Moving to Johnson City - subdivisions and schools (Gates, Liberty: for sale, HOA)

[makememories8]

Hi all! We just found out that we are being relocated to the Johnson City area for work. Woohoo!

We have 2 middle school aged children. Schools are VERY important and come first. Public schools. I have read a lot about the city schools. So we are focusing within the city limits.

We have a budget of $450k for a home.

We would really like a neighborhood that has a strict HOA or at least a neighborhood that prides itself on 'cleanliness' (kept yards). We would also like a neighborhood that has a lot of children. Maybe a pool with the home or at least a pool in the neighborhood.

Does that neighborhood exist within the Johnson City city limits.

Thanks so much!

[jchometeam]

You should not have any problem at all with that budget. There are numerous higher end neighborhoods in the area which would suite you well and they are mostly within the city limits and mostly built around 2005-newer.

[rccrain]

You'll be fine. Just make sure you find a good buyers agent that knows the highend homes and neighborhoods.

[makememories8]

Thank you for the replies!

Are there any neighborhoods that come to mind? We won't be able to start looking for homes until beginning of August. I would love to be able to scout some of the neighborhoods online.

Thanks again!

[Rangerred]

The Ridges, Gates at Highland Ridge, Mizpah Hills, and Strawberry Fields are a few that come to mind. The Ridges and Strawberry Fields do have community pools.

[wombattver]

We just moved here less than 2 years ago and it sounds like you are targeting the same criteria in the same price/areas where we were looking. Most of the subdivisions we looked at were in North Johnson City. Off the top of my head, I remember looking in Highland Ridge, The Ridges, Stoneridge, Willow's Ridge, Berkshire Circle, Sterling Springs, Simmon's Ridge, Round Tree, Strawberry Fields. There are many others, but I am familiar with those. You should be able to find a very nice, newer house in your price range, although I think most in the Ridges are upwards of 500K. We looked at some near the lake as well, but I found them to be very pricey and not as updated or new. Finding a pool here will not be easy. Many of the subdivisions have a community pool, but private backyard pools are not so common. Lot sizes tend to be half to one acre, although some may be as small as a third of an acre. To get more land than that, you generally have to look outside HOA subdivisions. Many such places would be in the county schools, though. We wanted to be in the northern areas for my husband's commute.

We moved here from AZ and it would be easy to find a home there with a pool for 450K in a great school district! It's not quite so easy here. I don't know where you are coming from, but the schools were disappointing to us. Although they are rated high on Great Schools, if you look at test scores they are more in the 70% range for proficiency. We've always sent the kids to good public schools, but the Indian Trail Intermediate school (grades 5 and 6) was terrible and we ended up switching to a private school after only 9 weeks, for the first time ever. The elementary schools here range from great to okay, but there is only one 5th/6th school and only one 7th/8th school, so they are huge. Indian Trail offers no sports, no real gifted programs, no clubs or after school activities and no advanced classes. My daughter was doing math she had done 2 years before. There were A LOT of discipline and behavior problems and classes were continually disrupted with kids fighting and being sent to the office, etc. Another factor with only one school in such a spread-out area is the bus system - there is one bus route for all the schools, so our 10 yr old was on a bus with high school seniors. And the bus could take an hour to get to school and even longer to come home. So many students don't ride the bus. I was expecting to see lots of kids at the bus stop on the first day of school, but it was only my kid and a high-schooler. All the others in our neighborhood were driven to and from school and that's what we ended up doing as well.

I hear great things about the Science Hill high school and we do plan to send the kids there. They offer many AP courses and an IB program and everyone I know with kids there are happy with it. No one I know has been happy with Indian Trail, but the only other public option is the University School which is lottery enrollment and they only take applications in Feb, I think. It has a great reputation, but it is hard to get in. They expand their class sizes in 7th and 9th grades, so I hear that's the best time to apply.

We haven't been here long, but that's our experience so far. YMMV

[rccrain]

Something about the Strawberry Fields area has always seemed very picturesque.

I would not have expected Indian Trail to be so poor. I guess looks can be deceiving; it looks like a good school from the outside. I would have thought the residents around Indian Trail would have demanded better.

[wombattver]

It does look good - we thought the same when we first toured the school. But since there's no alternative in JC, I don't think "demanding better" makes a difference. There's no competition. It seems like most people just consider it a necessary evil. It's known as "Indian Jail." I think there are also issues with it being just 5th/6th. It's not exactly a middle school/junior high but it's also not an elementary school. I've always thought that the 2 2-yr schools are a mistake. No one is there long enough to really become invested, the faculty and staff don't get to know the kids, parental involvement is difficult to maintain with only 2 years. The feeling is "get in, get out and move on." I've herd the same about Liberty Bell, but do not have personal experience there. Our elementary school is Towne Acres and we loved it there!

[Ted Bear]

You might wish to look at Lake Harbor Estates.....


HOA is strong, and getting stronger. Note: Locals don't understand, yet, that people want a STRONG HOA, but they are coming around to the benefits.


JC Schools as LHE is part of JC. Lake access, but no pool. Tennis Courts. Marina. Nice wide streets to walk and ride bikes. Might be a couple of homes for sale in your price range. Many lots are larger.....


Look up "Lake Harbor Drive", or Harbor Point Drive, 37615. That will give you an example of the type of properties for sale. I know of two which are listed privately...one is around $425...and there is a large home listed for just over seven figures....so something for everyone.

[Rangerred]

Be aware that Boone lake is effectively drained for the next 5-7 years as repairs are being made to the dam.