Thinking of relocating from Southern California to the Tri Cities area (Knoxville: appointed, lease)

[kcg1231]

I lived in San Diego for 29 years and just moved here in June. It is a culture shock! The cost of living is great but this summers humidity has been tough on me. As for things to do, it's nothing compared to California. Lots of outdoor things but you really need a boat during the summer. We live in Kingsport and we often take drives to north Carolina to get to more populated cities. If you are looking for a laid back lifestyle this is it. Your neighbors will be so nosy though!

[DaveinMtAiry]

I had started a thread about posibbly retiring to JC in 15 years or so. But this thread has brought up a few issues. We are from Maryland and are considered "northerners" in the south. We also do not go to church and dare I say it, I am atheist.

So I gotta ask, seeing as we know NOBODY in the area do you anticipate us having trouble fitting in? I don't want to be like an American in Japan, where everyone is nice to your face but there is a clear "we like you but you will never be one of us" feel to the place. Woud Ashville be a better option?

I also love Thai food. Guess I'll be out of luck huh?

[TNinmyHeart]

My husband and I are young retirees (59 and 61 yrs). I am a native of Tucson, AZ and he is a native of Palo Alto, CA. We had planned to retire to East TN for the last 10 years after coming to the area in 2001 to do some genealogy research. We fell in love with the area and the people. We were retired as of Jan 2011 and bought a home in the Colonial Heights area of Kingsport and moved here in April 2011. We LOVE it here. We have NO regrets. We have a daughter and son-in-law who also relocated here a couple of months ago because the economy in Tucson is so poor. My SIL is a general contractor and they were losing everything in Tucson; could not complete with the flood of illegals willing to work for so little. He came here after lining up a decent paying job and they also have no regrets. Our money goes a lot further here than it did in Tucson. Housing is much more affordable - utilities are also. We love the community spirit and although we are older and more easily amused, we find the so many things to do here if you want to get out and just have some fun. The scenery is spectacular; we enjoy the weather here with the change of seasons but most of all, we just enjoy all our interactions with the people here. Just wanted to share because I know I read this board for so long before we moved and it was always so nice to see positive experiences.

[isabella20]

Originally Posted by lagoon7

Wow, lots of Californians looking to Tennessee to relocate. I guess the Oregon Land Rush is over...

California is very expensive especially for young people starting out and for retirees. The job market is horrible and in larger cities where there are some jobs, the housing is out of site. So, places like Tennessee start to look pretty good. Also, it's a pretty place with weather that is far from being the worst in the country.

In our experience, which was limited, the people were incredibly nice to us. We were passing through on our way to North Carolina when my husband became very ill. We were there for about a week and everyone was so nice and helpful we will never forget the experience. Because of this and because of the low cost of living, Tennessee is one of the places on our short list to relocate to.

[creeksitter]

Dave, you may feel more comfortable in Knoxville.

Plus a local dining directory indicates 7 restaurants serve Thai food.

[DaveinMtAiry]

Originally Posted by creeksitter

Dave, you may feel more comfortable in Knoxville.

Plus a local dining directory indicates 7 restaurants serve Thai food.

Thanks. I actually lived in Knoxville as a kid. But when you move at 2 and stopped visiting by the time you are 8 I'm thinking you can't really claim it. No doubt Knoxville will have more food alternatives but we want to stay close to the east (7 1/2 hrs from Maryland, bigger mountains, smaller towns etc) so if that means no Thai food so be it.

[dreamofmonterey]

There is this chain in JC.

TOMY THAI - home

You also have Earthfare which is excellent, or Fresh Market.

Authentic chinese (not buffets) like you are probably familiar with, is a problem, but there is a small place I think in Elizabethton.

[DaveinMtAiry]

Originally Posted by dreamofmonterey

There is this chain in JC.

TOMY THAI - home

You also have Earthfare which is excellent, or Fresh Market.

Authentic chinese (not buffets) like you are probably familiar with, is a problem, but there is a small place I think in Elizabethton.

Get out, there's Thai food in JC? Guess a place to buy Chespeake Bay steamed crabs would be out of the question, huh?

As for Chinese food, are you saying regular old Chinese carryouts are lacking? That's surprising for sure seening as 95% of all Chinese restaurants in America have the exact same items on their menus and for the most part they all taste about the same. In other words I'm not that picky. But it's stunning that there aren't a few to get easy carry out, every tiny town I"ve ever seen has at least one.

[Sean_CLT]

I just spent the last two days exploring the area. JC to me feels like about 2/3 the size of Asheville. It's a fully fledged small city with all the usual chain stores and fast asian food. (I think I saw a Terayaki sign somewhere.) It's just 90 mins from Knoxville, so someone with a bigger city craving can scratch the itch periodically.

Apartments may be disappointing though. Most are old, two story townhouse-rowhouse style, with bleak landscaping and no carports or garages. There isn't the "breadth" of rentals that you find in a bigger city.

[DubbleT]

Greene's Seafood Restaurant - Bristol | Urbanspoon
Also a seafood market.
I don't know about your steamed crabs, but I've heard they have a lot of variety. Might be worth a call to see.