Elizabethton a good start?? (Jackson, Johnson City: real estate, housing, travel)

[Slogoin]

I accidentally spent 5 weeks at Cardens Bluff this summer.What was supposed to be a few days away turned into more than a month simply because I COULDNT leave such a beutiful area.After speaking with several locals,spent a few days looking over nearby towns and visiting most.OTHER THAN Jonesborough,what other areas should one consider near Elizabethton/Johnson City area?(all things considered,schools,work and travel time)I am afraid of isolating my son too much,so I need to find a school system that is active and somewhat tight knit.He has been in a Christian based school now for 5 yrs,and would like to locate another school that is close so to speak to what he has been attending here(ohio)Jonesborough is completely out of the question,as I will not have stormtroopers swarming my car because I didnt have my seatbelt on pulling from a parking spot.A commute of 1 hr is acceptable(electrician,can always find work) Any ideas appreciated.Oh,single father here,childcare???

[Slogoin]

Please,residents of Jonesborough,dont be offended.I am sure you have a fine city,but the local enforcement seemed a little overzealous(we saw people pulled over all the time there,including us twice for seatbelt infractions) no offense intended

[ljay42]

I've never seen anybody pulled over for abiding by the law..posted speed limits, seatbelt use, etc. - not sure how they do things in Ohio but I'm always glad to see the local police doing their job.

[williboy]

Did you have Ohio tags? I know they are a little rough on cars with northern plates. I have heard that it is a revenue thing.

[mbmouse]

Originally Posted by Slogoin

I accidentally spent 5 weeks at Cardens Bluff this summer.What was supposed to be a few days away turned into more than a month simply because I COULDNT leave such a beutiful area.After speaking with several locals,spent a few days looking over nearby towns and visiting most.OTHER THAN Jonesborough,what other areas should one consider near Elizabethton/Johnson City area?(all things considered,schools,work and travel time)I am afraid of isolating my son too much,so I need to find a school system that is active and somewhat tight knit.He has been in a Christian based school now for 5 yrs,and would like to locate another school that is close so to speak to what he has been attending here(ohio)Jonesborough is completely out of the question,as I will not have stormtroopers swarming my car because I didnt have my seatbelt on pulling from a parking spot.A commute of 1 hr is acceptable(electrician,can always find work) Any ideas appreciated.Oh,single father here,childcare???

Gray comes to mind...well it always does for me as I live here hahahhahaa
For Christian schools there are two I know of, Johnson City Christian and St. Mary's Catholic school that is K-8th.
Gray is in North JC but really it's own town with very good public schools that aren't to big. In the elementary school right now there are 1100 students k-8 and they are building a new school that will be open 2008 and 400 from the first are moving over to the new if that gives you an idea of size wise. Very good teachers.
There are lots of areas from Elizabethton to JC that sounds like they would fit your needs. Sorry I don't know anything about the child care situation though except that most of the schools have great after care programs that include homework help and lots of fun and games. But for younger than school age, not sure.
Hope that helps.

[pineywoods]

Hello, Slogoin, and welcome from a fellow Buckeye. We're from NE Ohio, still live here matter of fact. We purchased land in Piney Flats, TN -- just northwest of Johnson City. Our daughter and her husband live on our property and have settled in well there. Our son, his wife and twin sons plan to move to the the area too, so we can all be in one area...it's important to all of us to live out our lives in close proximity after living in three separate states since the kids' college days. We don't have elementary age children, but we've heard great things about the new Mary Hughes Elementary School in Piney Flats - K-8. Piney Flats is a really nice community between Johnson City and Bristol, with Elizabethton about 15 minutes away. Nice homes, good medical and eateries, and central to just about every town in the area. The airport is not far either, which we like. We see wild turkey, deer, coyotes even now and then in our woods, and yet we can be at a fast food place in five mnutes and at the mall in Johnson City in 10 minutes. Boone Lake is practically in our front yard and Wautauga Lake is about 15 minutes away. Bluff City is up the road a bit on the way toward Elizabethton. There is fly fishing in the Holston River there. Winged Deer Park is about five minutes from us, too, for hiking, events, recreation. Most of the housing is on roads off of Rt. 11E. We're near the Rocky Mount Historic Center. You really should check out Piney Flats and Bluff City. Piney Flats has varied terrain and quite a few new homes...some very pricey, some small, nice and affordable for most incomes. There are houses on one side of Rt. 11E that line the river, houses on winding roads with views of the mountains, and down in the "holler" where we are it's more woodsy and rustic, with some old barns, old mobile homes and steeper forests (hence the critters, which we love.) Piney Flats is not a typical town with a "downtown" area and little shops...not like quaint Jonesborough. But the main roads like 11E and 19 headed to Bluff City will take you to restaurants, and all kinds of convenient stores. The people are friendly and welcoming. We've had quite a few folks see our Ohio license plates and say, "Man I love that Ohio State football team!" No one has made us feel we are "Yankees" and therefore unwelcome. We plan to build on our land this year and hopefully will move by the end of the year, with hopes of starting a small horse boarding/riding business. If I can answer any questions, feel free to email personally. To do that, just click on my name at the top. Tennessee is a great state. So is Ohio. I hold both in my heart and appreciate each for its individual beauty and unique character. What a grand and great country we have been blessed to live in. I wish I could live in every one of the 50 states for a month. That's on my "bucket list" I guess!

[Slogoin]

Yes,Ohio plates.But also observed an officer change a tire for a woman in Elizabethton,I was astonished(not here,she would have gotten a ticket for something) The Gray area was on my short list,as land was more in my price range.Kingsport was a little too industrial for my tastes,but residents were nice.The info on the schools is much appreciated as well(so important to us) I think a trip next weekend is in the works to look at some real estate,and look at the surrounding area some more.

Something else came to mind.I couldnt believe how much cheaper groceries are in Tn than Ohio.A little research shows that utilities are lower also.

[williboy]

My wife and I live just outside of Jonesborough in Telford and really love it here. We also really love Jonesborough, law enforcement aside. The people in this area are really nice and the area is beautiful. Jonesborough really is a very nice place and I do not believe that this incident is representative of the rest of the fine folk's in this area. I have a Tennessee tag with a Gator logo and have never run into any problems though I do observe the speed limits all around the Tri-Cities area. It is tough sometimes, we moved here from Jacksonville, FL and are used to doing 80 mph on the interstates. You do learn to take things slower after awhile. Good luck in your search and don't let some overzealous traffic cop keep you away from a great area.

[Tennesseestorm]

Yes, Elizabethton is a nice, quiet place, but not sure about the school systems there. I know here in Bristol, we have several Christian schools, Baptist, Methodist and Catholic churches with schools... TN Ave. academy (where I have two aunts who teach there), St. Annes Catholic, Tri-Cities Christian, etc.

I know what you mean about the law enforements. Its like that as well here in Bristol. While the TN side is lenient, the VA side is quite strict and the officers are quite stern. I have received ONE traffic ticket and it was on the VA side... they gave me a ticket for setting with my engine ON and lights on while in a fire lane, which was also stated to be a "loading zone" at a local supermarket. I was picking up my mother, who was ill at the time. Next thing I know, I have an officer walk PAST my opened window and place the citation under the wiper of my truck! I was LIVID! I am sure I could have beat it in court, but I just paid the $25. I had no time to fool with it at the time. The officer did not even look like he was 16 years old.

I have some of the VA officers that I am friends with, but they are nice people. My cousin is an officer for the TN side- where he has been since 1989.

[Slogoin]

I have been doing some more research(I really need to get rid of dial up) real estate is somewhat hard to compare online.Looks as if one should have purchased lake property about 20 yrs ago WOW!! Gray seems to be working itself to the top of the list.We are leaving Thursday evening so that I can be in Tn during a business day to speak with a few real estate agents and get a better feel for the area.I was quite suprised that ALL of the real estate agents ACTUALLY returned my calls,and most were more than glad to offer their own take on picking an area best suited to us.Our school distict does not allow Christian school students to use the pu8blic school busses(as opposed to many other disticts) so some research will have to be done to locate somewhat centrally to a good school.I must say thanks to all of you.In Ohio,I could be lying in the street on fire,and wouldnt get this much reaction from folks(thats why were moving) Now to remember the name of the Italian resturant on the main drag in Elizabethton(killer prime rib 7 bucks) See you all this weekend. Slogoin