Johnson City Area Subdivisions (Knoxville, Kingsport: for sale, condos, houses)

[cyerby]

Hey all,
I'm trying to gather info on Johnson City and surrounding areas. I was wondering if anyone has links to subdivision websites in the area. We need good schools, so keep that in mind. I can commute from areas like Gray. Also, I wouldn't mind being close to (but not on) a lake. I have a bass boat w/ 150 HP so the bigger the lake the better. Watauga, maybe? Looking to buy in the neighborhood of 150k. I think I might like an established area where I can get more for the money, but newer is not out of the question either.

Thanks!
Craig

[Plain Jane]

Craig,

If you commute from Gray, your children will be in the Washington County schools system, not Johnson City. Check out the state report card on each school. There is a difference in the amount of money county schools receive versus city schools.

If you are able to find a home for $150,000 near Boone Lake, you would probably be in the Lakeridge Elementary school system. Watauga Lake is located closer to ELizabethton, TN. All middle-school aged children in Johnson City attend Indian Trail Middle School. All high school aged children attend Science Hill High School. Good point on the established neighborhoods. Realtors will try to push the newer areas.


Good luck in your search!

[mbmouse]

I am not sure about any web sites, I don't think there are any to be honest, but the development I live in has 3 or 4 houses for sale and I believe they are all in the 130-160 range. 3 or 4 bed 2 baths. We can get to one of the Boone lake ramps in 5 minutes or so. My kids go to Gray Elementary and Daniel Boone, which I personally prefer MUCH more than Johnson City schools. I like this development because there is one way in that is the same way out, no through traffic and all the kids are safe playing. No HOA. There are maybe 80 homes here? Pretty much pastures around us.

[cyerby]

Thank you both for the info! mbmouse, your subdivision sounds like what I'm looking for. 5 minutes to the lake is MUCH better than an hour or more! If you have any links to the houses for sale in there, that would be awesome! I had an interview Tuesday. I'm waiting to hear back, but hopefully we'll be moving soon! It seems like a great opportunity and I really liked what I saw of the area.

Thanks again!

[mbmouse]

Check your PM.

[BuzzCam]

Good evening,

You sound as if you live very near my folks in Boones Creek. They live in a subdivision which you can drive through if you turn right off the Kingsport Highway one block north of Zak's Furniture Company as you travel north. You eventually end up on Boones Creek Road where Boones Creek Baptist is located. (Boones Creek Road takes you to Jay's Boat Dock.)Their house is off to the left on top of the hill on Brightview Drive.

My brother graduated from Daniel Boone High School, I think the first year it opened. I graduated from University High in 1972. The only reason I got into University High, my senior year, is one of my aunts was the administrative assistant for ETSU's dean at the time. Can't remember his name though, that was so long ago. It might of been "Martin" get it, Dean Martin, I know that is bad. But, back in those days, University High was a "teaching school" for ETSU students who wanted to become teachers. Mostly ETSU staff's children went to University High. It was almost like a private school. I think Washington County operates it now.

My brother must have received a good education at Daniel Boone. He went on to U.T. and literally became a "rocket scientist" aka aeronautical space engineer (I think that is how its spelled) Look at me, I am the dumb one in the family, can't even spell what it is my brother is!

I miss Johnson City. I live in Nashville at present and haven't been home since Christmas.

Was it you telling me your husband went to the old North Junior High in Johnson City back in the 60's? If he did, ask him if he remembered the "Huddle Sisters", two of the meanest teachers ever to walk the planet. One taught history because she actually lived most of it, and the other taught art. And another feared teacher, who was my cousin's aunt, Mrs. Dunn, was another mean one, or at least, she was to me. That North Junior High was scary in its days..and..more than one way. My Mother went to that school in the 30's, and she said the auditorium ceiling collapsed when she went there. The only stuff holding it together, when I went there in the 60's, was the bubble gum stuck in the corners.

North Junior High was in front of the old Memorial Hospital on Roan Street a few blocks north of downtown. I am not sure what is there now, maybe a parking lot. It is ashamed Johnson City tore it down, there was allot of history in that building. I had a PE coach, Robert May, who went on to become mayor of Johnson City. I hated PE!

All this was back in the days when we went downtown to shop and see movies. Johnson City had three theatres, the Majestic, the Sevier or Tennessee, I can't remember which, and the Capri. The Capri went on to become an X-rated movie house in the 70's, but that didn't stop them from letting in us WJHL-TV employees in to get popcorn during our afternoon break. They probably made more money off us buying popcorn, and going back across the street to work, than they made on people who actually saw the movies. The Sevier, or Tennessee, was a "two stick" theatre. You used one stick to sit on and the other to beat the rats off with during movies.

I really didn't live in Johnson City that much. Our family was only there when my Father got stationed overseas, when he was in the Air Force. But, the times I was there hold some great memories for me. Johnson City was a very cool town back in those days. I lived in Johnson City in the 50's, and again in the late 60's and when Daddy retired in 1971. I also lived in Kingsport in the early 60's.

I am a big radio buff, and in the 60's we had two great rock stations in Johnson City to choose from. WETB on 790 and WJSO on 1590. WJCW 910 played country music during the day, but when WETB and WJSO signed off at sundown, they switched to rock music. Then, WJCW signed off at midnight. WJCW-FM (now WQUT-FM) played Doctor's Office Music. After midnight there were no Tri-Cities Stations on the air. So, after midnight is when I listened to the great legendary stations like WLS and WCFL in Chicago, WOWO in Ft. Wayne, ID, WNOX in Knoxville and WLAC in Nashville.

When I worked for WJHL-TV11, I remember directing 10:30pm newscasts on Sunday night and, then the station signed off at 11:00. Things sure have changed. When I worked for WCYB-TV5, we used to sign off at 11:00 on Sunday nights after running "Wild Kingdom". Channel 11 was downtown across the street from the Greyhound Bus Station. Yes, we had a wide variety of characters that hung around the place.

I am rambling here and I apologize. But if you, or your husband, want to read more Johnson City history let me know.

You are lucky to be able to live in such a beautiful area even though developers are ruining the countryside with subdivisions of over sized McMansions.

[GrannyLois]

I think you spelled 'aeronautical' right. Anyway, that's how I would have spelled it .....

[mbmouse]

Hi BuzzCam,
Boy has Johnson City changed a bit from your description. Sorry, I have lived in East TN for only 10 years and JC for almost 3 now. My hubby graduated from Happy Valley (Carter) in the early 80's then went on to ETSU. Yes University High is still there and is still like a private school, have a nephew in- law graduating from there today actually. Hubby talks about the way downtown JC used to be as his Dad worked for the post office down there and hubby would hang out for a few hours after school until folks got off work. He enjoys remembering but says he likes it better now.
I just saw on the news that Blue Plum Fest is this weekend, it snuck up on me. Thats a good time.
As for your folks place, yea I know where it is, but no, I live closer to Sulfur Springs and the Gray exit than Boone's Creek. I always forget that Boone's Creek is actually Gray address, for me it is too close to JC. As you know Boone Lake meanders around, we are more on the North end of it.

[Plain Jane]

BuzzCam,

I enjoyed your post! I remember Dora and Lousie Huddle, Mrs. Dunn and Coach May. The old North Junior High building has been replaced by new assisted living condos. That whole area has undergone some much-needed renovation.

[jm17]

I Have Been Researching The Johnson City Area For More Than A Year In Anticipation Of Relocating From Westchester County New York. I Found Jc Forum As Well As Other School Reports Helpful In Determining What Districts Offered The Type Of Opportunities I Wanted My Kids, Aged 12 And 6 To Have. I Found That The Best Way To Find Out About The Schools And Other Factors Was To Take Atrip To Jc And See First Hand. I Have Been There Three Time In The Past 12 Months. Johnson City is great. In february we Left The Kids Home With The Grand Parents. We Spent One Week Checking Washington County, Sullivan County And Johnson City Schools. We Visited The Schools And Spoke With The Schools Administation, Some Staff And Students At Several Elementary Schools The Middle Schools And High Schools. There Was No Question That The Johnson City Schools Offered Way More Opportunities. We Were Disapointed With County Schools. They Seem To Offer Much Less. It Also Seemed That The Way The School Funding Is Dispersed That The Further Away From A City You Were The Worse The Schools Were.
The Staff All Seemed To Be Highly Qualified And Determined To Do A Good Job But Lack Of Adequate Funds Was Hamstringing Them. We Decided That Our Kids Would Go To Johnson City Schools. Johnson City Schools offer reasonable tuition to students from out of district the catch is that transportation is up to you.