Thinking of relocating from Southern California to the Tri Cities area

[DaveinMtAiry]

Originally Posted by iagal

I'm also very interested in hearing about your trip

You probably don't want to hear what I thought of Kingsport.

Jonesborough was nice but it didn't take me long to conclude that the police are EVERYWHERE and a bit over the top. Trust me if it was a 30 MPH limit I went 30. I was talking to a guy in JC and he said his sister got a ticket for going 31. Sorry, this would be a factor. I'm a good boy but nobody wants John Law on your butt all day long.

We really need to come down and spend a week. I know there are a ton of things to do up in the mountains. But I wasn't there to check the parks and views, I was concentrating on everyday life and what it would be like, where we would live etc. So far my verdict was inconclussive. If TN was 100 miles from here and the groceries were a lot cheaper then it would be a done deal. But moving 7 hours away and giving up things that are important to us means you best LOVE the place and I just can't go that far yet.

[smpliving]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Always interesting to hear about other's impressions. I've done more sightseeing in the mountains and countryside between TN and NC, than exploring TC as a potential place to live, although its on my list of retirement options.

[patsfan1244]

Originally Posted by DaveinMtAiry

Hi everyone. I have just finished my first scouting day of Johnson City and thought I'd post my thoughts in case anyone was interested.

Just as I suspected the mountains here are HUGE, much bigger than the ones we see in Maryland. But what was surprising to me is how they are only visible from certain parts of town. I'm still trying to figure that one out.

You can sure buy a lot of house for the money here, again as expected. But I was very very disappointed to see that most everything else costs about the same as it does at home. I took a trip to the grocery store and went to items I buy regularly, specifically dog food, yogurt, hamburger. It was about the same and with the additional taxes actually more expensive.

Dinner out was a bit less expensive. If you have not tried it yet the pizza place Scratch was fantastic. I got a big, really realy good pizza cooked in a wood burning oven with 4 toppings for $15. At home a smaller pizza costs around $18. Gas costs less, beer about the same.

Again as expected, the people are just great. Surprised that the southern accents are not stronger, it feels more like central VA than the south here in that regard.

This was my first half day in JC. I'm off to Jonesborough, then up to Kingsport on my way up to Roanoake VA (another possible destination).

You should think about Gray. You just visit the good parts of all three cities.

[AppalachianAngler]

Originally Posted by DaveinMtAiry

Jonesborough was nice but it didn't take me long to conclude that the police are EVERYWHERE and a bit over the top. Trust me if it was a 30 MPH limit I went 30. I was talking to a guy in JC and he said his sister got a ticket for going 31. Sorry, this would be a factor. I'm a good boy but nobody wants John Law on your butt all day long.

This is spot in with regards to Jonesborough. Ever since I can remember growing up in Greeneville, it's notoriously been known as a speed trap.