Elizabethton? (Johnson City, Kingsport, Bristol: live in, shops, moving to)

[fallfanatic]

Hi everyone... I have been reading through alot of past threads (I think that is what they are called). Anyways, we are moving to the area by October. I will be heading there this summer to find our little slice of Heaven. While I am mainly focused on the Elizabethton area, I am also wanting to check out Unicoi, Roan Mt., and Hampton. I was wanting to get some of your own impressions of these areas. I also wanted to know specificly about the snow fall avg. inches at one time in these areas. I assume the higher in the mountains the more snowfall. Does anyone knows of local artisans who hold classes/teach pottery. I know about the art center in Elizabethton and checked there class offerings but did not see anything on pottery. I was also wondering about the insects. In particular the mesquitos. My last question, for now, is about farmers markets. I have read about some right around JC and Kingsport, but are there any local to Elizabethton or the other towns?
I just want to tell you all again how great ya'll are at helping everyone on here. I posted a "Thank You" to everyone, but in case you don't know just how appreciated you are, I wanted to tell you again!! Thank You!!!

[jabogitlu]

I really don't know enough about any of those communities to answer your questions, well except mosquitos - lots of them. You'll have to spray in the summer.

But I did want to point one the one big difference. Elizabethton is 10-15 minutes from Johnson City's South/East side, whereas the others are quite a bit farther out. Unicoi's probably the next closest if you take 26 back into the city. It's a lovely little area, though.

[kamoshika]

For the four places you mentioned, here's what you can probably expect in terms of avg. annual snowfall: Elizabethton & Unicoi, 8-12"; Hampton, 10-14"; Roan Mountain, 15-20". The higher mountains above the town of Roan Mountain can get 80-100" a year. Due to its elevation, Roan Mountain is usually 4-6 degrees cooler than the other three areas.

Mosquitoes are no bigger problem here than in most parts of the US. My girlfriend gets eaten up some evenings but I don't get bitten much. FWIW, a good DEET spray or lotion is very effective at keeping the skeeters at bay. I have a bigger issue w/ deer flies on my hikes in the woods, as their bites are pretty painful. They can be a real nuisance in the summer and late spring but DEET wards them off as well, and they're not a problem in areas that aren't heavily wooded.

[Tennesseestorm]

There is a farmers market in old downtown Bristol two days a week during the summer months.

Originally Posted by fallfanatic

[font=Arial] My last question, for now, is about farmers markets. I have read about some right around JC and Kingsport, but are there any local to Elizabethton or the other towns?

[12buttons]

Originally Posted by fallfanatic

Hi everyone... I have been reading through alot of past threads (I think that is what they are called). Anyways, we are moving to the area by October. I will be heading there this summer to find our little slice of Heaven. While I am mainly focused on the Elizabethton area, I am also wanting to check out Unicoi, Roan Mt., and Hampton. I was wanting to get some of your own impressions of these areas. I also wanted to know specificly about the snow fall avg. inches at one time in these areas. I assume the higher in the mountains the more snowfall. Does anyone knows of local artisans who hold classes/teach pottery. I know about the art center in Elizabethton and checked there class offerings but did not see anything on pottery. I was also wondering about the insects. In particular the mesquitos. My last question, for now, is about farmers markets. I have read about some right around JC and Kingsport, but are there any local to Elizabethton or the other towns?
I just want to tell you all again how great ya'll are at helping everyone on here. I posted a "Thank You" to everyone, but in case you don't know just how appreciated you are, I wanted to tell you again!! Thank You!!!

I think the area is lovely -the reason I wrote it off my list was due to air issues...you might want to inquire...

[pineywoods]

There are community education classes held somewhere in Elizabethton and associated with Sycamore Shoals Park. If I remember correctly there was a class in pottery. Here is a pdf with some information of their 2008 programs: archives.starhq.com/PDF/2006/Jan/012206.pdf

Here's a link to the Park's website...if the pdf above doesn't work, try the park direct and they can email or mail you a list of their community classes for this year.... TN State Parks: Sycamore Shoals State Park

[fallfanatic]

Hello everyone. Thank you for your answers. I can't wait till we get to come scout for our home.
Tennesseestorm, I have read many of your post about Bristol, and while I have never been there, you have me very intriqued...and I am really looking forward to visiting the area this summer.
About the mesquitos, I figured they were there, as they are everywhere. I was curious about how bad they were. It doesn't sound like they are too bad and as long as we use a deet spray we will be fine. We have five children and all of us are very outdoor oriented.
Thank you for the link about the pottery classes.
Is there ever an inch or two of snow at one time in these areas or is it more of a dusting?
Does anyone have any pictures of downtown Elizabethton, or any pictures of the other areas? I have seen what was available on there individual web sites. I was just wondering if ya'll have any others, particularly of downtown Elizabethton. I remember MBmouse refering to herself as the crazy lady with the camera and have seen many great photos from all of ya'll. So I thought I would ask.
Once again ya'll have proven to be a wealth of information!! Thank You!!

[GrannyLois]

To add to Pineywoods' thread:

New Page 1 (http://www.sycamoreshoals.org/Traditional%20Arts%20Workshops%2007.htm - broken link)

[fallfanatic]

Thank you GrannyLois. That is exactly what I was looking for. You live right outside of Elizabethton right? Do you know much about the other areas? I think I have read that there are alot of mom and pop kind of stores in the downtown area of Elizabethton, as well as antiques, Is that correct? Are there any farmers markets in the imediate area? Thanks for taking the time to reply about the pottery classes. I really appreciate it.

[GrannyLois]

Yes, I Eliz. is the closest town to where I live in Stoney Creek.

Roan Mountain and Hampton are very small towns - very small, but nice. But close enough to Eliz. that it's not a problem - i'm talking 5 miles / 5 minutes.

Unicoi is a teensy settlement between Johnson City and Erwin with hardly any stores in it. It's more like an area, not really even a town.

I think Eliz. is a cool town. You're right about the downtown area. It's not real big = maybe 3-4 blocks, but that's what makes it kinda quaint. I think there's a farmer market, but haven't been to it, so I'm not sure. I like to take a day trip to Asheville, NC and visit their AWESOME huge farmer's market. It's only about an hour away. Maybe we could go together sometime - and take Pineywoods with us ....

There are sometimes the mosquitos are bad, but I still say it's not even 1% of what we had in Wisconsin (where I came from).

and the snow - We might have 1-6" at a time, but it melts within 3 days ... to me, that just PERFECT !