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Relocating -- Greeneville or Athens more welcoming, less conserv.?
I just returned from visiting E. Tennessee. E. Tenn. has to be the most ridiculously beautiful country I have seen! I spent much of the trip, my mouth agape at how beautiful and lush the scenery is. Hiking through the mountainside, my 4 year-old son exclaimed, "I will never forget this day as long as I live!"
Folks we met were unbelievably friendly and helpful. Twice, someone stopped for me to make a left-hand turn onto the highway. I've never even heard of that happening before. I certainly haven't heard of someone stopping to let someone make a turn without the 12 cars parked behind them blaring the horns in protest. Instead, everyone patiently waited while I tried to process what exactly was happening and completed my turn.
My visit left me torn between the abundance of beautiful areas in E. Tennessee. I'm inclined to focus on Athens or Greeneville because they are larger and seem to have a good community feel to them. I'm probably a little more partial to Athens because I really like the Chatt. area, and have some concerns that Greeneville might be a little too isolated from other regions, though I'm open to my impression being borne more of fatigue from a long-trip than a reality. Can anyone comment on whether Greeneville does seem really isolated from other locations or was my sense more of a product of having driven from Chicago?
My family LOVES reading, and libraries are very important to us. Does anyone know what areas -- Athens, Greeneville or other areas -- have really good libraries? Seriously, an excellent library would be a strong factor in deciding on a location.
Do people have a sense of whether Athens or Greeneville or another area might be more welcoming of non-Southerners? We're relocating from Chicago, and I've lived all over the U.S. We're religious, but not conservatively religious and not dogmatic. I would like to find a welcoming church.
Can anyone comment on the weather differences in Greeneville and Athens? Does Greeneville get really cold? Does it skip unbearable heat? The weather charts left me with the impression that Athens is cloudy? Is that correct? I really need sunshine.
I'm glad everyone was nice to you. It's usually that way. If you come back, expect more of that.
Yes, I would say that Greeneville has more of an isolated feel, but that is only because they are not close to I-75, where you feel like you can at least escape to Chatt or Knoxville if you want more shopping, etc. I mean, there is some more things going on in Johnson City or Kingsport, but they are still just larger towns, for the most part.
And yes, most of the churches in East TN are going to be very welcoming. I grew up in churches in New England and a lot of them can be very odd. Sit in the wrong pew and you just might tick poor old Agnes off. The woman might not be right for weeks after that.
In East TN, they will almost always be very happy to have you.
Weatherwise, there is not an enormous difference. It might be slightly colder with a bit more chance of precipitation in Greeneville. Nothing like Chicago, though. No. I don't think Athens is cloudier than Greeneville. They are about the same. Both are better than Chicago. I love the weather here. But if you want sun everyday, head for Florida. I tried that once. That was enough.
But I have some questions.
First of all, it sounds like you have young children. Do you work out of your home or do you not need a job? It's a big question and may be a game changer in the entire conversation.
Further, I'm obviously a Yankee, but I grew up in a very small town up there. Very small. Long story short, I had to move to the city limits of Knoxville in order to get the right fit for me. My husband is from Chicago and lived in a large city in Florida for 25 years.
Now, I suppose we could survive, and I would have told you, five years ago, that living in Athens or Greeneville would be fine for us. The truth is, though, that now that we have been here awhile and know the area, I very much doubt we would thrive in that type of area. Just too darn small.
Here's what I've found. If you are from a small town, you can go up and down on the population a bit, but you are safer sticking closer to what you are used to.
And I can tell that you might be a bit out of your territory by some of the questions you are asking and how. For example, you are asking about libraries. Well, it is tough comparing a library system in a very small town with what you are used to. It is the electronic age, thankfully, but I think it is still going to be like apples and oranges, to you.
Essentially, a lot of people go on vacation and then dream about moving to that area. Sometimes it happens and it is a good fit.
But, like I said, get back to me on the job thing, because our unemployment rate in Knoxville isn't too bad considering we are in a recession, but in the smaller towns the rate can be very bad and the commute is very, very long.
I can't speak for Athens, but I can offer some suggestions for the Greeneville area, and that is to consider going a few miles north to Jonesborough. That would keep you close enough to Johnson City and you'd still not be too far from Knoxville if you needed 'more'. Our 'more' is still going to be way less than what you have had in Chicago, but it might be a little more livable once the new car smell has gone. I've met many transplants in Jonesborough from Chicago, Boston, LA, and also several from overseas.
Jonesborough has a small library, and there is a larger one in Johnson City, about a 15 minute drive. There is also a small community theater, plus many downtown events like Music on the Square on Friday nights, a real old fashioned lighting of the Christmas Tree at the courthouse, the International Storytelling Center, and a couple of cute parks and nice, quiet sidewalks downtown for strolling about. We're about an hour from Knoxville and an hour from Asheville (which is super cool, and my 'big town' friends don't miss a thing when they go there!) Asheville offers a much greater exposure to the arts - although I have to say TN is moving up all the time. I'm familiar with the downtown churches, and they are all very lovely, and are very welcoming.
I wish I could compare to Athens - my uncle lives there and has always been very happy, but for some reason, I haven't been there in 30 years!
If you look in the photo threads at the top of the Knoxville thread and also the Tri Cities threads, you'll probably find lots of areas around NE TN that may appeal to you!
I do agree that Athens is a bit less "isolated" than Greeneville. Besides being within an hour of two large cities (Chattanooga and Knoxville) Athens is only about 150 miles from Atlanta, and it's interstate all the way. I think Greeneville wins the beauty prize, but Athens is probably more easily accessible.
We have property close to Athens and we love that area. If you look at the Tennessee picture thread, I have posted some pictures from around our property. We are slightly northwest from Athens.(about 20 mins) It is a beautiful area. I'm from FL so I don't want to be ON the mountain and I like a little bit cold but not too cold, a little bit of snow and they have more in NE TN. Good luck on your search.
I'll throw-in my 2 cents! My wife and I are empty nesters and we live here in McMinn County - Athens is the county seat. The population is about 18,000 give-or-take, depending on how many of the dogs and cats you count and whether or not Tennessee Weslyan College is in session.
As that suggests, Athens is also something of a college town so it has that spin in addition to being just a great small-sized community all by itself! We moved here to the Great Tennessee Valley over 20 years ago (from Atlanta) and this is now "home". We've lived here in McMinn County for the past 12 years. The people are some of the nicest and most friendly folks you will ever find! You already experienced a little of that with the driving courtesy you received. Another interesting local phenomenon is the way folks wave at each other while driving their cars! And there are certain ways to do that - but that is another story.
As has already been mentioned, Athens is almost exactly halfway between Chattanooga and Knoxville - something a little under an hour will get you into each metro area. Also, both Atlanta and Nashville are about 2.5 hours away. Betweeen these four major cities, there's enough shopping, sports, and entertainment for just about anyone.
My wife works down toward Chattanooga and I work up toward Knoxville and I-75 is almost like a country drive - even during rush hour! Plus, we have cows grazing across the street.
As far as feeling comfortable here in Tennessee, it all depends on how you approach your new "digs". There will be something of a culture shock coming from Chicago (there was coming form Atlanta) but if you make the move with an open mind and look forward to a slower paced lifestyle, you will do just fine.
As for libraries, Athens does have what I would call a good local library. They moved into this new facility about 5 or 6 years ago and, altough they do not have the number of volumes you would find in a major metro facility, they do participate in a library exchange (not sure exactly what they call it) with all the libraries in this region (including Chattanooga). In other words, you can scan the index in Athens, which includes books from all over the region, and if you find something you want from Chattanooge, for instance, it will be delivered to Athens - at least this is the way I believe it works. I have never actually taken advantage of this so I am not sure of the exact details. Plus, there is a library at Tennessee Weslyan and a larger libray in Cleveland (about 18 miles down toward Chattanooga). Cleveland is also the home of Lee University and they too, have a fairly robust library.
All-in-all, we love this area and are very glad we moved here and have now become "naturalized" Tennesseans! In fact, we have our house up for sale but will be staying right here in this local area - that's how much we like it! Hope this helps - and I will be more than hapy to answer any questions you may mave about this area.
A hearty "thank you," Everyone, for your thoughtful responses. I greatly appreciate your insights and suggestions.
I hadn't really thought of Jonesborough, but in researching it more, it does look wonderful. It is very close to Asheville, which I haven't visited, but heard is very fun.
Hiknapster, you are very observant, and expressed one of my pivotal concerns: Will a town end up feeling too small? Our mortgage is through USDA, so we are "tied" to towns that are somewhat smaller. I know you had mentioned in a previous post that Knoxville has some outlying areas that are USDA-eligible. That certainly would give us the benefit of a closer proximity to a larger area, yet at the same time, I wonderful if we would feel less isolated if we lived in a "larger" small town that qualified for USDA, but was in close proximity to larger metropolitan areas. I'm wondering if in living in a "larger" small town we might feel less isolated. I envision my children and I would more easily meet people, and hopefully, make some good friends. I'm thinking making friends and connections might be easier if we were in the "heart" of a larger small town than on the outskirts of a larger area. I certainly welcome, and would appreciate, your thoughts on that idea.
Also, hiknapster, I'd be very interested in why you ultimately chose Knoxville over Chattanooga, if you don't mind sharing.
E. Tenn. holds many lures for me. I miss the lifestyle I enjoyed before moving to Chicago. I hiked nearly every weekend, ran through mountainish fire trails, enjoyed exquisite scenery. I want my children to have that experience, and I want it for myself.
I'm really looking forward to being in a wonderful, morally solid place to raise my children.
I'll throw-in my 2 cents! My wife and I are empty nesters and we live here in McMinn County - Athens is the county seat. The population is about 18,000 give-or-take, depending on how many of the dogs and cats you count and whether or not Tennessee Weslyan College is in session.
As that suggests, Athens is also something of a college town so it has that spin in addition to being just a great small-sized community all by itself! We moved here to the Great Tennessee Valley over 20 years ago (from Atlanta) and this is now "home". We've lived here in McMinn County for the past 12 years. The people are some of the nicest and most friendly folks you will ever find! You already experienced a little of that with the driving courtesy you received. Another interesting local phenomenon is the way folks wave at each other while driving their cars! And there are certain ways to do that - but that is another story.
As has already been mentioned, Athens is almost exactly halfway between Chattanooga and Knoxville - something a little under an hour will get you into each metro area. Also, both Atlanta and Nashville are about 2.5 hours away. Betweeen these four major cities, there's enough shopping, sports, and entertainment for just about anyone.
My wife works down toward Chattanooga and I work up toward Knoxville and I-75 is almost like a country drive - even during rush hour! Plus, we have cows grazing across the street.
As far as feeling comfortable here in Tennessee, it all depends on how you approach your new "digs". There will be something of a culture shock coming from Chicago (there was coming form Atlanta) but if you make the move with an open mind and look forward to a slower paced lifestyle, you will do just fine.
As for libraries, Athens does have what I would call a good local library. They moved into this new facility about 5 or 6 years ago and, altough they do not have the number of volumes you would find in a major metro facility, they do participate in a library exchange (not sure exactly what they call it) with all the libraries in this region (including Chattanooga). In other words, you can scan the index in Athens, which includes books from all over the region, and if you find something you want from Chattanooge, for instance, it will be delivered to Athens - at least this is the way I believe it works. I have never actually taken advantage of this so I am not sure of the exact details. Plus, there is a library at Tennessee Weslyan and a larger libray in Cleveland (about 18 miles down toward Chattanooga). Cleveland is also the home of Lee University and they too, have a fairly robust library.
All-in-all, we love this area and are very glad we moved here and have now become "naturalized" Tennesseans! In fact, we have our house up for sale but will be staying right here in this local area - that's how much we like it! Hope this helps - and I will be more than hapy to answer any questions you may mave about this area.
Good luck!
Hi Botts, thanks for the information on Tennessee. I have been living here in sunny hectic San Diego for about forty years. I will have to retire to a less hectic place. The more I read about Tennessee the more I want to move there. I was born and raised about a mile from the big muddy in Missouri so I know it is too cold there. I just might run into you someday. Ray
I apologize, addsubtract. I didn't notice your response until today.
As I said, we tried that, to a certain extent, and after we were here about three years we found it easier to make friends the closer we were to more population. YMMV
But that still dovetails into the question that I asked and has gone unanswered. Will you be needing jobs?
In fact, the very bottom line in choosing Knoxville over Chattanooga is jobs. My husband could get a job here.
I really wanted to move to Chattanooga because it had all of those exciting touristy things. In the end, I am really, really glad that I didn't. Knoxville has bloomed into this tiny little city that caters to its residents and is thriving.
And lastly, your question about networking is very telling, as in I can tell that you haven't been to Knoxville. It's very friendly. Better for networking than out in the smaller towns. I like to call it the city that thinks it is a town. To you it is definitely going to feel like a town. I'm from a town of 12,000 and it feels like a town to me!
Hey, Ray! I grew up in California and was also stationed there in the Navy - the last place being San Diego. We love it here in Tennessee and now call it "home". We also love the four seasons and here in the Tennessee Valley, we enjoy a long Spring and Fall, with a shorter Winter and Summer. It's certainly colder in the Winter than it is in most of California, but not really that bad.
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