kingsport (Central: rentals, credit, job market)

[tracymarilyn]

I am currently living in Fairbanks Alaska and have a sister that lives in Kingsport and we are thinking about possibly moving there. I would like to know everything about it. The Schools, the economy, jobs, rentals, people and just the way of life.Fairbanks is a nice place to live but when you are so far away from absolutley everything makes it difficult. Not to mention the winters are brutal. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have a 13 year old daughter that loves Alaska but i am just not sure how i like it.

[rccrain]

On Kingsport...

The Schools - The city schools are very strong, with diverse programs and strong academics. The county schools are good enough, but not as many offerings are available. The only one of the high schools to avoid is Sullivan Central.

The economy & jobs- It's a little tough, but there has been retail growth throughout the recession. Downtown is greatly improving. Jobs aren't as easy to come by as they once were. Fortune 500 EASTMAN anchors the economy with great pay and benefits, but most other employers pay below the national average. On the bright side, cost of living is also below the national average.

Rentals - Are available but sometimes tough to find. Your sister could probably help you find one. Newspapers and Craig's List are the best online options. If you give us some specs, we could provide a ball park price range.

People & the way of life - Don't expect to find super fresh fish in our markets, but in the grand scheme of things the "way of life" won't be a huge "culture shock". Sarah Palin is a popular figure around here. Most people are religious; we are in "the Bible Belt". Most people are either "socially conservative" or "libertarian conservative".

We have four true seasons. Summer is 80-90 with occasional afternoon thunderstorms. Fall is 60-80 with dry weather and nice foliage. Winter is 20-40; we usually get around 10 inches of snow annually. Spring is 50-80, very green, often rainy.

Good Luck.

[jabogitlu]

Sarah Palin is a popular figure around here.

I have only met a handful of people who didn't think she was a buffoon!

[rccrain]

She's made far too much money to be a "buffoon", and to the large contingent of social conservatives in the area, she is still highly relevant. I talk to people in a fairly diverse circle and while I'm only neutral on Palin myself, I'd guess the ratio of people who like her to hate her is 2:1.

[kmbutler]

Is there any contemporary non-denominational christian churces in the town?

[donsabi]

You have to give Palin credit. She has now written more books than she has read. I often wonder why anyone would want to read a book buy Palin but then I can't understand why Jerry Springer has such devoted following either.

Last winter was brutal here too. Kingsport isn't really close to anything either. There have been a lot of young people leave this area because of the poor job market. I side with your daughter. Stay in Alaska and buy an extra set of thermals.

[TNGal78]

Kingsport is closer to a lot of things than Alaska is ....


Lots of young people do leave her looking for jobs/etc but lots of them come back,too.

So, it's a pretty good place to live. Can be hard to find a job, Eastman is a major employer and very hard to get on with them.

Most of what's "easy" to get is retail/minimum wage.

[BadJuju]

I do not see the appeal of this place. It is a small town dominated by restaurants and other chains with only Eastman being the main draw in terms of employment. It has nothing to offer people that are looking for activities beyond eating and enjoying the good scenery.

[TNGal78]

We like eating and we like the scenery.

Love the small town feel.

Actually, K town is getting too big for us. Nothing like what it was when I was growing up. Stone drive was a 4 lane and hardly crowded. Now it's so congested at all times of day. (At least it seems that way to us because we we grew up here).


I do agree that employment options could be better.

[BadJuju]

I have lived here my entire life. I simply despise small town life now. I want the hustle and bustle of a large city, like New York City.