Retirees relocating to northeastern area of TN (Memphis, Knoxville: 2015, health insurance)

[C&DH]

We are currently living in Hood River, Oregon but are looking for a more retirement friendly cost of living area in Tennessee. We are finding beautiful places on-line in our searches but could use some help. Any suggestions for safe rural communities within 10 miles of shopping, groceries and otherwise? Doesn't have to be large town, just needs to have a good grocery store and other basic shops for supplies.

[littlebebe]

Tennnessee has some great small towns to live in with low cost of living expenses. However, the heath care in small rural areas have changed dramatically in the past 4-5 years. Many of the rural area local hospitals have closed which might require you to live closer to a larger city like Memphis, Knoxville etc.

If you need insurance through the ACA or individual health plans you will find very few options in the state. Where I live in Tennessee we have only one insurance carrier who may leave the state at the end of this year. If you are medicare eligible you might have to shop to find a dr. who accepts new patients.

We were planning to retire in another area of Tennessee until we saw the health insurance death spiral occurring in the past few years.

Not trying to make this a negative post but this is the reality. We are actually planning to leave the state next year in order to retire in an area with more affordable healthcare. Unless of course, a miracle occurs and the ACA is replaced with a good and affordable plan.

OP I know you did not ask about healthcare but with most people it is an important component to a healthy retirement.

[DaveinMtAiry]

If could join in the OP mentioned retirement so I can assume her medical coverage is with Medicare and a supplement, not really sure the ACA is a big factor in play here.

I'm here as I have been looking at the area to for retirement for a while. I got mixed reviews on the health care at the hospital but Asheville, NC is only an hour away from JC and my thoughts are to go there for anything serious if we find issues with the JC hospital. There is also a VA hospital if you qualify.

As for the other things I think it's a great area and I'm trying to convince my wife. She still sees the rust belt look of old Johnson City and it was a turn off, I tried to explain that this is just Appalachia and everywhere we have considered will have that look in places. It's way nicer than it was when I first visited in 2012. Low taxes, although groceries are surprisingly expensive, good weather with short winters when compared to our home in Maryland, and beautiful scenery.

Can't wait.

[Rangerred]

Originally Posted by C&DH

We are currently living in Hood River, Oregon but are looking for a more retirement friendly cost of living area in Tennessee. We are finding beautiful places on-line in our searches but could use some help. Any suggestions for safe rural communities within 10 miles of shopping, groceries and otherwise? Doesn't have to be large town, just needs to have a good grocery store and other basic shops for supplies.

Have you checked out Jonesborough, TN? It's the oldest town in TN with a beautiful downtown and only a few minutes from Johnson City.

Speaking of medical issues Johnson City has numerous resources including a large hospital with a level 1 trauma center, a smaller community hospital, a children's hospital, and a VA hospital that consistently ranks among the best in the country. ETSU also has a medical school and pharmacy school. Apart from unique conditions requiring specialized treatment, pretty much any medical need from basic to advanced can be dealt with locally.

[C&DH]

Thanks so much for the info. The comments about healthcare and the cost of groceries were very helpful and appreciated. What do you know about Sparta, TN?

[JMT]

Originally Posted by C&DH

Thanks so much for the info. The comments about healthcare and the cost of groceries were very helpful and appreciated. What do you know about Sparta, TN?

Sparta is a wonderful little town and is an excellent choice for retirement. Land around there is plentiful and inexpensive. Sparta has the basics such as a small hospital, Walmart SuperCenter and the usual fast food joints. It's only 10 miles from Cookeville which has one of the country's top 100 community hospitals and a lot more shopping and dining options. It's a beautiful area which has become popular with retirees, famous for waterfalls, lakes, and farm land. And it's only a little over an hour east of Nashville which has the largest and cheapest airport for those times when you want to fly back out west for visits.

Here's some of the natural beauty found in the Sparta area.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YP8tiABzGU


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbKcDbi0GYg


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3htM2HvF214


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2adqU02DmY


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knDSKBh8HmU

[AppalachianAngler]

I'll echo Jonesborough recommendation. Small, but 10ish minutes to Johnson City, and there is still plenty of enough necessity amenities in town. Although, if you are looking for a good airport, you are out of luck. You would likely have to fly out of Knoxville and that is about 1.5 hours away.

I'm sure Sparta is a great town, just not in Northeastern TN. It would be fairly close to Nashville though for flights.

[SPLIT]

HELLO, WELCOME..... I would suggest looking at city of DAYTON, on the river ,, Rhea county.... Just built new Hospital a few years ago...... We are south of there in Northern hamilton co ......... $ 140 K house & pay about $950 / yr total taxes....My prior neighbor bought a bigger house & said his taxes were $ 650/ yr........
Farmers Insurance co has good quotes for newer houses....

[C&DH]

Just want to give a quick update since we first started our inquiries in 2017. We are still held up in Hood River, OR. My Father-in-law was diagnosed with cancer and needs us close by. We still have our sights on Tennessee but for now it will have to wait.

[GWoodle]

Originally Posted by C&DH

Thanks so much for the info. The comments about healthcare and the cost of groceries were very helpful and appreciated. What do you know about Sparta, TN?

You can use Medicare.Gov to search for the 124 some hospitals in TN. You can sort the search to put the 5* hospitals on top. Depending on what type of care you need, a 3* may be adequate for your needs. When you search it is helpful to know the zip code for the area you want. With cancer you may need to stay where you are for now.