Running team with FedEx CC, my wife and I find ourselves going through your area a lot. As I think about it, I think it's fair to say we run through Tennessee at least as often as we run through any other state, except New York and New Jersey.
We don't have the same home time desires you do. We're in the process of selling our house (Minnesota) and moving into a tiny apartment because we spend most of our time on the road. We figure if we later found out we made a mistake and want to buy another house, the house will be in eastern Tennessee. There is no state income tax there and the freight lanes are great.