Johnson City area vs Fayetteville, Ar area (living, best, cost)

[Recycledlettuce]

Anyone familiar with both? I am about to job search and settle down to have a family

[jabogitlu]

You'll need to visit. Fayetteville is growing much more quickly than Johnson City, and is home to the state's main university. ETSU in Johnson City is somewhat of an afterthought for the state's Board of Regents. (The flagship TBR school is University of Memphis.) ETSU was my undergrad and U of Memphis was my grad school - there is a stark difference in levels of funding.

Johnson City doesn't really have much to compare to Fayetteville's Square or Dickson Street. JC is just now beginning (very slowly) to revitalize its historic core and has lost (and continues to demolish) many structures in the downtown area. Not a whole lot of industry close by that compares to the Fayetteville area's Tyson and Wal-Mart, although Eastman (another Fortune 500) is based close to Johnson City.

Fayetteville is a little more geographically isolated, though not much. Johnson City is much closer to beaches, both cities have great access to beautiful mountainous/rugged terrain.

Maybe if you give some more specific ideas about what your lifestyle/interests are, we can give more recommendations?

[Beretta]

I am familiar with both but would need more info about you to make a recommendation.

[Recycledlettuce]

Originally Posted by Beretta

I am familiar with both but would need more info about you to make a recommendation.

I am mid-30's, currently living in Memphis. I have lived in AR as well, but not the Fayetteville area, though I have been there before. I have also been to East TN, but not Johnson City specifically. Both myself and my husband are in medical professions.

We were looking to relocate somewhere a little smaller and safer as well as somewhere with at least a slightly less humid summer climate. I know both JC and Fayetteville are warm in the summer, but it seems that JC might win in the humidity realm. Neither of us wants to live anywhere with a ton of snow, but some snow or cold weather is fine.

We both like outdoors activities - hiking, swimming, jogging. I also like taking a lot of different types of aerobics classes (dancing of any sort, bootcamp, step), so wherever I live would have to have at least a few of these offerings. I do like the ocean as well so being within driving distance is appealing to me.

Neither of us is big into shopping much. I do think Fayetteville seems to look to be the winner in having a bigger variety of restaurants. I also like to go to see plays now and then, but being within a few hours of a decent playhouse would be fine. We prob travel about 2 times/year via plane, so again nothing too frequent there.

We are also going to be first time homebuyers, so in some ways it seems that Fayetteville would be preferred due to the population growth/economy.

I've read a good bit about both areas... looking forward to a new adventure either way!

Thank you all for your replies thus far!

[Beretta]

Ok, that helps. I have to definitely recommend Fayetteville. I love my native TN but sadly I have to say that Fville gets my vote at present time. I will be glad to go into why if needed but you have a lot of it pegged in your post. Best of luck to you and your husband.

[rzrback1]

Sounds like a new adventure is in store for you! You are wise to get all the info you can, because relocation can sometimes change your life in profound and unexpected ways. I have lived in Fayetteville as a graduate student, but it has been almost 20 yrs ago, so my info is somewhat dated. My family and I currently reside in Kingsport. We relocated here 10+ yrs ago for employment with a large chemical enterprise. My post is more general about the local area and region. From my recollections and general knowledge, I would say that Fayetteville is more modern and "progressive" than any of the Tricities; it is the jewel of that region IMO and can be a fun place to live. The UA is more comprehensive than ETSU, but there is no medical campus (it's in LR); ETSU does have medical and pharmacy schools. As long as you can find employment in either locale, your requirements seem more general, all of which will probably be met by either city. Positives about East Tennessee include less humidity in the summer and less severe weather. We also have lower taxes by a sizeable margin, which can be important if you like to keep more of your paycheck! For entertainment, Johnson City has Freedom Hall, Greeneville TN has the NPAC, and Bristol has Viking Hall. The Barter theater in Abingdon VA (45 min drive) is the "state theater of VA" and puts on some nice performances year round. Housing is reasonable with good variety around JC including close proximity to TN's oldest town Jonesborough. Property taxes are low. If you like outdoor activities, it's hard to imagine another southern venue with more to offer than the Tricities and surrounding area. IMO the outdoor activities available here are more available and numerous in ET; including downhill snow skiing in the winter within 1-1.5 hours. If you look at the broader region surrounding each city, IMO Johnson City is the better location. Day trips to a variety of historic sites, the beach, and several large cities are easy to make. IMO the quality of life in the Southeastern US is better than the mid-south or mid-west (excepting the occasional hurricane). After having lived in this area for more than a decade now, I think a person would be hard pressed to find a location with a better balance of agreeable weather, a slower pace of life, low cost of living, available outdoor activities, and fabulous mountain scenery, all of which contribute to a great QUALITY of life. Best wishes in your relocation decision.

[Shakeesha]

Originally Posted by rzrback1

Sounds like a new adventure is in store for you! You are wise to get all the info you can, because relocation can sometimes change your life in profound and unexpected ways. I have lived in Fayetteville as a graduate student, but it has been almost 20 yrs ago, so my info is somewhat dated. My family and I currently reside in Kingsport. We relocated here 10+ yrs ago for employment with a large chemical enterprise. My post is more general about the local area and region. From my recollections and general knowledge, I would say that Fayetteville is more modern and "progressive" than any of the Tricities; it is the jewel of that region IMO and can be a fun place to live. The UA is more comprehensive than ETSU, but there is no medical campus (it's in LR); ETSU does have medical and pharmacy schools. As long as you can find employment in either locale, your requirements seem more general, all of which will probably be met by either city. Positives about East Tennessee include less humidity in the summer and less severe weather. We also have lower taxes by a sizeable margin, which can be important if you like to keep more of your paycheck! For entertainment, Johnson City has Freedom Hall, Greeneville TN has the NPAC, and Bristol has Viking Hall. The Barter theater in Abingdon VA (45 min drive) is the "state theater of VA" and puts on some nice performances year round. Housing is reasonable with good variety around JC including close proximity to TN's oldest town Jonesborough. Property taxes are low. If you like outdoor activities, it's hard to imagine another southern venue with more to offer than the Tricities and surrounding area. IMO the outdoor activities available here are more available and numerous in ET; including downhill snow skiing in the winter within 1-1.5 hours. If you look at the broader region surrounding each city, IMO Johnson City is the better location. Day trips to a variety of historic sites, the beach, and several large cities are easy to make. IMO the quality of life in the Southeastern US is better than the mid-south or mid-west (excepting the occasional hurricane). After having lived in this area for more than a decade now, I think a person would be hard pressed to find a location with a better balance of agreeable weather, a slower pace of life, low cost of living, available outdoor activities, and fabulous mountain scenery, all of which contribute to a great QUALITY of life. Best wishes in your relocation decision.

Johnson City would be my choice. You are minutes away from Asheville, NC, Knoxville, TN, Greenville, SC, and Charlotte, NC etc. You'll be a little more isolated in Fayetteville.