Leaving California Coast for Tennessee (knoxville/maryville) (Johnson City, Gatlinburg: live in, vs)
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The city has about 110 reviews on SB and rated very poorly by many all saying the same things; its hillbilly central, about 40% of the city is on oxycontin or meth, very unhealthy city & majority of population is overweight, overly polluted air & water, radioactive waste in ground water, cell phone towers and power lines consuming the landscape, body farms and ignorant people (their words, not mine)
also read from a few people its run down, no side walks and lots of cables running through the roads. Is this true?
Well the percentage on opioids is a bit high (not much meth) and there's only one body farm but the rest of these descriptions are pretty spot on.
I seem to have the ability to see the beauty in the landscape and overlook the scars (power lines, etc) but not everyone will have that mindset. I've had mostly good experience with the "hillbilly" types and found some of them to go above and beyond in helpfulness. Since I'm fat it's nice to not stand out in the crowd. I have an acquaintance in Seattle who is active and very sportif who has been subject to harassment and nasty comments doe to weight. Aughhh! We are about the same ht/wt which is heavy but not particularly noteworthy around here - it doesn't keep her for 40 mile bike rides and hikes up Ranier, btw.
So perhaps this mean that Knoxville appeals to more tolerant people and this is a good thing in my estimation.
Have you considered Lexington KY? I have found it to be very manicured and seems more refined than Knoxville.
It is fun to see others from California who are in Tennessee, or thinking of moving there! We recently spent a weekend in SanLuis Obispo and enjoyed a hike up Bishop’s Peak. I have lived in Santa Barbara county for most of my life, but we are considering a move once our children are done with school and husband retires. This past summer we took an rv trip and fell in love with Tennessee! Every town we went to people were friendly and kind and had conversations with us. From some social media attitudes about California I see, I was afraid we would encounter a cold shoulder when people saw our license plate. LOL Not at all. I read some of the reviews referred to and all I can say is that must have been their personal experience and seems people are more likely to review something when they are angry than when they are content. Regarding drugs- there are gangs, homeless and drugs all over anymore. Seems the bigger cities just have more of it. Even in our tourist destination counties of SB and SLO I noticed several tents set up in the trees along the 101 freeway. When in Tenn. we visited Cookeville, Johnson City, Jonesborough, Greeneville , Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. Everywhere we went we found wonderful (intelligent and kind) people. Of course the beauty and GREEN landscape is so refreshing. We were on a timeline and only drove quickly through Knoxville, but on the way home we met a man at a Texas campground from Farragut! Also friendly and sat and talked with us for a long time. He had traveled many places, even to our town, and he is quite happy where he lives. We plan to use vacation time in the next year or so to come see Knoxville, Maryville and surrounding cities. I think this really is the best way to check a place out. In the meantime, I think this forum is a good source of info, and I plan to keep reading it and hearing other’s experiences. I hope you find your dream location!
Hello,
Can anyone tell me what's going on in the local housing market in Maryville and surrounding areas? It seems that the housing market has slowed down substantially in many places throughout the country.
It is fun to see others from California who are in Tennessee, or thinking of moving there! We recently spent a weekend in SanLuis Obispo and enjoyed a hike up Bishop’s Peak. I have lived in Santa Barbara county for most of my life, but we are considering a move once our children are done with school and husband retires. This past summer we took an rv trip and fell in love with Tennessee! Every town we went to people were friendly and kind and had conversations with us. From some social media attitudes about California I see, I was afraid we would encounter a cold shoulder when people saw our license plate. LOL Not at all. I read some of the reviews referred to and all I can say is that must have been their personal experience and seems people are more likely to review something when they are angry than when they are content. Regarding drugs- there are gangs, homeless and drugs all over anymore. Seems the bigger cities just have more of it. Even in our tourist destination counties of SB and SLO I noticed several tents set up in the trees along the 101 freeway. When in Tenn. we visited Cookeville, Johnson City, Jonesborough, Greeneville , Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. Everywhere we went we found wonderful (intelligent and kind) people. Of course the beauty and GREEN landscape is so refreshing. We were on a timeline and only drove quickly through Knoxville, but on the way home we met a man at a Texas campground from Farragut! Also friendly and sat and talked with us for a long time. He had traveled many places, even to our town, and he is quite happy where he lives. We plan to use vacation time in the next year or so to come see Knoxville, Maryville and surrounding cities. I think this really is the best way to check a place out. In the meantime, I think this forum is a good source of info, and I plan to keep reading it and hearing other’s experiences. I hope you find your dream location!
Thank you for your response. I love reading about Coastal Californians moving to places on my list! I am not from SLO, but living here half my life makes one forget we are almost living in this perfectly manicured bubble with the cutest downtown area, wonderful scenery and weather. But of course, it comes with a price tag that I just cant fathom paying. I like your positive outlook on Tennesse and it gives me hope. Did you enjoy Johnson city and Cookeville? Those are also on my list.
Thank you for your response. I love reading about Coastal Californians moving to places on my list! I am not from SLO, but living here half my life makes one forget we are almost living in this perfectly manicured bubble with the cutest downtown area, wonderful scenery and weather. But of course, it comes with a price tag that I just cant fathom paying. I like your positive outlook on Tennesse and it gives me hope. Did you enjoy Johnson city and Cookeville? Those are also on my list.
The harsh reality is the chances of you replacing the Nirvana you have lived in all your life, is slim and none regardless of where you choose to move
I lived in SoCal five miserable years for the sole purpose of making money; I moved my horses with me, from 20 acres to 1-3/4 acres of hot/smelly desert sand. I couldn't wait to get back east of the Mississippi. I chose to retire to Middle Tennessee on 25 acres so my horses (who moved cross-country twice with me) could also enjoy retirement in a grass filled pasture instead of hot desert sand.
The entire five years I lived in SoCal, a day didn't go by without me thinking about my first 50 years "back east".
My point is, I know how expensive it is to live anywhere in California. If you feel you need to leave your Nirvana, you are going to have to force you head to think about the move mostly from a financial point of view and get over the fact you will most likely never totally replace where you now live, in the Continental U.S.
The expenses in Tennessee are much less in terms of having recreational items and vehicles -- I really like only paying $24 for license plates on the vehicles, which include my heavy 3/4 ton 4-wheel drive truck and DH's one ton F-350 dually. My stock 4-horse trailer now enjoys lifetime INTERstate license plates; it wouldn't even need plates if I only drove INTRAstate.
While R/E taxes keep going up, they are still cheaper than anything in California.
I doubt you will find any county in Tennessee without drug problems (even my little Ag county is not exempt). The trick is to know which of the 90+ Tennessee Counties you want to totally avoid, and then which part of the remaining counties are safer on THIS end than the other end.
I live in the toolies, on a one lane road that looks like it's straight out of Deliverance. Nothing could be further from that visual. There are 18 farms and homes in this road, with the bulk of the folks being third generation farmers who have lived on this road and keep an eye on each other. This is my Nirvana but would likely be your version of Hades, lollol
Don't be surprised if you find yourself deciding NOT to move anywhere out of your immediate area, but rather scaling your retirement lifestyle way back
The harsh reality is the chances of you replacing the Nirvana you have lived in all your life, is slim and none regardless of where you choose to move
I lived in SoCal five miserable years for the sole purpose of making money; I moved my horses with me, from 20 acres to 1-3/4 acres of hot/smelly desert sand. I couldn't wait to get back east of the Mississippi. I chose to retire to Middle Tennessee on 25 acres so my horses (who moved cross-country twice with me) could also enjoy retirement in a grass filled pasture instead of hot desert sand.
The entire five years I lived in SoCal, a day didn't go by without me thinking about my first 50 years "back east".
My point is, I know how expensive it is to live anywhere in California. If you feel you need to leave your Nirvana, you are going to have to force you head to think about the move mostly from a financial point of view and get over the fact you will most likely never totally replace where you now live, in the Continental U.S.
The expenses in Tennessee are much less in terms of having recreational items and vehicles -- I really like only paying $24 for license plates on the vehicles, which include my heavy 3/4 ton 4-wheel drive truck and DH's one ton F-350 dually. My stock 4-horse trailer now enjoys lifetime INTERstate license plates; it wouldn't even need plates if I only drove INTRAstate.
While R/E taxes keep going up, they are still cheaper than anything in California.
I doubt you will find any county in Tennessee without drug problems (even my little Ag county is not exempt). The trick is to know which of the 90+ Tennessee Counties you want to totally avoid, and then which part of the remaining counties are safer on THIS end than the other end.
I live in the toolies, on a one lane road that looks like it's straight out of Deliverance. Nothing could be further from that visual. There are 18 farms and homes in this road, with the bulk of the folks being third generation farmers who have lived on this road and keep an eye on each other. This is my Nirvana but would likely be your version of Hades, lollol
Don't be surprised if you find yourself deciding NOT to move anywhere out of your immediate area, but rather scaling your retirement lifestyle way back
Best wishes, whatever you decide
Thanks for your insight. I am definitley going to have to make the mental switch. I cannot raise my children here, so that should be my main statement of focus when I find myself over thinking the cons. What part of middle tennesse do you recommend? I looked into spring Hill, johnson city etc vs Knoxville/Maryville
You might also check Oak Ridge, about a half hour west of Knoxville. I understand they have the best schools, with a strong focus on STEM fields. Many of the people who work at the ORNL live in Oak Ridge, and since they are scientists, engineers, researchers, advanced technology workers, etc, they place a high demand for excellence in their schools.
Here's a brochure they put out about their city. It's a small city, but close enough to easily access Knoxville.
"I have read mostly positive things but also read from a few people its run down, no side walks and lots of cables running through the roads. Is this true?"
Tennessee is not California. That is something you will have to reconcile yourself with. I absolutely love it here and I don't want to go back to Southern California where I was raised for over 30 years.
I love the trees, greenery, hills and scenic lake/river drives I get to take here. I miss the abundance of sidewalks that California had and it bums me out not being able to do those same routes I love here with a walk or bike ride. I don't miss the beach but I miss the San Bernadino and Angeles Forest mountains where I used to snowboard. I miss my friends and family but I don't miss the commutes, overcrowding and high cost of living. I love that everyone here is pretty accepting of everyone but I miss the insane amount of diversity that Southern California is and the awesome amounts of food varieties that come with it. I love being able to visit different cities: Charlotte, Nashville, Louisville, Lexington, Atlanta, Birmingham within a 3-4 hour vs the 3 hours to LA, 6 hours to Phoenix, 5 hours to Vegas, 10-12 hours to San Fran.
It took me three trips over three years to make this decision. Take your time to find a place you can call home.
Thank you for your response. I love reading about Coastal Californians moving to places on my list! I am not from SLO, but living here half my life makes one forget we are almost living in this perfectly manicured bubble with the cutest downtown area, wonderful scenery and weather. But of course, it comes with a price tag that I just cant fathom paying. I like your positive outlook on Tennesse and it gives me hope. Did you enjoy Johnson city and Cookeville? Those are also on my list.
Our RV trip was probably considered a “preview” trip! Imagine driving from central coast, CA to Great Smoky Mountains and back in 3 weeks, sight seeing and visiting family! It was exhausting, wonderful, educational and a little cray cray! We didn’t get nearly enough time to go in depth, but enough to visit some family here and there and see what we want to go more in depth with. Depending on our timeline we will either want to have a good high school, or schools won’t be a concern at all. Regardless of timeline we will want good medical facilities. I work in the medical field and I know how important that is, as well as I will still be needing a job even though husband retires. We do want to spend more time in Cookeville as it was small with nice neighborhoods and affordable housing, what seems to be a good hospital and high school. Only an hour from Nashville. Beautiful scenery and near nice camping areas. Johnson City also had these same things, but farther from a major metro area. Like I said, I want to go to Knoxville next trip (by plane so we have more time). Someone else posted a link to Oak Ridge, which I think I’ll look into now. It is within a half hour of Knoxville it seems. I think when we go we should fly into Nashville, drive to Cookeville and spend some days, then drive to Knoxville and explore the surrounding communities. Knoxville is appealing due to its proximity to Great Smoky Mountains, but not sure it’s a deal breaker. I like the smaller city life, but want access (within an hour or so) to larger city amenities. Sounds like you are attracted to the same. You definitely have to go and check it out yourself! Then come back and tell us what you think
We moved to east TN 14 years ago. Of course, living within a 10 hour drive, we were able to travel up here for years before finally moving. We work in Knoxville and live in Maryville, outside the city. I work in a large corporate headquarters that is a healthcare provider. There are many hospitals in this area, and opportunities for healthcare employment.
When we finally decided to move, we came up on a scouting trip, and eliminated the Tri-Cities area, as well as the Chattanooga. They just weren't good 'fits' for us. We opted to live in the outskirts of Maryville, because we didn't have school age children (Maryville is a top notch school system), and we wanted freedom from the rules and regulations of a homeowners group (been there, done that). We love that Maryville has an excellent greenbelt, and is a smaller town. We really love the proximity to the Smokies and having an expansive view of Chilhowee Mountain from our home.
You won't find many 'manicured' neighborhoods, because those come with higher taxes, etc. Having only a higher sales tax was a real draw for us, since we plan to retire here, and didn't want state income tax.
The housing market was asked about. Maryville has had a sellers market for a while now. I haven't checked lately, that may have changed. But houses have been sold quickly here in the past several years.
It was a transition for us to move here, but we would do it all over again. I hope you find what you are looking for.
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Imagine driving from central coast, CA to Great Smoky Mountains and back in 3 weeks, sight seeing and visiting family! It was exhausting, wonderful, educational and a little cray cray! We didn’t get nearly enough time to go in depth, but enough to visit some family here and there and see what we want to go more in depth with. Depending on our timeline we will either want to have a good high school, or schools won’t be a concern at all. Regardless of timeline we will want good medical facilities. I work in the medical field and I know how important that is, as well as I will still be needing a job even though husband retires. We do want to spend more time in Cookeville as it was small with nice neighborhoods and affordable housing, what seems to be a good hospital and high school. Only an hour from Nashville. Beautiful scenery and near nice camping areas. Johnson City also had these same things, but farther from a major metro area. Like I said, I want to go to Knoxville next trip (by plane so we have more time). Someone else posted a link to Oak Ridge, which I think I’ll look into now. It is within a half hour of Knoxville it seems. I think when we go we should fly into Nashville, drive to Cookeville and spend some days, then drive to Knoxville and explore the surrounding communities. Knoxville is appealing due to its proximity to Great Smoky Mountains, but not sure it’s a deal breaker. I like the smaller city life, but want access (within an hour or so) to larger city amenities. Sounds like you are attracted to the same. You definitely have to go and check it out yourself! Then come back and tell us what you think 
