Please help. Need advice on where to live in Johnson City area. (Kingsport: home, neighborhood)

[queenladybug817]

Originally Posted by DaveinMtAiry

Is Cherokee Rd in the city of JC? That will result in higher city tax but if I'm not mistaken that is offset by lower water bills right?

Depends on how far out on Cherokee Road you go.

[DaveinMtAiry]

Originally Posted by queenladybug817

Depends on how far out on Cherokee Road you go.

Thanks. Is it true that it's kind of a trade off, lower taxes means higher utilities.

On another note is the Red Zone Channel available through the cable company? Anyone? I didn't see it in the listings of what was it Cox Cable?

[queenladybug817]

I'm not certain who services outside the city, but we have Charter here in my area of town. According to the channel lineup I looked at, RedZone SD and HD are both available at the Gold level package.

[kamoshika]

Originally Posted by DaveinMtAiry

Thanks. Is it true that it's kind of a trade off, lower taxes means higher utilities.

Yes, water & sewer rates are much higher outside JC city limits.

Regarding Cherokee Rd, the first 4 miles or so (south of 321/University Pkwy) are within the city but past Lone Oak Rd, most of the land between Cherokee & Greenwood Dr is outside the city. The city limits you see on this map appear to be accurate.

[Rangerred]

Thanks. Is it true that it's kind of a trade off, lower taxes means higher utilities.

Exactly. Although the higher utilities probably will be less than what city taxes would cost you. Keep in mind, though, you also have to factor higher homeowner's insurance due to the volunteer fire departments and longer drive times to get anywhere. Another factor is quality of life. Are you ok with your neighbor setting up a shooting range, burning trash, or bringing in a single-wide?

I guess what it boils down to is that in the unincorporated areas, there is lax zoning and very much a "do what you want with your property" attitude regardless of how it affects your neighbor. For example there are some nicer subdivisions such as this, but literally right down the street is this. IMO, it is worth paying more for the conveniences, quality of life, and more secure property values provided in the city.

[rccrain]

Many county properties are not on sewer, so the total WS&G bill would be lower in the county. Whether this is a positive or negative depends on how you feel about septic systems. One thing to consider is that the city will come by and pick up large "garbage" items for city residences. In Washington County, you have to take it to the landfill. It's still "free", but it's a major hassle if you can't find anyone to take "it" off your hands.

[DaveinMtAiry]

Originally Posted by queenladybug817

I'm not certain who services outside the city, but we have Charter here in my area of town. According to the channel lineup I looked at, RedZone SD and HD are both available at the Gold level package.

That what I meant, Charter not Cox. That's good to hear, thanks.

[Serious Conversation]

Not all county properties are not on sewer, at least in Kingsport. We lived off Fall Creek Road back in the 90s and sewer was being run in that community then. Part of the road near Warrior's Path has been annexed, but most of it isn't. Granted, most of the homes in this area are in subdivisions.

I may be wrong here, but as far as I know when sewer comes into the neighborhood, each house has to pay an initial "tap fee" and that was well over a thousand bucks a decade ago.

On the flip side, virtually any problem with a septic tank is going to involve a backhoe at a minimum, so that's not doing to be cheap either. My parents' house was built in the 70s and has had two major septic issues in the last ten years or so. Both of those put together are probably more expensive than a tap fee + monthly sewer fees, not counting the hassle, and the fact that both have broken in the winter made it much worse.

[jabogitlu]

I may be wrong here, but as far as I know when sewer comes into the neighborhood, each house has to pay an initial "tap fee" and that was well over a thousand bucks a decade ago.

This definitely is a situation-by-situation type deal. Utility districts / cities / etc. may extend services under a special development agreement (e.g., affected property owners will pay XX percent of total agreed upon costs, divvied up either by quantity of lots or road frontage or other means), or may decide to foot the bill for extensions with each customer paying a tap fee as you mentioned. Or if the development is new, the developer may be footing the bill for utility extension (aka passing it onto the end consumer).

[DaveinMtAiry]

We live in a rural area of Maryland and have a well/septic. Sure there can be a big expense some day, but to date we have put in maybe $1,200 on the well in over 12 years. I'm thinking most people's water/sewer bills are more than $100 a year so I'm good with a well/septic system.