Knoxville, Maryville, or Johnson City (Kingsport, Oak Ridge: relocate, property taxes, condos)

[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!!!!

[spowers]

I am a native Floridian in Sarasota County looking to relocate to, hopefully, TN. 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.

[mbmouse]

Originally Posted by pugluvr

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.

Hello Pugluvr,welcome to the forum, you have come to the right place! I have been keeping an eye on these and there are some really nice people with a lot of knowledge about all the areas in TN.
Here is my opinion based on what you said you are looking for. I would suggest the Johnson City, Tri-Cities area and here is why. The Tri-Cities are in the eastern corner of TN. You can drive North or South on I26 and be either in NC, the smokie mountains in 30 minutes, or in VA/KY which is the Cumberland Mountains in 30 Minutes. But you are in more of a foothill area, not mountainous so you don't need a 4 wheel drive to own a few acres of property. You can hike, walk trails, ride bikes, walk dogs or white water raft without driving very far from home. As far as jobs go, you have 4 large cities (Johnson City, Kingsport, Bristol and Elizabethton) that have LOTS of business, manufacturing plants, banks, call centers, and other employers
all within an easy drive of much less than an hour commute, traffic is not that bad either. There are no state income taxes, property is still very affordable and if you buy in any county verses city area, taxes are CHEAP!
You can buy 5 minute drive off of the interstate and feel like you are in the middle of farm land or side of a mountain. Shopping of ALL kinds are close too. JC has a large mall, Target, Super Wall Mart, Super K-Mart, Big Lots, Belk, Books a Million and Barns and Noble, coffee shops, Old Navy and lots more! As far as restaurants, we have them all too! Texas Road house, Out Back, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Johnny Corinos (my favorite!) Chillies, Applebees and LOTS more. And that is only JC, doesn't count the other cities close by that also has lots to do. There is lots to do here on weekends and I like that fact that it doesn't cost you an arm or leg to have an enjoyable weekend outing like it did for us in FL.
Hope this info helps and if you need any links or more specific info, feel free to email me, I will be more than happy to help
Good luck

[insanesmooch]

I have spent much more time in the Knoxville/Maryville area than in Tri-cities, which I just moved to. Knoxville just opened a dog park where you can unleash them and let them play with other dogs. I don't know if there is one in the tri-cities. You might could still find a place with a couple of acres around Knoxville. It is growing and they put houses or condos in every nook and cranny, but you could probably find something. Sounds like one of your favorite stores is Target. There are 4 of them in Knoxville (one is a Super Target) and one in Maryville. Of course near them are other shopping venues and restaurants. With the type of work you mentioned, off the top of my head I would think those would be downtown or in the West. You could think about South Knoxville. If you work downtown, you don't even have to fight the interstate. Just head to Chapman Hwy and cross over the river. Or if you need to go West, just hop on Pellissippi Parkway (I-140, I think it is). I- 40 is a mess. They call it smart fix 40, but you don't think it was smart when you are in rush hour traffic. Construction is going on in the West and near downtown. For the next or at least year or so, I would try to avoid that road at rush hour. South Knoxville is very close to the Mountains. Again we take Chapman Hwy (I think it is 441 or something like that on the map). We would be in Pigeon Forge in 20 minutes (you know, if there isn't much traffic when you hit Sevierville).

[jmarkey]

You might want to check out the Oak Ridge area. The mountains are lovely (Cumberland, I think). Everything you need for daily necessities, with fun shopping in Knoxville only about 15 minutes away.

I don't know if there are any local dog parks. There's a great walking path along the Clinch River (or Melton Lake), lots of people around most of the time and it's very open and safe. We have three dogs, so we fenced in the yard after we moved in. I found it cost considerably less than it would have up north and they love it.

I did hear of a new dog park in Hardin Valley, which is just a little ways down the Pellisippi Parkway (162).

[angelaf]

Originally Posted by mbmouse

The Tri-Cities are in the eastern corner of TN. You can drive North or South on I26 and be either in NC, the smokie mountains in 30 minutes, or in VA/KY which is the Cumberland Mountains in 30 Minutes. But you are in more of a foothill area, not mountainous so you don't need a 4 wheel drive to own a few acres of property. You can hike, walk trails, ride bikes, walk dogs or white water raft without driving very far from home. As far as jobs go, you have 4 large cities (Johnson City, Kingsport, Bristol and Elizabethton) that have LOTS of business, manufacturing plants, banks, call centers, and other employers
all within an easy drive of much less than an hour commute, traffic is not that bad either. There are no state income taxes, property is still very affordable and if you buy in any county verses city area, taxes are CHEAP!
You can buy 5 minute drive off of the interstate and feel like you are in the middle of farm land or side of a mountain. Shopping of ALL kinds are close too. JC has a large mall, Target, Super Wall Mart, Super K-Mart, Big Lots, Belk, Books a Million and Barns and Noble, coffee shops, Old Navy and lots more! As far as restaurants, we have them all too! Texas Road house, Out Back, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Johnny Corinos (my favorite!) Chillies, Applebees and LOTS more. And that is only JC, doesn't count the other cities close by that also has lots to do.

Wow... I am so glad I came across this post!! This makes me feel very optimistic about Johnson City. We want privacy and a little land and to be close to the mountains, but we also need to be near jobs and find something affordable. I REALLY wish we'd heard about the tri-cities area before we made our trip to NC to scope out possible relo spots... But we did really like the parts of TN we did see, so it looks like our next trip will definitely be to the tri-cities! Where is the closest major airport? Anyone have good suggestions for where to search online for jobs in this area? And mbmouse, THANKS for the encouraging post! It really sounds great!

[LYoda]

We just visited the Sevierville area - including Seymour and Maryville. My husband really liked all that Maryville had to offer - jobs, shopping, views, colleges, good schools, and nice clean town. It appeared more on the middle to upper class, especially with the property taxes being higher.
Sevierville, on Saturday was quite busy, but throughout the week was less so. We discovered the back roads, and they appeared to be quite nice. The trolley drivers were a world of knowledge on the area. It has all the shopping and eating areas possible, although we didn't get a good feel for the type of jobs available (other than service - which was abundant).
Seymour appears to be a new up and coming town. New office buildings and growth going on. We weren't able to see much shopping or job availability there. We were told most people commute to Maryville, Knoxville, or Sevierville to work. We did like the wonderful mountain views there and what appeared to be a quiet peaceful town. We drove on to Knoxville with no problem. We had planned to visit the Tri-Cities area and Morristown, however, we ran out of time.
All in all, we still haven't decided on which area we plan to move to. Our plans is by next spring to be there so we have lots of searching to do. Schools, jobs, new housing, and mountain views are on our list. From what I can tell, I don't think we can go wrong in any of these choices. As we continue our research - please send us any information you can.

[insanesmooch]

Originally Posted by angelaf

Wow... I am so glad I came across this post!! This makes me feel very optimistic about Johnson City. We want privacy and a little land and to be close to the mountains, but we also need to be near jobs and find something affordable. I REALLY wish we'd heard about the tri-cities area before we made our trip to NC to scope out possible relo spots... But we did really like the parts of TN we did see, so it looks like our next trip will definitely be to the tri-cities! Where is the closest major airport? Anyone have good suggestions for where to search online for jobs in this area? And mbmouse, THANKS for the encouraging post! It really sounds great!

Most of the major online sites list jobs, but a good local one is:
http://www.tricityjobs.com/
It seems to have a listing of what is the regional papers. (If they block out the site private message me and I will send it to you).
As far as closest 'major' airports, I would say Ashville would be the closest because it is only about an hour away. Knoxville would probably be next closest at an hour and a half to two hours away.

[mbmouse]

You are correct on the airport. It is on HWY 75, go left and that will lead you right into Gray TN which is in the middle of the Tri Cities (this is where I live) and is a great starting spot and easy access to I 26 which will bring you right into either Jonson City or Kingsport. If you go straight out of the airport, you will go directly to I 81 which can bring you to Bristol TN/VA (North) or south (west) to Greeneville,Rogersville. so it is a good airport to fly into, clean too. You do need to connect, for cheaper flights, connect through Charlotte, DC, Altanta or Chicago.
Hope this helps!

[phinz]

Originally Posted by spowers

I am a native Floridian in Sarasota County looking to relocate to, hopefully, TN. 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.

It's not the cars. It's primarily the industrial pollution from other states, as well as TN and NC, and from diesel vehicles. Diesel trucks don't drive through the park. It's closed to commercial traffic. The cars don't help, but they are, by no means, the primary cause.