Family of 4 Considering a Move to the Area

[mrslu]

Thank you all so much! This is so helpful... And great points about buying in Kingsport vs JC for resell.

[mrslu]

Serious Conversation- Thank you again! We are in Williamson County, but we are in Spring Hill. We are not from here, and honestly, the affluent nature of the area is a bit obnoxious at times. We both grew up in small towns. We lived just outside St. Louis for five years, and the vibe of the people there was by far our favorite... down to earth, not pretentious or concerned with “keeping up with the Joneses” so to say. I’m not much a shopper, but I do like to have basic things to get to for kids clothes and things like that. It sounds like the JC mall would be adequate for that sort of thing. I want to be able to take the kids to some of the things I originally mentioned, but since those would be once a month activities, driving an hour would be manageable, I think.
Both of my kids do play sports, and that’s a good point to consider. All in all, we are ready for a change (we also hike we are a bit nomadic), and my 10 yr old son is dying to have a huge yard he could spend all day outside in! Thank you for your thoughtful responses, they are very helpful in my thought process of working this all out.

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by mrslu

Serious Conversation- Thank you again! We are in Williamson County, but we are in Spring Hill. We are not from here, and honestly, the affluent nature of the area is a bit obnoxious at times. We both grew up in small towns. We lived just outside St. Louis for five years, and the vibe of the people there was by far our favorite... down to earth, not pretentious or concerned with “keeping up with the Joneses” so to say. I’m not much a shopper, but I do like to have basic things to get to for kids clothes and things like that. It sounds like the JC mall would be adequate for that sort of thing. I want to be able to take the kids to some of the things I originally mentioned, but since those would be once a month activities, driving an hour would be manageable, I think.
Both of my kids do play sports, and that’s a good point to consider. All in all, we are ready for a change (we also hike we are a bit nomadic), and my 10 yr old son is dying to have a huge yard he could spend all day outside in! Thank you for your thoughtful responses, they are very helpful in my thought process of working this all out.

The best thing about the area, by far, is the access to outdoor opportunities, mild to wild. Hiking, hunting, boating, fishing, biking/mountain biking, whitewater rafting (Nolichucky River). There are also two ski resorts (Beech and Sugar Mountain) in NC about an hour from JC.

I don't have kids, so I have no idea what the kids' sports scene is like, but if they are willing to replace some organized team sports with outdoors stuff, it should work fine.

Shopping in JC is fine for the essentials. The mall has a Penney's/Belk, as well as some teen retails like Hollister, American Eagle, and Aeropostale. There are two Super Walmarts, a Target, Sam's Club, two Krogers, multiple Food City (regional grocer), Aldi, Earthfare. If you need more, you can always go to Knoxville once a month or something.

Kingsport's mall went through a major renovation recently, but the previous owners ran it into the ground and it's barely hanging on. Kingsport is relatively underserved in retail compared to Johnson City, and even Bristol has blown past Kingsport in the retail/dining space over the last five years.

Kingsport has better parks in the immediate city, but other than that, Johnson City has way better access to more serious outdoor opportunities in Carter and Unicoi Counties, as well as all the amenities available in western NC.

I worked near downtown JC this summer, and I could be in the Cherokee National Forest from my office within ten minutes. I could take my Jeep and a sandwich, and eat offroad on Buffalo Mountain, and be back to my JC office in an hour. Kingsport, IMO, is more difficult to get around than Johnson City.

Look at homes above $350,000 in Kingsport and in Johnson City. I don't know what it is, but the Johnson City homes generally seem to be more updated. Many Kingsport homes in that price range (certainly not all) just seem to need a lot more updating. Many linger for months on the market with negligible price drops. You don't see as much of the "dated house sitting for months" in JC/Washington County.

Kingsport used to be the premiere city in the area, but it hitched its wagons to manufacturing, and that has gone downhill across much of the country. Kingsport is also the "big city" for a lot of very poor areas of southwest VA. The ironic thing is that the city is still chained to heavy industry, and the sights/smells of heavy industry, combined with the wealthier/educated/younger people moving to JC/Washington County, really work against Kingsport doing well.

Personally, I would probably do the commute if I was buying and trying to raise a family vs. living in Kingsport. Kingsport has tried various things to get out of its rut, but not much has seemed to stick and turned the tide to make it more desirable.

Here's an older thread about amenities and Kingsport.

//www.city-data.com/forum/kings...ion-needs.html

[rccrain]

I don't know if you're "lake people".

Just going to throw this out there but 5+ years ago the was a problem with Boone Dam. In the interest of public safety, TVA lowered Boone Lake (the area's busiest recreational lake) water levels to its natural level where it now looks like a small river. All the homes on Boone Lake took a huge hit in value. Repairs to the dam are expected to be complete in 2022. The opportunity presents itself to buy a $400k house now and have a $600k house when Boone Lake returns to its former glory.

The other lake in the area you are interested in is Patrick Henry Lake near Warriors Path State Park in Colonial Heights (37663). It is a small lake but the only one in the area that retains a steady water level year round. The state park is a treasure and also includes a nice 18 hole golf course.