air in Kingsport, downtown living, (Johnson City, Blountville: houses, schools, camping)

[crawfishandoysters]

My husband and I will be in Kingsport at the end of August. He is considering a job offer at the local hospital (he is a physician.) I've been reading these forums for several hours now. More than once, people have mentioned Kingsport having stinky air. Is this actually true? Should I bring a gas mask when we come for the interview weekend? Of course, I'm joking, but when you are looking at living somewhere, no detail is too small to check. Also, I've been reading quite a bit about the revitalized Kingsport downtown. It sounds fantastic. Do any young families live in the downtown or nearby?

We are only going to have four days so I want to maximize my time.
We are consideirng Kingsport as it is in the south where we are both from and appears to be a great location if you live an active lifestyle (hiking, biking, kayaking etc.)

[mbmouse]

Hello,
Welcome to the Forum. I personally love downtown Kingsport and am sort of, in a round about way, somewhat involved in the downtown goings on. (sounds real committed eh? hahahha) Yes, there are lots of young families in the area, lots or retirees and lots of in between that too, good mix I think.
Yes, there can be a smell sometimes. Usually when Eastman is cleaning their smoke stacks does the smell appear. It is deemed safe by the EPA and other organizations. The other thing is that some people can smell it, others can't. I smell it just a few times a month for a few minutes usually.However, you being new and first time to the city, you might smell it more than I. My business partner says she hears people talk about it, but she says she has never smelt it, but she was born and raised here, so go figure. The only way I could describe it to another mom is that smell that comes from the hamper if you put the baby's bib that they spit up on it the day before.
If you want to maximize the time, be sure to take a few hours at Bays Mountain State Park with the kids, go to 12 Bones and Kingsport Grocery for dinners, talk a short walk on the Green Belt and walk up and down Broad Street if you love antiques and ice cream!
If you need some maps and such, give me a holler and I will fix you up with a few.
Can I ask what Company your hubby is interviewing with? Welmont or Mountain States? We have a lot of great Dr's in the area but it is becoming evident from several here on the forum and elsewhere that even though there are a lot, we are needing more. Good to hear we are getting at least one more good one.

[ledybug]

Originally Posted by crawfishandoysters

My husband and I will be in Kingsport at the end of August. He is considering a job offer at the local hospital (he is a physician.) I've been reading these forums for several hours now. More than once, people have mentioned Kingsport having stinky air. Is this actually true? Should I bring a gas mask when we come for the interview weekend? Of course, I'm joking, but when you are looking at living somewhere, no detail is too small to check. Also, I've been reading quite a bit about the revitalized Kingsport downtown. It sounds fantastic. Do any young families live in the downtown or nearby?

We are only going to have four days so I want to maximize my time.
We are consideirng Kingsport as it is in the south where we are both from and appears to be a great location if you live an active lifestyle (hiking, biking, kayaking etc.)

I live downtown in the Sevier Terrace Area. We are located near the paper plant here. We have lived in this area of Kingsport for about 5 years. It does smell a little in this particular area, but usually only right after it rains and sometimes late at night. Like the last replier said, it only happens a few times a month. I have visited quite a few cities and unless you are living literally next to Eastman, it doesn't smell any different from most cities this size.

Kingsport is a nice place to live. If you enjoy nature, this town definitely has more plant life than most. It is safe here and if you don't mind a little smell, downtown has great schools. I grew up in the Blountville area (outskirts of Kingsport) and do NOT recommend the schools in that area. The hospitals are pretty decent, though I prefer Holston Valley. Traffic is light and the roads are in good condition. If you have kids, you should definitely check out Warriors Path Park. It has huge playground with very nice equipment that is seperated by age group (3-5, 6-12). They also have a nice track, boating dock, basketball courts, pool, camping, and a picnic area. People here are friendly and will wave at even strangers. It's like living in the beauty of the country with city convenience. Hope you enjoy your stay!

[mbmouse]

ledybug, great post! You said what I was trying to and couldn't hahahhahaha. Thank you.
Your last sentence brought up a good point and then I had a thought for those who are looking to move here. While you are in the Tri-cities, walking around, in a mall, at a gas station or anywhere, try it! Wave at people. Smile and say hello. You don't have to take our word for it here on the forum, try it, you will be pleasantly surprised at how many smile and wave back, stop to say hello and who knows, you might just meet your new neighbor.

[dcommander]

Was in downtown Kingsport for dinner tonight (Kingsport Grocery Co - yummy) and could just detect an odor because I was consciously trying to see if it was there. When I first moved here in 1997 I had been warned of the odor and wouldn't even consider moving to Kingsport. Now with the revitalization of downtown, the great new restaurants and shopping I will definitely give Kingsport another look when we are ready to sell our house.

[gregetn]

There are numerous other places to live around Kingsport if you are worried about the smell. I would venture to guess that as a physician your family will not live in Kingsport proper or the area around the plants. Once you are 5-10 miles outside of the headquarters there is little or no smell. The pollution issues are generally due to coal fired plants in the neighboring states. The topography of east Tennessee causes particulates to "gather" in our region...

[crawfishandoysters]

Thanks so much for the responses. I'm really looking forward to our visit to the area. We will definitely bring our daughter to Warrior's Path and visit the revitalized downtown.

[crawfishandoysters]

Hello! I wanted to let ya'll know our visit to the area was quite enjoyable. Although I hate to say it, there was definitely a smell downtown that seemed to get worse in the evening. But we did like Kingsport and are going to seriously consider the move. For one, I was impressed with the the revitalization going on downtown and the future plans for the park along the Holston River. Also the proximity to Asheville is a selling point. And I met some people from my hometown (New Orleans) who own a restaurant there, Cafe N'Orleans. It was great to eat a bowl of red beans and rice I didn't cook. :-) We also went to one of the concerts on Broad and ate at the Stir Fry Cafe (awesome!)

I drove to Johnson City and looked around. They sure do have a gem of a downtown just sitting empty. It was sad to see all the developemnt to the north and an almost deserted downtown core. But hopefully they can turn it around. Lots of towns out west have done it, including mine, Coeur d'Alene, so hopefully the trend will make it to the south.

All in all, I found Kingsport to be a place full of potential. And the people were ultra-friendly. The red brick houses are also gorgeous.

[jabogitlu]

Glad you enjoyed your trip to Kingsport. The smell issue is so weird. I seriously wonder if it's not like some differences in people's olfactory/sensory systems... because I grew up a good hour away from Kingsport and still can never smell it! LOL!

I agree with you, Johnson City's downtown is very sad. There are some diamonds in the rough, though, and I somewhat enjoy living close to downtown and being there because it IS sort of gritty (Kingsport's downtown is amazingly nice, don't get me wrong). The further you go west on Market, before it turns into a four lane (the John Exum Intersection) the worse downtown gets.

[SarahSal]

Originally Posted by crawfishandoysters

Hello! I wanted to let ya'll know our visit to the area was quite enjoyable. Although I hate to say it, there was definitely a smell downtown that seemed to get worse in the evening. But we did like Kingsport and are going to seriously consider the move. For one, I was impressed with the the revitalization going on downtown and the future plans for the park along the Holston River. Also the proximity to Asheville is a selling point. And I met some people from my hometown (New Orleans) who own a restaurant there, Cafe N'Orleans. It was great to eat a bowl of red beans and rice I didn't cook. :-) We also went to one of the concerts on Broad and ate at the Stir Fry Cafe (awesome!)

I drove to Johnson City and looked around. They sure do have a gem of a downtown just sitting empty. It was sad to see all the developemnt to the north and an almost deserted downtown core. But hopefully they can turn it around. Lots of towns out west have done it, including mine, Coeur d'Alene, so hopefully the trend will make it to the south.

All in all, I found Kingsport to be a place full of potential. And the people were ultra-friendly. The red brick houses are also gorgeous.

Welcome to the Tri-cities! I'm sure you'll enjoy this beautiful area and find lots of compatible folks.
I'm a downtown JC person so appreciated your comments on what a gem it is - although a little empty at this point! (Agreed) There are a number of threads on downtown JC that might give you a better sense of its history.. Next time you visit downtown have lunch at Freiberg's or Russo's or the Choo choo Cafe. Things are happening, albeit more slowly than Kingsport..