I am Moving to Eastern TennesseeWould appreciate advice!!! (Knoxville, Johnson City: fit in, to rent)

[SikofSoCal]

Hello,

Im Russ T. I live in So. Cal Orange County to be exact, I lived here my whole life but always preferred the country. Just like a lot of others I just got axed from work. Im 49 and tired of the costs crowds and rude people and rude immigrants. Im hoping that my life savings of 50-60K closer to 60K will be enough to rent a place till I find the right area and buy a place( This will be a pretty fast thing hopefully 1-3 months till I buy) Then I can grow my garden, hunt and fish as much as my fun time allowes and find a job to pay utilities, food and prop taxes and live my lfe without ever worrying about being homeless again.

Or I could **** away my savings on 2k a month rent and end up homeless, the top Idea sounds better. Im a good guy and I know that this is the life I want so what more humid days but better fishing and hunting for sure (Not in So Cal) and less rude people. Hopefully my future neighbors whoever they may be feel the same way.

Anyone have any advice on where to start in Eastern Tenn with my budget. I do have a Ford Explorer and a Harley so commuting a ways 50mi for work is ok I did it out here in traffic for 20 years

I really would appreciate any ideas as now my clock is ticking and I cant waste any of the money I have left.

Thank you

C-Ya

Russ T

[GingerSue]

I love this area and feel that we're a nice crowd to be around. But there are rude people everywhere, you can't escape them. We also have a lot of immigrants - hard working people that add a lot to our community.

Do you want to buy a place with your 60k or use it as a down payment? I think you might find it hard to buy a house with that amount of money even here, though it could happen depending on your expectations You seem to be interested in the outdoors, have you thought of buying a plot of land in the country and put something like a Yurt on it? I love the idea of living in a yurt.

[daveatgso]

Hawkins and Hancock counties seem to have the cheapest properties around the tricities. Land gets pretty cheap just north of the border into Virginia. Buy a cheap place in VA, work in Bristol or Kingsport.

[Barking Spider]

Ideally you will have a job before you move. While unemployment in East TN is lower than other parts of the country, jobs are not plentiful.

Another thing to keep in mind is the further out from the larger cities you go, the harder it is to fit in (if that makes sense). In Knoxville for example, it is quite common for someone to be from another State or Country.

You get out into the smaller communities and you might find yourself an "outsider". For the most part, the people in this area are very friendly, but in some of the rural areas, maybe not so much. While many are just cautious, or wary of strangers, some are just not nice.

Good luck with your search.

[rccrain]

Originally Posted by daveatgso

Hawkins and Hancock counties seem to have the cheapest properties around the tricities. Land gets pretty cheap just north of the border into Virginia. Buy a cheap place in VA, work in Bristol or Kingsport.

Consider that if you do this, you will pay VA State Income Tax. There's a reason folks prefer to live on the TN side.

[Mountain Lovin' Girl]

Taxes on groceries here in TN are high when you have been used to no taxes on groc (and no state tax) where we lived. But we love it here. Just a note, crime and drugs are high in Hawkins county. Something to consider and research. Our DD lived there almost 3 years and her DH lived in that area in his teen years.

[Fiddliferous]

I just moved here about 70 days ago. I first moved from the Adirondack Mountains in upstate NY down to Afton in eastern TN, but after a few weeks, I moved from there to the Erwin, TN area. Afton was beautiful, but I missed living in the mountains. The hills get pretty hot in the summer, whereas the mountains have cool breezes and shade.

Now, I see deer all the time. I will hunt this fall. I don't understand the comments about people and outsiders. I have yet to meet a person who hasn't showed me friendship and respect. I have yet to meet a person I don't like. EVERYONE has been very neighborly to me.

I have the greatest respect for these mountain folks. I came down here to play music and to learn from them and they've all gone out of their way to befriend me and Mary.

I can't say enough in support of their culture and their down home ways....I'm delighted to have made so many friends.

[Jparvin07]

I am a 37yr old married mother of 2. Looking to move to the tri city area. What are the utilities like? Ours here are sky high. We have a 13yr old and a college freshmen who will stay here in NJ. Mu hubby will transfer down he has been with Walmart for 17yrs. Yes some ppl stay there that long! LOL I am a certified medical assistant but I have been on lay off status here in NJ for over 2 years. It is a scary move but I LOVE the area & it seems more affordable. Hubby & I are comming down in October 2011 so he can get a feel for it, he has never been to TN. So what's the deal folks, lay it on me, the good, the bad & the ugly! FYI we are moving from a town that has been over run with crime, shootings, gangs, it is to the point that I will not put my younger daughter in public school. oh yea & lucky us our credit is in the crapper so how are the utility companys with deposits & such are they high?

[Madeline4]

Originally Posted by Jparvin07

I am a 37yr old married mother of 2. Looking to move to the tri city area. What are the utilities like? Ours here are sky high. We have a 13yr old and a college freshmen who will stay here in NJ. Mu hubby will transfer down he has been with Walmart for 17yrs. Yes some ppl stay there that long! LOL I am a certified medical assistant but I have been on lay off status here in NJ for over 2 years. It is a scary move but I LOVE the area & it seems more affordable. Hubby & I are comming down in October 2011 so he can get a feel for it, he has never been to TN. So what's the deal folks, lay it on me, the good, the bad & the ugly! FYI we are moving from a town that has been over run with crime, shootings, gangs, it is to the point that I will not put my younger daughter in public school. oh yea & lucky us our credit is in the crapper so how are the utility companys with deposits & such are they high?

I think you will love the area. I am from NJ although I left there many years ago. You can call someone from the Johnson City power board and ask them those questions about the deposit and such or email them. We moved here over 4 yrs ago but I totally don't remember how we set our account up. I'm sure they will be happy to help and that will give you a good idea on how it would be if you moved to any city down here. I think for single young people this area lacks excitement but for families and retirees it is ideal. There is not alot of racial diversity like you would get in some urban areas on NJ, but all in all it's a nice place to live.

[rccrain]

These are the main electric companies in the TRI:

Your Home | New Service | Security Deposits | Johnson City Power Board

btesrateinfo (http://www.btes.net/btesrateinfo.html - broken link)

https://www.appalachianpower.com/account/Default.aspx