Newcomers to East TN (Knoxville, Oak Ridge: real estate, home, rent)

[JMT]

Originally Posted by VeritasMatters

Hi jguillot!
We have been here since 2 April, after alot of research re: everything TN after 43 years in same Northern CA town. As CA natives, it was a huge decision(but do have deep TN roots from gparents back) to leave everything/one that we know. Let me simply say that there has been not a single regret! Yes, we miss our children(grown)...but travel is not difficult these days. In time, maybe some of our kids will long for the same things we experience as TN residents who couldn't be happier! You have to be prepared to live-eat-drive-think-socialize-drive DIFFERENTLY, and this has to be OK, or may not be so great for you. We do not miss horrible CA traffic(there are places here that have it, but not where we live-and nothing like CA at that). We also don't miss the CA insane pace of living -- only we didn't know this until we lived here, since it was all we have known! Yes, it is less expensive in some ways, but this was not the determining factor for us. We haven't lived here long enough to credibly compare many things, economically, other than that housing is considerably lower. This forum has been a wonderful resource for us -- use it and you can really get a reasonable picture of "how things are" in God's Country!
Best Regards,
Two Happy Transplants!

I am just so happy for you! I know it was a huge decision for you to leave CA for TN, but it sounds like you've been able to make the transition smoothly.

I really don't think that most people would experience the price gouging that daniellefort experienced, particularly if you're in an area that is comfortable with people moving in from out of state and where people are more educated than they are in Cocke County. In other words, I think in your area (Clinton/Oak Ridge/Anderson County) you probably won't experience price gouging. In talking to people who have moved to Cookeville, Knoxville, Nashville, and the Tri Cities, I have never heard anyone say that the locals took advantage of them because they were from out of state.

[daniellefort]

[quote=JMT;1039874]I

I really don't think that most people would experience the price gouging that daniellefort experienced, particularly if you're in an area that is comfortable with people moving in from out of state and where people are more educated than they are in Cocke County. QUOTE]


Since when does education have anything to do with price gouging anyways? all it's about is charging more for a service. No education required whether you have it or not. Wow... i guess with me moving to Cocke County means i'll be considered an un-educated Floridiot. Well considering i have my own home business, 3 year degree as a medical assistant, have my own home in FL and now 8 acres in TN accomplishing all this and only being 32 years old with blind child with severe medical needs to care for, i guess i still have some more learning to do.

You know being such a religious based state i would think those people who like to judge would be more welcoming of others no matter who you are, where your from, what your religion is or how much money you have. Would god pick and choose certain people who he wants to live in TN. I don't think so. Would he say those people in Cocke County are un-educated and idiots i wouldn't move there? I don't think so. Not saying the entire state of TN has unwelcoming people because i have met some great people in person and very helpful people on the forum here but this is more aimed at those who continue to degrade others simply by what they see on the outside and not looking in at the whole picture. Price gouging happens everywhere and just because you haven't heard of it before, maybe you just haven't met anybody who actually caught on to the price changes. had it not been for the excavator man telling us of the difference in charges, i wouldn't have known i was a victim of price gouging nor would it have crossed my mind.

Just venting a bit. I just hate how people are always judged by one another simply by where they live, where they're from and so on. No wonder this world is a mess, there's too many judgemental people in this world.

[JMT]

[quote=daniellefort;1040357]

Originally Posted by JMT

I

I really don't think that most people would experience the price gouging that daniellefort experienced, particularly if you're in an area that is comfortable with people moving in from out of state and where people are more educated than they are in Cocke County. QUOTE]


Since when does education have anything to do with price gouging anyways? all it's about is charging more for a service. No education required whether you have it or not. Wow... i guess with me moving to Cocke County means i'll be considered an un-educated Floridiot. Well considering i have my own home business, 3 year degree as a medical assistant, have my own home in FL and now 8 acres in TN all this and only being 32 years old i guess i still have some more learning to do.

You know being such a religious based state i would think those people who like to judge would be more welcoming of others no matter who you are, where your from, what your religion is or how much money you have. Would god pick and choose certain people who he wants to live in TN. I don't think so. Would he say those people in Cocke County are un-educated and idiots i wouldn't move there? I don't think so. Not saying the entire state of TN has unwelcoming people because i have met some great people in person and very helpful people on the forum here but this is more aimed at those who continue to degrade others simply by what they see on the outside and not looking in at the whole picture. Price gouging happens everywhere and just because you haven't heard of it before, maybe you just haven't met anybody who actually caught on to the price changes. had it not been for the excavator man telling us of the difference in charges, i wouldn't have known i was a victim of price gouging nor would it have crossed my mind.

Just venting a bit. I just hate how people are always judged by one another simply by where they live, where they're from and so on. No wonder this world is a mess, there's too many judgemental people in this world.

Calm down. I didn't say that you were uneducated. Go back and re-read my original post.

However, people who are less educated tend to be those who are more uneasy with "outsiders." Not always, of course, but typically. Cocke County has a lousy public school system, high drop-out rates, and very few people with college degrees. And in spite of its location right next to a major interstate and the Great Smoky Mountains, there haven't been that many outsiders moving there. It doesn't mean the people are bad, nor does it mean that you are bad for wanting to live there. But, typically, those areas with a less-educated populace are the areas where outsiders are the least welcomed.

(In the case of Cocke County, I'd bet my life savings that its history of rampant corruption among law enforcement and elected officials has something to do with its seeming unwillingness to let outsiders move in. I'm sure that's changing.)

And yes, price gouging probably does go on all over the place. But I refuse to believe that it's rampant. Maybe I'm looking at the world through rose-colored glasses, but I have a hard time swallowing that every outsider who moves to Tennessee is going to be victimized by price gouging.

By the way, there's a difference between being judgmental and being judicious. And when it comes to doing business with someone or living in a neighborhood or letting your kids play with someone, there's nothing wrong with being judicious AND judgmental, no matter your religious background. I'm sure you would show good judgment and not let your kids play next to a prison yard or move to a neighborhood with a high concentration of sexual predators. So get off that soap box of yours about how all of us religious Tennesseans should welcome anyone and everyone to our great state, when I'm sure you show good judgment about those with whom you and your family associate. I think Jesus would be ok with that.

[daniellefort]

I know, i tend to get frustrated easily because i myself will be an outsider and i really don't like to be called a FLORIDIOT because i'm not an Idiot. I don't care about the school system won't be moving until my daughter is done school. When i'm talking about being judgemental, you cleared it up for me. i wasn't talking about welcoming felons and predators with open arms but i'm talking about just average people like myself being welcomed. That's what i'm talking about when I'm saying being judged by who we are and where we are from. I know the history of Cocke county and believe it or not, i actually grew up in a small town very similar to it's history which is why i know i won't have a problem moving there. I know how to handle it. Like i said, i was just venting a bit. I'm over it now.

[hiknapster]

Don't sweat it. I've been called a Masshol* my whole life. Sometimes they just leave off the "M."

Cocke County is the one that makes the newspapers, I think mostly because the feds are always breathing down their backs. Recently, I've made a lot of friends that are Tennessee natives. They've told me LOTS of things about the backwoods of Tennessee. ALL of Tennessee. And it takes minutes to get into the backwoods from the cities.

They've got their own brand of justice around here. Sometimes people just turn up missing and no one says a thing. This seems to go double when you start getting near the Kentucky border.

It ain't just Cocke County.

[daniellefort]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

Don't sweat it. I've been called a Masshol* my whole life. Sometimes they just leave off the "M."

Cocke County is the one that makes the newspapers, I think mostly because the feds are always breathing down their backs. Recently, I've made a lot of friends that are Tennessee natives. They've told me LOTS of things about the backwoods of Tennessee. ALL of Tennessee. And it takes minutes to get into the backwoods from the cities.

They've got their own brand of justice around here. Sometimes people just turn up missing and no one says a thing. This seems to go double when you start getting near the Kentucky border.

It ain't just Cocke County.

haha. Masshol. Living in N.H. all them years, i've never heard that. I know that's still a rivalry up there. Mass vs. NH yet people in NH don't think that it's the Mass people with their tourism costs and spending that keeps NH going.

Your right though, it doesn't take long to be in the city or town and then all of a sudden be out in nowhere land. I could share a "good ol boys" story that happened to us when we were in TN last week but that would just draw up all the "I told you so" comments so i think i'll keep it to myself.

[hiknapster]

I think the Mainers use the term more than anyone.

No one is going say, "I told you so." Listen, I bet I have the same kind of stories. Want to know what? I have MUCH worse stories about Florida. I'll take a good old boy over a mean old woman in a deadly Crown Vic flipping me the bird while she runs me off the road, any day. The good old boy I can reason with. The mean old woman lost her sense of reasoning a long time ago.

[daniellefort]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

I think the Mainers use the term more than anyone.

No one is going say, "I told you so." Listen, I bet I have the same kind of stories. Want to know what? I have MUCH worse stories about Florida. I'll take a good old boy over a mean old woman in a deadly Crown Vic flipping me the bird while she runs me off the road, any day. The good old boy I can reason with. The mean old woman lost her sense of reasoning a long time ago.

Oh I don't know. I was pretty scared this time around. I think i was more scared this incident in TN than i was when i was in a broken down 10' john boat in the middle of a lake here in FL with 5 alligators surrounding the boat.

[hiknapster]

That's because alligators are more scared of you than you are of them.

Keep your chin up.

[daniellefort]

I'm not usually afraid of them as i jet ski right over them sometimes but these guys looked hungry and i was just the right size for them.

anyways, i won't let this incident spoil anything for me.. it just gave me a good scare.