Pre-retire looking for a mountain to stare at (Knoxville, Wartburg: homes, neighborhood)

[Pres]

Originally Posted by Pre-RetireTN1959

You are so right....peace and quiet..that's what I starve. I have been working so hard at full speed for the last 25 years, I don't think I will be able to do much of anything else but sit and read and stare at nothing. However, I've meet a few people lately who retired and three months later were bored out their minds. My neighbor took a part time job at publix and this is a woman with Masters degree...just to stay busy...she's a cashier. I don't know, I guess I would like to get involved in the community, something I hadn't had time to do. Maybe take some weaving classes....volunteer work that doesn't involve my current line of work. Join a club or something. SO that's why a good community is important.

Mostly just sit and chill ...at stare at the mountains...and be safe and undisturbed.

You and I have a lot in common it would seem Pre-Retire, I too have been pedal to the metal for some 27 years and find I want the slower pace that East TN seems to be all about. I will be retireing at 55 if all goes well and I am certain will need something to bide my time after a few months. I love to fish, love the outdoors, work in the yard and I have another love that moved to East Tn in June. Hopefully I will be able to find the peace and serintity East Tn seems to provide. Who knows, maybe I will be able to that other love of mine as well. Working hard for 2010.

[Pre-RetireTN1959]

Originally Posted by Pres

You and I have a lot in common it would seem Pre-Retire, I too have been pedal to the metal for some 27 years and find I want the slower pace that East TN seems to be all about. I will be retireing at 55 if all goes well and I am certain will need something to bide my time after a few months. I love to fish, love the outdoors, work in the yard and I have another love that moved to East Tn in June. Hopefully I will be able to find the peace and serintity East Tn seems to provide. Who knows, maybe I will be able to that other love of mine as well. Working hard for 2010.

Yes, we do. I would love to garden. Right now I'm having to pay somebody to take care of my yard including planting flowers...wasting good money...but I don't have time to do it...cause the "associaiton" will get pissed off at you if you don't...LOL

My dream house plan has a courtyard in the back and a veranda off the master with built in flowerbed wrapped around it. I'm going to have a nice vegetable garden, grow my own vegs. Hopefully I will find land that has a pond so I go fishing, something I hadn't done since I was a child with my Dad. It also has skylights so I stare up at the stars at night.

I am so ready but got 15 years at least to go before I even think about retiring... You are so lucky to retire at 55...I'm exhausted at 47. That's why I'm going to buy my land now, move and pay off the new house in 15 yrs...then just coast.

So location is so very important. I don't ever plan to move again. I think eastern TN is becoming the new Florida for retirees...and that's cool. Because I don't like FLorida...I like seeing the seasons...it's not suppose to be 80 degress in January....LOL

I love this web site, gives you all the good stats and then gives you a chance to talk to folks who really know these areas. Let's keep in touch and share what we've found....right now I think some where around Knoxville is probably where I'll land...just seems more affordable...developers are hot and heavy on the Chattanooga area and the means potential for my serentity will be disrupted.

[Pres]

Originally Posted by Pre-RetireTN1959

Yes, we do. I would love to garden. Right now I'm having to pay somebody to take care of my yard including planting flowers...wasting good money...but I don't have time to do it...cause the "associaiton" will get pissed off at you if you don't...LOL

My dream house plan has a courtyard in the back and a veranda off the master with built in flowerbed wrapped around it. I'm going to have a nice vegetable garden, grow my own vegs. Hopefully I will find land that has a pond so I go fishing, something I hadn't done since I was a child with my Dad. It also has skylights so I stare up at the stars at night.

I am so ready but got 15 years at least to go before I even think about retiring... You are so lucky to retire at 55...I'm exhausted at 47. That's why I'm going to buy my land now, move and pay off the new house in 15 yrs...then just coast.


So location is so very important. I don't ever plan to move again. I think eastern TN is becoming the new Florida for retirees...and that's cool. Because I don't like FLorida...I like seeing the seasons...it's not suppose to be 80 degress in January....LOL

I love this web site, gives you all the good stats and then gives you a chance to talk to folks who really know these areas. Let's keep in touch and share what we've found....right now I think some where around Knoxville is probably where I'll land...just seems more affordable...developers are hot and heavy on the Chattanooga area and the means potential for my serentity will be disrupted.

You have a deal, we should stay in touch and it should be easy with this forum. I also enjoy just sitting and reading what everybody has to say. I currently live in a modest home that sits on two acres and mostly wooded. The only thing missing are the hills.
I am fortunate in being an electrician and being able to retire when 55 with 30 years of service. I am still paying my dues but work in the Park and recreation field, something I would like to continue after moving there. Next fall I am making a trip to the Seymour, Maryville area, maybe Sevier county, don't know. I do know that I can not wait for that time to come. Be safe and I am certain we will read each others threads from time to time.

[tnlover]

Chestnut Hill is a small community and also is the home of Bush's Baked Beans. It is located between Sevierville and Newport in a very beautiful area with lots of gorgeous mountain views. Private yet a short drive to Sevierville and Newport where all the shopping and entertainment can be had. Property values are still reasonable at least for now.

[Pres]

Originally Posted by tnlover

Chestnut Hill is a small community and also is the home of Bush's Baked Beans. It is located between Sevierville and Newport in a very beautiful area with lots of gorgeous mountain views. Private yet a short drive to Sevierville and Newport where all the shopping and entertainment can be had. Property values are still reasonable at least for now.

Thank you for that tid bit of info TNLover, I will put it in the bank for when I visit.

[Pre-RetireTN1959]

Originally Posted by tnlover

Chestnut Hill is a small community and also is the home of Bush's Baked Beans. It is located between Sevierville and Newport in a very beautiful area with lots of gorgeous mountain views. Private yet a short drive to Sevierville and Newport where all the shopping and entertainment can be had. Property values are still reasonable at least for now.

Chestnut Hill actually was on my short list of towns, but I'm having trouble finding any information outside of C-D. Tried searching for real estate agencies near there...and even trying to find a zip code for it. Mapquest finds it but gives no ZIp code for it. Must be a well kept secret, now I'm really intrigued. Any ideas how I could find some real estate listings for it? Yahoo Maps found three of them in Jefferson County, Benton and Sumner Counties.

[weisgarber1]

If I am not mistaken there are also Chesnut Hill "areas" in Union and Grainger Counties. No zip code simply means that the community is very small and gets its mail through a post office in a larger community, which also could be small. In most cases, an employee of a post office in the county you are interested in, would know where the community is located. As for realtors, you could try real estate companies in the county seat of the county where the community is located..

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by Pre-RetireTN1959

You are so right....peace and quiet..that's what I starve. I have been working so hard at full speed for the last 25 years, I don't think I will be able to do much of anything else but sit and read and stare at nothing. However, I've meet a few people lately who retired and three months later were bored out their minds. My neighbor took a part time job at publix and this is a woman with Masters degree...just to stay busy...she's a cashier. I don't know, I guess I would like to get involved in the community, something I hadn't had time to do. Maybe take some weaving classes....volunteer work that doesn't involve my current line of work. Join a club or something. SO that's why a good community is important.

Mostly just sit and chill ...at stare at the mountains...and be safe and undisturbed.

Your neighbor's retirement scenario is not uncommon.

Many people live in a town, when they are working, that is unsuitable in retirement because it just doesn't have enough going on (of things they like to do, not what the retirement books say they should like) to make up for that 40 hour work week during the daytime. So, if you are going to move, you have an opportunity to put yourself in a location where the opportunities to do things you like to do are plentiful, there is an ease in doing those activities and the quality of the activities meets your standards.

For example, let's say you like reading, gardening, eating out at restaurants, and bowling but could only do those things sporadically while you were working. You are looking to relocate in retirement. You were a nurse in your career.

If you like to garden, you might want to live someplace where you could do that activity more months of the year (weatherwise), live near some large store that sells garden supplies/tools, have an opportunity to take a variety of classes (or teach) on different aspects of gardening, attend garden shows or botanical gardens, join a garden club in the town where you could be an active member. If you like reading, you might want to check out if the bookstores/library/college have a book discussion group and if there is a bookstore in the town or next town that carries what you like to read (think variety and new releases). If you like dining at restaurants and there aren't a variety of them nearby (just a lot of fast food places), would you be happy? You might want to see if there are any groups/clubs in a potential town that restaurant hop. You might see if the local town newspaper would like a restaurant critic. You might want to join a club that goes out to lunch or dinner after the club meeting. If you like to bowl, you'd want to make sure you live in a town with a bowling alley. You might look into leagues that bowl in the daytime. As a former nurse, in this example, you might want to look into continuing education classes that could keep you up-to-date on new medicines/diseases/medical technology in a potential new town. You might want to live in a town that offers programs through the hospital or guest speakers in the community. You might want to join a professional nurse group that meets in person. You might want to teach something that had to do with your former job. You left the job not necessarily your subject matter interest.

Chilling and looking at mountains would probably sustain you for the first 3 - 4 weeks after a long busy career. Then what? Joining some club and/or volunteering just to keep busy is just as unfulfilling. I know you can only dream about rest and relaxation but that will only last for the first few weeks. After your extended vacation, you'll be bored. Don't fill up that time with "busy work" like some meaningless job after you had a career. Pick a location spot where you can do the things you like to do (and do some others you never even thought of) and use the extra time to do more aspects of those things and do them more frequently than you did when you were working.

[Pres]

Originally Posted by LauraC

Your neighbor's retirement scenario is not uncommon.

Many people live in a town, when they are working, that is unsuitable in retirement because it just doesn't have enough going on (of things they like to do, not what the retirement books say they should like) to make up for that 40 hour work week during the daytime. So, if you are going to move, you have an opportunity to put yourself in a location where the opportunities to do things you like to do are plentiful, there is an ease in doing those activities and the quality of the activities meets your standards.

For example, let's say you like reading, gardening, eating out at restaurants, and bowling but could only do those things sporadically while you were working. You are looking to relocate in retirement. You were a nurse in your career.

If you like to garden, you might want to live someplace where you could do that activity more months of the year (weatherwise), live near some large store that sells garden supplies/tools, have an opportunity to take a variety of classes (or teach) on different aspects of gardening, attend garden shows or botanical gardens, join a garden club in the town where you could be an active member. If you like reading, you might want to check out if the bookstores/library/college have a book discussion group and if there is a bookstore in the town or next town that carries what you like to read (think variety and new releases). If you like dining at restaurants and there aren't a variety of them nearby (just a lot of fast food places), would you be happy? You might want to see if there are any groups/clubs in a potential town that restaurant hop. You might see if the local town newspaper would like a restaurant critic. You might want to join a club that goes out to lunch or dinner after the club meeting. If you like to bowl, you'd want to make sure you live in a town with a bowling alley. You might look into leagues that bowl in the daytime. As a former nurse, in this example, you might want to look into continuing education classes that could keep you up-to-date on new medicines/diseases/medical technology in a potential new town. You might want to live in a town that offers programs through the hospital or guest speakers in the community. You might want to join a professional nurse group that meets in person. You might want to teach something that had to do with your former job. You left the job not necessarily your subject matter interest.

Chilling and looking at mountains would probably sustain you for the first 3 - 4 weeks after a long busy career. Then what? Joining some club and/or volunteering just to keep busy is just as unfulfilling. I know you can only dream about rest and relaxation but that will only last for the first few weeks. After your extended vacation, you'll be bored. Don't fill up that time with "busy work" like some meaningless job after you had a career. Pick a location spot where you can do the things you like to do (and do some others you never even thought of) and use the extra time to do more aspects of those things and do them more frequently than you did when you were working.

Once again LauraC you seem to have put everything into perspective. I know you were not commenting on a thread of mine but I have taken alot from what you have wrote. That I believe is the most fascinating thing about this forum, advise from one can have an impact on many more. Keep up with the great advise for those of us who are still wishing we were there.

[Pre-RetireTN1959]

Thanks LauraC for your thought provoking comments. And you are probably so right.

And I still have about 15 years left in the rat race...and my tired of working and thinking. Busy work is probably all I can handle when I'm done. I think I can be perfectly happy sitting out on my deck with a bottle of wine and good novel, most days.

Maybe venturing into town for cup of coffee or ice cream...play bingo or cards just for a little human contact but I could easily become Class A Hermit. I'm half way there now since I telecommute...I only leave my home for groceries etc. WHen my day is done some times I think about taking one of those continuing education courses like basket weaving but right now I'm too exhausted to do it, so that's something I might do when I retire.

I would like to build a circle of friends in the area, when I want to entertain or take in a movie...I won't have do it alone. That's where the clubs and volunteer work comes in.

I'm Engineer and I have spent the last 25 years...taxing my brain, keeping up with the bleeding technology etc so when I retire...I'm done. I've been so busy working and raising three kids, I never had time to develop hobbies or interests. I do like to travel so having an airport near by is nice and of course...not having to worry about my property while I'm gone...even with security systems.

I want to relax and focus on the simple things in life. If I have to work after I retire, I would love to work in some small bookstore or in a library.

It's retirement a permanent vacation from work?

With that said, what about the Wartburg?