement income a break, starting with no state income tax on wages. In Crossville, you can tee off year-round on the cool Cumberland Plateau. Greeneville offers the second-oldest downtown in the state to wander. Memphis pairs deep musical roots with nightly live blues on Beale Street. The hardest part is picking which city fits the retirement you want.

Chattanooga

Chattanooga makes walking easy. The Tennessee Riverpark stretches 13 miles along the water. Paved paths welcome daily strolls and slow bike rides. The Walnut Street Bridge crosses the river too. The 2,376-foot former rail span went pedestrian-only in 1993. It leads to the Bluff View Art District and the Hunter Museum of American Art. The population nears 190,000 and still grows.

Healthcare here gives real peace of mind. Erlanger Health System operates the region's main teaching hospital. It holds a Level I trauma center, the top designation. The CARTA Care-A-Van offers door-to-door rides for older passengers. Appalachian foothills frame the city on every side. You get a cardiologist on call and museums a short walk apart.

Memphis

Memphis brings big-city life to the western edge of Tennessee. The population nears 610,000 and has eased downward in recent years. The city overlooks the Mississippi River from a line of bluffs. Beale Street still plays live blues every night. Most clubs charge no cover.

Overton Park welcomes walkers most mornings. The 342-acre midtown green holds the Brooks Museum of Art. It also holds the Memphis Zoo and the shaded Old Forest trails. Music fans tour Graceland, which draws over half a million visitors a year. Sun Studio operates a few blocks from downtown. Methodist Le Bonheur and Baptist Memorial operate the region's big hospital networks.

Franklin

Franklin centers on a walkable historic core. A 15-block downtown earned a National Register listing. Main Street holds restored 1800s storefronts. Galleries and restaurants line the blocks. Benjamin Franklin lent the town his name in 1799. The town lies 21 miles south of Nashville on the Harpeth River.

Carnton tells the town's Civil War story. The 1826 home became a Confederate hospital after the 1864 Battle of Franklin. It now operates as a museum. The grounds hold the country's largest privately owned military cemetery. Williamson County maintains paved greenways along the Harpeth. Williamson Medical Center covers full hospital services in town.

Greeneville

Greeneville packs deep history into a walkable downtown. The town dates to 1783. It ranks as the second-oldest in Tennessee, older than the state itself. Brick storefronts from the 1700s and 1800s line the historic district. The restored General Morgan Inn dates to 1884. Everything stands within a few blocks.

The Andrew Johnson National Historic Site honors the 17th president. It preserves his two homes and his tailor shop. His grave rests on Monument Hill nearby. Cherokee National Forest opens a short drive east. Ballad Health's Greeneville Community Hospital covers regional care. Greeneville once served as capital of the short-lived State of Franklin.

Germantown

Germantown blends suburban quiet with a deep equestrian tradition. German immigrants settled the town in the early 1840s. The Germantown Charity Horse Show began in 1948. It draws crowds every June. The show ranks among the state's longest-running sporting events. The United States Equestrian Federation recognizes it as a heritage competition.

Culture has a home at the Germantown Performing Arts Center. The hall programs concerts all year. It even owns a Steinway concert grand. The Germantown Greenway threads 14 miles of paved trail. Wooded parks line the route for an easy morning loop.

Tellico Plains

Tellico Plains delivers quiet and scenery in equal measure. The town guards the gateway to the Cherohala Skyway. The 43-mile byway winds through Cherokee National Forest. It reaches toward the North Carolina mountains. About 900 people live along the Tellico River. Bald River Falls waits a short drive into the forest.

The Charles Hall Museum holds Cherokee artifacts downtown. It adds local Appalachian and railroad history. Healthcare takes a drive, though. Routine care means Athens or Sweetwater. Specialists work out of Knoxville, about an hour away. The trade suits anyone in good health who values scenery over a hospital next door.

Nashville

Nashville brings big-city culture to Middle Tennessee. The Country Music Hall of Fame books shows all year. The Ryman Auditorium and Grand Ole Opry House do the same. The state capital draws people who want a full calendar. Its population has grown to about 712,000. The culture has grown right along with it.

Daily outings remain easy to reach. The Frist Art Museum welcomes members any afternoon. The Schermerhorn Symphony Center and Centennial Park stand nearby. About 100 miles of greenway trace the Cumberland River. Vanderbilt University Medical Center ranks among the nation's best. Saint Thomas West Hospital does too.

Crossville

Crossville built a reputation as Tennessee's Golf Capital. Around ten championship courses cover the Cumberland Plateau. The plateau rises near 1,900 feet of elevation. Summers land five to twelve degrees cooler than the lowlands. Fairfield Glade draws more than 9,000 residents just east. The community holds five courses and eleven spring-fed lakes.

Crossville surprises newcomers with its arts scene. The Cumberland County Playhouse opened in 1965. It ranks among the ten largest professional theaters in rural America. The Playhouse stages nearly 500 shows a year. Cumberland Medical Center belongs to Covenant Health. It earned an A safety grade from the Leapfrog Group. It offers 24/7 interventional cardiology. Heart care arrives fast, close to home. Interstate 40 puts Knoxville 70 miles east. Nashville lies 110 miles west for family visits.

Tennessee Makes Retirement Look Easy

Tennessee rewards retirees in plain ways. The skipped income tax helps first. The mild seasons soften the worst weather. Erlanger and Vanderbilt put strong medicine within reach. The Riverpark and the Germantown Greenway turn a walk into a habit. The Cumberland County Playhouse delivers Broadway-caliber theater in a small town. Pick a museum membership, a fishing line on the Tellico, or a tee time on the plateau. Tennessee has a city to match the life you picture.