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To reiterate, there are many beautiful rural areas to reside in. My point was to be sure you settle in a comfortable driving proximity to a functioning hospital (or doctor’s office) that isn’t in the verge of closing
That's why I chose the Tri-Cities. Johnson City has a Level I trauma center (one of five in the state) and a medical school. I am 20 minutes away.
I am a little surprised by your comment about nursing positions. I look online and there are more nursing jobs down there than anything else. There is also a very large variety of law enforcement positions down there as well. Nurses surprisingly make more down in TN than in CT which i found very strange. I know the cost of living and the pay are much less down there but I dont make good money in CT either. To me happiness is worth more than good pay and benefits. I plan on going only for state and federal jobs so wont be moving until I have a job. Eastern TN is where I want to be because of the mountains, lakes, and warmer weather. My parents retired from CT and moved down to Crossville and they love it there, I think I love TN even more than them I just dont know the areas and it is a big state so it is hard for me to find an area where I actually want to move to down there.
Like most of the rest of the country, when COVID hit, hospitals were told to cease any nonemergent and elective procedures. This, combined with people generally avoiding the hospital (even for urgent conditions), caused hospital revenues to plummet and finances to deteriorate. This caused layoffs and furloughs, including nurses and other clinical staff. Some of these people are now being brought back with procedures allowed to resume, but it is a slow process and I would say the odds of finding a nursing position from out of the area right now, with so many local nurses not working but technically employed, are basically zero.
At least here in the Tri-Cities area, the only government nursing jobs I can think of off-hand will be with the Johnson City VA.
I would really like to know what nurses make in CT if they make more here. A new RN with a BSN out of school will make less than $20/hr locally. A house supervisor is likely to be upper $40k - mid $50k range DOE. While this is a livable wage locally, a BSN typically does not get you any increase in pay vs. RN-only here. The VA is likely to pay better than the area hospital systems, nursing homes, physician groups, etc.
You have to be careful about drawing parallels with your parents. Crossville itself isn't that nice, but there are a lot of nice retiree communities in that area, mostly golfing oriented. A retirement lifestyle from a transplant is probably a lot better than what most people living and working in the community have.
Johnson City is by far the nicest community in upper east TN, north and east of Knoxville. Bristol, Morristown, and the city of Greeneville are doing OK, mostly treading water to trending slightly upward. Kingsport, and many of the rural areas and smaller cities, are trending downward. Of the small towns, Jonesborough and Abingdon, VA are the nicest options regionally.
I'm from the area and have lived in better places than here. The best parts of the area are, by far, the outdoor activities and moderate weather. At least here in the Tri-Cities, it's very easy to fall into a habit of working in one city, living in another, etc. While traffic is basically zero, there can be a lot of driving around for daily routines.
Despite what my name says, I'm a Tennessean by birth and have extensively traveled all of Tennessee for work. Getting back to: "We are both huge outdoors lovers. For me, hiking, fishing, boating, and just being outside are what is big for me ""
There are many different communities in Middle and East Tennessee that would suit you well, and many are just great communities.
But if you're into wild rivers and hiking, you should look into cities like Cleveland which is just about 20 miles from the Ocoee River--one of the premier whitewaters of the world. It's also about 15-20 miles out of Chattanooga where good jobs are.
Other fine whitewaters are in upper East Tennessee--outside of Johnson City and Jonesborough. There are many smaller cities that are in the area. With two interstates intersecting, it's easy to get to larger cities where the medical jobs are.
If you're into boating, the Tennessee River is 650 miles of the best inland cruising river in the U.S. And there are maybe 20 other tributary lakes that feed into that watershed. Lakes are everywhere for those in East Tennessee.
There's no substitution for feet on the ground. When you arrive, I would suggest you start around Johnson City/Jonesborough and go down to Greeneville and Morristown.
I would also think Cookeville would be a good place to look at if you have relatives close by in Crossville. Dale Hollow and Center Hill lakes are 1/2 hr. west and north and they're truly special. And Tennessee Tech University brings a level of culture to the area.
The suburbs of Knoxville are also very attractive to someone that has your interests. Maryville is the back door to the Smokies, and it may fill the bill for you too. There again, Knoxville has a very good job base.
I am a little surprised by your comment about nursing positions. I look online and there are more nursing jobs down there than anything else. There is also a very large variety of law enforcement positions down there as well. Nurses surprisingly make more down in TN than in CT which i found very strange. I know the cost of living and the pay are much less down there but I dont make good money in CT either. To me happiness is worth more than good pay and benefits. I plan on going only for state and federal jobs so wont be moving until I have a job. Eastern TN is where I want to be because of the mountains, lakes, and warmer weather. My parents retired from CT and moved down to Crossville and they love it there, I think I love TN even more than them I just dont know the areas and it is a big state so it is hard for me to find an area where I actually want to move to down there.
When you look at Nashville and you find so many hospitals from Vanderbilt to St Thomas to Centennial & other specialty units you find a need for nurses & other health care pros. Then you have companies like HCA that manage many hospitals.
There are smaller rivers like the Harpeth fine for kayak or tube floating.
The types of jobs your looking for mean that you should consider being within commutable range to either Knoxville or Chattanooga. Those communities are likely to have the most and the best paying jobs in nursing and law enforcement. There are tons of options for rural communities that are commutable to those cities. Lake houses? Norris, Loudon, and Douglas are all nice lakes easily commutable to Knoxville. I’ve heard Cherokee lake is cheaper but it is kinda out there. Still possible to commute to Knoxville however. Loudon will be the most expensive.
Anywhere in East Tennessee has access to outdoor activities. It’s never that far to somewhere in the mountains to do some hiking, fishing, kayaking etc.
The tri cities are nice but there is less of a job market up there. However nurses and cops both have a lot of options as they are needed everywhere. Remember though that they are not paid the same everywhere.
Seems like alot of people are for the Chattanooga area. Chattanooga is ranked in the top 10 best places to live in the whole US! If you look on the state of TN website there are quite a few state nursing positions open that range from 38k to 52k a year scaling from registered nurse 1 to registered nurse 3. Pretty good for TN. My gf will always make more than me as most law enforcement positions down there dont pay that well. But then again they dont really pay that well up here in CT either unless you work a ton of overtime. When we go down in August so far we have Ocoee Rafting in Ducktown, TN which I have done before and was a ton of fun, my gf really wants to see Nashville so were going to do a trip out there as well. I can show her around there as i've been there several times, possibly visit Douglas Lake again even though its a few hours from Chattanooga. I want to visit Chattanooga and the surrounding areas but I dont really know how to just explore besides driving around. Eastern TN is so big I dont even know where to start.
Seems like alot of people are for the Chattanooga area. Chattanooga is ranked in the top 10 best places to live in the whole US! If you look on the state of TN website there are quite a few state nursing positions open that range from 38k to 52k a year scaling from registered nurse 1 to registered nurse 3. Pretty good for TN. My gf will always make more than me as most law enforcement positions down there dont pay that well. But then again they dont really pay that well up here in CT either unless you work a ton of overtime. When we go down in August so far we have Ocoee Rafting in Ducktown, TN which I have done before and was a ton of fun, my gf really wants to see Nashville so were going to do a trip out there as well. I can show her around there as i've been there several times, possibly visit Douglas Lake again even though its a few hours from Chattanooga. I want to visit Chattanooga and the surrounding areas but I dont really know how to just explore besides driving around. Eastern TN is so big I dont even know where to start.
There are other things to consider here.
I agree with the nurse pay. That's about where we are in the Tri-Cities...in the private sector. With that said, I would say most urban hospital systems in the "big four" metros of TN will pay quite a bit above this.
State benefits are not going to be as good as CT. They are better than private sector usually, but not "up north" good. County deputies make less than a city officer, and a whole lot less than the state police.
I know benefits arent as good, some are identical to CT though. The medical benefits are the same as CT's, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. Retirement is not even close to the same, CT still has a pension system but not for long. Strong talks about medical benefits and the pension system going away up here. It is almost not even worth being a state employee up in CT anymore. And even if the pension was still around in 25 when your eligible to retire hazardous duty wise, the old pension was the average of your top 3 years, then it was the top 5, now its the average of all 25 years which is terrible. On top of that it isnt even a full pension anymore. The big four metros are Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga and Memphis? I am not picky on where I want to be law enforcement wise, I am studying emergency management and homeland security as well so am open to career options down there. Right now I am just looking for good money.
I know benefits arent as good, some are identical to CT though. The medical benefits are the same as CT's, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. Retirement is not even close to the same, CT still has a pension system but not for long. Strong talks about medical benefits and the pension system going away up here. It is almost not even worth being a state employee up in CT anymore. And even if the pension was still around in 25 when your eligible to retire hazardous duty wise, the old pension was the average of your top 3 years, then it was the top 5, now its the average of all 25 years which is terrible. On top of that it isnt even a full pension anymore. The big four metros are Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga and Memphis? I am not picky on where I want to be law enforcement wise, I am studying emergency management and homeland security as well so am open to career options down there. Right now I am just looking for good money.
What I don't understand is why do you want to relocate to a place where you know pay, benefits, and all that will be a lot worse for someone in law enforcement than where you are.
The starting pay for a county deputy here in Sullivan County is low. It is around $30k per year, under $15/hr. Citation..
A lot of folks get the "outdoor paradise" blinders thing in their goggles going on when they try to relocate here.
I telecommute right now. Technically, I get off at 5, but I often fudge the last thirty minutes. I have been on South Holston Lake each of the last three days. I could be at a swimming beach on South Holston by 5:40, a marina by 5:30, boat in the water by 5:50, from my current residence. I can make it to the dam in twenty minutes and walk around those trails, which is what I did tonight. I swam unauthorized downstream from the weir.
This has been the first year I've been able to enjoy a decent lake session after work near the solstice, and that is largely due to the long daylight hours, telecommuting, and leaving my house at 4 with a laptop hooked to a hotspot. If I was sitting in my office, longer ways from the lake, I might not get out there to 6:30-7:00. Bring a family into the mix, and just forget it.
The bottom line is that if you have a young family, life here is going to be filled with the same rat race stuff you find anywhere. The outdoor opportunities here are excellent, but I am single with no kids and can make it part of my daily lifestyle. With a family, the "daily grind" can easily override this area's outdoor benefits. and trust me, there are far nicer parts of the state to do the "daily grind" in if the outdoors aren't going to be an option.
I hate CT, have since I was a little kid. I have never been happy here, 6-7 month long winters with 2 months of those being in the negatives, taxes are unrealistically high, pay doesn't go up but cost of living does, peoples poor attitudes. TN has way more to offer than up here and I would rather be happy and make less money than spend my life miserable and making just ok money.
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