Does Johnson City have lots of amemities? (rentals, school)

[rccrain]

When I think of true ministry it is meeting the basic needs of the community.

To get us back on topic, my favorite local amenities are the local parks, several local non-chain restaurants, and I guess what I would call a family friendly atmosphere.

Missing amenities include a proper zoo, ice skating, fresh seafood, and perhaps "bigtime" entertainment.

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by Whyrallnamestaken

Well I just have to put my 2 cents in!!

I think this is what OP meant: These are the amenities that are near my current location. I am considering moving or am moving to JC. What amenities do you have in JC? Anything similar to what I have here in so CA?

I know JC is not the same as any other place on earth. Trying not to be rude or crass.

Why not just help people with information instead of getting your P's in a bind? Or just don't answer.

I have been reading different threads on areas in Tennessee because I am considering moving when I retire. For some ridiculous reason, I seem to think that people in Tennessee are not very friendly. But, I could be wrong.

Have a good day!

These same questions get asked repeatedly. Anyone can Google and find out that there is no Trader Joe's, Costco, Whole Foods, etc., in Johnson City. That's not saying there never will be, and if these stores come to upper east TN, it will be in/around Johnson City, not Kingsport or Bristol. I've seen reports where certain national chains/brands simply will not locate in this area due to the low population density, low incomes, or any other number of factors.

I have no idea what those restaurants are, but if anyone is looking for the same level of amenities in a town of 65,000 hours away from any major city that they would find in one of the most populated metros in the country, they're going to be sorely disappointed if they don't adjust expectations to the area.

[cooldiver]

Originally Posted by Serious Conversation

These same questions get asked repeatedly. Anyone can Google and find out that there is no Trader Joe's, Costco, Whole Foods, etc., in Johnson City. That's not saying there never will be, and if these stores come to upper east TN, it will be in/around Johnson City, not Kingsport or Bristol. I've seen reports where certain national chains/brands simply will not locate in this area due to the low population density, low incomes, or any other number of factors.

Of course anything new to the area will go into Johnson City first. Just like Publix did.

[history99]

Originally Posted by DubbleT

No Vons and have not heard of the restaurants you mention. We have our own regional grocery called Food City, and Aldi, Kroger, and some smaller groceries like Food Lion.
If you are looking for specific chains or types of restaurants I'd just pick a random central street in JC (maybe N Roan st) and use google maps "search nearby function" and plug in 'greek restaurants' or "Dicks Sporting Goods" or whatever.
As far as traffic I guess it's all in what you are used to? It's pretty much nothing compared to where I used to live, but it can sometimes see congestion in some areas, nothing really bad though.
Where my daughter lives in JC I don't think she's more than 5-10 minutes from just about anything she could need, the mall, groceries, several shopping centers, the hospital, university, downtown restaurants, etc.

Thank you!

[history99]

Originally Posted by Rangerred

Johnson City is fairly compact and you can be anywhere in the city in 10 minutes or less. As it is the commercial/medical/economic hub of the region, their are plenty of amenities. There is a Target along with your typical department stores like JC Penney, Kohls, and Belk (similar to Dillards). The mall is actually thriving and you can check out those stores here:The Mall at Johnson City | Johnson City, TN Shopping Center.

In addition to the grocery stores DubbleT mentioned there is an Earth Fare (kind of Whole Foods-ish) and The Fresh Market. The closest Trader Joe's is 60 minutes away in Asheville. Costco is 90+ minutes in Knoxville or 2 hours in Spartanburg.

The restaurant choices are very wide-ranging. JC is a college town so you have a younger, more diverse population leading to quite a variety of places to eat. Plenty of chains here but also some very good local places. Yelp and Trip Advisor will give you an idea of the variety.

Thank you!

[history99]

Originally Posted by Serious Conversation

I'm truly trying not to be rude or crass, but no, Johnson City doesn't have the amenities of somewhere like southern CA, but why would you expect it to?

Johnson City is a college town of about 65,000 at least two hours away from any other metro of more than a million people. It is basically the shopping, dining, and cultural hub of the immediate area, and has a university with about 15,000 students. The university gives the town extra diversity and more amenities (plays, college sports, educational activities) than many towns this size. There is a minor league baseball team, several nice gyms, an orchestra (I think..), a level 1 trauma center, a surprisingly good ethnic dining scene for a town its size (Indian, Thai, German, Vietnamese, Middle Eastern, numerous Mexican/Chinese/Japanese options), good "local eats" (Southern style cooking, BBQ, several quality local pizza options), the area's only healthy mall and more upscale offerings.

The nearest Costco and Whole Foods on the west side of Knoxville, TN, which is about two hours away. Greenville, SC is a little bit further and has both as well. JC has two stores called Earthfare and Fresh Market, which are similar. JC does have Target, but is not a Super Target, so very limited grocery selection and no optical dept.

JC is much less congested than Brentwood, but also less affluent and is not a suburb of a major city. The amenities are far less congestion, greatly reduced cost of living, mild four season climate, and far less taxation/government intrusion.

It sounds to me like you need to do considerably more research. You will not easily be able to emulate a southern CA lifestyle here.

Thank you for the information. It's very helpful. I didn't "expect" anything, that's why I am on this forum asking questions. I didn't see any rules that said people were supposed to do research before they came on here and asked questions. Furthermore, I feel like my questions are objective and inoffensive. I am not trying to recreate southern California anywhere, just trying to find out what JC is like in comparison to what I am used to.

[history99]

Originally Posted by Ted Bear

The Good: Medical, University, Environment (Mountains, Lakes) (except people burn out of doors...anything from wet wood to the old couch--moving here from any progressive area you will find this disgusting), Symphony, Local Music (Bluegrass, Country, Jazz), Theater, highways, traffic (none), Pals.


The Bad: Every Fast Food crap known to mankind, Grocery stores, Ethnic Foods,


The Ugly: Super Right Wing Conservatives (think anti abortion, church, Confederate Flag in pickup trucks, ethnic discrimination, gay rights--there was a movement last year to oppose The US Constitutional Guarantee of gay marriage---failed by a technicality)

Thank you

[history99]

Originally Posted by Whyrallnamestaken

Well I just have to put my 2 cents in!!

I think this is what OP meant: These are the amenities that are near my current location. I am considering moving or am moving to JC. What amenities do you have in JC? Anything similar to what I have here in so CA?

I know JC is not the same as any other place on earth. Trying not to be rude or crass.

Why not just help people with information instead of getting your P's in a bind? Or just don't answer.

I have been reading different threads on areas in Tennessee because I am considering moving when I retire. For some ridiculous reason, I seem to think that people in Tennessee are not very friendly. But, I could be wrong.

Have a good day!

Ha, ha! I appreciate your reply and your humor. People do seem to get easily offended on here. And I honestly try to be very diplomatic and just state the facts without any opinion when I ask the initial question. I don't want to offend anybody. I'm not saying that SoCal is better or worse than anywhere. I haven't lived anywhere else. I don't want to turn anywhere else into SoCal, either.


Thanks and Have a good day!

[history99]

Originally Posted by rccrain

When I think of true ministry it is meeting the basic needs of the community.

To get us back on topic, my favorite local amenities are the local parks, several local non-chain restaurants, and I guess what I would call a family friendly atmosphere.

Missing amenities include a proper zoo, ice skating, fresh seafood, and perhaps "bigtime" entertainment.

Thanks!

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by history99

Thank you for the information. It's very helpful. I didn't "expect" anything, that's why I am on this forum asking questions. I didn't see any rules that said people were supposed to do research before they came on here and asked questions. Furthermore, I feel like my questions are objective and inoffensive. I am not trying to recreate southern California anywhere, just trying to find out what JC is like in comparison to what I am used to.

Part of the thing to keep in mind is that this is a small area overall compared to any major metro, it's isolated and spread out, and the three Tri-Cities do not cooperate much on development. Kingsport, Johnson City, and Bristol have a lot of "redundant amenities," although most people on this board, myself included, think JC is a clear cut above the rest. The population of the "greater area" is about half a million, but due to how spread out it is and issues with the local governments cooperating, it feels much smaller.

I just moved back here from a wealthy suburban county - think OC with bad weather. JC is the closest you can get to that here in upper east TN, but there is simply nowhere near the level of affluence, depth of amenities (we have one Indian restaurant - you might have ten in short range of you there - that type of thing). It has been an adjustment for me - lots of grocery items in particular simply aren't available. You'll learn to love Amazon.

It's certainly worth a visit, but you won't be able to match everything up.