Relocating to Eastern TN, which town is better...? (Knoxville, Johnson City: rent to own, crime)

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by Lookin4myMountain

We are a family of four,husband is a truck driver and loves fishing

I'm thinking the most important thing is that your husband finds a job and then you look for places where you can live near to where he works. Since I'm looking to move to Oak Ridge (and I like to fish), I recently read a newspaper story about all of these new jobs coming to that area of East Tennessee, one of which was hiring truck drivers. Well, I tried to find that article (couldn't) but I did find a searchable website with a database:

http://oak.ridge.jobs.topusajobs.com/ (broken link)

and one of the job categories was truck drivers on the drop down menu and it searched within 25 miles (which includes Knoxville) of Oak Ridge. It turned up 29 truck driver jobs including government jobs. Even if you are not ready to move now, you might want to bookmark the website. You can probably figure out how to use it to search truck driver jobs near other Tennessee cities/towns you might be interested in.

[insanesmooch]

There was recently an article in the Knoxville Newspaper (www.knoxnews.com) that said trucking places are about 20,000 drivers short. I'm not sure if it specifically was in Knoxville. You should be able to look up the article and it may help you pin point a company to seek out.

[I LOVE NORTH CAROLINA]

I want to live in the mountains and I do love N.C. but now I'm thinking maybe eastern Tenn. because maybe I could get a better house for $100,000 there. Any ideas? I just want to live near or in the mountains, I don't want to change anything or take anything away from the locals! Thanks

[mbmouse]

Yes, property is much cheaper for the same type house here in East TN verses NC. All, or at least most of East TN is in or near the Mountains, whether it be the Smokies or Clinch mountains or foot hills of each. What else are you looking for in a "home town"? Have you checked out the main city data page? Look through the towns. Have you looked through the local news papers? Anything I can help you with just email.

[Pookie]

Wow...gangs in Chatanooga do not sound good. Thanks for the warning!

[peach49]

No that not good at all.

[insanesmooch]

Originally Posted by Lookin4myMountain

Hi,I was hoping to get an opinion on what some cities in eastern TN, are like, any recommendations from the locals? I have been considering Greenville, Newport, Johnson city, and Elizabethton. We are a family of four,husband is a truck driver and loves fishing or Nascar, a nineteen year old great at computers and bound for college, mother homeschools and longs for a nicer place to raise the youngest. I am another one of those south Floridians desprate to leave the crowded city behind, traffic, rude people, hot humid weather, yuck!
23 years is more than enough, its way too expensive to stay. Let me know, if you can were the jobs are at, etc. God bless, and thankyou.

I found the article about the truck driver shortage:
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/business/article/0,1406,KNS_376_4943117,00.html (broken link)

If that link doesn't work, you should be able to go to knoxnews.com and search 'truck driver shortage' to find it.

[Halfback]

Hey bubba are you in between spring city and pikeville on waldens mountain any where nere luminary off of summer city rd. or rt 30 ? Sounds like Marijuana Militia of rhea county (#1 county for growing in tennesse) or the Meth Militia. I use to see fully-automatic deer-hunting-rifle tracer rounds at night fly over my mountain but that old coot died now and now all I here is Booty Dance music from the next ridge over, must be satan worshippers. Except around noon or after dinner its usually target practice from all directions it seems like when one goes off everone else has to show that they got more and larger.Showing the wealth I guess.
There are some strange names like Dead Negro hollow on the topographical map and I do know that an interracial couple that rented a trailer on the main road got burned out . The man put up a sign demanding justice.Sayed it was a near modern day lynching.
I did get invited to hear some blue grass music at Wolf's creek on saturday night. So I got a $10 jar of shine cause thats all thats legal up hear or is it?But It turned out to be at a church so I stashed it away in the mule wagon that I rode down the mountain with the neighbor who brought some friends and they played some banjo tunes the whole way down. Good old time gospel music is good as praying. Got baptized too . Cooled creek water it was. I'm not sure what church they handle snakes at but there is this place before you get to cemetary road named Frostbite Baptist, looks promising!

Yeah but as for getting the crops off the mountain without paying the taxman. I'm not sure how they do it because there is always a agricultural check point ran courtusey of the state trooper road block just past the switchback on the forever washed out and eroding 12:6pitched seldom filled or graded gravel road . He has a real nice dog that he lets jump up in your truck to see yah. But you know you can get tax stamps for unauthorized substances so that you can fulfill you civil tax obligation.
Well its not so rough a four wheeldrive on my road anymore since the county now maintains it.Too bad cause now I get a tax assesment for the one acre my shack sits on . They say its worth $7,179 mainly for the well the septic and temporary power pole. The rest or the acrage is undeveloped so it runs me $7 per acre per yer. After the spring thaw they spread a few truck loads of gravel over the three mile road that dead ends into my land. Usualy the neighbor needs it for his forever growing junk yard so he comes out with his front loader and gets alot of it . He is real proud of his cars cause he has 100 acres but all of them are parked right by the road , almost takes up the who frontage of it, so as everyone can see it.
Can't wait for my daughter to go to school to get learned.The have extracurricular activities like skeet shooting there ,as long as she maintains and don't get no trouble or you can't keep your carry permit. But not to worry they still paddle in school so I don't see her not respecting authority and maybe some day she can sevre in the army like the rest of the youngins cause thats her duty plus there's not much work up here for a lady. Other than logging or quarrying rock since I got the mineral rights to my land .Maybe raising meat goats seeing as all these new imigrants like that kind of dish should be a future in it. Got enough of them clearing my mountain side. You do know that you need several diffrent Breed cause they eat diffrent plants otherwise you will clear all the sassafras but not the blackberry rambles or huckleberry they are all a bunch of weeds up here you know.
Well I'm getting homesick thinking about it so somebody buy my house so I can move. Its in Odessa ,Fl on the MLS listing its the only one for under $195,999 .Built in 1991. I think there is only one Rebel Flag flying in my neighborhood. Folks are friendly . Gated with live in gate keeper/maintenece at the gate There is a boat ramp on the big ski lake , Volley ball , BBQ. ,Beach, picnic under the cypress trees ,golf carts welcome, private roads under majestic live oaks , have a beer meet the neighbors and I think they need board member.yearly dues are only $350 yearly! Some bikers but highdollar fatboy riders.Some in Bikinis too!

[GrannyLois]

[quote=Bubba on my mountain;80795] True Tennessans live in the hills - don't want no Walmarts and don't do golf. QUOTE]

True Tennessans, huh?

Although I am a transplant, too (since 1983), I totally disagree with that statement.

Could we change it to a tiny minority of Tennesseans don't want Walmarts and don't do golf?

[happydaze]

The Tri-Cities seem to be growing and booming i.e. Bristol,Johnson City,Kingsport, but with thier close proximity to one another it tends to have a bigger city feel,than you may want.
Newport is small and almost isolated...the mountains are everywhere and it would seem to me... could eventually become intolerable to someone used to a bit of a faster pace.
If I were you...with consideration given to what you may be used to...I'd choose a smaller town but not a small small town. Get what I mean? One with access to all the conveniences,and lots of things going on...I'd pick Pigeon Forge,Tennessee and at the least Sevierville,Tennessee. The Interstate,the shops,the jobs,the stores,and the opportunities are there. Lakes and rivers are nearby,and Knoxville,and the Tri-cities aren't that far away,either. Good Luck.