Small town with 4 seasons (Knoxville, Johnson City: crime, transfer, live in)

[MommaBear13]

Hi! I've been reading a lot of threads about Johnson City, Knoxville, Seymour, Maryville and Sevierville. My husband, son, 2 dogs and I currently live in Alaska, but have family in Tennessee (Knoxville). Now that we have a baby, we want to move closer to family. We really enjoy having four seasons, including a snowy winter. Although we know we won't find as much snow in Eastern TN as we're used to here, we'd like to find somewhere that has a good probability of a white Christmas and gets 12 inches or more annually.

We like small towns (<50,000), mountains, family activities, and a good community feel. The less crime the better. Our dogs are coming with us, so dog friendly is great. Being Native American and currently using the native healthcare system (not Medicaid, but tribal health centers and hospitals), being within an hour drive of Cherokee is ideal, but I know we already have a tall order.

A large lake nearby for sailing would be icing on the cake. We've also considered the NC side, but heard snow usually melts the same day it falls. My husband works for Target and so we can move anywhere there's a Target, as he can transfer. As a freelancing writer, I can work from anywhere.

We'd really appreciate recommendations of towns. Thank you for your advice