Knoxville, Maryville, or Johnson City (Morristown, Bristol: appointed, best city, credit)

[AnotherBravesFan]

Visited last Spring and crossed it off our "potential retirement spot" list. I guess we didn't see the great parts of Maryville... it didn't seem as nice as we thought it would be from what we had read. Air pollution, so many electric transmission lines, and traffic were real downers. Plus, backing up to the Smoky Mountains has its negatives as far as car travel. We tried both I-40 and the mountain roads to get to South Carolina, and it was a drag. We much prefer middle TN, though a friend's son/wife (late 20s) just moved to Tri-Cities area and seem to like it. (I think it would be too remote for me.)

[mbmouse]

If you main goal is to find an easy access between TN and SC, you might want to re visit the idea of the Tri-Cities. I26 was finished about 5 years (maybe 4) and it is now an EASY beautiful drive from Tri-Cities to Asheville NC and continue down to SC. I can get to Greenville SC in 2 hours and I am only about a 40 minute drive from the VA boarder. That is one reason I love Tri-Cities. I have relatives in CT and FL. I can get to DC in 5 hours,(to visit) CT in 12 hours and FL in 12 hours.

[NJDevil]

Originally Posted by spowers

I thought about moving to Seymour but checked out air quality in Sevier County only to find out that the AM Lung Assoc has it listed as one of the worst counties in the US for high levels of low ground ozone. Also, the Smoky Mts is the worst Natl Pk in the US for polution. There's too much traffic, some 9 million vehs per year through there and Sevierville. It saddens me, but now I am looking at Johnson City. Hope this helps.

We moved from Sarasota to Seymour last year. According toModerator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed, Gatlinburg's air quality is 78 and Sarasota's is 35. (The higher the better). The national average is 48. So I don't know which "authority" is correct but I can tell you my husband has a sensitive nose and we never smell any smog or pollution when in the mountains. The Smokies have a very dedicated staff and group of volunteers and I know they work very very hard to keep the park as safe as possible - in all respects. Sevier County is the most beautiful place to live. We do not miss anything about Sorrysota.

[samiam1215]

Hello. What can anyone tell me about the Jacksboro and La Follette area? We would commute to Oak Ridge or Knoxville. Is there shopping in the Jacksboro area? Thanks. Also, what cities make up the tri city area? I hope I don't appear stupid on that one, but I still haven't figured it out.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by samiam1215

Hello. What can anyone tell me about the Jacksboro and La Follette area? We would commute to Oak Ridge or Knoxville. Is there shopping in the Jacksboro area? Thanks. Also, what cities make up the tri city area? I hope I don't appear stupid on that one, but I still haven't figured it out.

Jacksobor / La Follette is a beautiful area nestled in the mountains. It's connected to I-75 via a 4-lane highway. There's a Wal-Mart SuperCenter in Jacksboro and all the fast-food joints you'd ever want in La Follette.

But commuting from there to Oak Ridge or Knoxville is quite a haul, although I guess it's not as bad as what some people put up with in places like DC or LA or Atlanta.

The three cities (well, technically, four since Bristol is really two cities) that make up the Tri Cities are: Bristol TN, Bristol VA, Johnson City, and Kingsport.

[ania]

I moved to the Tri-cities area by way of Texas (originally from south Florida) in 2004, and I LOVE IT. I, too, originally thought that this area was "isolated" - no longer do I think that. There is such a variety of shopping, dining, and things to do within a few minutes drive.
There are good hospitals (largest VA in the south east is in Johnson City) and a variety of job opportunities. Asheville and Knoxville are easy drives. Parks and lakes in the area offer great weekend activities. I enjoy the high country of NC (Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, etc), but I don't want to live there for a number of reasons - but I love to visit - beautiful 1 hr drive over and through the mountains, especially beautiful in the fall.
Numerous festivals make this area unique such as the International Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough (oldest town in TN) and FunFest in Kingsport (I've attended great live performances by national/international music stars for $5-7!) are examples.
If you like NASCAR, this is the place to be in March and August.
There is still a lot of open land, and all types of real estate available. I bought some land and built my home overlooking a farm. I've got a 7 mile commute- and it only takes me 10 min to get to work! I can't imagine living anywhere else.
Above all, I have really enjoyed the people I have met. I'm still trying to get used to strangers saying hello or stopping to help (rather than attempted robbery or completely ignoring you).... I am getting better at holding up the line in the grocery, chatting with the cashier...

[mbmouse]

Welcome to the neighborhood Ania!. I feel the same way about the Tri-Cites.

[nannygray]

I think Oak Ridge is one of the best places in Tennessee. It has a real sense of community.

[Catrina]

I too relocated from Manatee County Florida to East Tennessee. We selected Tellico Village, however there are many areas in Blount and Loudon Counties that could work for you. I find that the commute to the Turkey Creek area is an easy one. From where I live in Tellico Village, it is a 20 mile drive and to the West Town Mall is about 26 miles. The West Knox area offers a lot of options when it comes to employment. You are only 30 miles away if you selected downtown from where I live. If you selected Maryville -Blount County you could easily jump on 129 or I140 to get to where you needed to be quickly. It was fairly easy for me to learn all of the different options on finding the best routes. I am happy to assist We love this area and couldn't be happier with our decision. Good Luck!

[shellter]

Originally Posted by pugluvr

I am yet another Floridian that is wanting to move up to East TN. My husband and I are really focusing on the Knoxville area but after reading a lot of other threads on here I see a lot of suggestions for Maryville and Johnson City. So, I'm wondering if someone can give me the pros and cons to each city. Here is what my husband and I are looking for:

We want a couple of acres in a city that is not in the middle of no where. We both will have to work (he's in finance, I'm an admin asst) so we don't want to travel real far to work. We are used to rush hour traffic and I'm sure traffic up there is a lot better then traffic down here. I really like the mountains but don't want to be IN the mountains (Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, etc). I'm not sure what type of mountain view Knoxville has but being from Florida, I'm sure what you in Tn would consider a hill...I would consider a mountain. We would like to be close to shopping (Target) and restaurants. We have 2 dogs and we take them to the dog park (off leash) so if there are any of those...we would like to be considerably close. Our main thing is just having a couple of acres so we can have a new house built on it but not in the middle of no where.

So....feedback...suggestions? I appreciate it in advance!!!!

Pugluver...
My husband and I just may have what you are looking for...we live about 6 miles from Johnson City to the east in a very nice little town called Elizabethton. We are exactly a quarter mile outside city limits [no city taxes]on a little over three acres. Plenty of room for the dogs to run. Our home is on a small street,only 3 other homes are here. But, with the way we placed our home, you can`t see the other houses from the front porch. The Watauga River is 5 minutes away and the lake is 10 minutes away. It`s a beautiful spot. Lots of deer run thru the yard at various times of the day. We have been told by everyone that has come to our home that we have the perfect spot. It`s very private and yet only 4 minutes from town and 10 minutes from Johnson City. We are also only 15 minutes from the Bristol Motor Speedway in case you`re Nascar fans. Elizabethton has plenty of restaurants and some very nice shops. Downtown is very nice. Wonderful place to stroll along the river that runs thru town. It`s a small town with big town conveniences. People are very friendly,and always welcome newcomers. My husband has lived here all his life, and I have been here for about 12 years. I fell inlove with the area at first sight. We do have mountains all around, but, you don`t have to cross any to get around to the neighboring cities. My husband has never lived anywhere else and is considering taking a job with another company and we would have to relocate. This is the only reason we would consider leaving the area. It`s a great place to raise a family or even to retire. If you`re interested in our little place, or would like to know more, I`d be glad to help you out. Here`s my email address;shellterri@yahoo.com. Terri