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I grew up in Asheville, NC (sister is still there), I'm now retired from the military and need to set down roots. I was 99.99999 sure I was going to go to TN (my mom lives there), mainly due to low cost of housing, but I've found that there aren't many jobs there (especially for retired military).
I spent the weekend with my granny, in Chesnee, SC near Spartanburg. She has a really large house that didn't cost too much. I'm wondering what the jobs are like down in Western SC? How's the WX, only thing I know about SC is that it's hot like the dickens.
Anywho, thanks for any input. I've been married to a great asian lady for 20 years now and from what I"ve been told, that may be a problem if I move back home. We've been on the west coast for nearly 16 years and there are ton's of asians, so I've not really thought about the situation much until now.
I liked the looks of SC and the useable land that most people have for yards and what not, I'd just like a place that you can make a decent living, not get into any trouble or get picked on if I keep real quiet like and I can live out my old (now 40) age ;-)
Depends on where you are talking about in TN. I am currently in Kingsport, (Tricities area with my husband) and we HATE it. People are nice....area is nice..but the job market is not nice at all. In fact, it's downright mean. I should add that we are living in a part of Kingsport that should be condemned: high crime, blatant drug deals in the clear, blue light of day. Nothing like waking up in the morning, opening a window for fresh air and seeing four or five cops on alert downstairs, guns drawned, and another cop with a loaded shot gun right under my window. For as long as I live I will never forget that image. I grew up between Florida and NJ--and not the nicer parts of Jersey, and though crime was not a joke there, when I called cops in NJ, I got a response. Each time I would call the cops here to tell them of drug deals going on at the very moment, guess what happened? NOTHING. Add on the fact that I was not able to find a teaching job because I was not "From around here". True story. I was passed up again and again because I didn't attend a local university and because I "spoke too fast".
Again, nice people for the most part, but growth is slow, if at all, and if you are looking into the tricities area, be very careful..and avoid stinky, smelly Kingsport at all costs.
South Carolina. The Upstate has plenty of jobs and relatively cheap housing compared to surrounding areas.
Weather in SC varies from region to region, but generally its a cool/mild winter, and hot summers. The hottest parts are only for a couple of months, the rest of the year is great.
Since you're familiar with the Upstate, I'd go with Spartanburg or Greenville.
Depends on where you are talking about in TN. I am currently in Kingsport, (Tricities area with my husband) and we HATE it. People are nice....area is nice..but the job market is not nice at all. In fact, it's downright mean. I should add that we are living in a part of Kingsport that should be condemned: high crime, blatant drug deals in the clear, blue light of day. Nothing like waking up in the morning, opening a window for fresh air and seeing four or five cops on alert downstairs, guns drawned, and another cop with a loaded shot gun right under my window. For as long as I live I will never forget that image. I grew up between Florida and NJ--and not the nicer parts of Jersey, and though crime was not a joke there, when I called cops in NJ, I got a response. Each time I would call the cops here to tell them of drug deals going on at the very moment, guess what happened? NOTHING. Add on the fact that I was not able to find a teaching job because I was not "From around here". True story. I was passed up again and again because I didn't attend a local university and because I "spoke too fast".
Again, nice people for the most part, but growth is slow, if at all, and if you are looking into the tricities area, be very careful..and avoid stinky, smelly Kingsport at all costs.
Thanks for the feedback, I hear what you are saying. I tried to find a job there, admittedly, I didn't give it a whole lot of time as I was also seeking other jobs elsewhere. But the feedback that I received was that since I was finishing my BA in History I would become a history teacher and that since I was military I would not fit in with the locals. Needless to say I didn't get the jobs I applied with and was frankly discouraged from looking too much longer. My mom is in Tn and it seems like a really, really nice place. The economy doesn't seem all that hot though, that's too bad, jobs are needed in order to live, even in a nice place like TN.
Asheville is a great town, a little to hippie for me though (weird seeing hippies in NC). Anyway, the reason that I'm not really considering Asheville is for the cost of living, way to expensive to live. The wage scale doesn't support the home price though.
South Carolina seems nice, Hot, but nice. My granny just left Asheville and bought a home for cash in Chesnee, SC with money left over from her NC sale. If I thought that I could find a decent paying job $35k to $50k per year in SC, I would seriously consider moving there. I'd like to be able to buy a mid sized brick ranch on 2.5 to 10 acre spread of useable land for less than $150k, I know I'm dreaming but that's what I'd like to find.
What kind of jobs are to be had in SC? I'm retired military, supervisor, crane operator, forklift, ship driver, truck driver, Admin/Supply/Safety officer. I just recently started a operations manager job with Norfolk Southern railroad, I'm hoping that I can get transfered to Greenville, SC. But if not I can always get a new job in SC, assuming that I can find one there.
With some sort of skill, you should be able to find a job pretty quickly in the 30-35,000 range.
Also, it may not be too far fetched to find what you're looking for in a home. If you're willing to drive 20-30 minutes into Greenville, you could find 2 acres in the 25,000 range which would leave you 125,000 for a home. That should get you a small 1200 sqft ranch and maybe you give up the brick? Anyway, trying to illustrate that it could be done with a few compromises.
I've seen you post in the past, which area is the best compromise as far as jobs, commute time, economic outlook, etc. There are several small towns around Greenville/Spartanburg, but I want to be careful about moving to too small of a town. A larger town is easier to blend into if you are from outside the area.
Tony1790
p.s. What's the best place to look for jobs in the area (online sources)
Thanks for the feedback, I hear what you are saying. I tried to find a job there, admittedly, I didn't give it a whole lot of time as I was also seeking other jobs elsewhere. But the feedback that I received was that since I was finishing my BA in History I would become a history teacher and that since I was military I would not fit in with the locals. Needless to say I didn't get the jobs I applied with and was frankly discouraged from looking too much longer. My mom is in Tn and it seems like a really, really nice place. The economy doesn't seem all that hot though, that's too bad, jobs are needed in order to live, even in a nice place like TN.
Asheville is a great town, a little to hippie for me though (weird seeing hippies in NC). Anyway, the reason that I'm not really considering Asheville is for the cost of living, way to expensive to live. The wage scale doesn't support the home price though.
South Carolina seems nice, Hot, but nice. My granny just left Asheville and bought a home for cash in Chesnee, SC with money left over from her NC sale. If I thought that I could find a decent paying job $35k to $50k per year in SC, I would seriously consider moving there. I'd like to be able to buy a mid sized brick ranch on 2.5 to 10 acre spread of useable land for less than $150k, I know I'm dreaming but that's what I'd like to find.
What kind of jobs are to be had in SC? I'm retired military, supervisor, crane operator, forklift, ship driver, truck driver, Admin/Supply/Safety officer. I just recently started a operations manager job with Norfolk Southern railroad, I'm hoping that I can get transfered to Greenville, SC. But if not I can always get a new job in SC, assuming that I can find one there.
Anyway, it's late and I'm starting to ramble.
Tony
You will be able to find work in SC, I am sure. Although, I am a teacher, and I am only speaking from my experience with finding teaching work. I struggled all summer to find teaching work in Eastern TN, and even in other areas. Within ONE week of posting my application the CERRA (South Carolina Teacher Application system), I had so many calls that I couldn't respond to them all. In fact, I am still getting calls from schools. I have had calls from backwoods areas, from Florence, from Colombia, etc.
I really have disdain for Eastern TN in regards to how I was treated as a teacher. I was treated like a freakish outsider simply because my education was from "up north". The small towns in this area didn't want to hire me because I was not a "local". During one interview, a principal asked why I hadn't been to his church? When I said that I was not from the general area, he responded by asking me what church I belonged to. When I told him that I didn't think I had to answer that, as it had no bearing on my performance as a teacher, he ended the interview abruptly by saying--"Well, then, if you don't have any questions, I would like to conclude this interview now."
I am trying not let a few bad apples spoil the entire barrel, but I would be lying if I said that it didn't leave a bad taste in my mouth about TN, because it has. The people, for the most part, have been kind and helpful. However, where jobs were concerned, Eastern TN is very reluctant to open their doors to "outsiders". Especially if the outsider has a northern accent. You can't sound any more northern than I do! My NJ accent sticks out like a sore thumb here.
I am impressed with the diversity of SC. I was warned by my landlord to "get rid of my Pennsylvania plates a.s.a.p.", because if I didn't, I would get a backlash because of where I am from. This scared me a little, especially since I had such a horrendous experience in TN.
Maybe I am being cavalier, but I don't think my northern roots will be as much of an issue in Easley and Greenville as it is in Eastern TN, and if it is, it certainly shouldn't be much worse than it is here for me.
You will be able to find work in SC, I am sure. Although, I am a teacher, and I am only speaking from my experience with finding teaching work. I struggled all summer to find teaching work in Eastern TN, and even in other areas. Within ONE week of posting my application the CERRA (South Carolina Teacher Application system), I had so many calls that I couldn't respond to them all. In fact, I am still getting calls from schools. I have had calls from backwoods areas, from Florence, from Colombia, etc.
I really have disdain for Eastern TN in regards to how I was treated as a teacher. I was treated like a freakish outsider simply because my education was from "up north". The small towns in this area didn't want to hire me because I was not a "local". During one interview, a principal asked why I hadn't been to his church? When I said that I was not from the general area, he responded by asking me what church I belonged to. When I told him that I didn't think I had to answer that, as it had no bearing on my performance as a teacher, he ended the interview abruptly by saying--"Well, then, if you don't have any questions, I would like to conclude this interview now."
I am trying not let a few bad apples spoil the entire barrel, but I would be lying if I said that it didn't leave a bad taste in my mouth about TN, because it has. The people, for the most part, have been kind and helpful. However, where jobs were concerned, Eastern TN is very reluctant to open their doors to "outsiders". Especially if the outsider has a northern accent. You can't sound any more northern than I do! My NJ accent sticks out like a sore thumb here.
I am impressed with the diversity of SC. I was warned by my landlord to "get rid of my Pennsylvania plates a.s.a.p.", because if I didn't, I would get a backlash because of where I am from. This scared me a little, especially since I had such a horrendous experience in TN.
Maybe I am being cavalier, but I don't think my northern roots will be as much of an issue in Easley and Greenville as it is in Eastern TN, and if it is, it certainly shouldn't be much worse than it is here for me.
That's terrible, but that's not the first time I've heard that about E. TN, I was told that since I was finishing my BA in History that I "was going to be a teacher". Not that anyone would get a degree in something that was interesting to them, just for the heck of it!
btw: How hard is it to get on with the school district as either a History teacher, substitute teacher or some other staff member at the school system? I'd love to have the summers off, even it means taking a little less pay for me.
That's terrible, but that's not the first time I've heard that about E. TN, I was told that since I was finishing my BA in History that I "was going to be a teacher". Not that anyone would get a degree in something that was interesting to them, just for the heck of it!
btw: How hard is it to get on with the school district as either a History teacher, substitute teacher or some other staff member at the school system? I'd love to have the summers off, even it means taking a little less pay for me.
Thanks for any info.
Tony
Tony:
Do you mean in SC or Eastern TN. It's hard in Eastern TN, unless you want to substitute...And if that's the case, the pay comes to about $7.00-$8:00 an hour. In SC, I would imagine that it would be extremely easy to find teaching work. As I said, the districts are still ringing my home. I had two more calls today! Schools are desperate to fill vacancies this late in the summer. I know that English/Language Arts positions are as plentiful as Math and Science. English teachers have slightly more job opportunities than History teachers, but with the school systems in such dire need in SC, I know that Social Studies and History would be in demand as well.
Put yourself out on the Cerra website. If you want information, private message me. There is also something called "alternative certification" in SC, if you don't have the proper certification to start as a teacher immediately.
Yes, Eastern TN is terrible. I was just told by my school here that I am forced to teach until next week. This place is miserable.
I realize this is a late response but I just saw your post. I am from Chesnee and I want to be the first to say that we would love to have you and your wife be a part of our community. We are a small town and sometimes it seems we are a zillion miles away from everything. But that is not true...we are only 40 minutes from Greenville, 20 minutes from Spartanburg, 20 minutes from Rutherfordton NC, 20 minutes from Gaffney SC, 30 minutes from Tryon, NC and Landrum SC. It is a small town and as in most small towns we are like family here...everyone knows everyone else. Yes you would be noticed in the beginning as a newcomer to town but that will not be held against you. The folks are friendly and quick to accept. As far as jobs are concerned, there is not much job opportunity in Chesnee. Our main industry was the cotton mills and that has been long gone. Most people here work in or near Spartanburg or Greenville. I know that the post office is taking retired military over civilians as employees around these parts. There is always jobs at the county offices and the school districts usually post jobs. There are several places to look for job postings in this area. E-mail me and I will send you a list of places to look at.
If it's quite country living you are looking for this is the place to be. If it is nightlife that you want to be near. Greenville or Spartanburg would be a better choice. (however when we need a night out...both towns are close enough to satisfy our need) However Chesnee does have several good restaurants to choose from. We don't roll up the streets at 11 pm but you would be hard pressed to find a traffic jam that time of night.
We are small town, with little growth and I think the plan to stay that way...you can bet that Wal-mart or any other large department store will not be building in Chesnee any time soon...but they are as close as 15 minutes away.
What is it like to live in Chesnee? You can't hardly make a quick trip to the Bi-lo (the only Grocery Store in town) because before you get down one isle you will meet 3 or 4 people that you know. You can bet you will have a conversation with someone before you leave the store. When you walk into the bank you are greeted by name. A visit to the local furniture stores and they will ask you about the last purchase you made and how the product is working out for you. After a couple of trips the guys at the auto parts store will remember the make and model of your car. We still have a service station that will pump the gas for you if you choose. Go to a little league ball game and it's like a being at a high school reunion. Being in the Bible belt there are plenty of churches to choose from. It sounds like Mayberry... but it's not we are not-a-perfect-little-section of the world...just a normal section. We have our problems as do most places.
As far as houses go there is not a lot of them on the market but there are a few. I can send you a list of places to look if you would like. There is a house on the market located about two miles out of town on hwy 11 that was built in the late 60's or early 70's that has app. 2 acres of land and is listed for 114,00 I think...of course there is also one across the road from there, that was built in 2000 that has almost an acre listing for 114,000. houses here range from 65,000 to 445,000. So its best to check out the MLS listing in the area. Land sales are from 5,000 to 32,000 an acre depending on the amount and where it's located. You can e-mail me if you like and I will give you as much info as I can....I am not a realtor...just an active person in the community. My mom has acreage for sale with a creek on it. She is asking 10,000 per acre with app. 10 acres. It's in the country with a view of the mountains.
I wish you well in your decision where to set down roots! If Chesnee is that decision we welcome you and your wife to our community. Check out these websites Chesnee South Carolina, www.chesneefestivals.net (broken link), Carolina Foothills Artisan Center, Chesnee South Carolina, is a non-profit venue for regional art, writing and hand-crafted items. for a tiny bit of info on Chesnee.
Omelia
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Tennessee VS SC in regards to "outsiders"
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