what 'don't' you like about the area? (Johnson City, Kingsport: appointed, crime rates)

[suecen]

What are the positive points of Abingdon, VA compared to the other areas you have so far seen?

[JoshB]

Sue, Abingdon is smaller, more colonial architecture, history... I'm more about preservation which Abingdon has done a great job of doing. The town is easy to get around in... So close to Mt.Rogers and White Top Mtn. as well. It's only 20 minutes from Bristol. etc.

It's hard for me to say by typing up a review. Once you experience a place you know if it's right for you etc.

[suecen]

Thanks Josh.

[jabogitlu]

Abingdon is more like a town that you might read about in a cozy (ie, Jan Karon, Sneaky Pie Brown...)

[JoshB]

Agreed, Austin! I don't know Bristol just doesn't tickle my fancy as the saying goes.

[RetiredAZTeacher]

Just read this for the first time....

Have lived here for 6 months now (moved from AZ). My 'don't likes' would be:

***blowing of the train whistle/horn. We live near a crossing and the trains (20-40? a day) blow their whistle/horn 4-6 times each time they cross (a legal requirement). We didn't realize that SO many trains went by ALL day & night long before we bought. It's only annoying when we go to bed and that time at dawn when you're kinda waking up but trying not to! lol. When we're sleeping or during the day we don't really notice them.
***very high cost of local tricities airport flights (covered by others)
***lack of transportation to Knoxville airport. (In AZ, there were several companies running vans to and from cities all over AZ to the Phoenix airport 10 or more times a day. So very easy and convenient to get to the airport and not leave your car there). There is nothing like that here. I once ended up taking a Greyhound bus from JC to Knox for a flight and will NOT do that again.
***The high sales tax
***Still haven't found a great Mexican food restaurant. The ones that we have tried are too bland for our AZ tastebuds.

Things I like a lot:

***The greenery everywhere and the fall foliage now is GORGEOUS!
***How 'tidy' the landscaping is everywhere. Public and private areas are very good at keeping the grass mowed and it looks great.
***The old-looking barns dotted along the scenery
***No state income tax (so far!)
***How friendly most people are here (even to us 'McCain look-a-likes...guess that means retired, older people. lol)
***Lots of other great restaurants abound in KP & JC
***Lots of activities going on around KP & JC for individuals and families
***Four seasons to enjoy

[jabogitlu]

I think you're bang on with all of that. The I-40/81 corridor is RIPE for mass public transit. (By mass, I mean far-slung, if you will.) I would *so* take the train to Nashville on weekends if I could get there in 2 hours. And could you imagine hopping the train to Asheville and being there in 30 minutes? (Of course, a rail link through the Appalachians would be quite... erm, difficult, so that might not be so feasible.) I didn't exactly realize until recently how many people drive the commute from Greeneville and SW VA into the TriCities to work!

So I guess my biggest gripe is that the public transit system is underdeveloped. But that's true all over the South, even in Atlanta.

My second biggest gripe is that Knoxville doesn't have a Macy's. Yeah, that's not a Tri-Cities gripe, but we'll never get one (well, at least not for a loooong time), so...

Otherwise I can't really find anything wrong with living here. I mean, yes, I actually would prefer if we had some amenities of larger cities, but we pretty much have "everything" that other cities (outside of SoCal and BosWash) have. And if I wanted those amenities that bad, well, I can't really complain, because I chose to live here!

[jjbradleynyc]

What I dislike about the area--both when I lived there growing up and now when I visit--is the lack of certain "big metro area" stores and diversity of restaurants. Don't get me wrong--there are tons of "down-home" country cooking restaurants that are delicious. Plus, the multitude of fast-food and sit-down franchise restaurants in Kingsport, for its size, are excellent. I'm talking about "good, higher end" restaurants/stores.
But, I do realize that the area is unique in that respect also, for its "lack of" these things.
Also, I wish the area were more cultured, and less "Bible-belt" conservative and religious. Then, it would be a perfect area to reside, I think!

[evaningstar]

You can get fresh fish at Greene's Seafood on West State Street and fresh beef I think at Malcolms off of Randolph Street.

[evaningstar]

As for Bristol, my biggest complaint is having to pay city and county property taxes. I get double taxed on my property. If you live in the county you only pay county. And I know the people living in the county drive and work in the city. The sales tax on the TN side is high but in Bristol you can just drive across state street into Bristol, VA to shop where the sales tax is quite low. Not alot of negatives. Low crime rate, beautiful land, home town feel, nice people, great road system, good schools, good jobs depending on what you do. And what could you possibly need that you would have to drive 6 hours out of Johnson City to get it?