Relocating to Eastern TN, which town is better...? (Chattanooga, Johnson City: for sale, real estate)

[happydaze]

My Gosh, Halfback! From the sound of your post I'm almost afraid of you. From how far back in the mountains are you from,or have you been? lol!
Is there such a thing as a mountain ghetto populated by the rough,and tumbled?
Sitch tales as yours blows me away! lol! And I am from the mountains of Tennessee!
I think I'll go trout fishing on that note.
Have a good day in Florida.

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by 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.

I go by number of people on square miles to figure out how congested the town/city is. That information is on this City Data website for each city-town in the US. But you won't get a feel for it unless you look up the town you live in now to see how many people live on how many square miles because you know how crowded or uncrowded your current town feels to you.

Then when some town sounds like it meets your expectations, go to one of the yellow pages websites to see what kind of stores, restaurants, other things you like, are in the town.

[Halfback]

All true no lie- ask Mrs. Thurman at Thurman's grocery. Or go to Arnold's grocer(open since 1929 , some of their wares are still on the shelf from the original grand opening, just a little soot covered from the wood burning stove, they don't talk much there though, Mrs. Thurman is much more personable!)
Except the mule to town its to hard a climb down lowes gap even though they are mountain mule-a cross of a donkey and a Percheron-huge mules.
They do offer senic mountain rides in the fall for the tourist in up near Wooden's apple orchard on top of the mountain (the nicer side of the two peaks). Adam Ant the old pop music star lives up there on that ridge. Talk about strange folks in the back woods.
as for the mule rides- one wagon carries the tourist and another follows behind with a bluegrass band playing mountain music . Real neat. Except when you are driving up over a hill and cannot see them over the peak until its almost too late. Nice man who owns the mules. I may buy one of his yearlings to pull my logs around .
Oh yeah their was a news paper article in a Pikeville newspaper where a valley dwelling principal drove a student home and was amazed that people still live rustic up their on the mountain. He was "astonished" at how "resourceful" people were in how as he drove nearer the students property he saw a neighbor standing under a two story tall rain water collecting tank taking a shower in his birthday suit . All true I can't make this stuff up.
Quoted in the paper from a local resident living on her tiny disability check "all I need is my cigarette and pepsi money and I do just fine" which is about equal to her monthly handout.

[Lookin4myMountain]

Thanks for your advice, my family as a whole wants to leave the city, but my husband and oldest daughter say that they don't want to live in the boonies.
I on the other hand want to wake up in the morning and hear nature and not traffic, acres between my house and the neighboors so my crazy dog can run around all he likes, the reason for the walmart ect. is that if I need something I don't want to travel more than 30 minutes to reach civilization...I want to be around family oriented people, who at least smile when you say hello and dont look at you funny because you are not wearing the latest fashion. A place I could consider to be a little peace of heaven. I know I want a fairytale, but if I could get close it would be nice. God bless.

[hjlacey]

bought property between Rogersville and Bulls Gap. Absolutely beautiful. Super Walmart in Rogersville 6 miles.

[Halfback]

[quote=GrannyLois;85360]

Originally Posted by Bubba on my mountain

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?

Mountain golf is fun and lazy. I drive golfballs(when i'm not plinking targets with my colt45 ) from the top of the ridge to the creek and my dogs retrieve the balls real fun whacking them aross the white oaks and tuliptrees you should see these dogs they are more fit than any show dog raised on 4-D meat(disabled,deseased,dying,dead).
Then i putt on a cement pad poured from leftovers from my polebarn , carpetred with astroturff and a cup sunk in the middle. But when money is good there are nine golfcourses down in the Sequatchie Valley on rt.127 fall creeks fall and Wal marts are every where. Buy all my Wrangler short sleeve button shirts, high fashion, my favorite ! there is one in Crossville .one on rt. 27 also

[gcman]

Halftback:

Do you live near Luminary or just visit. I have a lot near Shut-in Gap rd.

Most of the people who live there are from Florida. Some are even hiding from law up there. There are some people who live in tents , again from Florida.

Most of the locals I have meet , seems to be good people. Just don't try to hire someone to build anything. From your description , Do you have a place near Holloway ridge rd?.

By the way I live in Hudson ,Florida

Thanks

[Halfback]

My brother lives on the end of holloway ridge and the man he bought the intial acres from wiped out on lowes gap only to be rescued and the arrested for murder in another state or town. Nice man so we thought. Crime of passion , killed his cheating wife or her lover , no excuse for murder though.
Problem is they rent to own alot of these smaller properties on twenty year loans for $100 or less a month so it can get ghetto. Like the neighbor with a temporary power pole but no electricity. some people prefer to live like that so who am i to judge.Its that kind of place.
I have some land on rocky top rd 3 in luminary I bought the land from one of the Hasting -Green families who live in Ocala,Fl of all places .
As soon as I sell this house in Odessa- North of tampa, i planned on moving permanatley to tenn . your right about building yourelf is best , other than a well and septic (which my brother had to have redone ) its best to build your own house-no permit required either. nice to meet you. My neighbors are generaly good honest hard working like minded people.

[gcman]

I own 6 acres on Chestnut ridge Rd brought it in 1988, and then bought 1
acre on top of mountain in 1992 bought from Angus himself. I am now on our third so called builder. Hire one man to clear the lot, after two month said he didn’t have time. Hire a man from Pikeville, Did what he said he would, but didn’t pay attention of what I wanted, ended up with a hole 10 ft deep instead of 4fr for basement. Hire one builder, quote one price charged something else. Ask for written for further work. I agreed on price, price changed. Okay hired another builder out of Dayton, tn. Started out good, said other builder screwed up. Got written quote, work was performed and charged as quoted. Then when ask for quote for framing, man was it way out line. Told them for the amount of money I could bring a crew from Florida and pay motel bills for six weeks. Now I have a new builder named Gary Conway Construction. Not only the price is reasonably, he knows what he is doing. The sad about the second builder, he has been in TN for 15 years and was from Brooksville, Fl
I am not country bumpkin or some rich [moderator cut] from Florida, just learned some expensive lessons. The first set of builder put slab in 4/29/06, took them until 8/01/06 for block work. They have never called back, never told them that they were fired.

I hope to have cabin dry in four weeks, new guys are kicking butt.

I just got my deed from Angus Greene investments, on mountain top lot it stated that no commercial activities allowed or non working cars or trucks, HAHAHA

When I brought this lot in 1992 Angus said that, there was going be no mobile homes, etc allowed. I guess he was half right.
One more funny thing , been trying to get a 911 address, need one to get a electrical inspection to get tempory power, the woman from the county who gives the address out, said she doesn’t go to Lumairy without a deputy.

[theturkeyfarm]

Have you looked at Morristown, Tn. There is a Wal-Mart Supercenter there as well as College Square Mall. Walters State Community College is there also.
There are three lakes close by. Cherokee is the closest(maybe 5 miles from Wal-Mart and the Mall.) Norris Lake is located close to Maynardville and Tazewell and Douglas Lake at Dandridge. Bristol is close by and they have 2 NASCAR races per year. Gatlinburg and Dollywood are less that an hour away as is The University of Tennessee and Vol football.
I can't really advise on employment or housing prices. Take a vacation, come visit and take a look.