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My wife and I are planning a retirement relocation scouting trip in early November that will include a few days in the Bristol/Tri-Cities area. Reading the threads here has been very informative, and I want to thank everyone who's contributed to them. I was hoping to ask a few more questions.
I'm retiring this fall from a long career as a computer scientist. I plan to continue working into much of my retirement, but preferably on more personal, creative and entrepreneurial projects. I'd like to remain self-employed, but the ability to do some part-time or contract software work if necessary would be desirable. If I do that I'd prefer it to be for smaller employers than I have in the past. Like many others we're still trying to figure out whether and to what extent "working from home" will be an option for us going forward.
We're looking for a more "suburban" area, so we'd want to be near (but not in) a city like Bristol or JC. Relatively low cost of living is important to us, and having friendly neighbors would be refreshing. But speaking personally, near the top of my priority list is living in an area with a culture where people leave each other alone and don't try to get in each others' business. Central to Gulf Coast Florida (near Tampa) and south-central North Carolina (near Charlotte) are the other two areas left on our short list.
With that context set, here are the questions I was hoping to get some feedback on. Thanks in advance for any feedback!
1. One of our major concerns with the area (and with TN in general) is the alarmingly high crime statistics we keep seeing. The pattern and the explanations for it strike me as suspicious, but they're not something we feel we can disregard without understanding them better. How safe is the area, really, for people who basically mind their own business?
2. What are the prospects for technical employment in the Bristol to JC area? My days of and interest in working for big tech firms are firmly behind me, but it would be nice to know that returning to work as a programmer or data scientist if I needed to would be an option. It does look like there are a number of industrial and other firms in the area where that might be possible, and I was wondering if anyone had thoughts on that.
3. What advice would you give to regarding where to visit and what to see for a three-day visit to the area? I realize that's not a lot of time, but it'll be a start to get a better feel for what the area is like. I'm thinking we want to visit downtown Bristol at least, and I'd like to visit Holston Lake and perhaps Bristol Caverns. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I can answer a couple of your questions. What you read about the crime is usually in the bigger cities, Memphis, Nashville and few others. The major problem in the Tri Cities is usually domestic and drugs. There has been a few weird things during this pandemic, but that's everywhere. It's pretty safe. I transferred here 28 years ago with my job from New England and never regretted it.
As for jobs, I cannot really help you much, I worked for the Federal Government and retired. There is Eastman who hires a lot of people.
I think a good way to see the area is to drive around the 3 cities. Bristol is growing, they have the Pinnacle shopping complex, a Hard Rock Casino is in the works, should be done in a couple years, so they say. Kingsport caters to an older retired crowd and has slipped behind a little. Johnson City is a college town, VA Medical Center, a lot more to do, and there are small towns in between which are growing.
I personally believe this part of the country is a hidden gem, weather is great, cost of living is great. I am like you, my wife do not mingle much, we mind our business and do out thing. The people are great and are friendly, but no matter where you go in this country you will find a mixture. Hope this helps you.
I grew up just south of Charlotte in north central SC. My brother, who still lives in the hometown, says Charlotte is a hot mess these days. Traffic, politics, higher taxes, the usual complaints. But it probably has job opportunities. I purposely chose not to live in that area but instead embraced the wonderful Tri-Cities for retirement.
Crime, I'm not really sure what you mean by the explanations are suspect. TN has long had an incident based reporting method, meaning one single crime is reported as however many sperate incidents that crime consists of, which is different to the methods many other states use. However this will soon be changing as other states join the NIBRS https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/web/page...the%20incident.
I like to encourage posters to look more in depth at the actual crimes committed rather than just trying to compare statistics, because you're basically trying to compare apples to oranges with the different reporting methods. https://spotcrime.com/TN/Bristol https://crimeinsight.tbi.tn.gov/tops/
Also fair warning that Bristol is laid out oddly, downtown consists of maybe three streets, the pinnacle and the VA side of bristol contain most of the shopping and dining options. I would definitely make it a point to get off the main roads and look into some of the different neighborhoods, some are surprisingly nice if you don't mind older homes.
My wife and I are planning a retirement relocation scouting trip in early November that will include a few days in the Bristol/Tri-Cities area. Reading the threads here has been very informative, and I want to thank everyone who's contributed to them. I was hoping to ask a few more questions.
I'm retiring this fall from a long career as a computer scientist. I plan to continue working into much of my retirement, but preferably on more personal, creative and entrepreneurial projects. I'd like to remain self-employed, but the ability to do some part-time or contract software work if necessary would be desirable. If I do that I'd prefer it to be for smaller employers than I have in the past. Like many others we're still trying to figure out whether and to what extent "working from home" will be an option for us going forward.
We're looking for a more "suburban" area, so we'd want to be near (but not in) a city like Bristol or JC. Relatively low cost of living is important to us, and having friendly neighbors would be refreshing. But speaking personally, near the top of my priority list is living in an area with a culture where people leave each other alone and don't try to get in each others' business. Central to Gulf Coast Florida (near Tampa) and south-central North Carolina (near Charlotte) are the other two areas left on our short list.
With that context set, here are the questions I was hoping to get some feedback on. Thanks in advance for any feedback!
1. One of our major concerns with the area (and with TN in general) is the alarmingly high crime statistics we keep seeing. The pattern and the explanations for it strike me as suspicious, but they're not something we feel we can disregard without understanding them better. How safe is the area, really, for people who basically mind their own business?
2. What are the prospects for technical employment in the Bristol to JC area? My days of and interest in working for big tech firms are firmly behind me, but it would be nice to know that returning to work as a programmer or data scientist if I needed to would be an option. It does look like there are a number of industrial and other firms in the area where that might be possible, and I was wondering if anyone had thoughts on that.
3. What advice would you give to regarding where to visit and what to see for a three-day visit to the area? I realize that's not a lot of time, but it'll be a start to get a better feel for what the area is like. I'm thinking we want to visit downtown Bristol at least, and I'd like to visit Holston Lake and perhaps Bristol Caverns. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Keep in mind that, with some exceptions in Bristol, VA (Solar Hill area, downtown primarily) and the south side of Johnson City, most of the area, even in the city limits, has a spread out, suburban field. There really isn't much "dense urban" in the entire region.
The cost of living is going to depend on where you are coming from. Johnson City has the highest cost of living in the area, but compared to metro Tampa and Charlotte, it's a bit lower, but rising fairly quickly. What's your budget and what are you looking for in terms of housing?
1. TN reports each individual charge as a separate crime. To some degree, this inflates the crime rates. Realistically, Johnson City and Bristol are around the national averages in terms of crime. Areas around ETSU, downtown JC, and typical property crime trouble spots like shopping centers are probably higher. Some smaller towns, like Erwin and Jonesborough, are lower. Kingsport, Hawkins County, and some rural areas have much higher crime rates.
Most of the crime is drug or domestic related, and contained among people who know each other. Random violent crime is basically nil. You need to take basic precautions with property crime, but it has never been much of an issue for me.
2. Poor. I am in IT in the area, and will send you a message regarding this.
3. It really depends on what you are looking for. I am a Bristol resident, but have lived in Johnson City as well.
Downtown Bristol is probably now the most active of the Tri-Cities downtowns. Between the two theaters (Cameo/Paramount), Blue Ridge Comedy Club, various coffee shops/similar (Bloom/Blended Pedaler/Blackbird Bakery), restaurants having live music (Quaker Steak, Stateline Bar and Grill, Delta Blues), and breweries/bars (Michael Waltrip Brewing Company, Cascade Draft House (live music five nights a week), State Street Brewing Company, Elderbrew, Bristol Station Brewing), you can find something going on pretty much every night of the week but Sunday and sometimes Monday, especially during the warmer months.
Johnson City has a larger downtown, but the layout is a bit weird, and it has lost quite a few businesses since COVID (Willow Tree, Sabores - a Cuban restaurant, some smaller things). Bristol seemed to fare better.
Overall, Johnson City is larger, and tends to have more retail, dining (especially ethnic dining), better grocery stores, and better medical. IMO, it's also in a better location, being closer to Asheville, while there isn't anything notable in southwest VA close to Bristol for at least a hundred miles.
South Holston Lake is amazing. I kayak it regularly - my uncle has a boat at Laurel Marina and Yacht Club I take out myself a few times a year. Other than maybe Watauga Lake, it is one of the nicest lakes I've been on in this part of the country. The only convenient public boat ramp is by the bridge.
The Bristol Caverns property is up for sale. I have no idea if tours are currently going on.
If you're in that area, I'd drove over to Mountain City, then up to Damascus, VA, then back to Abingdon, VA. Damascus and Abingdon are home to the Virginia Creeper Trail, which is a nationally known biking trail through the VA mountains. Abingdon has the "All-American Main. St" look and a lot of charm. It also has way more dining than you might expect for such a small town.
I'd also explore Johnson City and Jonesborough. Possibly Elizabethton and Erwin if you are looking for smaller communities closer to the mountains.
Stay at the Carnegie Hotel. Eat a bigger lunch somewhere and then do drinks and appetizers at the bar in the hotel at dinner time. TALK to people. You will learn.
Drive around the area for one day. Just do a loop through Jonesborough, Johnson City/Gray, up tp Kingsport (Ugh), over to Bristol (meh), then to Mountain City (if you can find it--don't blink), back to Elizabethton, then back to the Carnegie. Will take you all day. Start early.
Next day pick a realtor and start looking a properties in the area. They will spend all day taking you around to the neighborhoods in any of the places which you care about. No obligation. It's not like they are that busy. Like 1200 realtors in the area for 600 properties for sale. Do the math.
Stay out of politics, religion and guns and the people are VERY friendly. The area is beautiful, services good, and opportunities for people who want to work abundant. Take a look at a firm like IT Decisions to learn about small biz computer consulting. Call them. They will have a chat "just because", and you can learn about the opportunities.
Restaurants are generally lousy, as are grocery stores. Nothing approaching Wegmans here. As transplants with a small business (plug and play to Wall Street) we do very well.
Housing is on fire, like many sort of rural places. Give it time and prices will come your way. Takes about 12 months or a little more once the Nation slows down. For now, think in terms of $200 per sq foot for good housing. More if you wish to build.
It's a wonderful area with great people. Don't underestimate anyone you meet. Take it all in. Remember, you can't listen while you are talking. It's good advice.
As a retiree looking to relocate from Michigan, my biggest concern now with the area is healthcare. It sounds like it hasn't been great and is possibly on the decline since covid. Would love opinions from those who currently live there.
As a retiree looking to relocate from Michigan, my biggest concern now with the area is healthcare. It sounds like it hasn't been great and is possibly on the decline since covid. Would love opinions from those who currently live there.
It's fair.
I'd be fine having basics done here, but personally, if I came down with anything life-threatening or a sophisticated medical problem, I'd be looking outside the area.
A few examples in my personal circle.
1) Ex-girlfriend is mid-20s - has lupus and RA. She needed a hip replacement due to hip deterioration from the steroids used to treat the autoimmune issues. No local doctor would do the surgery on a high risk patient like her. She had to go to Vanderbilt in Nashville.
The rheumatologists here are just not at the level at the ones she's seen since she moved back to FL.
2) Two colleagues have had organ transplants - both were done outside the area, both go to doctors outside the area for routine checkups.
3) The area does not have a dedicated burn unit.
4) I know multiple cancer patients who have had to go outside the area - Emory in Atlanta, Duke in Raleigh, NC, etc.
All, thanks for the great feedback! The information about how crime statistics are reported in TN especially added some important context to understanding them. I thought something seemed off about the comparisons, and I'm glad that my gut may have been right.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Serious Conversation
The cost of living is going to depend on where you are coming from. Johnson City has the highest cost of living in the area, but compared to metro Tampa and Charlotte, it's a bit lower, but rising fairly quickly. What's your budget and what are you looking for in terms of housing?
We're relocating from Northern Virginia, so pretty much everywhere we're looking will represent a significant improvement in terms of cost of living. It's just my wife and I, and we don't live extravagantly. A single family home in the low to mid 2000s in terms of square footage, that allows for two separate offices and a guest room, is our target. I may want to plant a modest garden, but aside from that we don't need or want a lot of property.
All, thanks for the great feedback! The information about how crime statistics are reported in TN especially added some important context to understanding them. I thought something seemed off about the comparisons, and I'm glad that my gut may have been right.
We're relocating from Northern Virginia, so pretty much everywhere we're looking will represent a significant improvement in terms of cost of living. It's just my wife and I, and we don't live extravagantly. A single family home in the low to mid 2000s in terms of square footage, that allows for two separate offices and a guest room, is our target. I may want to plant a modest garden, but aside from that we don't need or want a lot of property.
I think $200 sq./ft for "good housing" is a bit high. To me, this is beautiful, and nowhere near $200/sq.ft
Smaller does tend to go for more per sq. ft, but you can probably find something nice for $250k-$300k.
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