A while back on a weblog I saw these questions possed toward their readers. These were a bit thought provoking so I thought I would answer them.
Where do you live?
I live in Mount Juliet, Tennessee….usually shorted to Mt. Juliet or simply “MJ” to those who know it well. It is the Purple Martin Capital of Tennessee. Don’t ask me what a Purple Martin is. I’ve never seen one. They tell me it is a bird.
Why do you live there?
I grew up here. It is home to me.
What cultural opportunities do you have?
Cultural opportunities? Depends on what you mean by cultural opportunities. If you mean museums and junk like that, there are plenty of museums in Nashville like the Cumberland Science Museum, Cheekwood, the Parthanon. Mt. Juliet doesn’t have much in regards to culture.
As far as experiencing other cultures, there are probably Indians around here who can show you their culture, but I don’t know where they are.
What recreational opportunities do you have?
There’s Charlie Daniels’ Park in the city of Mt. Juliet which has tennis courts and junk like that. But I never go there.
Old Hickory Lake is good for boating and other things, but again, I never go on it.
What do you like about it?
The hometown feel about it. The friendliness of the people. The church I attend. Hometown values. A sense that there are some really silly politically correct people in the world who are trying to impose their views on everyone else. Mt. Juliet residents generally consider this type of stuff against the grain and refuses to accept such garbage.
What do you hate about it?
Good ole boy politics. Having only 2 lanes instead of a much needed 4 lanes on Mt. Juliet Road. No good restaurants in the city of Mt. Juliet. No retail establishments like Kmart or Wal-Mart….then again maybe that’s a blessing.
That the area completely shuts down if there is a hint of snow in the wintertime.
What qualities really stand out? (good or bad)
Kudzu in the summer. Those vines grow long and deep. I saw some up in Portland, TN, not too long ago. I should have taken a picture of it. Sometimes the south is seemingly the only place you can experience Kudzu.
The heat. It can get really unbearable in the summer time.
Plenty of lakes for water recreation.
Would you recommend it, and why?
If you are just like me, yes. Otherwise if you come in trying to change it with big city Yankee ideas, then don’t bother. I like it the way it is, thank you very much. This might be a testament to my supposed closemindedness. Or maybe I just don’t like change.
If I were to move there, what would I really need to know?
If you are coming from up north, you will absolutely have to have a car with air conditioning. I’ve heard they don’t have air conditioning as standard equipment on cars up north.
There are insects called “chiggers” which will bite you when you are out in the yard. I only emphasize this because I saw a news report about them opening the Saturn car plant in Spring Hill, TN. They had to educate the Yankee workers about this insect.
How is it different from other places you have been?
I’ve been to China and Canada before. It is different in that it is home. Everything is familiar here.