Relocation/retirement suggestions (Johnson City, Bristol, Greeneville: sale, new house, neighborhood)

[Chowgirl]

Originally Posted by Jim37680

I am surprised that no one (except for SC, of course) hasn't mentioned this article. Interesting research by Jeff Flemming. https://www.timesnews.net/news/local...efe270370.html

Wow! Interesting. Thanks

[Chowgirl]

This may seem like a silly question
but, do you get enough rain that it is enough to keep your yards green? No sprinklers?

[VinceTheExplorer]

Originally Posted by Chowgirl

This may seem like a silly question
but, do you get enough rain that it is enough to keep your yards green? No sprinklers?

Well established yards in good condition will typically stay green from spring through fall with no sprinklers, then go dormant during the winter months and turn brown. We don't have sprinklers (most don't) but are considering adding some raised broadcast sprinkler heads next spring along our property lines as our yard is still young and not very well established yet. Like to give it a little help to become established, then use them during the dry stretches.

Rain here can vary during the year, with stretches of weeks where it rains fairly often to the opposite with weeks of nothing. We self-seeded our yard with a mix of Kentucky Bluegrass and Tall Fescue to account for this, and so far so good. Tilled the entire half acre property up with a 9" tiller if you can believe that!

Our yard is still as green as it was during the summer months, but we did our final cut on it this past weekend as it should be going into hibernation now. Shouldn't grow much more between now and early next spring.

Hope that helps.

[NY Annie]

What kind of weather are you looking for?
What kind of terrain? Mountains, flat, or plateau?
proximity to major cities?

TN is divided into 4 sections - NE, E, Central, and West. The NE is in the Appalachians, the further west, the lower the altitude. I went to college in the NE, but we retired to the southern west. Way different in cost of living, cost of housing, terrain, access to healthcare, etc. Also, the further away from I-40, the more rural, with the exception of the US highway corridors - US 45, 55.

The western part is heavy with agriculture - soybeans, corn, sweet taters, and cotton; cows and horses, lots of goats as well. Central is Nashville and Chattanooga, music and horses; east is Knoxville, and the NE is high mountains. Lots of retirees in/around Chattanooga. Poorest counties are in the west. Job prospects are poorest in the west also.

Here in SW TN, our property taxes are super low, same with house prices. $250K will get you a lot of house with decent land, you just have to keep your eye on how close to a hospital/medical facilities you want/need to be. Around here, it's either Jackson or south to Corinth, MS.

No wheel tax in my county at this time, but when there was one a few years ago, it was $25 and registration is under $30 but you have to pay a charge if you use a credit card. Checks are the norm here.

We have 4 acres, a small house, but have 4 outbuildings, a pool, and deck and our property taxes are under $250/yr - but then we're out in the county and have no city/town taxes.

Yeah, that's another thing we had to get used to - towns are the town itself, suburbs are often not in a town/city and rely on county services which are minimal. That goes for wherever you are in the state. So you need to decide if you want a town or city or whether you are fine in the county - water is often your own well with a septic. There are no fire hydrants on our road, so if you have a fire, you'd better have your well on a backup generator. Our police is the county sheriff's dept and on holidays and nights, the sheriff might be an hour away or more; and the fire dept is volunteer.

Also, the further west you go, the higher the risk for tornadoes - although we haven't had one in the 8 years since we moved here, but there have been 3 in our vicinity.

I'm not sorry we moved here - from one of the outerboroughs of NYC, but it sure took a lot of getting used to.

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by Chowgirl

This may seem like a silly question
but, do you get enough rain that it is enough to keep your yards green? No sprinklers?

I have lived back in the area for four years. I grew up here, though spent from 2012-2016 in the Midwest.

Since 2016, I think 2016 was the only super dry year. That was the year of the Gatlinburg fires, and smaller fires throughout NE TN and WNC.

This year has been far wetter than average with no brown yards at any time anywhere I've been. Keep in mind this area's climate is mostly "humid subtropical" with pockets of "marine west coast" in some areas.

Drought issues are rarely a concern.

Originally Posted by Jim37680

I am surprised that no one (except for SC, of course) hasn't mentioned this article. Interesting research by Jeff Flemming. https://www.timesnews.net/news/local...efe270370.html

This came across my newsfeed on LinkedIn from a local writer and a couple of realtors.

While these numbers are accurate, none of the fundamentals with Kingsport have changed. Kingsport has lost considerable medical resources to Johnson City as JCMC has become the primary hospital instead of HVMC. There is plenty of information out there on this. Retirees and medically vulnerable people especially should consider this point.

I was at Sloopy's with my family for lunch today. They're "doing OK," but Eastman has currently advised against their employees going out for lunch due to COVID concerns. Probably 80%-90% of the nonclinical Ballad employees based in Kingsport are telecommuting. That's a huge part of the Kingsport restaurant lunch business just gone indefinitely. I'm not even considering the Domtar idling, more like closing, because 2023 is so far away that I wouldn't count those plans to reopen as very solid.

The Fort Henry Mall is on the ropes, The Pavilion has lost considerable business to The Pinnacle, and anything new to the area of substance locates to JC or Bristol first.

Kingsport has a terrific park system. That's its best attribute, and I don't see that going anywhere. While I'm critical of Kingsport, it is trending downward and there is plenty of evidence to back that up.

It may be worth a look for the OP. $250k in Kingsport will go a lot farther than in JC.

[Chowgirl]

Thank you so much. We chose the tri city area because the tornado activity is very low there. We were in Nashville when a tornado came through and my husband said no we aren't moving here!!
Are the roads really steep and windy all over in the area? I heard newcomers mention they are very scarey. No place is perfect.

[Chowgirl]

Originally Posted by NY Annie

What kind of weather are you looking for?
What kind of terrain? Mountains, flat, or plateau?
proximity to major cities?

TN is divided into 4 sections - NE, E, Central, and West. The NE is in the Appalachians, the further west, the lower the altitude. I went to college in the NE, but we retired to the southern west. Way different in cost of living, cost of housing, terrain, access to healthcare, etc. Also, the further away from I-40, the more rural, with the exception of the US highway corridors - US 45, 55.

The western part is heavy with agriculture - soybeans, corn, sweet taters, and cotton; cows and horses, lots of goats as well. Central is Nashville and Chattanooga, music and horses; east is Knoxville, and the NE is high mountains. Lots of retirees in/around Chattanooga. Poorest counties are in the west. Job prospects are poorest in the west also.

Here in SW TN, our property taxes are super low, same with house prices. $250K will get you a lot of house with decent land, you just have to keep your eye on how close to a hospital/medical facilities you want/need to be. Around here, it's either Jackson or south to Corinth, MS.

No wheel tax in my county at this time, but when there was one a few years ago, it was $25 and registration is under $30 but you have to pay a charge if you use a credit card. Checks are the norm here.

We have 4 acres, a small house, but have 4 outbuildings, a pool, and deck and our property taxes are under $250/yr - but then we're out in the county and have no city/town taxes.

Yeah, that's another thing we had to get used to - towns are the town itself, suburbs are often not in a town/city and rely on county services which are minimal. That goes for wherever you are in the state. So you need to decide if you want a town or city or whether you are fine in the county - water is often your own well with a septic. There are no fire hydrants on our road, so if you have a fire, you'd better have your well on a backup generator. Our police is the county sheriff's dept and on holidays and nights, the sheriff might be an hour away or more; and the fire dept is volunteer.

Also, the further west you go, the higher the risk for tornadoes - although we haven't had one in the 8 years since we moved here, but there have been 3 in our vicinity.

I'm not sorry we moved here - from one of the outerboroughs of NYC, but it sure took a lot of getting used to.

Thank you. Great description of TN!

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by Chowgirl

Thank you so much. We chose the tri city area because the tornado activity is very low there. We were in Nashville when a tornado came through and my husband said no we aren't moving here!!
Are the roads really steep and windy all over in the area? I heard newcomers mention they are very scarey. No place is perfect.

No, most of the Tri-Cities does not have steep and winding roads. Mountain areas somewhere like Johnson, Carter, and Unicoi counties? Sure, but not many people live in those areas.

Tornado threats are fairly low across the area.

[Cant_think_of_one]

Reality of what hasn't been mentioned; IMO from observation, if you are a conservative WASP anywhere in Tennessee is fine. If you aren't, Johnson City is the ONLY place in the east you want to live.

[Chowgirl]

Anyone familiar with this area? Looks beautiful!
Will be listed tomorrow. It looks exactly what we are looking for. Thank you for all your help!
COMING SOON!!
125 Rowan Drive
Bristol, TN 37620
THIS IS THE ONE YOU'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR!! Wonderfully-maintained ONE LEVEL brick home in Bristol, TN county!!! 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths with numerous updates including flooring throughout, all new windows, updated countertops, and all the warmth and charm you could ask for! Bonuses include a carport area to keep your wheels under cover and a great patio off of the kitchen with views of the pastureland (and its inhabitants) behind.