Oak Ridge - what can it offer?

[theoldnorthstate]

Thank you LauraC

The information was helpful. Understand the PM thing


judy

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by theoldnorthstate

LauraC

If you are willing would you PM me? I am seeking your perspective on some target cities and I would appreciate your thoughts. sent a note on POC forum but expect that to be deleted.

I am also a single retired Fed and think your experience and thoughts might be of value or your circumstances might be similar. Am listing my house in FL soon and hope to be up there by the spring. Thinking to rent an apartment and try that out.

My target cities are Oak Ridge, Johnson City, or Cookeville. I expect I will end up in the Knoxville area given that my Mom, sister, and son and his family are there; but I want a place that is right for me not just close to family. I want to live my own life and Oak Ridge might be good for that yet be convenient for emergencies or family reasons.

anyway your call. Thanks Judy

I live in the Tri-Cities, and I'd largely recommend Knoxville over Johnson City. I don't know much about Cookeville. It's the closest to a truly major city (Nashville) if you think you'd need bigger city stuff more often.

Oak Ridge is not going to be far enough away from Knoxville to give you a much different experience. It's just a few miles past Farragut, which is a suburb on the west side past the Knoxville city limits. A lot of people work in Oak Ridge with the laboratory and various government contractors set up there. Outside of the science/government presence (which is huge), Oak Ridge is a pretty standard town.

Knoxville is going to have more medical care than Johnson City does. While Johnson City does well for a city its size, there are some things that Knoxville has that JC doesn't, like the burn center. In the Tri-Cities, you may only have one specialist for something, but may have multiple specialists in Knoxville, for instance. I am not a senior and the medical care in this area is sufficient for my needs, but I've heard complaints on these boards about the quality of local care and know some people personally who have been referred to Knoxville or even further (Duke/Vanderbilt) for treatment of certain medical issues.

Knoxville has substantially more shopping than Johnson City as a result of being a larger town, particularly at the higher end. The Tri-Cities are just too small and frankly not high enough income to get stores like Costco, Whole Foods, REI, etc. I do a lot of shopping in Knoxville because local selection, even for routine items like the Clarks brand of shoes I like to wear, is poor. I gathered some grocery prices for another poster both in Johnson City and Knoxville, at the local Sam's, Food City, and a couple of other stores, and Knoxville was almost universally cheaper. Let me know if you'd like this list. Johnson City has by far the best shopping in the Tri-Cities, with the most upscale stores and the area's only healthy mall.

Also, the housing stock in Johnson City/Tri-Cities seems older, dated, and more expensive for what you get than in Knoxville. There are some nice, newer rentals in Johnson City, but expect to pay at least $900/month for a 2BR. If you're buying, there is little in the way of newer construction.

Johnson City is doing well for a city its size and given its circumstances, but the problems in nearby Kingsport and, to a lesser extent, Bristol, hold the region back overall. The cities feud - they generally do not cooperate - and what you end up with are three parts that are less than the sum of the whole, with fewer amenities and things you may expect given the area's population. It's also more isolated than Knoxville, with nothing of note being located north of us for hours, and Asheville being the only other reasonably close mid-size town or bigger than Knoxville.

[theoldnorthstate]

Thank you all for your responses and information. You helped me vector in on a plan.

I will sell out here and rent a condo or apartment hopefully in Oak Ridge. The ORLIC interests me and I have worked with ORNL scientists in the past. They spoke well of OR. It puts me near family as needed.

During that time I will check out Cookeville and seek if that might work as well.

Thanks again

[SJCINTN]

I don't know if you would be interested in living in a more upscale retirement/semi-retired community, but the Tellico Village community is great for active people of any age. There's not an age requirement for this community, but it seems to attract folks retiring from the Northeast, and larger cities. Personally, I've never lived there, since I'm a life long native of Loudon county, the county it's located in. But I'm sure you can post a topic asking for residents of Tellico Village opinions, and you'll have all your questions answered, and know if it's a fit for you.