Political leanings of the Tri City area ?? (Johnson City, Kingsport: home, school)

[MOVIN-n-012]

Greetings to all the great Tennesseeans and Tennassee "wanabees" like myself out there.
We have visted the Tri City area for the last 2 years now and think this is where we are going to end up in 6 years after I retire from the NYS prison system as a Corrections Officer of 25 years. I grew up here in the beautiful Catskill mountains 100 miles north of NYC and find the Smokies very similar to what Im used to (geographicaly) here in up state NY. The quality of life has steadily declined here as the taxes have gone up and up (nearly $6K school/town tax for a 1800 sq.ft Cabin on 10 acres).
As a Conservative Republican in a HEAVILY liberal Democrat area, Our upstate votes are useless against N Y City's 80% Democrat zombi voters! When you folks hear about Tax and Spend Liberals....Let me tell ya, they are very much alive and well in the North East! Whith all that Tax money they have imposed, the corruption is outa this world. I see most of today's Tenneesse Reps are Republican and the state's tax structure looks like its drawing in new people and bussinesses regularly. I bought a pair of Kmart shoes for $10.99 in TN while that same exact pair cost me 19.99 in a NY Kmart!! NYS lost nearly a million people in the last 10 years.
My question is, are most of the Tri City residents voters, and do they lean conservative? Talking to a store owner in Cherokee NC, I was surprised to find out the western part of NC is democrat country.
Honestly, I just can't take being a minority among this particular mind set again as I select a new begining for my family.
Oh, the NY prison system can not make prison inmates pick up garbage along the road ways because the "Lib's" feel its too degrading. I'm tellin ya, I cant wait to get the Hell outa here!!!!!!
Your thoughts please and Thank You in addvance.
Walt

[GrannyLois]

I think it's about half and half. I would guess, though, that Johnson City leans more liberal because of the university there.

But things have been fairly evenly divided here, even going back to the Civil War, when it was brother against brother, one town being a reb town, and the very town being a yank sympathizer town.

Because of that, politics can be a 'hot' issue (strong feelings) - but I do believe it's fairly equally divided.

[bigchuckie]

Harold Ford is more conservitive than my Republican Senator

[mbmouse]

You can go to city data's main page, click on the state and cities and they list the percentages of votes for republican and democrat. Last time I looked, I believe that both Johnson City and Kingsport voted 68% republican.
I moved here from Fl and before that, CT. ......I know what you are talking about, agree with it and I LOVE east TN!!!!

[hjlacey]

Walt,
Know what you mean. Live in Monroe NY right now but moving to Rogersville next year. Seems alot of us are moving down!

[insanesmooch]

After moving to the tri-cities and having lived near Nashville, I was surprised to see that the newspaper here has a right slant editorically (is that even a word?). In Nashville, the main media is very left wing.

[MOVIN-n-012]

mbmouse,
Thanks for the tip. looks like between the 3 Cities Bush beat Kerry in 04 by a little more than a 2 to 1 margine. Although Kerry was a joke, Im glad to see the voting population didn't fall for his brand of BS. On the other hand, if Kerry won the election I suppose all our boys getting wounded in Iraq would all be getting the Congressional Metal of Honor since Kerry put in for 2 Purple hearts when he got some rice in his butt and a tiny wood sliver in his arm in NAM. OOPS, I forgot the 3 metals and your home rule........ Lord those Dems are a pathetic lot.
hjlacey,
OK, I'm jealous. We were in Rodgersville a couple of months ago and realy liked the area. I noticed a Republican election office off the main street. The big and smooth hi way into Kingsport was a pleasure compared to our 209/17 to jam packed middletown!! I don't know how we can wait 6 more long years up here.

[YankeeFaninOrlando]

Originally Posted by MOVIN-n-012

Greetings to all the great Tennesseeans and Tennassee "wanabees" like myself out there.
We have visted the Tri City area for the last 2 years now and think this is where we are going to end up in 6 years after I retire from the NYS prison system as a Corrections Officer of 25 years. I grew up here in the beautiful Catskill mountains 100 miles north of NYC and find the Smokies very similar to what Im used to (geographicaly) here in up state NY. The quality of life has steadily declined here as the taxes have gone up and up (nearly $6K school/town tax for a 1800 sq.ft Cabin on 10 acres).
As a Conservative Republican in a HEAVILY liberal Democrat area, Our upstate votes are useless against N Y City's 80% Democrat zombi voters! When you folks hear about Tax and Spend Liberals....Let me tell ya, they are very much alive and well in the North East! Whith all that Tax money they have imposed, the corruption is outa this world. I see most of today's Tenneesse Reps are Republican and the state's tax structure looks like its drawing in new people and bussinesses regularly. I bought a pair of Kmart shoes for $10.99 in TN while that same exact pair cost me 19.99 in a NY Kmart!! NYS lost nearly a million people in the last 10 years.
My question is, are most of the Tri City residents voters, and do they lean conservative? Talking to a store owner in Cherokee NC, I was surprised to find out the western part of NC is democrat country.
Honestly, I just can't take being a minority among this particular mind set again as I select a new begining for my family.
Oh, the NY prison system can not make prison inmates pick up garbage along the road ways because the "Lib's" feel its too degrading. I'm tellin ya, I cant wait to get the Hell outa here!!!!!!
Your thoughts please and Thank You in addvance.
Walt

I am interested in your impression of the Tri City area. What in particular do you like about it? And have you compared it to other parts of eastern TN? My only other exposure to TN was Maryville last year. I liked the town but I saw the beginnings of excessive growth there. I am going to retire in the next year or two. I was even thinking of upstate NY at least on a part-time basis. I am from NYC and moved to FL about 28 years ago. The weather (along with the migration here) is really getting to me. I was thinking of the NE part of NYS. Your comments are making me rethink that strategy. So anything you can share about the Tri City area would help. Thanks.

[MOVIN-n-012]

Hi Yankeefan
I work with alot of C.O's that live upstate NY and have no desire to move south. Up along the Canadian border land is cheap and the Taxes are low. But the winters there are brutal. Most people heat with oil and wood for the most part as I do and I can go through 1000 gal. of heating oil a year easy. At over 2 bucks a gallon, and people getting up to $160 for a cord of wood, 4 or 5 months of a hard winter is getting real pricey! We have not ventured far from the Smokies since I grew up hunting and fishing in the mountains and find them very comforting aside from safe from huracanes. The water quality is usualy better in the mountains providing you have a active water table which appears to be in place in the smokies (unlike the snow melt dependancy of the rockies). The TN/ NC border has a perfect blend of winter and summer temps in and around the common 3-4 thousand foot elavations. And as I have stated the somewhat Conservative leanings the the TN side of the Smokies is also a BIG plus. Iv been watching politics since about 1975 and can't stomach big city politics any longer. Just yesterday I learned 18 NY city Dems voted to give MAMBA tax exempt status. Thats the national group of homosexual men w/ boys group. Thank God the bill didn't pass. Its freaking ilegal what these weirdos do in the first place!!!! As a NRA Life member, Im proud of the "Don't Tread on Me" heritage of our great nation and its people like Ruth Bader Ginsburg (a clinton appointy) who work tirelessly with the ACLU to legaly shut down organizations like the Boy Scouts and supported the new emimant domain Gov land grab. It seem the only good to come out of the National Dem party today, is they tend to be much more environmentaly friendly (funding wise). See, you can always find good somewhere in a bad situation if you dig deep enough! Sorry for the Political rant, but its our kids future freedoms on the line AND the World's also for that matter.
Bottom line, you have to visit TN and see for your self. So far from what Iv read here, mbmouse is a good rep for the kind and good natured people of East Tennessee. Good luck in your decission and Be Well!

[pass it on]

A few msgs. up someone mentioned Harold Ford being conservative. I am from West Tn. and don't believe it for a minute. The Fords are a machine here, out to promote the Fords....