I cut and pasted most of this from another thread and changed it a 'might' as they say roun' here, to fit this thread. Excuse if it sounds familiar. I am formerly from Maryland, the "Old Line State" also know as the "Free State" which is a
huge joke now as it has become one of the most expensive places in the US to live. Period!! I have been coming to the smokies since the late 70s and always wanted to move to the mountain south.
NE /TN, the oldest settled part of TN, meaning the Tri-Cities, Elizabethton, Erwin, Jonesboro, Roan Mountain, and down to Greenville west to Rogersville is
crazy beautiful. Originally settled by God-fearin' folks who didn't cotton to any King or later on, government, telling them what to do or pay taxes, etc. and were willing to risk getting scalped and murdered by the indigenous population to avoid said government. This was the first western frontier and some amazing little told and good reading history if you look it up.
I live in a townhome/condo in the Boone's Creek-Gray area which is like north Johnson City for folks not from 'here-abouts'. It is considered a convenient, desirable, central location, good schools only5 minutes "
when I'm fixin' to drive" [see how well I'm picking up on the vernacular around here.] to all the stores, places of business, and nice medical facilities.
You can't swing a dead cat around in a circle without hitting another big lake or river or great mountain view.
Weather is mild and lovely, period, end of discussion. Taxes are laughably low to anyone from a major urban center in northeastern states or from Florida. [My townhome taxes are 800.00 total for city and county. Back in MD the same house would cost me three times as much and my taxes would be 3,800 a year...and we have a MD state income tax to boot and 6% sales tax!] Sales tax is 9.5% here but you can scoot into VA and take advantage of the 6% sales tax for your major purchases. 500K houses do exist here in nice golf course communities, 200 to 250K will get you a
real nice home, but 100-120 thousand dollar 3bdrm. brick ranchers are
everywhere and even cheaper homes exist in neighborhoods that are much less swank but that you still don't need a flak jacket to walk outside to your mailbox as crime is pretty low here [just don't leave anything
copper laying around in plain sight].
I have, very unfortunately, not been able to find work in my field after a year searching in this down economy and have been looking to relocate now to Knoxville but from neccessity not by choice. There are only a few large employers in NE TN, salaries are
LOW, and it helps to be married to someone who already works at companies like Eastman chemical if you hope to ever get an interview. Other than that expect to only find 9.50 an hour, third shift assembly-line work at Aerojet, or American Hot Water Heater, Bristol Compressor, and a few other no-skill req'd employers.
unless of course you don't mind getting dosed with some radiation up in Erwin then 19 bucks an hour can be yours to start as a rad tech. Medical careers here, as everywhere have
tons of opportunities but lower salaries than some places you may be coming from but don't let that keep you away. With the low taxes, housing prices, etc. any medical professional could live like a king around here. If you have, or wish to start your own small business you could probably do well here. If you already made your nest egg and are retiring looking for a beautiful affordable area with friendly folks, cheap housing, very short commutes to work, sufficient restaurants and entertainment, 1.5 hours from Knoxville, 50 minutes from Asheville NC when you feel the need to hang out with 'artsy' Birkenstocks types, or an hour from Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge if that's more your cup o' moonshine and loaded with waterfalls, mountains, trout streams, water skiing......then you're going to have to look long and hard to beat NE TN.
As to the original thread of
Johnson City? Well from a foreigner's perspective when you drive through Johnson City, Bristol and Kingsport your intial impression is JC is a bit more upscale, then Kingsport than Bristol seems to be struggling to keep up. After living here for a year I'd say that's a bit unfair to Bristol which has just as much to offer as the other two. If you are coming here because you've transferred or of a new job then start out living close to where you work you won't be dissapointed in any of the three cities. After exploring for a year or two, seeing what you like or what schools impress you or which lake you want to be near or whatever...then make a change. I'd live in any of the Tri-Cities although my personal preference is for the area between Kingsport and JC. Piney Flats is kind of up & coming Blountville has it's historical good points, Bluff City is cool along the river, Erwin has some Norman Rockwell neighborhoods complete with white picket fences and flags waving from the porch, Unicoi and that area is for folks wanting to live on the fringe of mountain wilderness, Jonesborough looks like a postcard from an old New England town, Elizabethton north towards Roan Mountain has pretty mountains, lakes, and rivers along historic 'Tweetsie RR. country.
You can pretty much find what you like in 15 to 20 minute radius of the Johnson City area.
My .02 worth.
Other perqs of moving south from MD would be that you can buy Duke's Mayonaise and Cheerwine soda, they sell beer in grocery stores, even on Sunday, [a sign of enlightenment I always thought], restaurants have things like fried okra, hush puppies and sweet or salty corn bread depending on local tradition but you have to learn to drink ridiculously sweet tea and you won't be able to find
Utz's Potato Chips anywhere [fortunately Utz ships on-line]
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06-24-2008, 02:22 PM
Just a thought...
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