Maryville vs. Johnson City area (Knoxville, Watauga: house, transfer, college)

[Beretta]

Originally Posted by gonegirl49

Hi !

After reading and re-reading posts on both places, about 50 times [OK,OK, a slight exaggeration there ]
I finally just decided to come on back and ask for some help. For folks that live, or have lived, in either of these 2 cities. PLEASE give me your honest opinion on them, what you like, or dislike about them. If you've moved from either place, why? The similarities and differences about the two cities. BTW,is Maryville a rural area?

After re-reading posts, sometimes you can get a little crazy, and are left more confused then you were when you first began to read them.....or, maybe that's just me............
Thanks so much, once again, for your help.

I qualify and am happy to answer your specific questions about the respective areas.

[gonegirl49]

Hi,
Well, Baretta, since I have never been to either area, I was hoping to get some more specific answers from folks that had lived in either or both areas. ?

I am retired and single, so safety is paramount to me. I have been told that JC is very safe. But I have no idea about Maryville. I have gone on several crime sites, and it is ridiculous how many different numbers you get, so, in the end, you only end up confused. One site gave one city as being in the top 10, of the safest cities to live in, another said that city was #40., and yet another site the city was waaaay down the list, of cities being safe.I even called the police station to get info on the city's safety, but got no call back. So, it is not like I have not tried to do my homework.
I am on a fixed income, so I am limited in the housing market. [$140,000 max] I am interested to hear folks' opinion of either, or both areas,because often what you read can be very informative. From pictures on the realtor sites, it almost seems as if Maryville is a rural area, and I am not wanting to go rural. ?
I have read that JC still has a bit of the rust belt in it, and I was not at all sure what that meant, does that mean it's a bit "rough around the edges'? I have read too that JC is a really pretty city, and Maryville has been spoken of in that way too.

I am moving because I am priced out of the housing market here, and because of health issues, the high altitude here about kills me.
I have no idea if folks in either area are warm & friendly or how they relate to folks from out of the area.? I did think asking what people liked or dis-liked about both areas was pretty specific. i.e "the folks are terrific here, but the weather sucks" that type of thing you can't google....well, OK, so you can google weather. but you know what I mean, the locals can be very,very helpful to folks wanting to re-locate to their area.

I have also read some posts about it being hot and humid in both areas in the summer months, well, hot and humid could be a relative thing. I lived in KS, and their summers can get unbearably hot and humid, as the humidity climbs into the 90-100%, bracket, and when the outside temps are also in the high 90's, [ it can stay that way for several days] .Some days your sure your just gonna melt!! In WI, it can get hot, and humid, but it's much more tolerable, compared to KS.

How does Medical care in JC compare to the medical care in Maryville? People have posted a fair amount about the health care in JC, but I have no idea about Maryville??
If you have lived in both areas, did you leave one city because you preferred the other city, if so why?, or was it a job transfer.? Hope that wasn't too personal a question.
I am not sure how much more specific I can be, hope this helps !

[Serious Conversation]

As far as crime goes, Maryville has less reported property and violent crimes than Johnson City. Keep in mind that Johnson City has a large university, and that crimes committed by young people at the university probably make this higher than it should be. You could have a drunk college kid knock something over and that might qualify as a "property crime." I live near the university and downtown and have never felt the least bit unsafe. You shouldn't have problems in either place and I don't know of anyone in Johnson City who would say it has a crime problem.

Inventory for a house at under $140,000 is going to be fairly slim pickings in either city. From what I just looked on Realtor.com, I'd say Maryville may have a few nicer homes in that price range, but none of them are palaces. In two weeks, Johnson City may have the nicer houses with whatever's on the market at the time. It will be a toss-up.

If you are willing to consider a townhome/condo/duplex situation, that opens up quite a few more options in and around Johnson City. There are plenty of nice townhomes in Gray, basically a suburban area outside of north Johnson City, in that price range. My aunt and grandmother live there, and have never had issues with crime. Gray has a few restaurants and grocery stores. Jonesborough is a small town outside of Johnson City that is also statistically safer, and there are some 1BR/1BA new duplexes that are just being finished for sale for $120,000.

The "Rust Belt" thing basically comes from an old mill site that is actively being renovated, and some old manufacturing/railroad stuff in and around the downtown area. North Johnson City is newer and has more "polish" than the older parts of JC on the south side and downtown. Downtown JC has some older buildings that have not yet been renovated, but things have really taken off over the last few years, and I'd say most of the buildings will get fixed up. Johnson City easily has the least "Rust Belt" of any of the Tri-Cities.

Temps in the upper 90s in east TN are rare. It does get humid in the summer, mostly July and August. Johnson City is at a higher elevation than Maryville.

I'll answer the medical care question this way. If you're looking at Johnson City vs. Maryville, then I'd choose Johnson City. If you're looking at Johnson City vs. all the options available in Knoxville, then I'd choose Maryville. I'm 32 without any health issues, and I've never had problems with the medical care here. My girlfriend is 24 and has some serious health challenges. IMO, her treatment here has been very poor, and the level of specialists and expertise is just not really available in the Tri-Cities. If you don't have any serious medical problems or something that is treated well in the Tri-Cities (like cardiovascular issues), Johnson City is fine. If you have more complicated medical needs or have something like an autoimmune disorder or cancer, you'll want to look elsewhere.

I would choose Johnson City as a city over Maryville itself, but keep in mind Johnson City is over twice as big as Maryville and is the best city in the Tri-Cities. Maryville isn't as big, but Knoxville has many more options than the Tri-Cities and is just a better place to live in many ways, in my opinion.

[JMT]

Between the two I would pick Maryville every day of the week and twice on Sundays. These places don't exist in a vacuum, so being right next door to Knoxville and only an hour from Chattanooga makes Maryville a much better alternative for me. Johnson City's hospital is higher rated than Maryville's, but Maryville is only 10-15 minutes from UT Medical Center in Knoxville which is easily one of the top hospitals in the state. I think Johnson City is a nice town, but its relative isolation is a big turn-off for me.

As someone who loves to travel, that's another huge strike against the Tri Cities (Johnson City et al). The Tri Cities airport is tiny and has ridiculously high air fares and very limited service, only 4 destinations. Maryville is located immediately adjacent to Knoxville's airport which does about 10 times the business as Tri Cities Regional and has 21 destinations.

[Serious Conversation]

Agreed on the airfares.

I lived in Iowa several years ago. It was almost always cheaper for me to fly into Charlotte and pay for the gas there/back twice (about 800 miles of driving) than to fly into TRI. A flight from DSM to TRI might be $800, but might be $250 from CLT. Given that you have to connect in ATL/CLT to get anywhere from TRI (unless it's one of the Allegiant Florida flights) and possible layovers, I've found that it's generally quicker just to drive unless it's over eight hours or so. At least TYS has nonstop flights to more locations.

Keep in mind that if you need to do something that can't be done in the Tri-Cities (shopping, a specialist doctor, etc.), it is basically an hour and a half to anywhere else, unless you're talking south Johnson City to Asheville. Going to that specialist in Knoxville from Johnson City will tie the day up. It's an easy drive from Maryville to Knoxville. Day/weekend trips are also much easier from the Knoxville area. Johnson City is isolated and just not that close to anything other than Asheville and the recreation in western NC.

Johnson City does well with what it has, but the longer I'm here, the more frustrating the isolation gets.

[Rangerred]

Agreed on the airfares.

To be honest, I find the airfare thing to be slightly overblown. Yes, to some destinations TRI is significantly more but I've found it's generally within $50 or so which to me is worth paying simply for convenience. And while I know this is anecdotal, I'm flying to London in September and paid $780 round-trip to fly from TRI with a single layover in Charlotte. This price was within $20 of all airports within a 4 hour radius including Atlanta and Charlotte.

As far as comparing Johnson City to Maryville, it's not really apples to apples as one is the region's principal city whereas another is a suburb of a much larger city. Both cities are safe and while Knoxville will have more specialized healthcare, basic needs would be adequately met in either place. Johnson City really has above-average medical facilities and services for a city its size.

The best thing would be to visit both cities and see what appeals to you more.

[gonegirl49]

Thanks so much Serious , for your very generous reply.I can't tell you how much I appreciate your always willing to help attitude, and taking time to research stuff for folks, thank-you, thank-you,thank-you!!!!! [glad to hear your still w/ your g.f , you are such a great guy!!!!]
Thanks to you too, Ranger, again, another guy who is always so willing to help out who ever needs it. This site would not be nearly as effective without you & Serious!!! I know there are others, on CD, that are always there, ready to help, who are also generous with their time as well, but, for me, you 2 guys have been especially helpful!!!!
JMT, thanks too for your input, every bit of info I get is another question answered.

[Beretta]

Originally Posted by gonegirl49

Hi,
Well, Baretta, since I have never been to either area, I was hoping to get some more specific answers from folks that had lived in either or both areas. ?

I am retired and single, so safety is paramount to me. I have been told that JC is very safe. But I have no idea about Maryville. I have gone on several crime sites, and it is ridiculous how many different numbers you get, so, in the end, you only end up confused. One site gave one city as being in the top 10, of the safest cities to live in, another said that city was #40., and yet another site the city was waaaay down the list, of cities being safe.I even called the police station to get info on the city's safety, but got no call back. So, it is not like I have not tried to do my homework.

Maryville is probably the safest place I have ever lived. City of Maryville police cooperate with the local county sheriff's department and City of Alcoa police like no other I have ever seen before. Neighbors are great to look out for one another and crime in general is low.

I am on a fixed income, so I am limited in the housing market. [$140,000 max] I am interested to hear folks' opinion of either, or both areas,because often what you read can be very informative. From pictures on the realtor sites, it almost seems as if Maryville is a rural area, and I am not wanting to go rural. ?

Maryville has a city area, a non city/county area and then a very rural area. You can find a Maryville county area that is very affordable but not "too rural" pretty close to your price range. Working with a top Maryville agent will help.

I have read that JC still has a bit of the rust belt in it, and I was not at all sure what that meant, does that mean it's a bit "rough around the edges'? I have read too that JC is a really pretty city, and Maryville has been spoken of in that way too.

JC has a sprawling downtown area and more of a "factory" feel to me than Maryville. I think that is what is meant by "rust belt". Both are unique and pretty in their own right. I give a nod to JC for their downtown development although Maryville has some great things going for it as well.

I am moving because I am priced out of the housing market here, and because of health issues, the high altitude here about kills me.
I have no idea if folks in either area are warm & friendly or how they relate to folks from out of the area.? I did think asking what people liked or dis-liked about both areas was pretty specific. i.e "the folks are terrific here, but the weather sucks" that type of thing you can't google....well, OK, so you can google weather. but you know what I mean, the locals can be very,very helpful to folks wanting to re-locate to their area.

I have also read some posts about it being hot and humid in both areas in the summer months, well, hot and humid could be a relative thing. I lived in KS, and their summers can get unbearably hot and humid, as the humidity climbs into the 90-100%, bracket, and when the outside temps are also in the high 90's, [ it can stay that way for several days] .Some days your sure your just gonna melt!! In WI, it can get hot, and humid, but it's much more tolerable, compared to KS.

How does Medical care in JC compare to the medical care in Maryville? People have posted a fair amount about the health care in JC, but I have no idea about Maryville??

Hands down Maryville has it over JC in access to better healthcare. You can read other threads on here about healthcare. But, Maryville is only 15 min away from UT Medical Center and 20 min away from other healthcare. There is just no comparison; trust me on this. Weather is about the same. Air quality is a bit worse in Maryville than JC.

If you have lived in both areas, did you leave one city because you preferred the other city, if so why?, or was it a job transfer.? Hope that wasn't too personal a question.

My reasons for leaving both cities were job related. Always moving up. I grew up in the Tri Cities but lived in Knoxville and lived in City of Maryville when I worked in Knoxville. I would live in Maryville again in a heartbeat.

I am not sure how much more specific I can be, hope this helps !

Only you can decide for yourself. But I would move back to Maryville tomorrow. Read the threads on here and my old posts. Love it there. It isn't great for seniors or outsiders though so be prepared to put extra effort into making friends. It is a small community - so take that into consideration. The infrastructure is small - it's all relative. Very sweet people there - both communities are about "who your daddy and mama were" and "who you know" but it isn't meant to be mean it is just the way it always has been. JC is a little more open to outsiders due to ETSU. I love them both but for different reasons. But my overall pick is Maryville. Ask me any specific questions you would like.

[creeksitter]

I'm flying to London in September and paid $780 round-trip to fly from TRI with a single layover in Charlotte. This price was within $20 of all airports within a 4 hour radius including Atlanta and Charlotte.

That's a great price, RR. What search platform do you use?

I've found larger price differentials lately and thought the $20 price bumps were a thing of the past.

I personally don't see the big deal about direct flights. It's easy to change planes in ATL, security is smoother at TYS, parking a breeze if you need that. The difference between these 2 cities is more and quicker flights to ATL, I imagine flights to CLT take the same time.

[Rangerred]

That's a great price, RR. What search platform do you use?

I use Google Flights as I prefer its interface compared to Kayak, Expedia, etc. The flight I booked was actually down to $760 a day or two ago.

I've noticed that with domestic flights, costs can vary wildly depending on carrier and destination but that is less the case with international flights. I've traveled to Asheville and Knoxville for flights but sometimes TRI has the better deal. People here complain about TRI's prices and lack of flights but one of the keys to remedying that is to utilize the local airport and not travel to Asheville or Knoxville. Higher passenger volumes will lead to more flights, additional carriers and, theoretically, lower airfares.

It's similar to not buying from a local business because the item costs a few dollars more and then complaining that there are no locally owned businesses anymore.