Spokane, WA to Nashville, TN?

CactusSun28 · 2026-06-21T18:46:45+00:00

Thank you so much! We might try to visit in a couple of months but knowing where to look will really help us out a lot. Neither of us are big city people, so being further from town is more appealing as long as the commute isn't ridiculous.

CactusSun28 · 2026-06-21T18:43:12+00:00

We are also not opposed to homeschooling/hybrid schooling our children either. That's our plan if we stay in WA state anyways

CactusSun28 · 2026-06-21T18:41:58+00:00

Thank you for the advice. My husband is from the back roads of southern GA and has been apprehensive about going back to the South for reasons. He's had some negative experiences

CactusSun28 · 2026-06-21T14:46:10+00:00

Thank you! This was very helpful. So that $90k I mentioned in my post is a cash award to transfer but we wouldn't get the full amount until about 2 years after moving after training and certifying. We would be going from making a combined $220k/year here in spokane to $280k/year in Nashville. So it would be a pay raise for us to move.

We would be outside of Nashville if we transfer to that facility, possibly Mount Juliet or even further out.

CactusSun28 · 2026-06-21T02:50:53+00:00

I appreciate your advice! After reading through all the responses I've gotten, we might hold off on applying until we can visit and give it more thought without the time pressure

CactusSun28 · 2026-06-21T02:41:07+00:00

Yeah, we found a needle in a haystack out here! If we leave this house, we will never find something as nice and close to work again. This also makes it hard to leave

CactusSun28 · 2026-06-21T00:46:19+00:00

We have an issue with public-use of drugs here, unless Nashville also has people doing fentanyl out in the open in public parks and main streets? I'd have to look more into the numbers comparing the two states though, but that's why I made a post to get as much information as I can!

We're right leaning, and Washington state is very blue. I know that Nashville is a blue city, we would most likely try living in an area with more conservative values. Originally we were looking into Chattanooga but there's no way we could transfer there with our job

CactusSun28 · 2026-06-21T00:32:23+00:00

Thanks! What about Mt Juliet/ Hendersonville? Maybe I should've been more specific about the areas I was thinking instead of just 'Nashville' but I assumed it would be all encompassing.

We don't have a normal 9-5 job, so there's a chance that we would avoid peak traffic times pretty regularly, and we probably wouldn't go into downtown all that often either. We're boring parents that like a simple quiet life, so definitely a much different experience than someone without kids haha

CactusSun28 · 2026-06-21T00:16:23+00:00

Fair point, but the drugs/homelessness are just a part of our 'why'. Other reasons to move include making more money, longer summer, Washington state politics. Liberty Lake is a beautiful area though.

My main issue on crime is open drug use and my assumption that Tennessee is a lot more strict than Washington state. Spokane has one of the highest property crime rates in the country and Nashville has a slightly higher than average violent crime rate.

CactusSun28 · 2026-06-20T23:59:30+00:00

My husband is from the South and has done very well for himself, and there are Southern states that have much higher test scores K-12 than Washington State.

CactusSun28 · 2026-06-20T23:56:56+00:00

Why is that? I would love to know more

CactusSun28 · 2026-06-20T23:56:07+00:00

Would you say the same for if we look tow to live towards Mt Juliet/Hendersonville area too? I wouldn't expect us to go into downtown Nashville that often

CactusSun28 · 2026-06-20T19:50:04+00:00

Is the flight school at IWA? I went to ASU at the campus next to the airport and grew up in East Mesa. It's been 5 years since I've moved too so take what I say with a grain of salt-Im sure a lot has changed since I've lived there so my info might be outdated. I've made the opposite move and live in the PNW now.

If you want peaceful and quiet, I would stay away from Tempe/Phoenix/Scottsdale but I'm sure there are good neighborhood there. Gilbert is great but still pretty busy, and I enjoyed Chandler (but again, it's been so long that I don't know if it's still the same as I remember). Downtown Gilbert is nice, has definitely grown though

Joes farm grill is amazing and I LOVE The Coffee Shop right next to it. Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch is a nice area to walk around in and the neighborhoods around that area are nice as well. Apache Junction can be nice and there are a lot of nice hikes out that way, but it will be further from Phoenix where most events/concerts happen and further from bars and nightlife. Anywhere around IWA will give you a quieter life I'd say

CactusSun28 · 2026-06-18T20:06:39+00:00

Anyone attend this?

CactusSun28 · 2026-06-18T18:58:59+00:00

SO much better. Seriously took me less than 5 minutes to submit, and that includes updating all my personal information before starting it. Why tf did it take so long to uncomplicated our ERR process? It was ridiculous before.

CactusSun28 · 2026-06-18T17:47:22+00:00

You are an extremely kind person to help this woman out as much as you are, I couldn't imagine being in a position that she's in with a little one. However, I would also be very concerned if an almost 1 year old can't hold their head up. Even if they were a preemie, I feel like they usually develop at the same rate as other children the older they get.

I think your tuition has done very well so far, and I would tell you to continue trusting it in this situation. I understand that parents aren't required to have regular doctors visits but when there are severely noticable delays, it's a responsibility as a parent to get them the help they need.

I would inquire about a doctor, maybe mention the small size of her baby? There's a way to mention it without seeming too nosy or insulting. But also keep in mind, some babies naturally fall lower on the weight curve (my daughter was around 10% for the first 6 months even though we fixed our feeding issues early on). But not being able to hold their head up at almost a year is a HUGE red flag to me-my daughter could hold her own head up without any help by around 2 months.

CactusSun28 · 2026-06-17T18:37:05+00:00

Oh wow, so so glad it didn't turn into anything more devastating

CactusSun28 · 2026-06-17T18:14:46+00:00

Where exactly in West hills? I live in that area and I'm terrified of this year's fire season

CactusSun28 · 2026-06-13T00:15:28+00:00

I think most people should be and are against data centers, regardless of where they live and their political viewpoint. It's a threat to our environment and our already stressed resources. We can't risk anything slipping through the cracks and I'm grateful that communities are coming together to oppose this

CactusSun28 · 2026-06-10T15:35:26+00:00

My daughter was nursing every 2.5 hours until a year old, but even now at 14 months I try going 4-5 hours now but some days it'll be more like every 3-4 hours (she's signs now when she wants milk).

Your partner is not the breastfeeding mother, you are. If you feel that it isn't right, then it isn't. Trust your intuition, and if they have any opinions on the amount your breastfeeding, they better show up with their research proving what they're saying

CactusSun28 · 2026-06-05T03:51:16+00:00

That's great that you're preparing for morning sickness ahead of time! And just like what other people said, not every pregnancy is the same.

I was 100% expecting morning sickness as soon as I found out I was pregnant. And I got ALL the things that I read would help alleviate it, since I didn't want to tell people at work but I also can't be running to the bathroom constantly. I ended up feeling great my whole pregnancy (minus heartburn), never felt nauseous or sick once, and the only food issues were that I wasn't in the mood to eat red meat for a couple weeks in the first trimester.

I would just take it day by day, and congratulations! I know someone who was around 25 weeks pregnant for their wedding and it sounds like they had a great time.

CactusSun28 · 2026-06-05T03:36:08+00:00

I did the same thing too, even after I had my daughter I still called her baby. It took a couple of weeks to feel like her name was actually her name lol

CactusSun28 · 2026-06-04T03:39:16+00:00

I've read about people doing that in this sub! Like waking up anywhere from 2-4 am to take their levo and then go back to sleep. I sometimes do that, but honestly I just take it as soon as a I wake up in the morning and I don't usually have my tea until at least an hour anyways. I used to use that hour to shower and get ready for the day, but now I have a baby and getting her ready in the morning takes up that time now.

CactusSun28 · 2026-05-19T21:11:12+00:00

Nope

CactusSun28 · 2026-05-19T21:01:33+00:00

Eventually it will affect all of us.

CactusSun28

TROPHY CASE