East TN vs Cumberland Plateau

[firemediceric]

JMT, I don’t foresee myself doing much if any air travel. I also do not anticipate any visitors to speak of. Regardless, being close to a good airport with many flights at reasonable fares is a plus.

My big wants are as much wooded acreage as I can afford with such privacy that when I am home I don’t know there is another soul on the earth. A challenge, I think, will be finding a house with all of the essentials and living area on a single floor. I would like a basement or a FROG for my hobby use, but the living area must be on a single ground level as my wife cannot ambulate up and down but a few stairs. A full staircase is a real challenge for her. there are some other nuances I would like in the house, but I don’t know if that will happen.

I’m flirting with the idea of having something built to get exactly what I want, but I have heard of so many horror stories of shoddy workmanship and unscrupulous or unprofessional contractors or their subcontractors that I am scared to go that route.

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by firemediceric

JMT, I don’t foresee myself doing much if any air travel. I also do not anticipate any visitors to speak of. Regardless, being close to a good airport with many flights at reasonable fares is a plus.

My big wants are as much wooded acreage as I can afford with such privacy that when I am home I don’t know there is another soul on the earth. A challenge, I think, will be finding a house with all of the essentials and living area on a single floor. I would like a basement or a FROG for my hobby use, but the living area must be on a single ground level as my wife cannot ambulate up and down but a few stairs. A full staircase is a real challenge for her. there are some other nuances I would like in the house, but I don’t know if that will happen.

I’m flirting with the idea of having something built to get exactly what I want, but I have heard of so many horror stories of shoddy workmanship and unscrupulous or unprofessional contractors or their subcontractors that I am scared to go that route.

You could probably get by about anywhere if your focus is mostly on wooded acreage.

The single floor thing can be a challenge. At least in this area, there are a lot of split foyers. You might be able to find what you are looking for, but I think it might be tough.

While I did say Greeneville was improving, I think the Cookeville area meets the needs of most folks a lot better than Greeneville would. Tennessee Tech gives Cookeville a stable economic base and more variety/things to do than Greeneville will have. Cookeville is a bigger city, and it's also more convenient to Nashville if you need that big city doctor, airplane ticket, etc.

Greeneville has historically had two hospitals. One is being repurposed into a long term care facility and for other inpatient, non-acute cases. Cardiology is being bounced to either Kingsport or Johnson City. Greeneville is probably going to have worse medical than Cookeville. My ex-girlfriend is just 26, but has health issues that could not be treated locally and was sent to Nashville. You don't need the care until you do, and I can personally attest that I know a lot of cases of things like hip or knee replacements that were sent out of area.

Greeneville is leagues above somewhere like Mountain City, but you still have the issues of a poor area, lack of access, and an insular local culture that somewhere like Cookeville by and large doesn't have.

[firemediceric]

It seems more and more my peer who I was arguing with is being borne out as being correct; Cookeville/the Cumberland Plateau seem to outshine East Tennessee, and certainly Mountain City area, for the things that are important to me.

I understand the inconvenience of not being able to be treated locally when needed. I myself had a cardiac issue, now fully resolved, that needed to be treated roughly 2 hours away as no local physician would do the procedure. The fact it was work related and covered under Worker’s Compensation though admittedly did complicate finding a provider.

[donsabi]

I have lived in both areas and one major issue that you are overlooking is medical care. The medical care around Crossville is lacking to say the least. Cookeville is somewhat better but 35 miles from FFG. East TN has some very good rated hospitals and better medical care in general. If you are young and in good health it shouldn't matter, but if you are aging and/or have health problems east TN or someplace close to Knoxville might be a better choice.
Nashville wasn't mention but has Vanderbilt and that is one of the best medical facilities in the country. Nashville is very expensive and once you go west or southwest from Cookeville the climate changes to a hotter and more humid condition.
Crossville is one of the highest crime rate areas of TN. Fairfield Glade is a beautiful place run by a HOA that is governed by the wealthiest in the community who run it for their benefit.
As mentioned in other posts there are a lot of retirees in and around the Cumberland Plateau who are mostly from MI. Some can be overly forthcoming, but there are some very nice folks here too.

I would suggest looking at places like Maryville if you want to be close to a major city with good medical care and still close to the mountains. There are lots of great places in east TN, Jonesborough is a wonderful place especially if you are a history buff. The VA Mountain Home is one of the best rated VA hospitals in the country and is located in Johnson City. I advise against Kingsport because it is a more industrial town. East TN has many options depending on your needs and financial situation. It is certainly worth a look. Good luck.

[Bamaman1]

I just returned from a quick trip up to Nashville. Came home down the "old road" from Nolensville to Pulaski. All of a sudden, it goes from big city and suburbs to lush green fields and rural communities.

I'd forgotten how nice the Middle Tennessee region is when you get out of the grasp of BNA's burbs. I'm talking beautiful scenery, very nice medium size towns and strong societies. It's such a gentile place with incredible horse farms.

But I still love East Tennessee too.

[firemediceric]

Originally Posted by Bamaman1

I just returned from a quick trip up to Nashville. Came home down the "old road" from Nolensville to Pulaski. All of a sudden, it goes from big city and suburbs to lush green fields and rural communities.

I'd forgotten how nice the Middle Tennessee region is when you get out of the grasp of BNA's burbs. I'm talking beautiful scenery, very nice medium size towns and strong societies. It's such a gentile place with incredible horse farms.

But I still love East Tennessee too.

For me the green fields and horse farms hold no attraction. I’m sure it is beautiful scenery. For my taste I’m hoping to find wooded acreage. Hence why I liked the northern part of East Tennessee, but I’m now leaning towards the Cumberland Plateau.

[Bamaman1]

Since this has been a serious posting, let me go the other way.

There was once a traveling salesman that lived in Upper East Tennessee. To put it bluntly, he was a high income person and a complete tax fraud. The IRS had him dead to rights, and spent an entire year preparing the case, going through search warrants, etc.

My next door neighbor in Nolensville was the chief criminal investigator for the Internal Revenue Service--one per state. He was in East Tennessee month after month working on this case.

When it came up for criminal charges in Federal Court in Greeneville, Tennessee, the prosecutors put up a great case, including video tapes, etc. It was a jury trial, and in the end the jury refused to convict the gentlemen of anything.

Come to find out, the citizens of East Tennessee just don't care for revenuers. And if anyone is a tax fraud and wants to escape prosecution, East Tennessee is a great place to move to. The IRS won't be trying any tax evaders in the future in that region.

[ElDiabloJoe]

Originally Posted by Bamaman1

Since this has been a serious posting, let me go the other way.

There was once a traveling salesman that lived in Upper East Tennessee. To put it bluntly, he was a high income person and a complete tax fraud. The IRS had him dead to rights, and spent an entire year preparing the case, going through search warrants, etc.

My next door neighbor in Nolensville was the chief criminal investigator for the Internal Revenue Service--one per state. He was in East Tennessee month after month working on this case.

When it came up for criminal charges in Federal Court in Greeneville, Tennessee, the prosecutors put up a great case, including video tapes, etc. It was a jury trial, and in the end the jury refused to convict the gentlemen of anything.

Come to find out, the citizens of East Tennessee just don't care for revenuers. And if anyone is a tax fraud and wants to escape prosecution, East Tennessee is a great place to move to. The IRS won't be trying any tax evaders in the future in that region.

Lol, upper East Tennessee. You know, I'm certain, that is where "Rocky Top" is located. You know what that song is about, right? That's the heart of Mountain Dew land :-). It might also be where Mountain City is located, and its famous Copperhead Road.

Your next door neighbor would likely be the VERY least popular person in the eastern third of the state. Maybe even less popular than Jamal Mashburn (one of the very best players ever from UK, UTENN's biggest rival).