Considering move to Tri-City area - wonder about Elizabethton? (Johnson City: mortgage, home)

[CountryGirlSmeddums]

Originally Posted by Emigrations

If people want to believe that when they move somewhere, great, but it doesn't fill their stomachs or place a roof over their head. The last thing NE TN needs are fools moving on a hope and a prayer without a concrete plan. Sometimes things don't work out and people end up suffering. Our area can't support its own, much less people from far away without good jobs

Actually, both my husband & I have found jobs... full-time jobs, with decent pay. There are a lot more available jobs here than in Florida, where the economy has crashed lower than low, thanks to the space center folding. We have a roof over a heads... a good roof, that doesn't leak (unlike what we had in FL)... food in our cupboards... and good, stable jobs. We were suffering much more in Florida, where we couldn't find good, stable jobs, lived in a crappy, slum-lord house, and couldn't afford a/c in the summer or heat on the few cold weeks we had. We love this area! MOST of the people have been wonderful, kind, God-loving people, and we fit in here perfectly! This is our home now, and where we plan to be the rest of our lives! It's a great place!

The tax is higher, but there's no state income tax, and the cost of living is a bit lower than in FL.

Like the others checking this area out for a move, we also did our own checking. We visited the area before deciding. Then, we placed our resumes on Indeed.com, Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com, etc., and read the online classifieds of Johnson City Press. I had two job offers even before moving here, but since I wasn't able to start right away (within a couple days), had to pass on them, so I knew there was work for me. My husband was ready for a career change, and willing to do pretty much anything. He found good work within two weeks. Long hours in a factory, but it's still work.

This is a beautiful place to live! The air is fresh and clean, the mountains breathtaking, country life and small-city life all close by, and larger cities & attractions only a couple hours away! GOD has been good to us, leading us here and finding us a hometown to call ours!

[370z]

Originally Posted by CountryGirlSmeddums

Actually, both my husband & I have found jobs... full-time jobs, with decent pay. There are a lot more available jobs here than in Florida, where the economy has crashed lower than low, thanks to the space center folding. We have a roof over a heads... a good roof, that doesn't leak (unlike what we had in FL)... food in our cupboards... and good, stable jobs. We were suffering much more in Florida, where we couldn't find good, stable jobs, lived in a crappy, slum-lord house, and couldn't afford a/c in the summer or heat on the few cold weeks we had. We love this area! MOST of the people have been wonderful, kind, God-loving people, and we fit in here perfectly! This is our home now, and where we plan to be the rest of our lives! It's a great place!

The tax is higher, but there's no state income tax, and the cost of living is a bit lower than in FL.

Like the others checking this area out for a move, we also did our own checking. We visited the area before deciding. Then, we placed our resumes on Indeed.com, Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com, etc., and read the online classifieds of Johnson City Press. I had two job offers even before moving here, but since I wasn't able to start right away (within a couple days), had to pass on them, so I knew there was work for me. My husband was ready for a career change, and willing to do pretty much anything. He found good work within two weeks. Long hours in a factory, but it's still work.

This is a beautiful place to live! The air is fresh and clean, the mountains breathtaking, country life and small-city life all close by, and larger cities & attractions only a couple hours away! GOD has been good to us, leading us here and finding us a hometown to call ours!

Good for you. Glad to hear you both found jobs. And in 2 weeks, that's great! That's what has held us back from moving there. Everyone says not to move without a job. My husband does factory work so maybe he would have a wouldn't have such a hard time finding work. May I ask what type of work you do? And are you making over $10 an hour?

[CountryGirlSmeddums]

Originally Posted by 370z

Good for you. Glad to hear you both found jobs. And in 2 weeks, that's great! That's what has held us back from moving there. Everyone says not to move without a job. My husband does factory work so maybe he would have a wouldn't have such a hard time finding work. May I ask what type of work you do? And are you making over $10 an hour?

I've done medical front office work for over 16 yrs. There are a lot of hospitals, physician offices, clinics, etc. There are also some good temp services that I did a bit of work for, but I wanted something full-time and permanent. There are a few factories, but most of those go through Randstad or @Work temp services. The Home Shopping Network (HSN) has one of their warehouses in Piney Flats, and I know they are hiring right now because of the Christmas season. Food City & UPS are also both hiring. Piney Flats has an industrial area with quite a few businesses. A lot of the industrial businesses seem to work 12 hr shifts. I made $10 hr at the temp service, and that's with years of experience, and will make barely over that in the full-time job. My husband got started in at the factory at $11, and he's also had over 20 years of machinery experience. Since I haven't been here long, I don't know what the average pay is, but in Florida we were lucky to make even $8 hr.

There is work. You just have to do a lot of searching and be prepared to start out lower than what you might be used to. You could start out by contacting one of the temp services and get things started. Maybe they'd be able to get you & your husband set up and have jobs lined up for when you get here.

[370z]

Originally Posted by CountryGirlSmeddums

I've done medical front office work for over 16 yrs. There are a lot of hospitals, physician offices, clinics, etc. There are also some good temp services that I did a bit of work for, but I wanted something full-time and permanent. There are a few factories, but most of those go through Randstad or @Work temp services. The Home Shopping Network (HSN) has one of their warehouses in Piney Flats, and I know they are hiring right now because of the Christmas season. Food City & UPS are also both hiring. Piney Flats has an industrial area with quite a few businesses. A lot of the industrial businesses seem to work 12 hr shifts. I made $10 hr at the temp service, and that's with years of experience, and will make barely over that in the full-time job. My husband got started in at the factory at $11, and he's also had over 20 years of machinery experience. Since I haven't been here long, I don't know what the average pay is, but in Florida we were lucky to make even $8 hr.

There is work. You just have to do a lot of searching and be prepared to start out lower than what you might be used to. You could start out by contacting one of the temp services and get things started. Maybe they'd be able to get you & your husband set up and have jobs lined up for when you get here.

Thank you so much for the info. I've also done medical front office/billing for many years.

[CountryGirlSmeddums]

Originally Posted by 370z

Thank you so much for the info. I've also done medical front office/billing for many years.

Then you shouldn't have any problems, either!

You'll love it here!

[DaveinMtAiry]

I have read where the median family income in the area is somewhere around $35,000. I'm assuming many of those households pay a mortgage or rent.

As I said I'm looking at retiring down there in a decade or so. Do you guys think that this figure is accurate? Can we survive, with a home that's paid off, for around $30,000 (in today's dollars) from our 401 and SS? And what about part time work for retirees? I know it won't pay much but it will get me out of the house and put a few bucks in my pocket.

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by CountryGirlSmeddums

I've done medical front office work for over 16 yrs. There are a lot of hospitals, physician offices, clinics, etc. There are also some good temp services that I did a bit of work for, but I wanted something full-time and permanent. There are a few factories, but most of those go through Randstad or @Work temp services. The Home Shopping Network (HSN) has one of their warehouses in Piney Flats, and I know they are hiring right now because of the Christmas season. Food City & UPS are also both hiring. Piney Flats has an industrial area with quite a few businesses. A lot of the industrial businesses seem to work 12 hr shifts. I made $10 hr at the temp service, and that's with years of experience, and will make barely over that in the full-time job. My husband got started in at the factory at $11, and he's also had over 20 years of machinery experience. Since I haven't been here long, I don't know what the average pay is, but in Florida we were lucky to make even $8 hr.

There is work. You just have to do a lot of searching and be prepared to start out lower than what you might be used to. You could start out by contacting one of the temp services and get things started. Maybe they'd be able to get you & your husband set up and have jobs lined up for when you get here.

You're right - there is work, but $10-$11 jobs are not sufficient for a working family. That's like $45k for both of you if you're making $11/hr each. If you had a kid or two, two cars, rent, that $45k is barely going to cover the basics, if it will even do that. Two people might be able to scrape by on that, but you're going to be working poor at best.

That's not even an entry level wage for a professional. $10/hr jobs are for high school/college kids, people just reentering the labor force, etc. The fact that you find this low of a wage even mildly acceptable with so much experience shows how far this economy has fallen

[DubbleT]

Originally Posted by DaveinMtAiry

I have read where the median family income in the area is somewhere around $35,000. I'm assuming many of those households pay a mortgage or rent.

As I said I'm looking at retiring down there in a decade or so. Do you guys think that this figure is accurate? Can we survive, with a home that's paid off, for around $30,000 (in today's dollars) from our 401 and SS? And what about part time work for retirees? I know it won't pay much but it will get me out of the house and put a few bucks in my pocket.

Yes, 30k is very doable for the two of you if you don't have the expense of rent or mortgage.

[CountryGirlSmeddums]

Originally Posted by Emigrations

You're right - there is work, but $10-$11 jobs are not sufficient for a working family. That's like $45k for both of you if you're making $11/hr each. If you had a kid or two, two cars, rent, that $45k is barely going to cover the basics, if it will even do that. Two people might be able to scrape by on that, but you're going to be working poor at best.

That's not even an entry level wage for a professional. $10/hr jobs are for high school/college kids, people just reentering the labor force, etc. The fact that you find this low of a wage even mildly acceptable with so much experience shows how far this economy has fallen

Emigration, I'm very sorry you are having a rough time making a go of it. I do understand how rough things are. But, I also know that it is much worse elsewhere. This may not be an area for a high pay professional, but for the average person/worker, there is more work here and at a higher pay. For us $45k is more than what we are used to. We live within our means, take mini-vacations or "one-tank-adventures", and appreciate what we do have. The poorest people on earth are those that have only money.

Now, for the moderator, we may be getting off track. I don't mean to be making this personal. I only started posting on here to offer my experience as a newcomer to the area and offer any advice I can. I do love this area, and recommend living here! It would be nice if some big entrepreneurs would read about how wonderful it is and bring even more business in. If anyone knows any, please, welcome them here!

[DaveinMtAiry]

Originally Posted by DubbleT

Yes, 30k is very doable for the two of you if you don't have the expense of rent or mortgage.

Not according to the post above yours.

Countrygirl: no need to apologize as far as I'm concerned. I for one appreciate your comments as we may be in the same boat some day.