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A post in the currently active thread https://www.city-data.com/forum/tenn...nnessee-2.html made the comment along the lines of "Oh no. We'll have an East Vs. West thread now." This isn't quite that, but maybe close.
A friend and I have a friendly disagreement about the quality of East TN versus Middle TN. Specifically we are comparing Mountain City in Unicoi County versus the towns on the Cumberland Plateau. If you factor in Tellico Lake area or Fairfield Glade area the arguments would perhaps not hold any water, but he and I are focusing on very limited areas.
Some of the specifics of the disagreement have to do with his perception of a prevalence of a white trash, drug addled, property crime committing population in East TN versus Middle TN. I argue that although I'm sure pockets of that type of population may be found in certain areas of the Tri-Cities and elsewhere, I feel Mt. City has so far avoided that blight. He disagrees with me. He believes the Cumberland Plateau is just about free of drug and property crime issues despite me showing him data and graphs to the contrary which show certain areas such as Crossville to have a high rate of property crime.
He feels that real estate in and around Mt. City is comparatively less expensive than that in towns on the Cumberland Plateau because Mt. City is economically depressed from the blight of drug use and property crimes to support drug use. I disagree with this, too, although I admittedly have not done research to be able to cite any facts. I replied that I feel real estate throughout TN has been steadily rising exponentially in price, although I am sure some areas may have risen slightly more than others. Supply and demand.
That's where he comes back with the argument that properties on the Cumberland Plateau are in more demand than in East TN in general and Mt. City in particular. I counter that real estate between the two areas are pretty comparable in price. Am I wrong?
I do concede to him that the Cumberland Plateau in general has more recreation and in general more usable land as opposed to the steep terrain of much of the area around Mt. City. I enjoy the waterfalls, hiking trails and caves around the Cumberland Plateau. I also find the Cherokee Forest in East TN to be a beautiful place too though.
Anyway, I like Mountain City as well as the Cumberland Plateau, although I am still learning about both and visiting both areas. My friend who currently lives in North Carolina feels I have blinders on to be giving Mountain City consideration rather than focusing on strictly the Cumberland Plateau for a retirement location.
First, Mountain City isn't in Unicoi County - it's in Johnson County.
Mountain City is in a weird spot. It's in Tennessee, but in reality has closer ties to Boone, NC than it does to the Tri-Cities. I live in Bristol and Mountain City is about an hour away - from the far edges of Bristol addresses around Laurel Marina at South Houston Lake, Mountain City is still about 40 minutes away. Mountain City is closer to Boone than those far edges of Bristol. Here in the Tri-Cities, you rarely Johnson County plates anywhere.
Personally, I don't think the Cumberland Plateau has anything on the scenery in and around Johnson County. With that said, MC is not very livable. It's just so isolated with so little going on in the community, and rather far from even other small cities. There are just more options available in the Cumberland Plateau.
Mountain City was briefly on our list for retirement. It just took one drive up there to know that it wasn't for us. Beautiful countryside but just too small and isolated for our older years. But for someone looking to really get away from it all, it might do just fine.
I obviously got a lot wrong in my initial post, as has been kindly pointed out in the replies and some private messages. That's what I get for posting on a whim and going off of memory from the multiple trips I've made up to Tennessee checking out the various areas of the state. I guess my buddy in NC who I am arguing with is right when he says I don't know what I'm talking about.
A little bit of background to our discussion: The peer I'm arguing with got moved up to Garner, NC several years ago. We have both decided individually over a year ago that TN is the state we will retire in. That's not to say we will end up close to each other but we do kick around our thoughts on various areas. I started first with a stay in Cosby and then shot out like spokes on a wheel on day long excursions. For various reasons some areas were more appealing to me than others. In some areas maybe I didn't spend enough time to get accurate feedback. On a subsequent trip, and also several trips after, I spent time around the Cumberland Plateau. My contact in NC tells me that the Cumberland Plateau area is the ONLY area of TN he would ever consider. I countered that although I enjoyed my every moment around the Cumberland Plateau, I saw many spots in East TN that were just as appealing.
I mentioned to him that my parameters, and the criteria of what I am judging the areas by, include being at elevation. I arbitrarily remarked at 1200' or above. No reason behind that number. I picked it out of the blue. I also said that I want 10 acres or more of usable land that is wooded, not pasture. Of course I want the most bang for the buck so I will be drawn to a real estate market where my dollar will go the furthest.
His retort was that the mountains of East TN are too steep to offer much acreage that can casually be walked/hiked comfortably versus the Cumberland Plateau. I reminded him that thousands of people have comfortably walked the Appalachian Trail which traverses East TN. He scoffs saying the Cumberland Plateau is better.
Some discussion about access to conveniences such as Walmart, Lowe's/Home Depot and high speed internet. I also remarked that I want to have peace of mind that if I go away for a week or a month that I don't need to be overly concerned of my place being broken in to and things stolen. That latter statement was what got him saying I was crazy to consider Unicoi County, Johnson County, or any other place in East TN. He claims that the opiod problem has really negatively impacted the whole region with regard to quality of life and property crime. He feels the spike in unemployment will now exacerbate those crimes. That in turn led to me pointing out some data about high crime statistics for various areas of the Cumberland Plateau.
One final point I made (not even knowing if it's really accurate) is that it's geographically impossible for the mountains in East TN to suffer a tornado due to the terrain. As he pointed out that only proves his point about the terrain being too steep in general to be usable for walking/hiking, he remarked that the recent tornadoes suffered in the Cumberland Plateau area were the first to do any significant damage in a long time and that the scope of the damage, while serious, was not widespread. I remarked I only know what I saw on the news and have read. I guess severity depends on perspective of whether or not one was personally effected.
Anyway, I'm sure he and I will continue to go back & forth, but I welcome any comments or insights. I guess I'm just casting a much wider net than he is casting in his search. I don't know if that's good that I'm keeping my options open or if it's a sign that I don't really know what I want or maybe I'm not good at identifying the pros/cons of the various areas.
Last edited by firemediceric; 04-25-2020 at 06:31 PM..
Your friend is completely wrong on almost all points.
Garner is a lower income suburb in Wake County, NC, which is also home to Raleigh. That's going to be a completely different experience than the Cumberland Plateau, and a different world compared to somewhere like Mountain City. Garner is at least close to amenities. Johnson County is many hours away from anything similar. There are many cities in the Cumberland Plateau that at least have basics that aren't present in Mountain City.
1200' is low elevation here in upper east TN. Kingsport sits about that level. Most areas of Bristol and Johnson City and Bristol are 1600'-1800'. You really don't get much relief on summer heat and humidity until you get above 2000' - ideally, above 3000'. One thing a lot of people not from the area don't understand is that there is relatively little buildable land about 2500' or so in TN compared to NC and even VA, because most of the TN land at that elevation is state/national park/forest or otherwise under some protection. If you are looking for relief from summer heat, there are better places to look.
Ten acres of wooded land that isn't on a mountainside is easily available in most of northeast TN. There are steep areas, but this isn't the Himalayas - even the more mountainous counties like Johnson, Carter, and Unicoi would have what you are looking for if you look around. If you want lower lying areas with good bottomland in east TN, my recommendation would be the Limestone/Chuckey areas, especially around the Nolichucky River if you want to garden or farm.
Unicoi and Johnson Counties are actually relatively low crime areas of east TN compared to somewhere like Cocke County, which has areas that run at Memphis crime levels on a per-capita basis. I would avoid Cocke and Hawkins counties altogether. Most other counties have good and bad areas. You need to focus on the property, give a nearby address, then we can help you out more. I'm most familiar with Sullivan and Washington County, and have some familiarity with Hawkins County, where I lived with an ex for awhile, though that was years ago.
The mountainous areas of east TN can get tornadoes. Google Camp Creek, TN. It is far less likely here than middle TN, and probably less likely than the Plateau, but tornadoes can do and happen. There's no way I'd be in fear of them, though.
If you're older or someone with significant medical needs, I'd exclude the Tri-Cities altogether and focus on areas around metro Knoxville.
You comments in #1 are meandering a little from your East TN vs. Cumberland Plateau region. It's really difficult sometimes when those writing comments cannot be completely transparent in their thoughts--when they might be considered racist or opinionated or even worse.
But as a native Middle Tennessean, I have traveled every inch of Tennessee for work, Western NC, North GA and even SW SC. I went to college in Memphis and lived 18 years before moving home to Nashville/ Williamson County.
I call the East Tennessee east of Knoxville the Secret State of Tennessee. As a kid, I never heard of Tazewell, TN, and had no idea the place has 25,000 people. I'd heard of Greenville but never knew it had the #1 farming economy in this state. And I had no idea that the population of the Tri Cities combined were actually a very large city.
My first travels to the Secret State was to Mountain City, and the mountains there were snow covered. I found State Street east of Bristol to be built by Daniel Boone, and it's still the crookedest highway imaginable. The lack of roads is one reason Mountain City is still an extremely poor place, and still home of real authentic hillbillies who I call The Forgotten People. They live in the hills and hollows of the area (including over in North Carolina), and don't come out often to civilization.
My first impression of the Secret State people I did business with was that they were living like the 1940's. They leisurely sat around pot belly stoves in their businesses in the morning, read the Knoxville newspaper and talked about University of Tennessee athletics. They were in no hurry to get to work. Upon knowing these people better, I found out they were all college graduates and one was an aeronautical engineer. Their kids were also college graduates. The communities had little or no crime. They were quick to tell stories, they were quick to laugh and they were people of very high character.
I also did business in the Cumberland Plateau area. I found the people there to be completely different from those to the east. They even spoke with different southern accents. I found Crossville and Cumberland County to be the least diverse place in the state, and society was split amongst Ford/GM retirees there for the golf communities and the local citizens that were a little socially rough on average. Cookeville remains the dominant city of the region, and it has a completely different feel. Anyway it goes, Center Hill Lake and Dale Hollow Lake are wonderful lakes and great places to live.
My favorite towns are still medium size cities within an hour of larger cities especially with colleges for culture. I'm talking specifically Cookeville, Greeneville, Jonesborough, Johnson City and Morristown.
I was looking last Fall to move, but we just couldn't get over the high cost of living around Nashville and the suburbs. Middle TN is a great place that's made up of many great societies and towns. We were limited in that our grandson lives in North Alabama and we also have to maintain our lake house on the Tennessee River. We ended up in Huntsville in a house half as expensive as the same home would cost closer to Nashville and where property taxes are 25% that of Tennessee. But my heart remains in Middle and East Tennessee.
Serious Conversation: Thank you for the insights. No substitution for someone such as yourself who has lived in those areas. Perhaps I presented incorrectly the Garner NC Vs. Cumberland Plateau view my peer has. He agrees with you, I think, that the Cumberland Plateau will be a refreshing change from Garner, NC. That's why he is focused on getting there. It's likewise one of the reasons he has said I'm crazy to consider Mt. City because of it's lack of conveniences. I think he, and you, are right.
When you speak of seeking relief from oppressive summer humidity, that's a relative perspective in that I've been living in Central Florida for the past 35 years. I doubt many places in the US has this area beat on the level or duration of humid conditions. I certainly appreciate the observation that my arbitrary 1200' goal is easily achieved. I guess I should shoot for higher and it sounds like that is easily achieved. I'm certainly not interested in bottom land, gardening nor farming.
By others I have already been steered away from Cocke County and to a lesser degree Hawkins County. I'm told crime and corruption are rife in those areas. What a shame to have that reputation and for it, apparently, to be deserved.
As someone who will be under 55 when I make the move up there and who currently doesn't have any medical issues, hospitals and medical care have not been weighing in on my considerations. Perhaps that's short sighted. I even hate the idea of paying for health insurance every month, but I'm not so foolish I'll ever drop the coverage.
Bamaman1: I concede my initial post may have been meandering. I should have thought it out better before posting on the fly. I can be very opinionated on topics I am passionate about. I have re-read my post several times and I fail to see where I make any racist comments or innuendo.
I do very much appreciate your observations from your travels and time spent around the State. I liked Cookeville and Greeneville. I did not care for Johnson City. I'm not recalling my opinion of Morristown although I am remembering that I checked it out. I guess it didn't impress me one way or the other. Jonesborough is not ringing a bell. It's a place I guess I need to put on my list for my next trip.
Thank you all again who are offering your insights. Nothing compares to your firsthand observations and experiences.
We moved from Wisconsin to Fairfield Glade a little over 6 months ago. Here are my observations. If I was not retired I would choose Cookeville for a more metro area to live and Maryville if I wanted to get a place with some acreage. Cookeville has lots of job opportunities and quite a thriving scene because of Tennessee Tech. Maryville offers close access to Knoxville and the Smokies.
We are happy with our choice of Fairfield Glade and could not think of a better place to ride out the quarantine.
We moved from Wisconsin to Fairfield Glade a little over 6 months ago. Here are my observations. If I was not retired I would choose Cookeville for a more metro area to live and Maryville if I wanted to get a place with some acreage. Cookeville has lots of job opportunities and quite a thriving scene because of Tennessee Tech. Maryville offers close access to Knoxville and the Smokies.
We are happy with our choice of Fairfield Glade and could not think of a better place to ride out the quarantine.
Thank you for weighing in. Fortunately employment will not be a concern for me.
I felt Fairfield Glade presented as a very nice community but not my cup of tea. I want a lot more elbow room between myself and closest neighbor.
For reasons I can’t put my finger on, I did gravitate more towards Cookeville than Maryville. I just liked the vibe I got there in and around Cookeville.
Thank you for weighing in. Fortunately employment will not be a concern for me.
I felt Fairfield Glade presented as a very nice community but not my cup of tea. I want a lot more elbow room between myself and closest neighbor.
For reasons I can’t put my finger on, I did gravitate more towards Cookeville than Maryville. I just liked the vibe I got there in and around Cookeville.
That i how it was with us. We wound up checking out all the "villes". Maryville (I liked it but my wife didn't care for it); Greeneville (I really liked it but my wife was so-so about it); Rogersville (quick no for both of us); Crossville (so-so for me and definite No from my wife).
Then we got to Cookeville and both agreed that this was the place for us. Been here three years and could not be happier with our decision,
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