The wife and I are considering different areas to retire to and this is high on the list. Our son and his wife live a couple hours away and we loved TN when we went down to visit.
Is anyone here familiar with this area or it's surroundings?
We want peace and quiet, separation from neighbors and do not want to be near any high crime area whatsoever, not even close.

We will be taking a short trip to the area and staying in a bed and breakfast but I wanted any input, if any was available from the folks on here.
Thanks in advance.

I live ~60 miles from there and have visited the area a couple of times.

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We want peace and quiet, separation from neighbors and do not want to be near any high crime area whatsoever, not even close.

I expect you'll find it there. Not much in the way of work (Johnson is one of the poorer counties in the state) and it can have subzero temperatures in the winter, but those aren't a concern for a retiree.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: egregore,

Thank you.
We are looking forward to visiting the area. Not too worried about work.

Looks nice, having the Son & DIL in the area is a real plus. I would definitely be looking for that exit from NJ.

I would visit some(again) to get a feel for the area. Nothing wrong with renting a bit before you decide to get more permanent.

Since it's not far from the border compare with the nearby States, maybe towards the Son. Good luck with it all.

Boone NC is nearby and seems to be a great place. We've visited there multiple times over the past 20 years.

My in laws retired there from central NJ over ten years ago. We are all from Monmouth county in NJ. My wife and I moved to central Fl in 1999 and my in laws moved to Mountain City shortly after they retired.
They loved the area. It is absolutely beautiful.
Tennessee has no state income tax and it less expensive to live in than Nj.
It has a small town feel that they like. It is in between Boon NC and Johnson city TN.
Our plan was to retire working in Fl and stay.Some time in 2005 the area in Fl where we live became so congested we decided we might not want to stay in Fl after retirement.
In late 2006 while while visiting my in laws we fell in love the area so we talked to a real estate agent about land for sale. Before the end of the year we had bought 3 1/2 acres on the side of a mountain to retire to some day. Plenty of room to spread out to build our house with out being close to my neighbors.
There are plenty of stores in town to shop for basics and if you need anything they do not have in town it is around 1 hour to 1 1/2 hour ride to Johnson city.
If you like outdoor recreation there is a lot to do.
What time of the year are you going up? The fall is a beautiful time to be there the leafs start changing colors.
Enjoy your time there.

Thank you all for the replies.
We are trying to get down there in the next 2 months, to visit our son and that area.
We are definitely looking for a laid back area and love outdoor activities.

WCB6902, I replied to your email.

71 Truck, if you don't mind me asking, which realtor company would you recommend?

Eastern TN is beautiful. My aunt lived in the unincorporated town of Trade near the NC border for a few years. Her place was about as close to heaven as you'll get on this earth.

You'll need to take a language class so you can converse with the natives LOL

We have Eastern TN on the radar as well, NC is pricey, higher taxes, higher cost of property.

Buddy sold his house, moved up bought several acres and a house for about 1/3 of the cost of his home here. He's built a cabin on the property as well.

Mrs. vinnybass' brother lives in Roan Mountain. I could be convinced to retire there as well.

Buy a motorcycle. That town is by the best motorcycling road in TN, maybe the country, maybe the world. For the uninformed, it's Hwy 421, a.k.a. "The Snake".

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Originally posted by whododat:
Thank you all for the replies.
We are trying to get down there in the next 2 months, to visit our son and that area.
We are definitely looking for a laid back area and love outdoor activities.

WCB6902, I replied to your email.

71 Truck, if you don't mind me asking, which realtor company would you recommend?

I do not think the realtor we used is still there. You may be able to contact someone near you who may have the ability to find someone in Mountain City for you.
We went up around the end of 2006 after we decided to buy property to look at what our realtor had found for us. By the end of the year we had our land. Now we wait to retire.

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Originally posted by JonDaddy82:
Buy a motorcycle. That town is by the best motorcycling road in TN, maybe the country, maybe the world. For the uninformed, it's Hwy 421, a.k.a. "The Snake".

I don't own a motorcycle but in a car that is a beautiful road to drive. My wife says we should do it in our Scion FR-S. We live in Fl 12 to 13 hours away and getting up there would not be comfortable in a small sports car. My wife thinks we should trailer it up one year.

Great choice! Tri Cities will give access to good medical care and between Bristol, Kingsport and Johnson City you wont be too backswoods. Smokey Mountains, lakes galore and salt of the earth people.