Looking for the Best small town to relocate (Knoxville, Johnson City: fit in, real estate)

[family first]

Folks, we are looking at several states to look for our next home as we are loosing interest in the west coast. What would be the 5 besy towns to begin our search with these things in mind:

Town of 7500 or fewer
Good high school nearby
Good medical in or nearby
Great scenery
Great downtown
Best weather in the state (seasons)
Friendliest people.

Thank you for your thoughts.

[JMT]

My top 5, in alphabetical order:
Collegedale
Dandridge
Jonesborough
Sewanee
Sparta

[AppalachianAngler]

I second Jonesborough

[JoeCartpath]

The only issue with Jonesborough, if you truly are looking for small town living, is that it is now really a suburb of Johnson City - which has a population of about 66,000. That gives is a much different feel compared to small towns that are more rural.

[AppalachianAngler]

Originally Posted by JoeCartpath

The only issue with Jonesborough, if you truly are looking for small town living, is that it is now really a suburb of Johnson City - which has a population of about 66,000. That gives is a much different feel compared to small towns that are more rural.

It's true that it is right outside of Johnson City and a lot - if not most - of its residents commute into Johnson City or another city for work. But that doesn't mean it isn't a small town, it very much is. Johnson City is not really big enough to have traditional suburbs when you think of that term. It is rural enough; just drive about 10 minutes outside of town to Telford or another 20 or so to Limestone or the Greeneville area.

I don't think the OP mentioned rural as a request in any event, but they did mention good medical care and schools, and that lends itself to not being completely isolated and rural where those things are traditionally not very good.

So yes, it is probably a lot different feel than say, Sneedville, TN, and even if it is a lot more cosmopolitan than that example, it doesn't remove it from the small town category. I would say it fits perfectly in line with OP's wish list. But I do see your point on feel.

[AppalachianAngler]

Originally Posted by family first

Folks, we are looking at several states to look for our next home as we are loosing interest in the west coast. What would be the 5 besy towns to begin our search with these things in mind:

Town of 7500 or fewer
Good high school nearby
Good medical in or nearby
Great scenery
Great downtown
Best weather in the state (seasons)
Friendliest people.

Thank you for your thoughts.

Since I just mentioned my hometown in the above post, I will put in a vote for Greeneville.

Population
It is not 7500 or fewer (more like 15,000), but that is not a drastic difference practically speaking. It is a small town through and through.

High school
Greeneville High School is the HS in town and it is excellent with great academics and athletics.

Medical
There is a medical facility in town, which is not great, but sufficient for basic care. Johnson City is about 30-40 minutes away for things more serious, and Knoxville is about an hour away if JC cannot handle it.

Scenery
You cannot beat the scenery in Greeneville. Almost anywhere you go in town will have picture-esque mountain views to your south and east.

Downtown
A once dying downtown has improved quite a bit with new storefronts, a revitalized old theatre, and more. It is not as quaint as Jonesborough, but is still a cute downtown that is a work in progress. If you get a chance to visit and have the funds, stay at the General Morgan Inn downtown for a wonderful experience in a historic hotel.

Weather
The weather in any of the towns in upper East TN is excellent. You truly get all 4 seasons in Greeneville.

Friendliest People
Greeneville and upper East TN in general have friendly people, but also a bit of a "live and let live" type attitude. People are friendly enough, but some are reluctant to expand their friend circles beyond who they grew up with. This isn't not uncommon in any small town, but may be a bit different from those coming from (or picturing) deep south hospitality that you may find in MS, AL, LA, etc.

[mattec]

Rural healthcare is in a steep decline in TN. You aren't going to find any true small towns (under 10K) that have good healthcare services that aren't suburbs of bigger cities (ie- Jonesborough)

[Barking Spider]

Second that health care will be a challenge. Another thing about really small towns (7500) is its not always easy to fit in and/or be accepted. Im not saying the people are unfriendly (though there can be some of that), but it might take a long while for them to warm up to you.

Looking for Mayberry is going to be a tough road.

[suzytx]

Everyone seems to mention Jonesborough but I found it 'touristy' and the real estate prices are really going up.

[VinceTheExplorer]

Erwin, TN.

Although a nice area, Jonesborough’s elem and middle schools looked pretty ratty. It’s why we passed on the town for our family of five and ended up in Erwin.

After crossing off JB we bought a home on the outskirts of Johnson City zoned for Science Hill. Sold it shortly afterwards for an offer to good to pass up and bought our current home in Erwin, where we absolutely love being.

The elem school in JB looked more like a UFO from the 50’s ready to lift off and the middle school an old industrial building with broken and hazed over windows. Really wanted to love it there but just couldn’t get past the schools.

I know there’s newer schools down the road from JB but none were zoned for where we were looking to purchase. Also thought the high school David Crockett was similarly dated like the other two.

The outdoor options and proximity to the mountains here in Erwin are unlike anything in the area and we’ve found the schools here to be pretty good so far too. Property prices are also excellent, so no complaints on our end.

Hope this helps and good luck!