Eastern TN, Northern GA, or Western NC? Need some advice.

[jimj]

We've lived in N. GA 3 times and NC and are currently in MT. We are moving to Knoxville area (we have visited many times) after considering going back to NC or GA. You get more bang for the buck, less people and if this forum is any indication (and I think it is) happier, well adjusted people as well.
While there seems to be quite a bit of "florida flight" people moving in there doesn't seem to be the mass of east coaster's like all around Atlanta and NC. Not that that's a bad thing, just not my cup of sweet tea as it were....

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by The Kurgan

Howdy folks! I am a 23 y/o career firefighter from the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. I live about 1.5 hours from Washington DC to give you a general idea of where I live.

For quite some time now, I have wanted to relocate for a plethora of reasons. I was born and raised in Jefferson County, WV. Although very beautiful, the area has changed for the worst. We constantly get the MD/VA/DC overflow of people. The price of living is outlandish. The property taxes are awful ($2500 this year!). The crime stats have skyrocketed. The overall mentality and attitudes and volatile mix of folks here makes continuing to live here unbearable. This area has bad meories for me for many reasons. I have spiraled into an alomost depressed state (job, people, attitudes, fakeness, etc).

The last time I had this vision, I brushed it off and decided to stick around the area. I bought a small house with about 8 acres in 2006 and thought I would at least want to live here until retirement. Unfortunately, the tables turned quite expiditiously. The last straw for me was when two druggies broke in my garage and stole my almost new 4 wheeler and wrapped it around a tree last June (while I was at work, go figure!)

So I can give you an idea of the type of person behind the screen name, I am currently almost halfway done a Bachelor's Degree in Fire Science and a full time firefighter near my home. I an avid outdoorsman! I love to hunt, hike, run, bike, scuba dive, and LOOOVE to fish and boat! ( I would fish 24/7 if I could). I was born and raised around the mountains and could not imagine living in an area with out the Blue Ridge Mountain backdrop. And, I am a warm weather freak, love the Spring and Summer months! I am what some would consider a big redneck!

My sister and her family lived in Nashville for a couple years and I was smitten with the area. When I went to vist her, I loved the state! It was so beautiful, so clean, the people were incredibly nice and respectful (although I wish there were more mountains around Nashville).

I am planning to visit the area in April and several more times throughout the Spring and Summer.

I am looking for a fresh start in a beautiful place with great people. Making lots of money, while useful at times, is not important to me. In my young life, I have come to the realization that happiness superceedes making all the money. The biggest paycheck in the world could not buy an ounce of happiness. It is my calling to be a firefighter and I want to stay in this career field. I would prefer to work in a moderate to larger city, but would like to live in the boonies.

So my questions for you kind ladies and gents would be the following:

1) If you were to do it all over again where in these areas would you live, and why?

2) Where can I live and not worry about being robbed blind while at work?

3) Do you all have an influx of trasnsplants in these areas, and if so, have they proved troublesome for you?

3) What are taxes like?

4) What is the best areas for an avid fisherman?

5) Hands down, what places should I most absolutely visit and research?

6) What can I do to make my determination?

7) Can anyone offer me any guidance on what to do in this matter?

*Apologies for the incredibly long post, but this is a huge decision that I can not make alone!

-Thank you so much in advance!

I'd go for the place where you can get a job and then ask for help finding a good spot to live near to where you'd be working that meets your other criteria. For example, I don't think you'll have trouble finding nearby places to fish in Tennessee even if you work and live in a city or work in a city and live in suburbia or work in suburbia and live in a rural area.

[KnoxBrian]

Not saying this is law, but in my experience, jobs in Eastern Pan/Metro DC pay approx 1.5-2x as much as they do in TN. I took a $30000/yr pay raise by coming up this way, but with the housing costs and taxes, I still think you are better off in TN. We bought a house last year and looked all over for a decent house with resale potential in a decent neighborhood for under $200,000-they are no where to be found here. Finally ended up with a rancher on a lot smaller than a 1/4 acre for 235000. In many parts of TN-a brand new house can still be had for $100000-$150000. There are lots of people on these forums who move to TN and complain about wages and jobs. TN is not the North,although many people seem to want to turn it into the places they left behind. Jobs here do not pay as much as many places, so consider this before you move. This is just my 2 cents-and experiences may vary, but in a nutshell-I wish I had never left Tn. Best wishes to you on your decision.

[victoria1016]

We are getting ready to leave western North Carolina. Waynesville to be exact. It is absolutely beautiful, but when we moved here we did it to get away from all the people and the northern influence in Florida. I am a 5th generation Floridian, my grandfather ran cattle in the Everglades and my family helped found the area, so I don't really count as a Floridian anymore. Floridians are mostly all transplants now, and while they can be wonderful people, they have taken up all of the natural beauty and resources. My Florida is gone, swallowed up by pavement and subdivisions needed to accomadate all the additional people.
The Mountains in Western NC are covered in houses and it gets worse every year. Asheville, Franklin, Cashiers, and Northern Georgia are the new Florida. Wages are terrible for the area. When a not so decent house is over 200,000, something has to give. $16.00 and hour does not go very far. It is a lovely place and it still has some small town charm, but it is dissapearing fast. This time I think we are going to head to the most out of the way place we can find and hope it is able to retain its small town charm for some time to come. I guess I'm still looking for my place in the world, a place to sit on my porch and listen to the Whippoorwills calling on a cool evening, a place where you know your neighbors and people look out for each other not just themselves. My husband says I'm delusional, I think I'm just missing the simpler things in life.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by victoria1016

We are getting ready to leave western North Carolina. Waynesville to be exact. It is absolutely beautiful, but when we moved here we did it to get away from all the people and the northern influence in Florida. I am a 5th generation Floridian, my grandfather ran cattle in the Everglades and my family helped found the area, so I don't really count as a Floridian anymore. Floridians are mostly all transplants now, and while they can be wonderful people, they have taken up all of the natural beauty and resources. My Florida is gone, swallowed up by pavement and subdivisions needed to accomadate all the additional people.
The Mountains in Western NC are covered in houses and it gets worse every year. Asheville, Franklin, Cashiers, and Northern Georgia are the new Florida. Wages are terrible for the area. When a not so decent house is over 200,000, something has to give. $16.00 and hour does not go very far. It is a lovely place and it still has some small town charm, but it is dissapearing fast. This time I think we are going to head to the most out of the way place we can find and hope it is able to retain its small town charm for some time to come. I guess I'm still looking for my place in the world, a place to sit on my porch and listen to the Whippoorwills calling on a cool evening, a place where you know your neighbors and people look out for each other not just themselves. My husband says I'm delusional, I think I'm just missing the simpler things in life.

I have a cabin near Waynesville, too (Balsam) and know what you're talking about. I'm a 5th generation Floridian, too (Tampa Bay), and my family has been vacationing in the Balsam area since the 1930s. Winters around Balsam/Waynesville are still great, but summers are a nightmare because of all the Floridians who seem to take over. And of all the Floridians I've met there, most have Northern accents.

Anyway, there are other places around there and in TN that haven't been discovered yet by the Florida masses. The northern reaches of the Cumberland Plateau in TN are still fairly unscathed. Check out Clay, Pickett, Jackson, Overton, Fentress, Scott, and Morgan counties.

[weisgarber1]

Originally Posted by JMT

Anyway, there are other places around there and in TN that haven't been discovered yet by the Florida masses. The northern reaches of the Cumberland Plateau in TN are still fairly unscathed. Check out Clay, Pickett, Jackson, Overton, Fentress, Scott, and Morgan counties.

The counties that you mention certainly qualify for the description of a simpler lifestyle. Morgan County I find to be very scenic, rural, and attractive for one who wants a simpler lifestyle.