Deciding between East Tennessee and Northern Georgia... (Atlanta, Jasper: real estate, Home Depot) - (GA) - City-Data Forum

IamaKraut · 12-30-2011, 06:48 PM

East Tennessee or Northern Georgia ??
My spouse and I want to move to the friendly South, and we are doing our research now. We have narrowed the area down to Northern Georgia or East Tennessee. One huge advantage Tennessee has, is the lack of a State Income Tax. I will not work anymore as I will be retired. Only thing that is really of interest to us is a country type area with a lot of creeks. Would like to buy 5 acres with a creek running through or bordering the property,a Home Depot, (or Hardware store) and a good grocery store in a reasonable distance...That's it!!

Any thoughts or ideas for us ?

aus10 · 12-31-2011, 06:21 AM

You sound kind of like us... We were looking for our retirement home, yet still must deal with elderly parents both in the midwest and the southeast. We started looking with Chattanooga as the center point and starting radiating outward. The home we found was in Northern Georgia. It has been an adjustment, but once we started learning about our new surroundings we've adapted to our more rural way of life great. When talking north Georgia, make sure you visit Blue Ridge, Morganton, Mineral Bluff, McCaysville, Blairsville, Hiawassee, and Young Harris. Each have special attributes unique to each of them.

Blue Ridge and Blairsville both have Home Depot. There is a Lowes in Ellijay and in Murphy N.C. Excellent Ace Hardware stores in both Blue Ridge and Blairsville. Ingles is the predominant grocery in the area, and I enjoy shopping there. I'm not sure where you are moving from, but for myself, having lived all over this country, it's one of the better chains we've found. Very comparable to Kroger, Publix, Albertson's, etc.

The people of North Georgia are very friendly (although they will be skeptical of you till they get to know you, rightfully so). These days we all tend to be a little leery of strangers. They are hard-working, very family oriented, and not pretentious. Tradition seems to be respected. If you can live with a much slower paced lifestyle you will be happy there. If the idea of jumping in your car and in 5 minutes having everything at your fingertips you'll be miserable. For that kind of lifestyle your best staying closer to Chattanooga or closer to Atlanta...

IamaKraut · 12-31-2011, 07:37 PM

....that was very helpful. I am currently doing research in the areas you suggested. Have a successful and happy 2012.

Incidentally, how did you like Ellijay and surrounding area ?

aus10 · 01-01-2012, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IamaKraut

Incidentally, how did you like Ellijay and surrounding area ?

I go to Ellijay some, it seems like an okay place, but I much prefer the quiet farther out. You have to remember that when your talking the N.Ga. mountains, weekends can get really hectic with folks coming up each weekend from the city. Ellijay (and to some extent Blue Ridge) change rapidly on the weekends. It's good for the economy of the area, but it does become quite the different place on the weekends with traffic and people.

Ellijay has Lowes, Wal-mart, Walgreens, quite a few fast food restaurants and some chain places to eat. Admittedly I don't spend much time there, so I'm sure others could give you more info on it.

Blue Ridge has totally opposite. It has a Home-Depot, but most shopping is small mom and pop places (which I happen to enjoy!) lots of tourist type shops downtown near the train station, fast food restaurants but no sit-down chains like Ruby Tuesdays, Longhorn, etc.? It's like most small towns though, you can survive just fine, eat well, and enjoy life just fine.

Jasper - which is south of Ellijay... I know nothing about...

juliehaley · 01-06-2012, 11:45 AM

IAMAKRAUT,
If you decide on NorthEast Georgia, you may also want to look on Lake Russell in Hart and Elbert Counties. It is a lovely lake, which is protected by the corps of engineers. Quiet, peaceful, and you can find larger parcels of land - lake front - for lower prices than are sometimes found in the mountains.
Hart County has a Home Depot and Super Ingles. Both counties have a Super Walmart, viable downtown areas, and are within 20 minutes of Anderson, SC - for malls, theatres, chain restaurants, etc. Kinda' the best of both worlds - peaceful refuge with city amenities!
Julie - Broker/Owner: Property Source Pros

W01454132 · 03-12-2012, 06:34 AM

We moved from the Detroit Area (Michigan) to Ellijay in June of 2011. We love it here! I like the tourist because it does keep the economy going and their is much more going on in town than many of the old dead towns. We found a home that met many needs so that is how we decided on Ellijay. We started in Hendersonville, NC...then Walhalla SC...then Murphy NC, Haiwassee, Blairsville, Young Harris and finally ended in Ellijay. It is beautiful here. We have a couple parks that are handicap accessible and rivers everywhere. People are carefree and nice. Quite a change from Michigan, but we seem to be fitting in well.

cittic10 · 03-19-2012, 09:02 AM

If you'll be retired and no longer working, what difference does it make if a state has income tax or not? If you're not bringing in income, you won't be paying any tax regardless except in the case of some investments like stocks and bonds which Tenn DOES tax.

However one thing to consider is that GA has a property tax on vehicles and it can be very expensive. It's based upon the value of the vehicle, but even with a vehicle with a value of less than $5k, annual renewal still amounts to about $150. The rate varies by county but the last time I bought a new vehicle that cost around $20k, the renewals were close to $400. You would also want to factor in property tax on your real estate if you're looking to compare costs of living.

rcsteiner · 03-19-2012, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cittic10

If you'll be retired and no longer working, what difference does it make if a state has income tax or not? If you're not bringing in income, you won't be paying any tax regardless except in the case of some investments like stocks and bonds which Tenn DOES tax.

However one thing to consider is that GA has a property tax on vehicles and it can be very expensive. It's based upon the value of the vehicle, but even with a vehicle with a value of less than $5k, annual renewal still amounts to about $150. The rate varies by county but the last time I bought a new vehicle that cost around $20k, the renewals were close to $400. You would also want to factor in property tax on your real estate if you're looking to compare costs of living.

My tag renewal fees for my 1994 Accord EX were less than $50 this past year (the Ad Valorem tax portion was $22.14).

My wife's Ad Valorem tax was $115.58 (2004 Odyssey EX). That vehicle is worth more than $5k.

A lot has to do with the age of the vehicle, and the millage rate will vary based on where you live.

A person can calculate ad Valorem taxes here:

https://etax.dor.ga.gov/advalorem/default.aspx

cittic10 · 03-19-2012, 11:27 AM

Like I said, it varies.
I have not heard of anyone paying that little but those cars are getting up there in age. $115 is still a lot more than TN charges for tag renewal.
Lets also not forget about the inspections. Which TN doesn't have. That's more money and time wasted if you're in one of the counties that requires it here.

cittic10 · 03-20-2012, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by derfv0

I bought a new vehicle that cost around $20k, the renewals were close to $400. You would also want to factor in property tax on your real estate if you're looking to compare costs of living.

Your post looks very familiar.
I agree with every word of it.