Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have never considered Kentucky. I have kin who live in Kentucky. They are from Northern Illinois, but moved to Kentucky. I don't know how to say this without pissing people off, but it seems like there's a lot of low class people in Kentucky. Obviously there are many exceptions. But whatever. It's just my impression that a majority of people who live in Kentucky are similar to my cousins, who, are sadly, low class.
Kentucky, geographically, is a beautiful state. Rolling hills, green, wooded, and around Lexington some stunning countryside. However, roughly east of Interstate 75, is the eastern area of Kentucky, and this area is pretty impoverished, and in my opinion, not an area to consider, unless you find it draws you there for some personal reason.
I too, have relatives in southeastern Kentucky, and my mother was born and raised there until she was 18, and left for Tennessee. Eastern Kentucky is beautiful, but a large majority of people there have very low paying jobs, and little opportunity for advancement, on the whole, so those who are educated move away, while those who "get stuck" in the cycle, stay. My mom could not wait to leave. She said it was "suffocating, and depressing."
Since coal has declined there, and with the rise of the prescription drug crisis, eastern KY is an area I'd not recommend focusing on. However, areas around Lexington and Louisville are very nice, and very desirable.
Good stuff. I think your theory about larger populations with 1 or 2 (preferably 2) holds water.
Yeah, if you visit smaller towns in Georgia, in the past say, 20 years or so, many have turned their downtowns into little cute tourist spots, with quaint shops and very cool historic buildings and overall great community infrastructure. The boom of the Atlanta area and population increase in GA since 1990 or so has helped these smaller counties and communities out.
If you take a drive from Athens, GA to the southwest to Macon, you'll see some incredibly beautiful countryside and some great small town communities. Same goes for NC.
I have never considered Kentucky. I have kin who live in Kentucky. They are from Northern Illinois, but moved to Kentucky. I don't know how to say this without pissing people off, but it seems like there's a lot of low class people in Kentucky. Obviously there are many exceptions. But whatever. It's just my impression that a majority of people who live in Kentucky are similar to my cousins, who, are sadly, low class.
Lexington and Louisville are wonderful cities. Lexington is one of the cleanest mid-sized cities I've ever been in. Louisville has a wonderful food, art, and music scene, and "funky" hip, urban vibe. These cities really fly under the radar nationally because of the stigma of being in Kentucky.
You also have the Cincinnati suburbs in northern KY. They're culturally different from the rest of KY, but are nice places in their own right.
With that said, I think a lot of your impressions of "low class" come from eastern KY. There is truth in those stereotypes, but there are many wonderful people in this area. Still, unless you have a specific reason to be there, it's hard to recommend much of anything east of 75.
Quote:
Originally Posted by edujop
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I will be going through it again more thoroughly. i just did a quick once-through, and it has much good information. Where I got the meth idea about Tennessee, namely, Eastern TN, is something I heard or a read about venturing outside of Knoxville. It was like an NPR program or something, and apparently once you get outside of Knoxville it the people get sketchy. Now I will probably get angry replies from people who live in the Knoxville area, and no doubt "sketchy" will be put in quotation marks.
I also think this is true.
JJBradley and I are from the same area in east TN. Drug abuse, largely meth and opiates, are huge problems in the small towns and rural areas of east TN. There is simply no way around that.
I live in Johnson City, am from Kingsport, and am in each of the Tri-Cities at least once a week. I would say the worst of the drug problems are in Kingsport and Bristol, and largely among working class to poor residents. Drugs aren't really noticeable in Johnson City. Bristol is smaller and has never had the larger corporate base that Kingsport has or the more diverse economy of Johnson City. Still, if you're living in the city or Washington/Sullivan Counties, the drug problem is largely avoidable if you don't run with the wrong crowd.
A lot of people who are thinking about relocating to east TN from other areas think cities would have more crime and the rural areas would have less. It's actually the other way around. With the exception of occasional rough neighborhoods, the cities tend to be safer with less drug problems than very small towns or rural areas. Random violent crime anywhere in east TN is very low, but property crime, especially in rural areas, is very high. That largely boils back to druggies committing property crime, or people looking for drugs/money to buy drugs. Domestic crime is pretty high. County schools are generally lousy. City schools are much better.
There are counties here with a lot of problems I'd never consider living in. You couldn't pay me enough to live in Hawkins or Cocke counties. Hawkins and Cocke are particularly notorious for crime. Also, keep in mind that the more rural you get - the fewer services you have. There's a section of highway from around Bean Station, TN to the KY border that has no cell reception, even with Verizon. You may not have municipal water, cell service, or broadband internet. Medical care in the small towns isn't very good.
If I was not a native to this part of Tennessee, I'd definitely look closer to Knoxville. Knoxville has more amenities and is in a better location. You can still live in a rural area and be within thirty minutes of most of the attractions in Knoxville. The Tri-Cities is very isolated. If you've lived in a larger area, there are a lot of limitations living here. Johnson City is nice and close to Asheville. I'd be very hesitant to recommend anything but Johnson City/Gray/Jonesborough to an outsider. Some of the Cumberland Plateau communities (Cookeville, Monterey, etc.) are also worth a look.
Last edited by Serious Conversation; 10-08-2018 at 08:22 AM..
Half Backs, that is hilarious. I have family in Fort Meyers. I would NEVER live down there. Yes, flat, and extremely muggy. Plus the feeling of being trapped with no where to escape to, except Northward. I too like Northern Florida, but it's just a tad too far. I am traveling with a bunch of cats, and the sooner i can get there the better. That's why TN is top on my list. It is one of the first Southern States I reach. I am comfortable with the idea of living in TN. I wish I could articulate why I am comfortable with it. I guess because it ISN'T Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, or West Virginia, four states I am not comfortable with.
There isn’t a bit of difference between TN and northern AL.
I notice this same attitude from some people who move to the western FL panhandle, instead of choosing the neighboring county in AL. Baldwin County, AL is much nicer, has better schools, lower crime, and lower taxes, yet those people just can’t make themselves live in Alabama. People are such sheep.
As far as the overall "best state to live" in the South, it's North Carolina hands down IMO.
NC has a bit of everything. The western part of the state is heavily forested and mountainous. You have much cooler temperatures in the summer, and there are several ski resorts. The eastern side has beaches. NC has multiple significant metros - Charlotte, the Triangle, the Triad, and various smaller areas. It's probably the most varied Southern state. I took a long weekend to Raleigh over July 4 and loved it.
SC is a lot like NC on a smaller scale of everything. Greenville is my favorite city in the South. Columbia and Charleston are both great places too.
The areas of VA that are culturally Southern are pretty rural with a tough economy. Outside of Atlanta, GA is mostly just small towns and too rural for me. I've heard good things about Huntsville and Birmingham.
The action in TN is mostly between Knoxville and Nashville. West TN is rural and is not that appealing. East TN has appeal from a recreation/outdoors standpoint, but again, it's a very tough economy.
My goal is to settle in NC or SC over the next year or two.
There isn’t a bit of difference between TN and northern AL.
I notice this same attitude from some people who move to the western FL panhandle, instead of choosing the neighboring county in AL. Baldwin County, AL is much nicer, has better schools, lower crime, and lower taxes, yet those people just can’t make themselves live in Alabama. People are such sheep.
That has always mystified me a bit too, as if some imaginary line somehow alters the quality of life between two spots twenty miles apart.
State boundaries make a few differences, taxes mostly, but most people live locally.
Big deal that NC has coastal beaches and TN doesn't, I can be at those same beaches with an extra thirty minutes of driving, state lines don't make a difference.
NC has lots of nice cities? Does that really make a difference since a person can only live in one of those cities at a time? It's not like I'm somehow restricted from visiting other nice cities just because I don't live in the state they're located in.
This state or that state is wealthier, better educated, has more doctors, whatever, for most people that only makes a difference on a personal level depending on the city and neighborhood you actually live in. If I eke out a modest living and find myself in a marginal neighborhood it doesn't make a bit of difference to me if I live in a wealthy state.
As far as the overall "best state to live" in the South, it's North Carolina hands down IMO.
NC has a bit of everything. The western part of the state is heavily forested and mountainous. You have much cooler temperatures in the summer, and there are several ski resorts. The eastern side has beaches. NC has multiple significant metros - Charlotte, the Triangle, the Triad, and various smaller areas. It's probably the most varied Southern state. I took a long weekend to Raleigh over July 4 and loved it.
SC is a lot like NC on a smaller scale of everything. Greenville is my favorite city in the South. Columbia and Charleston are both great places too.
The areas of VA that are culturally Southern are pretty rural with a tough economy. Outside of Atlanta, GA is mostly just small towns and too rural for me. I've heard good things about Huntsville and Birmingham.
The action in TN is mostly between Knoxville and Nashville. West TN is rural and is not that appealing. East TN has appeal from a recreation/outdoors standpoint, but again, it's a very tough economy.
My goal is to settle in NC or SC over the next year or two.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
