Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Jabogitlu- although I am looking for a rural property, a hour to a hospital is not something I would consider given I intend on staying in the place I settle as long as I can. The Heaton Creek area of Roan Mountain is an area I have been considering, but 30-35 minutes to the hospital in Elizabethton may be an issue for me. Still a bit more research to do on EMS availability. The initial plan was to be within 20-25 minutes to a hospital and 30-35 minutes to shopping. The more exploring I have done, I have come to like the idea of being 30 minutes from JC, and a hour or less from Asheville, and close to the hospital in Erwin. That makes Flag Pond another area high on my list.
Serious Conversation- You have commented on my posts on different threads many times and I am extremely grateful for your perspective. I will be focusing on Carter/Unicoi Counties on this trip, and will report back with what I find. Does Sullivan and Johnson Counties have the wheel tax on vehicles that Greene County has?
My sincerest thanks to anyone that has already commented, or has anything to add to this topic and discussion.
You could also look in Del Rio. Probably right at 40 minutes to the Greeneville hospital, ~1 hr to Asheville “the back way” (the Asheville highway locally, Highway 70). That entire chain of communities (Parrotsville, Del Rio, St. James, Cedar Creek) is a little more “off the radar” for transplants so you’re gonna find a lot more just local ordinary folks.
We are trying to wrap up a few loose ends and hope to finally make our move to E TN early next year. Yes, we will be one of those Californians most likely paying an inflated price, but we will be selling here at an inflated price as well. We have lived in tiny towns and large cities in 3 different states, and have visited all over SW Virginia, West N.C. North GA. and all of E TN. Our sights are set on NE TN. but still not exactly sure where. I like the area around Unicoi a lot, but I also like the Jonesborough area. One of our sons moved early this year to Bristol TN, and loves it. He was born in Arizona, so that's where he tells people he is from, says he doesn't like to say he spent much of his life in CA. Like just about every other older person on here looking, we want to be a bit rural, but have access to things like shopping and health care. We will rent somewhere for awhile until we are sure where we want to park permanently, but we love the area, the people, and just about everything there. I have seen a number of homes for sale there recently that show the price has been reduced; current inflation and rising interest rates probably are having an effect, but that will happen everywhere. We really think this long-tern dream will come to pass soon, I have wanted this since the first time I saw those mountains over a dozen years ago. I promise, we will will try to be the kind of neighbors that we would like to have.
We are trying to wrap up a few loose ends and hope to finally make our move to E TN early next year. Yes, we will be one of those Californians most likely paying an inflated price, but we will be selling here at an inflated price as well. We have lived in tiny towns and large cities in 3 different states, and have visited all over SW Virginia, West N.C. North GA. and all of E TN. Our sights are set on NE TN. but still not exactly sure where. I like the area around Unicoi a lot, but I also like the Jonesborough area. One of our sons moved early this year to Bristol TN, and loves it. He was born in Arizona, so that's where he tells people he is from, says he doesn't like to say he spent much of his life in CA. Like just about every other older person on here looking, we want to be a bit rural, but have access to things like shopping and health care. We will rent somewhere for awhile until we are sure where we want to park permanently, but we love the area, the people, and just about everything there. I have seen a number of homes for sale there recently that show the price has been reduced; current inflation and rising interest rates probably are having an effect, but that will happen everywhere. We really think this long-tern dream will come to pass soon, I have wanted this since the first time I saw those mountains over a dozen years ago. I promise, we will will try to be the kind of neighbors that we would like to have.
The actual town of Unicoi is basically a stone's throw from the south side of Johnson City. There's not much there, but it's not far from Johnson City.
I live in Bristol, and it has certainly come along way in the past five to ten years. Growing up here, there was a clear order of preference in the 1990s up to 2010 or so. Johnson City and Kingsport were the area's foremost cities, with Johnson City having a bit of a lead, and Bristol in distant third. That has turned around - Bristol has cannibalized a lot of Kingsport's retail, restaurants, and nightlife, and also has a lot of its own projects, like Rhythm and Roots, racing, Birthplace of Country Music Museum, while still having a smaller population and far less traffic than Kingsport.
IMO, Johnson City is still a bit more desirable than Bristol, and in a better location, being closer to Asheville. I split time between Bristol and WNC. For various reasons, WNC makes more sense for me, both personally and professionally, and plan to move within the next six months, but plan to keep my Bristol place as a rental.
Jonesborough is very nice and upscale, but it's basically a suburb of Johnson City at this point, with some small tourist draw.
Real estate run-ups are all over the country. Johnson City has really gone up, but people need to keep in mind that Johnson City is the only pocket of what I'd call "upscale suburban" in between Roanoke, Knoxville, and Asheville. With that said, this area does not have the value it once did. Personally, if someone is looking for rural land, I think you can find something similar closer to Knoxville at a similar price point. If you can't find something in Johnson City, you're an hour and a half from anything else of note. I worked in the healthcare industry, and it was very common for patients with sophisticated needs to be referred to at least Knoxville, or even further afield, due to the lack of good care here. It's one thing to be 45 minutes outside of Knoxville, Nashville, etc., and still be able to access larger city services fairly easily. It's a long way from here to anywhere meaningful.
My folks (107 Highway) have so many new neighbors. Most of them are from California and New York, or rural New England (mostly Vermont). We have around 200 acres and the number of offers to buy the property is pretty intense.
The folks moving to the more rural parts of NETN don't really need an economic base as they have $500k+ in cash from the sale of the former home, are semi- or fully retired or otherwise WFH, and just want 5 acres to do their thing in peace. The "inner cities" in the Tri-Cities will likely continue to lag, which really does underscore the lack of economy in the area. (A good example is the E Unaka area of Johnson City, which in most other cities would be among the highest priced homes, but there... it just isn't.)
This is so true--so many people from many other states are moving into the tri-cities region.
My sister just moved to the Bluff City area and she has neighbors from Boston, San Francisco and Denver.
And my mom actually lives in Kingsport, and her new neighbors --who bought homes within a block of her, are from New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Chicago.
Northeast Tennessee has been discovered, and most folks moving there are retirees/near retirement age.
You could also look in Del Rio. Probably right at 40 minutes to the Greeneville hospital, ~1 hr to Asheville “the back way” (the Asheville highway locally, Highway 70). That entire chain of communities (Parrotsville, Del Rio, St. James, Cedar Creek) is a little more “off the radar” for transplants so you’re gonna find a lot more just local ordinary folks.
Thank you for the recommendation, and a very interesting one. I read somewhere on this forum in the past that outsiders were better off staying out of Cocke County due to reasons of crime that is centered in Newport, as well as the local folks were not very welcoming to transplants. Same issues with locals were to be had in Greene County South of Greeneville as well if I remember correctly. I have only taken I-40, and I-26 into Asheville so far. I will try Highway 70 on this trip while out exploring.
That's a fair critique. Cocke County has settled down mostly, the old hard knocks life guys finally all died out. However, Cocke County is definitely impacted to a higher degree by the societal ills that all of Appalachia faces: declining investment, declining educational standards, brain drain, meth/fentanyl/pill economy and culture, fairly dysfunctional local government, etc.
The difference between, say, Greene County (which has a relatively strong county seat economy) and Cocke County is that Newport (Cocke County's primary city) is such a failure. It's obvious that the folks in power there have absolutely no interest in changing anything, at all. Not all change is good, but a dead and decaying town is never good.
But - if you're oriented a bit more around Greeneville, now that's a much nicer lifestyle. (As long as you're into the general southern Appalachian culture, of course.) There are great plots of land or tract homes, etc. (depending on your desires and budget) all over the "107 Cutoff," pretty much anywhere from Horse Creek to Saint James, with Del Rio being a bit more removed. There are some quaint and rural lifestyle communities like Greystone (where my family is from), Cedar Creek, Rock Batter, Middle Creek, and Cove Creek.
That might be a bit too "country" for you. If so, then I would suggest re-calibrating and going out the old Warrensburg Road (Hwy 349) and looking at communities like Glenwood, Mohawk, or Warrensburg. These communities are much closer to I-81 which could be nice if you'd want to be going to Knoxville often, or Bristol (no sales taxes on the Virginia side).
Edit to add: If you do take Hwy 70, after you cross the mountain over into North Carolina, make sure you take the route that'll take you into Marshall. This is a very quaint town that I could see one day blowing up, but for now it is somehow still a secret. Maybe have lunch there. From there it's an easy drive to Mars Hill (and I-26), or just continue on SR-25 into Weaverville and Woodfin.
That's a fair critique. Cocke County has settled down mostly, the old hard knocks life guys finally all died out. However, Cocke County is definitely impacted to a higher degree by the societal ills that all of Appalachia faces: declining investment, declining educational standards, brain drain, meth/fentanyl/pill economy and culture, fairly dysfunctional local government, etc.
The difference between, say, Greene County (which has a relatively strong county seat economy) and Cocke County is that Newport (Cocke County's primary city) is such a failure. It's obvious that the folks in power there have absolutely no interest in changing anything, at all. Not all change is good, but a dead and decaying town is never good.
But - if you're oriented a bit more around Greeneville, now that's a much nicer lifestyle. (As long as you're into the general southern Appalachian culture, of course.) There are great plots of land or tract homes, etc. (depending on your desires and budget) all over the "107 Cutoff," pretty much anywhere from Horse Creek to Saint James, with Del Rio being a bit more removed. There are some quaint and rural lifestyle communities like Greystone (where my family is from), Cedar Creek, Rock Batter, Middle Creek, and Cove Creek.
That might be a bit too "country" for you. If so, then I would suggest re-calibrating and going out the old Warrensburg Road (Hwy 349) and looking at communities like Glenwood, Mohawk, or Warrensburg. These communities are much closer to I-81 which could be nice if you'd want to be going to Knoxville often, or Bristol (no sales taxes on the Virginia side).
Edit to add: If you do take Hwy 70, after you cross the mountain over into North Carolina, make sure you take the route that'll take you into Marshall. This is a very quaint town that I could see one day blowing up, but for now it is somehow still a secret. Maybe have lunch there. From there it's an easy drive to Mars Hill (and I-26), or just continue on SR-25 into Weaverville and Woodfin.
Thank you for this input. You have given me a lot to consider, and more areas to check out on my trip this year. A quick search online shows a lot of real estate inventory in Greeneville with whole bunch of price decreases. Is the wheel tax that Greene County has very common in NE Tennessee? Where I am coming from, I have had about enough of ever increasing taxes, and it honestly screams dysfunctional government when I see added taxes like that. I currently pay $150 (up from $100) per year for license renewal for my pick up with that state of Illinois, and another $220 (up from $200) a year for the required Chicago City sticker in the same vehicle. I am certain any other state would be cheaper, but I'm just curious about additional taxes in a state that is currently lowering taxes.
Back to real estate- A central location would be nice, which is what I liked about Flag Pond, as i mentioned earlier. There is a 40 acre parcel there right now that was listed in Feb of 2019 for 103K, relisted again in April for 220K, and again in September for 260K all in the same year. It never sold and was listed again in September 2021 for 270K, then price changed in December of the same year to 800K. It has never sold, and is now going to a real estate auction. This is an example of why I see a correction coming in the real estate market as the economy slips into recession. The peak has come and gone, and the days of people just throwing up a number and getting it seem to be coming to an end. My budget is 10K-12K an acre for a buildable rural property with mountain views. Hopefully that is still attainable, or will be in my timeline of 2-3 years.
Thank you for this input. You have given me a lot to consider, and more areas to check out on my trip this year. A quick search online shows a lot of real estate inventory in Greeneville with whole bunch of price decreases. Is the wheel tax that Greene County has very common in NE Tennessee? Where I am coming from, I have had about enough of ever increasing taxes, and it honestly screams dysfunctional government when I see added taxes like that. I currently pay $150 (up from $100) per year for license renewal for my pick up with that state of Illinois, and another $220 (up from $200) a year for the required Chicago City sticker in the same vehicle. I am certain any other state would be cheaper, but I'm just curious about additional taxes in a state that is currently lowering taxes.
Back to real estate- A central location would be nice, which is what I liked about Flag Pond, as i mentioned earlier. There is a 40 acre parcel there right now that was listed in Feb of 2019 for 103K, relisted again in April for 220K, and again in September for 260K all in the same year. It never sold and was listed again in September 2021 for 270K, then price changed in December of the same year to 800K. It has never sold, and is now going to a real estate auction. This is an example of why I see a correction coming in the real estate market as the economy slips into recession. The peak has come and gone, and the days of people just throwing up a number and getting it seem to be coming to an end. My budget is 10K-12K an acre for a buildable rural property with mountain views. Hopefully that is still attainable, or will be in my timeline of 2-3 years.
Hawkins County also has a wheel tax. Sullivan and, I think, Washington counties do not.
I believe registration is about $30 out the door in Sullivan County. TN does not have personal property tax, so the registration is the same no matter what kind of car you drive.
You will save a considerable amount in taxes, but like you've mentioned, the property prices seem way too high. From what I can tell, even if you just want a house on a couple or few acres, you're going to be looking at around $300,000. If it's much below that, it's probably going to need work.
Thank you for the recommendation, and a very interesting one. I read somewhere on this forum in the past that outsiders were better off staying out of Cocke County due to reasons of crime that is centered in Newport, as well as the local folks were not very welcoming to transplants. Same issues with locals were to be had in Greene County South of Greeneville as well if I remember correctly. I have only taken I-40, and I-26 into Asheville so far. I will try Highway 70 on this trip while out exploring.
I moved to Del Rio a little over a year ago, from very rural N. Idaho. I love it here-not as remote and unpopulated as parts of NID, but still very nice, beautiful views and some great people. And minimal winter and no wildfire smoke in the summer. I do miss 25 million or so acres of National Forest to play in, but that's about it. About 11 miles from Newport, 50 from Asheville, 30 from Greeneville, and about 60 from Knoxville. Crime is an issue everywhere, not just Cocke County-and like most places, if you stay out of the drug/criminal culture you likely will never see anything of it. Even in the fire dept, I haven't personally dealt with a drug case, but others have. Newport isn't as "bad" as many would have you believe. No, it's not a fancy, trendy, booming "suburban" area of track homes and McMansions like Johnson City or Knox. But if you're familiar with older, "blue collar" small towns of the NE or much of the country for that matter, you'd feel right at home.
Personally, I haven't seen any negative issues with any "locals"-but coming from a very rural, conservative area, I found it very easy to fit in, and have found people very welcoming. Just need to learn the local dialect-being from NID I speak redneck fluently, and have no issue understanding the vast majority of the people here-but there are some that speak a whole new version of hillbilly that I struggle with (and that's a joke-no reason to get offended). Now, like most places, don't tell them how great everything is where you're from and try to change things and people are a lot more accepting.
Homes in town or on smaller lots aren't terribly priced (depending on your frame of reference-Idaho has gotten insane). Larger plats of rural property have gotten expensive though.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
