Best retirement towns - Central & East TN (attorneys, new house)

[Rcm58]

Crossville is in Cumberland County TN up on a Plateau about 60 miles south of Knoxville on I-40, as a retirment choice it would probobly be nice, the only real factory they had produced Ceramic Tile and shut down last year. Its a small town that has a Big Lots, Super Walmart, K-Mart, Kroger, Food Lion an independent grocer I can't remember the name of, A Lowes home improvement store, Your typical fast food restaraunts and a handful of mid priced restaurants. Small Lakes abound the region and are scattered through Crossville and its resort style communities of Lake Tansi and Fairfield Glade. If your planning on buying land and building in this area be very careful, much of the land on the Plataeu will not perk test and is not buildable, or you want to build a 3 bedroom and it will only perk for a 2.
Fairfield Glade is a beautiful Resort that has a golf course, many lakes, a country club, a grocery store, restaurant, health and fitness center, indoor pool, tennis courts, they did have and may still have a horse stable, paddle boats. This community is made up of Single Family Homes, Condo's, Mobile Homes, They have their own security force and it is backed up by Cumberland County PD. I lived in this resort for years and loved it.
Lake Tansi is another Nice Resort with many lakes, they have a marina with pontoon boat and fishing boat rentals, on the other side of the main lake they have cabin rentals and a teen center, they have a golf course and the resort is laid out similarly to fairfield glade with single family homes and mobile homes in differant sections, not sure about condos in Tansi. Owners pay Association fees in both resorts but they are very reasonable. Taxes are low, somewhere around $400 per $100,000.
Tornadoes have been a fairly recent problem in this area with 2 hits worth mentioning in the last 6 years.
Crime for Crossville is about 4 times the National average, meth labs have sprung up in the more rural county areas. Most of the crime is Larceny, D.U.I, Domestic.
Crime in the Resorts is minimal

I have not been to Paris Tennessee since 1974 and I have no idea if it has improved over the years but I can honestly say back then it was the biggest hole in the state. It was a water logged snake pit back then.

[jguillot]

Originally Posted by JLatelee

This is a really good list! I like the Monteagle/Sewanee/Tracy City area because it has pretty much all of this plus:
- It's close the Sewanee's University of the South.
- it's not close to Knoxville, but roughly an hour from Chattanooga, Huntsville and Nashville (a bit more to Nashville). I moved here recently and love it!

Hi JLatelee,

Thank you for your post. I will keep the Monteagle/Sewanee/Tracy City areas in mind. Hopefully, my wife and I will be able to visit those areas in August as well.

[jguillot]

Originally Posted by Rcm58

Crossville is in Cumberland County TN up on a Plateau about 60 miles south of Knoxville on I-40, as a retirment choice it would probobly be nice, the only real factory they had produced Ceramic Tile and shut down last year. Its a small town that has a Big Lots, Super Walmart, K-Mart, Kroger, Food Lion an independent grocer I can't remember the name of, A Lowes home improvement store, Your typical fast food restaraunts and a handful of mid priced restaurants. Small Lakes abound the region and are scattered through Crossville and its resort style communities of Lake Tansi and Fairfield Glade. If your planning on buying land and building in this area be very careful, much of the land on the Plataeu will not perk test and is not buildable, or you want to build a 3 bedroom and it will only perk for a 2.
Fairfield Glade is a beautiful Resort that has a golf course, many lakes, a country club, a grocery store, restaurant, health and fitness center, indoor pool, tennis courts, they did have and may still have a horse stable, paddle boats. This community is made up of Single Family Homes, Condo's, Mobile Homes, They have their own security force and it is backed up by Cumberland County PD. I lived in this resort for years and loved it.
Lake Tansi is another Nice Resort with many lakes, they have a marina with pontoon boat and fishing boat rentals, on the other side of the main lake they have cabin rentals and a teen center, they have a golf course and the resort is laid out similarly to fairfield glade with single family homes and mobile homes in differant sections, not sure about condos in Tansi. Owners pay Association fees in both resorts but they are very reasonable. Taxes are low, somewhere around $400 per $100,000.
Tornadoes have been a fairly recent problem in this area with 2 hits worth mentioning in the last 6 years.
Crime for Crossville is about 4 times the National average, meth labs have sprung up in the more rural county areas. Most of the crime is Larceny, D.U.I, Domestic.
Crime in the Resorts is minimal

I have not been to Paris Tennessee since 1974 and I have no idea if it has improved over the years but I can honestly say back then it was the biggest hole in the state. It was a water logged snake pit back then.

Hi Rcm58,

Thanks for your post about Crossville and nearby areas. It is appreciated. I also appreciate your advice regarding the fact that I should be careful in buying land in case it will not perk for the size home I hope to build on it. I guess the thing to do is look or land that has already passed a perk test or submit an offer to buy contingent upon the property passing a perk test. Thanks again for your help.

[Bones]

I guess the thing to do is look or land that has already passed a perk test or submit an offer to buy contingent upon the property passing a perk test. Thanks again for your help.


Always submit an offer to buy contingent upon the property passing a perk test.

[Smario913]

Any recommendations for a realtor in the Lake Tanzi area?

[Bones]

Originally Posted by Smario913

Any recommendations for a realtor in the Lake Tanzi area?

I will send you some info by PM to help ya...

[kaydee]

Can anyone tell me where would be an economical
place in eastern TN to look for a seasonal place
---we only would like a camp, cabin or mobile
for the summer months until we see if we want
to move permanently.

I would appreciate hearing from folks and also
anyone who knows a good real estate office to
deal with. Thank you. Kay

[Dave_n_Tenn]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'd look near the Cherokee National forest. This has the most remote area's in
E. Tenn., and still has affordable land. Of course the secret is out about E/Tn so there isn't that many bargins... if ya know what I mean.

Probably the better approach would be what to stay away from.... such as the "touristy" area (Sevier Co). There you'll find prices are more expensive, in regard to land. Haven't spent much time around Johnson City.... but I do like Blount,Monroe,Polk Counties in that order. Blount is next to the Smokies and Monroe and Polk are near the National Forest. If hunting and fishing are the draw... stay near the National Forest... if'n your a shutter bug (Smoky Mtn's) and like the convenience of good medical facilities and services a large town can provide, (Maryville)... then Blount would be a good choice.

Prices are directly affected by View, water (lake or river), location, acreage, and not necessarily in that order. The more of the above... the more you'll pay. Non natives (like me) go for Mtn. views, and water. Locals go for acreage, and being near work.

North of the Smoky Mtn's has intersate I40 which is easy to get to NC from Tn. However South of the Smoky Mtn's is a bit more local roads. Real pretty but no interstate. I75 runs just to the west... of E. /Tn area and is a good north south venue. In Blount Co., the only way to NC, is through the Smoky Mtn's which is slow, and closed when it snows.

September can be a busy month in E /Tn because of the "color" when the leaves change. Early in the month would be easier to find accomodations. The "season" is from May 30th to November 1st., although the leaves turn color on average the latter half of October, depending on the weather and of course the elevation.

I'm in Townsend... which is kinda touristy.... but not bad. 200,000 won't get you as much here, as lets say..... Coker Creek in Monroe Co. A lot of the people from Ga., Fla (me), and other area's of the south tend to be near the Smoky Mtn's. and more in the southern part of E/Tn., which drives the prices up a bit.... however my guess would be the northern counties of E/Tn might provide better value, and less congestion.

Good luck with your search.... we enjoyed ours. Made 4 trips in 2 yrs and a lot of reseach before we decided.

[SneakyPete]

Originally Posted by JMT

How funny! King's Salads has their own store/restaurant called Salads & More (I think that's the name). It's behind the Hobby Lobby shopping center. They also have delicious ham salad and chicken salad. But you can buy their pimento cheese at Spring Street Supermarket downtown. It's the only pimento cheese my dad will eat. On a side note, if you want a real Cookeville experience, do your grocery shopping at Spring Street. It was the first supermarket to open between Nashville and Knoxville way back in the 1950s, and I swear some of the cashiers were probably there on opening day. They still call you "hon" and "sweetie." The butchers are sooo friendly, and the quality of the meet is outstanding. They also have some of the best country ham around (Clifty Farm, out of Paris TN) and will slice it for you there.

Where did you eat out in Knoxville? In Cookeville, I enjoy eating at Taiko, Crawdaddy's, and Bobby Q's. Someone told me about Sebastian's on the Square, I should try that sometime.

You should try Knott's Pimento Cheese They're out of Paris,TN like Clifty Farms. They have other salads too, but they're pimento cheese is TO DIE FOR!

[Tinman313]

I have heard several different stories on this "Perk Testing" I realize it has too be done."BUT" when I here for the number of bedrooms I question why?Why not the number of bathrooms? If you plan too build a 4 bedroom 2 bath house that some what limits you too the lot. Then I have be in touch with realtors that have a existing manufactured home on a lot that was Perk Tested 5 years ago for a 4 bed room, but the home is trashed and I want to put another 3 bedroom manufactured home on the same lot,Now it will only Perk Test for a 2 bedroom?
How can this change just in 5 years, Or is this normal...... Is their a time limit on "Perk Test"?