Tri Cities or Knoxville (Johnson City, Maryville: houses, find a job, theatre)

[Andreak1]

Hello, my family and I are relocating to East TN from Florida in the spring. We have visited Knoxville, and liked the area very much. However, we are also considering the Tri Cities area. I'm wondering how they compare, and which would be a better fit for us. My husband and I homeschool our three children, 15, 8 and 3. My oldest son is interested in engineering. We want to find a church, and be actively involved. I'm a nurse, my husband will bring his job with him. Plus we have a small inflatables business (bounce houses, etc..). We like to spend a lot of time outdoors. Culture is important to us. We enjoy music, symphony, museums, and other educational experiences for the kids. We were hoping to find 10+/- acres to have a mini farm on. That seems to be a hard find within 30-40 minutes of Knoxville. However, large lots seem common in the Tri Cities area. However, I have heard that Tri Cities isn't well off economically, and isn't growing much. That concerns me some.

[jabogitlu]

There are arts opportunities in the Tri-Cities.

Symphony of the Mountains - Entertaining, Enriching, Educating
Mary B. Martin School of the Arts
Johnson City Public Art | Public Art in Johnson City, TN
Hands On! Regional Museum
Natural History Museum
National Storytelling Festival in Historic Jonesborough, TN
http://www.jonesboroughtheatre.com/
Home
http://www.baysmountain.com/ (one of the better planetariums I've ever been to... it far exceeds Seattle's, which I was just at)
Rocky Mount Historical Association :: Home
Tipton-Haynes Historic Site | "Tennessee

This is kind of off the top of my head. My gut advice is to find a job and work your life around that. That would be somewhat easy, since your husband can take his job with him. The medical sector is doing alright in Johnson City, but I would definitely suggest leading with your career and see where that takes you.

Depending on your eldest son's aspirations, engineering at UT Knoxville may be a good fit. It's a strong discipline at the university.

UT Knoxville | College of Engineering

[Andreak1]

My career isn't an issue, since I only work part time, and can ind a nursing job anywhere. I really want to be led by the culture and life style of the locations.

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by Andreak1

My career isn't an issue, since I only work part time, and can ind a nursing job anywhere. I really want to be led by the culture and life style of the locations.

My wife and I moved from CA to the Knoxville area. We checked middle and East TN including the Tri Cities area. We found Seymour to be a great location. I am not sure how easy 10 acres would be to find, but there are areas I suspect such would be available. Sevier County is best but part of Seymour (an unincorporated community) is in Blunt County and there is definitely some land there in the East part. I am about 20 minutes to downtown Knoxville, Sevier/Pigeon Forge and Maryville. Easy traffic and everything you need is easy to access.

[shinestx]

I would suggest the Maryville area, just to the south of Knoxville. Small town with a college and related arts. Also, not far from the suburban market (potential customers) for your inflatables business. I travel to Knoxville often, and while it's not much for a city (really is more suburban in character), it is very clean and has a healthy economy. The presence of a large university also provides new people to the labor force. Most of all (for me anyway) is the area's proximity to the Great Smoky Mountains park. Maryville is even closer to the park than is Knoxville.

[Shakeesha]

Knoxville is better than the other cities mentioned. It's growing and vibrant. Knoxville is a lovely town and will provide the most educational experiences for you and your family.