The short answer
Moving from Oregon to Tennessee changes your tax rules and your landscape. Tennessee has no state income tax and does charge sales tax, so compare both with your own Oregon numbers. You trade evergreens and the coast for hardwood ridges, a warm lake and humid summers. Tennessee National is a private, gated lake and golf community on Watts Bar Lake in Loudon, Tennessee, about 30 minutes from Knoxville and three time zones east of Oregon.
Key facts
- Tennessee has no state income tax. Tennessee does have a sales tax.
- Loudon County, Tennessee is on Eastern time, three hours ahead of Portland.
- The Great Smoky Mountains are about an hour from Tennessee National.
- Watts Bar Lake is a freshwater TVA reservoir with more than 39,000 acres of water and 722 miles of shoreline.
- McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) is about 35 minutes from Tennessee National.
- There is no deadline to build after you buy a homesite at Tennessee National.
A move from Oregon to East Tennessee is a cross-country move, so it deserves a straight answer up front. Two things change: how you are taxed and what you see out the window. Everything else is logistics.
The example here is Tennessee National, a private, gated lake and golf community on Watts Bar Lake in Loudon, Tennessee, about 30 minutes from Knoxville.
What should you know before moving from Oregon to Tennessee?
Know three things: the tax rules change, the landscape changes and home ends up three time zones away.
| What | Oregon | Tennessee National |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax | Check your own return | Tennessee has none |
| Sales tax | Check what you pay now | Yes. You pay it when you spend |
| Forest | Mostly evergreen west of the Cascades | Mostly hardwood. Color in fall, bare in winter |
| Summer | Dry | Warm and humid |
| Water | Cold rivers, mountain lakes, the Pacific | A warm freshwater lake at home. No ocean nearby |
| Mountains | The Cascades | The Great Smoky Mountains, about an hour away |
| Time zone | Pacific for most of the state | Eastern, three hours ahead |
How do taxes compare between Oregon and Tennessee?
Start with the Tennessee side. Tennessee has no state income tax and does have a sales tax. How that compares with what you pay now depends on your own income and spending.
That is why you should not trust anyone's summary, including this one. Run both columns with your own numbers:
- Pull your last Oregon return and find the state income tax line.
- Add up what you spend in a year on things taxed at the register. Ask a CPA or the Tennessee Department of Revenue what is taxable here.
- Ask the Loudon County property assessor's office how property tax would work on the home you plan to own.
Then have a CPA check the year you move. Leaving one state partway through a year has its own paperwork. Our guide to no state income tax and what it means for buyers lists the questions to bring.
What is the landscape trade?
You trade evergreens and an ocean for hardwoods and a lake. Whether that is a good trade is personal, so here is each piece.
- The forest. West of the Cascades stays green all winter. East Tennessee does not. The hardwoods turn in fall and drop their leaves, and the ridges stay brown and open until spring. Some people love seeing the water through the trees. Some miss the green. Visit in January.
- The water. Watts Bar Lake is a freshwater TVA reservoir on the Tennessee River, with more than 39,000 acres of water and 722 miles of shoreline. It is warm enough to swim in all summer. Tennessee National has a full-service marina with 140+ boat slips inside the gates. See marina and lake life.
- The mountains. The Great Smoky Mountains are about an hour away. They are old, rounded and covered in forest. There are no snowcapped peaks on the horizon.
- The rain. If a long gray season is what you are leaving, know that East Tennessee is not dry. It rains here, often hard and fast, and summer brings thunderstorms. Winters are mild. Come in winter and judge the light for yourself.
- The snow. If you ski most winter weekends, this is not ski country.
Our guide to the four seasons at Tennessee National walks through the year.
How do you handle the distance?
Plan around it, because home will be a travel day away.
- Fly first, decide second. McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) is about 35 minutes from the gate. Check current routes from your Oregon airport. A trip usually takes most of a day door to door.
- Respect the clock. Loudon is three hours ahead of Portland. When it is 8 a.m. here, it is 5 a.m. there. If you plan to keep a West Coast job, your workday shifts into the evening.
- Move in two stages. There is no deadline to build after you buy a homesite at Tennessee National. You can buy the homesite, keep living and working in Oregon, and build later. See buy the homesite now, build later.
- Do the paperwork from far away. Our guide to buying at Tennessee National from out of state covers how to handle the purchase and the build from a distance.
- Get real moving quotes. Distance, volume and timing drive the cost of a cross-country move. Get more than one quote in writing.
- Ask about residency. What makes you a Tennessee resident, and what Oregon expects in the year you leave, are questions for a CPA. Do not assume.
How do you meet people after a cross-country move?
Through the calendar. When you move across the country, you arrive knowing nobody, and Tennessee National has 22 social clubs and 180+ events a year. That is the fastest fix.
The rest of what is inside the 1,492 gated acres on Watts Bar Lake:
- One Greg Norman Signature golf course. 18 holes, 7,393 yards, par 72.
- A full-service marina with 140+ boat slips.
- A clubhouse with Kendall's restaurant, a pool, a fitness center, pickleball, tennis and walking trails.
It is a golf cart community. Homes are custom built and go through design review. There are five ways to own: The Timbers (wooded homesites), lake homesites, waterfront homesites, Land & Home packages and townhomes. Pricing is in the info pack.
The honest trade-offs
You will miss the coast. From Loudon, the nearest ocean beach is a long drive.
Summer humidity is real. Oregon's dry summers are hard to beat, and you will not find them here.
Winter is brown, not green. Mild, but brown.
Family is a flight away and three hours behind. Decide how often you will go back, and budget for it.
And you will pay sales tax on everyday purchases in Tennessee. Put it in the budget before you move.
If you read that list and still want the lake, that tells you something. Come see it in two seasons before you list the house.
Frequently asked questions
Does Tennessee have a sales tax?
Yes. Tennessee has a sales tax and no state income tax. Before moving from Oregon to Tennessee National in Loudon, Tennessee, run both taxes with your own numbers and ask a CPA to check them.
What time zone is Tennessee National in?
Tennessee National is in Loudon County, East Tennessee, on Eastern time. That is three hours ahead of Portland and most of Oregon, which matters for family calls and for anyone keeping a West Coast job.
Is East Tennessee green in winter like western Oregon?
No. East Tennessee forests are mostly hardwood, so the ridges around Tennessee National and Watts Bar Lake lose their leaves in winter. Fall color comes first. Winters at Tennessee National are mild, but the landscape is brown and open until spring.
How do you get from Oregon to Tennessee National?
Most trips from Oregon to Tennessee National are by air into McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS), about 35 minutes from the community in Loudon, Tennessee. Check current routes with the airlines and plan on most of a day door to door.
Can you buy a homesite at Tennessee National and build later?
Yes. There is no deadline to build after you buy a homesite at Tennessee National. A buyer in Oregon can buy the homesite, keep living and working on the West Coast, and build when the timing is right.
Facts about Tennessee National come from the community. Lake facts come from TVA. Rules, taxes, loans and insurance change, so confirm anything that affects a purchase with the right office or professional before you buy.