Does it make anybody else sad? (Kingsport, Maryville: work, health, housing)

[cbcs1987]

Growing up in Blount County there was always a small hometown feel to it. You could drive down a backroad and glance over to see the most visited park in America right there in your backyard. However, it's changing. Over the past 8-9 years all these big business' have came in and tore up the ground on so many places that it's hard to find a blade of grass in the city limits anymore. We have 2 walmarts, and so many fast food restaraunts its unreal. The population has shot up so much its hard to comprehend. Those enjoyable back road country drives no longer exist. In order to see the smokeys on the same drives you have to look inbetween all the houses and neighborhoods that sit on the hillsides. We know they will only continue to pop up because out-of-towners moving in want to live somewhere that advertises a "breath-taking view."Chilhowee mountains backside has been scalped because they are putting a subdivision on it called the "overlook." While I know the business is good for the economy I wish it was still the same ol sleepy town. Anybody else think the same?

[jjbradleynyc]

That's terrible. I am originally from Kingsport--left at 18--but my parents and some family still live around there. They say growth is starting to increase and traffic, pollution, and tons of new stores are increasing every week. It's got to be controlled growth--but sadly, most is not.
You'd think a lot of towns and cities would realize in that area that they have something very unique and they should preserve it...but the almighty dollar wins out ultimately.

[NJDevil]

Driving into Sevierville and looking at "the view", they have partially scalped another small mountain. It's an eyesore; I don't know what's going there. The bad news is yes, this growth will continue and those good ole days are gone. The good news is that there are still small towns out there that will probably never be developed much more than they are. But to find a small town like that with mountain views is going to be hard.

[jabogitlu]

If you mean right at the I-40 exit, NJDevil, yeah, I agree, it looks absurdly terrible. It's the location of the new "Dumplin Valley" retail settlement. Target will be there, among other things.

[TNNative]

Even though it's not "politically correct" to say...sometimes don't you wish sometimes Tennessee was not so "inviting"...?

[RangerDuke08]

It is sad but I don't think that's just a TN trend but a national trend, exception with the midwest ... here is a great map to explain what I mean America's fastest growing states on Google Maps
It's the population growth index from 2005-2006 and Tennessee is ranked #15 at 1.38%. A generally health index is anywhere from 1% to 2% which included natural increase and that of immigration minus deaths. A "healthy" index means that it's a nice place so people actually want to move there. The SouthWest and West have some of highest rates for evident reasons, weather, geography, opportunity. But it's not a place that is "exploding" uncontained where it loses it's culture almost overnight. Case in point North Carolina if you've been to Raleigh and Charlotte in recent years, it's lost a lot of it's Southern feel to it. Three states alone that of Florida, Texas and California will account for 46% of the growth in the United States, from 2000-2030, these states are inviting but eventually they won't just lose their local feel but also the American feel sadly. Change is a scary thing but I have high hopes for Tennessee.

[cbcs1987]

It looks like I have some neighbors from Sevier Co. on here! How yall doin?
I think were all in agreement then. I live at the foot of Chilhowee mountain and its been a nice "down-home dixie" area since I can remember. Heres the only problem: They are scalping them foothills to and putting up big 20 acre lots with 4 story houses there. I hate sitting in my deerstand in the fall and hearing them machines running. Eventually my granddaddy's land I hunt and where the garden we put out is will have a subdivision right next to it

ON THE OTHER HAND while were talking about how nice our home looks.... them dogwoods sure are pretty this year!

[NJDevil]

No, I don't mean Dumplin Creek, I mean when you're on Main St heading east into downtown, you can see it ahead of you. It might just be a housing development. When the sun is hitting it a certain way, it's an eyesore.

[TedTAce]

Originally Posted by cbcs1987

We have 2 walmarts

I hope you are not counting the one on Alcoa Hwy and Louisville road, 'cause that's Alcoa.

Maryville might not be as 'homey' as you are used to, but trust me when I tell it's not even in the ballpark of many more urbanized places that are out there. Yeah, it's changing, but it's not so bad; the tallest thing there is Broadway tower and it's been there since?
When places like Amburns and some of the smaller cafe/bar type places start to pull up stakes, I'll start to worry. For now, Maryville is QUITE the 'hometown'.

[SmokyMtnGal]

I'm sorry I didn't have my camera with me last night. We came up Calderwood to W Broadway. At the intersection we looked left and there were folks spilling out onto the sidewalk from Brackins Blues Club; all looking like they were having a great time. We turned right and the sidewalks were full of folks sitting out in front of Sullivans, there were folks sitting on benches out in front of the park like parking surface on the left and on ahead there were people strolling down the sidewalk. A little further up at The Tomato Head people were out on the sidewalk seating and from what I could tell from looking in through the windows the inside of the restaurant was hopping too. This Tuesday at 9pm Tomato Head will also be having live music.

I gotta say that, to me, hometown feel is a lot of what is in your heart. When I lived in Pittsburgh, certainly not a small town; it felt a lot like a small town as everyone was in their "area" of the city and the neighborhoods were themselves small towns. Even my beloved hometown of Kingsport has changed a lot over the years; but with what I have seen a lot of it is for the better. Change is usually difficult for most people. I love the corny saying: "Without change there would be no butterflies". The scalping of our mountains is indeed something sad and has evoked quite a few emotions. There are now some wonderful land conservancies in place working very diligently to save our mountains. For those that are concerned about the future I would say: get involved! Controlled, planned growth benefit everyone and certainly makes a lot of sense.

One final thought, many folks say that they hate to see change of a building, place, town, etc. but actually it is the wish that they were themselves in the same place in life that they were "back then". Folks think fondly back on a time when they were younger, happier, etc.