Making decision about investing in the southeast (feedback, income tax, prices)

[palagal2]

Native-California here and close to retirement as a teacher. My husband wants to invest in house/property back east somewhere in south/east Tenn. or north Georgia or N. Carolina(west). He's tired of the high prices, high taxes, crowds, etc. in Calif. Originally...he's from back east , of course. I love California...the weather...the excitement..and being close to my parents. I'm also scared of tornadoes and floods. He wants a house near a river, lake, or stream. Yes..of course we have earthquakes!!!
But I don't plan on moving until I'm finished with my job..and that's still a few years. I hate to buy a nice piece of land and house....and to find that it's floating down the river or some tornado blew it away.
Anyway...I just want some input. I know the mountains seems safe, but it snows. Just wanted some names of places that seem safe to live.
Would appreciate some feedback!!! Also, my husband is white and I'm Japanese/Ameriocan. Would that be a problem with folks down south.
palagal

[DubbleT]

Hey palagal
I'm in northeast TN.
I think you're okay as far as snow in any of those areas, unless you actually live on a mountain. Where I'm at, we never even had enough snow this year for it to stick to the roads.
Tornados and floods aren't unheard of, but they are a lot less of a worry than you might think. For instance, no tornados at all in Sevier county since 1950
Documented Tornadoes since 1950 across east Tennessee, southwest Virginia and extreme southwest North Carolina
Your race shouldn't be a problem, unless maybe you find yourself in a podunk tiny little backwater town out in the middle of nowhere, and even then I think the part about you being from California would raise more eyebrows than the fact that you're Japanese American.
A lot of discussion about the specific topics you bring up can be found in these forums too.
http://www.city-data.com/forum/chattanooga/
http://www.city-data.com/forum/kings...-city-bristol/
http://www.city-data.com/forum/western-north-carolina/

[sedimenjerry]

I say go with Lake Hartwell in NE Ga and W South Carolina.
Hartwell, GA is a decent sized town with almost everything you need. (It has a Wal-Mart and many other stores.)
Anderson, SC is not too far away on the other side of the lake (the lake forms the state boundary) and has a mall and even more stores but has much more traffic.
It is convienantly located near I-85 which gives you great, quick access to Atlanta, Ga, Greenville, SC and Charlotte, NC.
Snow is once a year if you're lucky and isn't crippling at all. On the lake, all homes are required by the Army Corps of Engineers to be above a certain height. This height is what is thought to be the "500 year flood." Basically, you don't have to worry about floods. Tornadoes are not as common here as in Tornado Alley but you still should have a plan.
And if you like Mountains, they are only a quick drive north.

I absolutely love Lake Hartwell. The water is warm and it is very beautiful.
Here is the official website.

[Nashville to Cincy]

Congratulations on your pending retirement. I've lived in Nashville for the past 6 years, after living in both GA and NC. I'm not as familiar with south or east TN, however I think Middle TN may provide a number of advantages over GA or NC.

1. No state income tax
2. A Japanese consulate in Nashville. Nissan relocated their North American headquarters to Franklin a few years ago. About half of the people in the Nashville area were born in other states/countries. I'd say Middle Tennessee is increasingly cosmopolitan, while maintaining a high level of hospitality and civility. My wife and I are a biracial couple and have never felt 'out of place' here.
3. The Cumberland plateau doesn't get us as much snow as the Smokies and you'd still be close to the mountains.
4. The arts. Live music. Museums. etc... are all high quality and easily accessible in middle TN.

If you haven't already, you may want to check out Nashville, Franklin, or Murfreesboro.

Best of luck with your decision!