about living in "The South".
Cookeville is home to Tennessee Technological University. I graduated from there & lived in Cookeville for 2 yrs after graduation. Both of my children graduated from Tech & my son lived in Cookeville until 2014. I still have a friend who lives there.
https://www.tntech.edu/about/rankings
It is a fast-growing town of 32,000 which lies approximately halfway between Knoxville & Nashville.
You will find most of the corporate restaurants there, as well as a few really good local ones. I personally like Char, Crawdaddy's & The Cooke House, & Cheddar's, a Chili's/Appleby's style restaurant, never disappoints.
http://foodio54.com/restaurants/Cookeville_TN/5/0/
As far as shopping, it has a small mall & a few strip malls w/the usual corporate entities. However, more & more are locating there all the time because of the growth. One glaring omission is Target, which has been a complaint of the locals for years now. According to Target it is because of a logistics problem for them. Personally, I think they are missing out on a gold mine, but JMHO. Anyway, if you require more selection than Cookeville offers, you can always take a day trip to Knoxville (100 miles), Chattanooga (100 miles), or Nashville (80 miles).
Grocery stores include Kroger, Food Lion, Wal-mart & a few local markets including some small Mexican ones. Spring Street Mkt has a good meat dept.
Cookeville lies on the Cumberland Plateau and has a quasi-mountain environment. You will have a few snowfalls each year & milder summers than the rest of Middle Tennessee. There are 4 distinct seasons there, but be advised that the wind blows all the time! I was not prepared for this, so just wanted to let you know that. It is arguably one of the most beautiful areas of the country. If you enjoy outdoor activities, there are plenty--waterfalls, hiking trails, small state parks, interesting geological formations, and two deep, good fishing lakes, which are also good for waterskiing & kayaking. Crossville is just 30 miles up I-40 & has some renown golf courses. The Smoky Mountain National Park & Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge are less than 150 miles away, about a 2.5 hr drive.
The cost of living is very affordable, making it an attractive retirement destination. A few yrs ago it was deemed the best place in the country to retire, which resulted in an influx of older citizens. A new hospital was built about 9 yrs ago & improved the medical care in the entire area. http://www.crmchealth.org/
The school system is one of the best in the state. The university certainly contributes to that.
It is a very religious town, as you enter you will see a huge cross that attests to that. However, having a public university there helps to moderate that influence.
The dark side is that there is a meth problem like many small towns in the South. (Heck, I guess the entire country.) Just wanted you to be aware of that. I do know there is a big push to curtail it, but a slow process.
Overall, I believe you will enjoy living in Cookeville, especially if you enjoy outdoor activities. Unless you require a metropolitan lifestyle, it is a good place to live & raise children.
Here are some links that might help give you a better picture of the town:
http://herald-citizen.com/ (the local newspaper)
http://www.wcte.org/home/ (the local PBS station--you can watch online & get an insight into the area, as they do a lot of local features)
http://www.greatretirementspots.com/cookeville-tennessee-retirement.htm
http://realestatescorecard.com/area-information/eastern-tennessee/cookeville
Just let me know if I can answer any questions for you. 
Happy moving & enjoy your new adventure!
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