Pros & Cons and differences of retiring to Bristol, Kingsport or Johnson City ? (Greeneville: houses, schools)

[mbmouse]

Well, even though I personally think these trees and this type of landscaping in a zone 7 home is just wrong, I went and took these pictures just for you.

[Tennesseestorm]

Wow.... thanks MB for taking and posting those photos! I had no idea that one would be so large. I notice that it is nicely mulched.

I was under the impression that these palms were on the corner of a "city maintained" street, rather than someones personal lawn. I know a guy/lady in Kingsport that has alot of palms, that actually got me into experiencing palms here.... I wonder if this could be the smae person.... I bet it is.

Those smaller trees near the house there are Windmill Palms like the one I have... these are a little larger though. Believe it or not, these are zone 7 trees. Technically, 7B, but stated to be safe in 7A in protected areas that do not drop too far below 0°. After that, some leaf damage occurs I am told. The COLDEST it has been at my house since I planted mine 3 years ago was 8° on two mornings in winter of 2006-2007 and it sustained no damage, but my Washingtonia palm (zone 9a!) perished in 15° temps. I was not sure it was the hardier Washingtonia or not... well, it wasnt, but it did nice that summer I had it.

I am not sure what that larger palm is, but I seen several of these just south of Charlotte last summer. I think its a Cabbage palm. Now it is a zone 8A normally, or 7B with protection.... I guess that explains the heavy mulching at the base. My Sabal Birminham palm is a zone 7 rated palm as well.

Next on my list is Needle palm (native to the river floodplains from South Carolina to Florida and Mississippi, with populations extending far inland to central Georgia and up through northeastern Alabama), which is actually rated as low as zone 6B! Stated to have endured temperatures as low as -23° during the all-time setting record low in Knoxville in January of 1985. This is supposed to be the hardiest palm in existance... only negative is that it is very slow growing. I get this info from this link.....
SPS Hardy Palms: A Quick Reference

This clump is in Knoxville and has been there since 1975.


I can understand where you come from though.... being from Florida and wanting to get away from it all and if there were palms all over here, I am sure I would get tired of them, but I guess since its a rarity to see them here, that is what makes it neat for me... its like hide-n-seek.

Thanks again for posting them! I love it!

[williboy]

Yuch, I just do not care for palm trees. I'm sure I made a poor Floridian.

[theJCkid]

Originally Posted by mbmouse

Bristol is nice town, a bit busier and a bit bigger seeming than Johnson City or Kingsport. People who live there seem to love it! You also have to like, or at least tolerate that this is THE Nasscar town! There is Nasscar stuff everywhere. There are only 3 big races a year and the traffic is crazy, but people make BIG bucks renting out there house 3 weekends a year too, so it does have benefits to locals for putting up with all that traffic.
My suggestion is to make a trip, check out all the areas, take a look around. Which ever area is right for you, you will know it as soon as you get there.

Actually Bristol is quite a bit smaller than JC and Kingsport, and nowhere near as busy or crowded. Must not visit JC that often

[mbmouse]

Originally Posted by theJCkid

Actually Bristol is quite a bit smaller than JC and Kingsport, and nowhere near as busy or crowded. Must not visit JC that often

Hi JCkid,
I guess Bristol just seems larger to me because it is much more spread out so it seems larger land wise, but you are right population wise. I actually live in North JC and in JC quite often.
I have a question to ask you. Reading through your posts of late I am getting the feeling you don't like the Tri-Cities to much? Can I ask why? This seems like the perfect thread as it is asking about the Pro's and Con's of the area. There are a lot of folks on here, me included, that are really happy with the area and truly love it. It would be good for the OP to hear from someone honestly that does not like it. Please share you idea and opinions of the Tri-Cities. Many different points of views really help people looking at a new place to live.

[theJCkid]

Originally Posted by mbmouse

Hi JCkid,
I guess Bristol just seems larger to me because it is much more spread out so it seems larger land wise, but you are right population wise. I actually live in North JC and in JC quite often.
I have a question to ask you. Reading through your posts of late I am getting the feeling you don't like the Tri-Cities to much? Can I ask why? This seems like the perfect thread as it is asking about the Pro's and Con's of the area. There are a lot of folks on here, me included, that are really happy with the area and truly love it. It would be good for the OP to hear from someone honestly that does not like it. Please share you idea and opinions of the Tri-Cities. Many different points of views really help people looking at a new place to live.

Don't get me wrong, I love the Tri-Cities. But growing up in Carver, and Keystone and even cloud, iv'e seen things that most people would never see in this area, and shouldn't see (drugs, gangs, violent crime, etc.) And it is also kind of hard living in those areas and being white where you can actually experience being a minority. But since iv'e reached legal age iv'e moved into a historic neighborhood in Pinecrest (south JC) and iv'e gotten a chance to live in a "good" area of the city and I love it. JC is the perfect city for me, its got big city accomidations but you can also drive for 15 minuts and be in the middle of nowhere.

[Tennesseestorm]

I agree... Bristol is more spread out overall than Kingsport or Johnson City.. especially JC. Kingsport is spread out a little more it seems than JC? Old downtown Bristol is the exception though, as it is more confined... hence having more "taller" buildings than Kingsport or Johnson City. Bristol has 3 buildings that are 11 stories tall and about 3-4 more at least 6 stories tall. There must have been less space to work with in old downtown. There was a rumor that a 15-20 story building was supposed to go in downtown, but I never heard about it again, or officially. I guess it was the same deal with the proposed parking garage.

AFAIK, Johnson City only has a couple of taller buildings- the one in the old downtown area and the tall bank building along Roan St. in JC. I really do not recall seeing many tall buildings in KPT, unless I have missed them, other than the hospital.

Bristols population (if you combine VA-TN), is not much less than Kingsport or Johnson City. What, about 10K less than JC and about 7K less than KPT?

Whoever said traffic is not bad, go to the exit 7 area of Bristol VA on any given evening.... Or come to Bristol in late March or late August.

Originally Posted by mbmouse

Hi JCkid,
I guess Bristol just seems larger to me because it is much more spread out so it seems larger land wise, but you are right population wise.

[dlk33]

To answer that, it would make sense to me that I would get more house for the money living where the median home cost is less, rather then more. Being that we will be on a fixed income in retirement, it makes sense to find ways to further our dollar. That is one of the main reasons we are considering a move to the tri-state area. The cost of living is much less there then where we're at living in Madison, Wi. The weather is much nicer as well.
If Johnson City were equal to Kingsport in every way, I'd most likely choose Kingsport since I can get more house for the money. I also believe the cost of living is less there overall.
I'm sure I'll get a good feel for both places on our visit this coming Sept.
I appreciate any input or information from those of you already living in the area. If you want, you could also send me some warmer weather, it's pretty cold here right now.

[Tennesseestorm]

Just wondering... is there any reason you have marked Bristol off of your list? There are very nice homes throughout the city @ attractive prices.

As far as retail goes, Bristol can actually be lower, because many people easily can cross the state line and enjoy Virginias lower state tax. I know that in Kingsport they are near the state line as well, but I do not think there is much retail just north of there (Gate City), as there is in Bristol VA. ?

Its a shame though... Va's lower tax is the reason why Bristol TN suffers.

Originally Posted by dlk33

very interested in either Kingsport or JC, however due to the difference of the cost of a home we are leaning towards Kingsport now.

[Tennesseestorm]

DaddyO49... have you give anymore though as to where you would like to locate? I do not recall if I mentioned anything about this or not... I have kinda lost track of some of these threads....

Bristol does have a nice lake nearby on the southeast side of town, at the base of Holston Mountain. I live not to far from there. SO, you get a lake and a mountain at the same time...

In fact, here is a photo of the South Holston Lake in Bristol....




Here are some other Bristol photos I have posted elsewhere before somewhere on here.... I noticed that MB had posted some of Kingsport, so I thought I would post some of Bristol as well. Most of these were taken last summer.... some of the lake photos are repeats... sorry.



This is going down HWY 421, toward where I live... I live about 3 miles from where this photo was taken last summer...


In the historic downtown area... one side of the street is Tennessee and the other side is Virginia....
Here is a look at our "downtown skyline"... not much, but this is not a huge city. Notice the mountain in the background, which is the same mountain you see in the photo above....



















We have the old southern mansions....




Dangerous @ night alleys in downtown...














We have old run down buildings as well, where alot of the vagabonds live....



This is heading out of southeast Bristol, heading toward the lake and toward NC / Abingdon (if you do not go up I-81)

Originally Posted by DADDYO49

.........Still searching for the best Tennessee retirement Town ?.....I have read so much about retiring to Bristol or Kingsport or Johnson City ( I believe they are called the Tri City area ? ).....In as much as I will be retiring within a year ... I will not be concerned with Jobs or Schools; but will be concerned with Housing Costs ? Costs of Living ? Medical/ Health care ? Crime Rate ? Area Amenities ?( City or Rural...Any Mountains or Lakes ? )...Lastly; what ( if anything ) makes Bristol ; Johnson City and/or Kingsport different from each other ??? What are the pros & cons about retiring to Bristol or Johnson City or Kingsport ?? Are any of these good areas to retire to or are they more suited for younger families seeking good jobs & schools ?