Eastbound all the way

When Lori Jane and William “Bill” Wallace moved to Tennessee from Southern California, it didn’t take long to learn their new hometown was pronounced “Luh-FAY-it” instead of the French-sounding “Lah-fah-yet.”

“We had to pick it up pretty fast, because you will get corrected,” Lori Jane says with a laugh.

In all fairness to them, Lafayette wasn’t on the couple’s radar when they decided to retire to Tennessee. Lori Jane, who retired from San Diego Superior Court, and Bill, a retired police officer, had initially planned to move to Cookeville. Like hundreds of thousands of other Californians in recent years, they chose to leave because of the high cost of living, traffic and crime.

Leaving the Golden State

The Wallaces wanted a midsize city to settle in after living in a small town in northern San Diego County. With that in mind, they thought Cookeville might be perfect. It was big enough for some decent shopping, but small enough to not feel overwhelming.

But by the time they stepped off the plane in Tennessee, half the homes on their list were already under contract. With their hopes dashed, Lori Jane got on the computer and quickly learned about a place called Lafayette. “We were kind of scrambling, so we prayed about it. I said, ‘OK, Lord, if this is the plan and you want us to move to Tennessee, then we need some help.’”

Within minutes of walking into the second house on their new list of homes in Lafayette, Bill was in. The large, open floor plan and other parts of the home’s layout sold them on it.

They were also shocked to learn they could get fiber internet service through NCTC. “We didn’t have that back in California,” Lori Jane says. “So, it was a surprise to learn we could get it here. And when they started offering 2 Gigs here in Lafayette, I got it as soon as I could. We also got the mesh system through NCTC, Blast WiFi. It’s all been amazing and works so well.”

‘Lafayette, we are here!’

Soon after they bought the house, the couple packed their belongings and moved across the country. Bill was somewhat familiar with Tennessee, having spent parts of his young adulthood helping relatives in Stewart County with their tobacco crops. But it was all new to Lori Jane, and neither of them really knew what to expect. “But we told ourselves we were really going to try to enjoy where we lived,” Lori Jane says. “We made an effort to meet people and get to know them and not be afraid or insecure.”

The Wallaces’ Christian-based, conservative value system also aligned well with others in East Tennessee. “It always surprised me when I heard, ‘You don’t seem like Californians,’” Lori Jane says. “I didn’t know what they meant at first. They had this idea of what Californians were like, and we aren’t that.”

The first thing they did was make friends with the people whose home they bought. They frequented locally owned restaurants, shops and auctions, and Lori volunteers her excellent Mexican cooking skills for charity events. They also found a good place of worship and fellowship in Strong Tower Church.

“Joining the church pushed us into meeting people,” Bill says. “But we also have five grown children of our own, and we’ve always liked to support our community in that sense. We donate when local kids need it. We’re just there to show support for them.”

The couple’s five children range in age from 22 to 38. Three of them have already moved to Lafayette to be close to their parents. One is in Italy serving in the U.S. Air Force, while another lives in Austin, Texas, after recently getting out of the U.S. Marine Corps.

The Wallaces further integrated themselves into their new hometown through Lori Jane’s love of auctions, which they attend frequently. Bill, a prior service Marine with 26 years of policing under his belt, soon grew bored with retirement and was unanimously appointed by the Macon County Board of Commissioners to serve as one of the county’s two judicial commissioners.

State of bliss

Lori Jane and Bill love to talk about their Southern adventures, the people they’ve met and the ever-growing love they have for Macon County and the rest of Tennessee. They still can’t believe the kindness they’ve experienced.

“Nobody talks to anybody back in California,” Bill says. “Here, we do so many different things with so many people. We go to so many different places where they’re willing to take us. We haven’t found a bad place with rude people anywhere here.”

Published with permission from NCTC.