Moving from Central Fl. maybe to Greeneville?? (Knoxville, Johnson City: how much, houses)

[dixie3487]

Hi everyone. First I want to thank those who read this and respond. I've been reading post for awhile now and everyone seems very willing to help out us newcomers.
Here's a little info about us. We are in our late 30's and we have a 16 year old son. He has already obtained his GED so, I'm not concerned with the schools. He will be wanting a part time job though. My husband is a contractor and has owned his own remodeling business for the last 11 years. Recently, due to the horrible economy down here he went to work with a builder building log cabins. He also does wood working, furniture building, and indian art on the side. He is very good at what he does so he will be wanting to find work in that area. I myself have a 2 year degree in Criminal Justice. I've done everything from juvenile probation to secretary to working as an asst. teacher in the schools. So, I'm pretty flexible with a job.
Now, my question is, where do you guys think would be a good fit for our family. We absolutely love the mountains, can't wait till it snows (I'm sure that may be short lived, but, hey, were from Florida haha) and want to be out in the country but, yet close enough to the cities for jobs etc.
I've been doing alot of research and so far I seem to really like Greeneville. Is this a nice place? Do you think we would fit there?
We are planning a trip up in 2 weeks to look around. I just kinda wanted a heads up from all of ya'll on places you think we should check out.
Thanks again and sorry this was so long.

[TedTAce]

Originally Posted by dixie3487

Hi everyone. First I want to thank those who read this and respond. I've been reading post for awhile now and everyone seems very willing to help out us newcomers.
Here's a little info about us. We are in our late 30's and we have a 16 year old son. He has already obtained his GED so, I'm not concerned with the schools. He will be wanting a part time job though. My husband is a contractor and has owned his own remodeling business for the last 11 years. Recently, due to the horrible economy down here he went to work with a builder building log cabins. He also does wood working, furniture building, and indian art on the side. He is very good at what he does so he will be wanting to find work in that area. I myself have a 2 year degree in Criminal Justice. I've done everything from juvenile probation to secretary to working as an asst. teacher in the schools. So, I'm pretty flexible with a job.
Now, my question is, where do you guys think would be a good fit for our family. We absolutely love the mountains, can't wait till it snows (I'm sure that may be short lived, but, hey, were from Florida haha) and want to be out in the country but, yet close enough to the cities for jobs etc.
I've been doing alot of research and so far I seem to really like Greeneville. Is this a nice place? Do you think we would fit there?
We are planning a trip up in 2 weeks to look around. I just kinda wanted a heads up from all of ya'll on places you think we should check out.
Thanks again and sorry this was so long.

In your situation, your best bet is to just come up here and spend a few days poking around. See what areas you like, then ask us.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by dixie3487

Hi everyone. First I want to thank those who read this and respond. I've been reading post for awhile now and everyone seems very willing to help out us newcomers.
Here's a little info about us. We are in our late 30's and we have a 16 year old son. He has already obtained his GED so, I'm not concerned with the schools. He will be wanting a part time job though. My husband is a contractor and has owned his own remodeling business for the last 11 years. Recently, due to the horrible economy down here he went to work with a builder building log cabins. He also does wood working, furniture building, and indian art on the side. He is very good at what he does so he will be wanting to find work in that area. I myself have a 2 year degree in Criminal Justice. I've done everything from juvenile probation to secretary to working as an asst. teacher in the schools. So, I'm pretty flexible with a job.
Now, my question is, where do you guys think would be a good fit for our family. We absolutely love the mountains, can't wait till it snows (I'm sure that may be short lived, but, hey, were from Florida haha) and want to be out in the country but, yet close enough to the cities for jobs etc.
I've been doing alot of research and so far I seem to really like Greeneville. Is this a nice place? Do you think we would fit there?
We are planning a trip up in 2 weeks to look around. I just kinda wanted a heads up from all of ya'll on places you think we should check out.
Thanks again and sorry this was so long.

Greeneville is a nice town in a beautiful setting. I mean just absolutely beautiful. However, it's got a rather high unemployment rate (6.1% in September 2007) so I don't know how much luck you'd have in getting good jobs.

However, some other areas near Greeneville have better economies such as Johnson City and Kingsport. They're larger towns with much lower unemployment rates (4.1% in Johnson City, 3.9% in Kingsport) plus they're also in beautiful settings.

But as Ted said, you should probably just come on up and see for yourself if you'd like it. A lot of us love it up here, but a few malcontents have other opinions about live here in beautiful East Tennessee. So you're better off coming up to see for yourself.

[MarandaStephenson]

Hello, Greeneville does have the mountain and country atmosphere. It is not a very large town but has the basics. It is slowly growing more and more each day. They only have two chain restaurants, Applebee's and Fats, but lots of little mom and pop places. They have a new Super Wal-Mart, Belk's, Goody's, and JC Penny's but they do not have a mall. It's a clean and safe town that is very convenient to Johnson City, Kingsport, and Morristown. They do not have any lakes but do have a river running through it. There has been some developing in the past few years also, so your husband should be able to find a job. They just recently built a new High School and converted the old one into a Middle School, so if administration is what you're looking for, you should be OK also. I'll just warn you, this area has one of the lowest pay rates for teachers in the country. And I doubt that you would have a problem finding a job as a juvenile probation officer either. I do not live in Greeneville currently, but I did live there from 1990-2004. I currently reside in Johnson City.

[kamoshika]

The Greeneville area's a great choice, IMO. Greeneville is an historic, progressive and attractive town w/ a suprisingly strong economy, the state's oldest college, and a first-class performing arts center. Philanthropist Scott Niswonger has fueled much of the town's recent growth. Smaller communities like Mosheim, Limestone, Baileyton are "out in the country" but within 15 miles of Greeneville. The area right around the town doesn't get much snow, but the mountains just a few miles SE of Greeneville average 3-4 feet of white stuff a year above 4000'.

A few Greeneville-related links:
Greeneville Tennessee - News - Sports - The Greeneville Sun
Rediscover Greeneville Tennessee
Niswonger Foundation fuels Greeneville revival « Tennessee Guy
Welcome to Historic Greeneville
Greeneville and Greene County Tennessee Welcomes You to greenEville.com!
::NPAC:: Home::

[jabogitlu]

Progressive!? Sorry, kamoshika, but you gave me a chuckle there. <g> A couple of people might be progressive businessmen in Greeneville, but that's about it.

If you want to live in Greene county I'd suggest on the extreme eastern side so you can be close enough to Johnson City to work. Take that advice for what it's worth. It's a beautiful area, great for retirees... but it's no Gainsville or Orlando.

ETA- there are (or were, not sure if it's slowed down any) tons of houses being built in north Johnson City around State of Franklin, and a new shopping development and hospital, so I think your husband would find work no problem.

[jchometeam]

I dont think work for either of you would be a problem, though I believe your husband would find more possibilities in the Johnson City area than Greeneville. You seem like you are flexible with jobs, so I dont believe you will have any problems. I wouldnt count on a Criminal Justice job, however. Salary for a juvenile probation officer is pathetically low, there are many applicants for each position, and they do not come open all that often. You could probably find higher paying jobs in other fields much easier.

BTW: you could live in Jonesborough, Limestone, etc. and be close enough to Greeneville and Johnson City to easily commute to either, and would open up your employment opportunities even more. The best thing to do is come drive around for a little while and get a feel for the area, then decide where you would like to live.

[kamoshika]

Originally Posted by jabogitlu

Progressive!? Sorry, kamoshika, but you gave me a chuckle there. <g> A couple of people might be progressive businessmen in Greeneville, but that's about it.

Ha! I think I know what you mean, but Greeneville does seem to have enough forward-thinkin' folks to keep the town moving in the "right" direction. IOW, it's not stagnant like Morristown or Jefferson City.

[TampaKaren]

Originally Posted by dixie3487

Hi everyone. First I want to thank those who read this and respond. I've been reading post for awhile now and everyone seems very willing to help out us newcomers.
Here's a little info about us. We are in our late 30's and we have a 16 year old son. He has already obtained his GED so, I'm not concerned with the schools. He will be wanting a part time job though. My husband is a contractor and has owned his own remodeling business for the last 11 years. Recently, due to the horrible economy down here he went to work with a builder building log cabins. He also does wood working, furniture building, and indian art on the side. He is very good at what he does so he will be wanting to find work in that area. I myself have a 2 year degree in Criminal Justice. I've done everything from juvenile probation to secretary to working as an asst. teacher in the schools. So, I'm pretty flexible with a job.
Now, my question is, where do you guys think would be a good fit for our family. We absolutely love the mountains, can't wait till it snows (I'm sure that may be short lived, but, hey, were from Florida haha) and want to be out in the country but, yet close enough to the cities for jobs etc.
I've been doing alot of research and so far I seem to really like Greeneville. Is this a nice place? Do you think we would fit there?
We are planning a trip up in 2 weeks to look around. I just kinda wanted a heads up from all of ya'll on places you think we should check out.
Thanks again and sorry this was so long.

Hey Dixie!

Weird to get a response from a Tampa lady (huh?), but I lived the first half of my life in GreenEville. It was a good place for me to grow up, but there were few jobs for us in our chosen field so we moved to Tampa.

Since your family are involved in construction and Indian art, I'd suggest you look also toward Newport, Jefferson City, Sevierville, etc. for that small town feel. I say this because as a Tampa Realtor, local developers and builders are spamming me regularly with opportunities in this general area to buy (looks fantastic!). This area is also closer to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, and even Cherokee, NC where Indian arts and crafts are more prevalant. And with Knoxville being 50-60 miles away, larger city jobs would be available to you and commuting would be possible.

I'm no expert, just wanted to give you another perspective to consider. If you choose to move to Greeneville, send me a direct message. I still have friends and family living there and I'll put you in touch with some people so you don't have to be alone. I go back to visit a couple of times each year. I can't tolerate the cold any more, but I love spring and summer!

TampaKaren.

[jabogitlu]

Originally Posted by kamoshika

Ha! I think I know what you mean, but Greeneville does seem to have enough forward-thinkin' folks to keep the town moving in the "right" direction. IOW, it's not stagnant like Morristown or Jefferson City.

True, Greeneville is one of the most strung out mid-size towns in the region, because of all the development through the years. From the Asheville Hwy/Newport Hwy intersection to the Walmart Supercentre is a long way, indeed.

I loooathe Jeff City. When I lived in Knox I had friends that lived there, and I always exhorted them to come down, instead of me going up. Yuck.

I do like Morristown, though. It's not all that pretty or well-planned out, but the retail there is better than Greeneville's and it's closeish to Knox.