Need some infomation on the Bristol, Va area (Abingdon, Bluefield: sales, crime rate)

[dolamiti]

Hello all,
I've been all over the net, We have checked out Marysville, Knoxville, Johnson City and now we're thinking of the Bristol area. My wife grew up there when she was quite young. How's the Va side vs the Tn side. Any information would be appreciated home prices, property taxes, stuff like that.
Ron

[pioneer8]

Hi there. I just want to tell you not to feel slighted if no one answers this post. I asked the same question about three weeks a go and it seems not very many members are familiar with the Bristol area. The last time I was in the area was about three years ago. Abingdon, the city about 20 mins north of there, is a quaint little spot. I've spent only a brief time in Bristol. I'm sorry, but I only have information that I have gotten from books and websites- nothing firsthand. I hope someone will respond here, as we are interested in more firsthand knowledge of the area as well. Good Luck to you!

[Tammidove]

Hi, I grew up in Chilhowie, VA... not too far from Bristol. I loved the area. If you want small town life with a small commute to work you might think of there to settle. Land is priced great and the population is very small. Great school system... in fact i went to school with a lady who is now a teacher there. But Bristol itself is very nice. I like the VA side but not much difference. If you want to live near more and be only a few minutes away from everything then you would want to stay in town. If you have any specific questions, I have a friend who lives there.

[phattylin]

hey i live in richlands va about an hour from bristol, i go to bristol alot visting friends. I think it is a very nice place with lots of wonderful friendly people.The va vs tn is that taxes in tn are alot higher than the va side, food tax, property tax, all taxes. If you have not already moved i wish you the best of luck.

[Kpt.]

dolamiti; You may want to post on the TN forum as well as the VA forum for information on Bristol. Bristol is a "twin city" on the border. Sales tax is higher in TN but TN has no income tax, so the tax situation is a little complicated. There is a large shopping center located on the VA side near I-81 Exit 7 where shoppers can take advantage of the lower sales tax. You may want to check with realtors to see what is available on both sides and factor in the impact of taxes for your situation.

[scooterbugs25]

Originally Posted by phattylin

hey i live in richlands va about an hour from bristol, i go to bristol alot visting friends. I think it is a very nice place with lots of wonderful friendly people.The va vs tn is that taxes in tn are alot higher than the va side, food tax, property tax, all taxes. If you have not already moved i wish you the best of luck.

Hello there, Not to highjack this thread but i thought it was neat there is someone else here from Richlands.. I am in Doran!

P.s. Cant wait to MOVE OUT OF HERE!!!

[GypsySunrise]

This thread is a little old, but I thought i'd reply anyway. I think Bristol is a great place for someone to consider. It's close to everything - Johnson City, Kingsport - but still "Country", ya know?

I almost wish I moved to Bristol when I moved here 3 years ago...
Instead, I moved to the Richlands area. I go to Bristol about any time I get a chance.

If you want to talk to more locals, and get a better idea of what the area is like, check out a local MSN group called "SWVA Locals".

swvalocals : SWVA_Locals

[KewGee]

Originally Posted by phattylin

hey i live in richlands va about an hour from bristol, i go to bristol alot visting friends. I think it is a very nice place with lots of wonderful friendly people.The va vs tn is that taxes in tn are alot higher than the va side, food tax, property tax, all taxes. If you have not already moved i wish you the best of luck.

Tennessee doesn't have a state income tax though and Virginia does. I guess it all equals out.

I am interested in Richlands. Do you get bad flooding there?

[sleepfortheteam]

Originally Posted by KewGee

Tennessee doesn't have a state income tax though and Virginia does. I guess it all equals out.

I am interested in Richlands. Do you get bad flooding there?

KewGee, no, Richlands doesn't have too many flooding problems, at least not compared to some surrounding towns. A flood that does any kind of damage may come along every 5-10 years, and the damage is minimal at that.

Richlands has its ups and downs. On the plus side, it's one of the largest towns in southwest va. The town itself has about 5-6,000. When you include the adjacent towns of Cedar Bluff, Claypool Hill, and Raven the population shoots up to 10,000+. Richlands, Cedar Bluff, Claypool Hill and Raven are all served by Richlands High School so it's all considered the same area. It's about an hour from Bluefield, WV and Bristol, TN, which have plenty (by plenty I mean more the other area towns) of shopping and things of the like. However, Richlands does have a little commercial side, too. The Claypool Hill Mall is nearby which has a decent movie theatre and a department store or two. Richlands is more known for its industry, mainly with the coal mines, which there is a plethora of jobs in that field. Also, the school system isn't too bad. RHS has decent academics and above average athletics (state champion football team) and other extracurricular activities. Also, Southwest Virginia Community College is in town which has an enrollemnt of 2-3,000.

On the downside, it has the same problems and any other town in the area: Low average income, high unemployment rate, and somewhat of a narcotics problem. However, the crime rate has been dropping of the last 5 years or so.

When looking for a place to live in SWVA Richlands is no worse than any other town, but not much better either.

[tratom]

Originally Posted by dolamiti

Hello all,
I've been all over the net, We have checked out Marysville, Knoxville, Johnson City and now we're thinking of the Bristol area. My wife grew up there when she was quite young. How's the Va side vs the Tn side. Any information would be appreciated home prices, property taxes, stuff like that.
Ron

I just got back from Bristol, unfortunately for a death in the family. It is a great place. My mom lived there for almost 17 years. My youngest sister went to High School there. It is a great little country town to live in. There are so many nice towns around too to visit but Bristol is quiet enough. The poeple there are so nice and friendly. My mom had a lot of friends there and was so well known in the community that any other info you need, I could get for you.