Oh, I lived in Nashville, same thing, but get out of the city and watch out. Back then, even a huge part of the city was straight hood. We partied a lot and had a good time.
Missoula. Cool town, kind of isolated. Montana has no sales tax , so their roads and stuff are really rough. A rest area in Montana is a pit toilet. I would live there again for sure if I was loaded. Billings and Bozeman are also cool.
Iowa dumpy vs. Montana and Tennessee dumpy are no comparison. Iowa doesn't have anything close to the poverty level of Tennessee. I saw people living in shacks with no running water. Poverty in the South is next level. The Reservations in Montana are also like nothing anyone in Iowa has ever seen. That stuff makes Missouri look like the French Riviera.