Posted on 06/13/2006 1:19:15 AM PDT by goldstategop
We're considering that area as well for retirement, but have not narrowed it down to a specific place yet, so I think this thread does have more than just private interest. :)
That area of Tennessee is truly awesome...and there were no state taxes. I don't know if that is still the case, but it was just a few years ago.
We didn't notice "hippies" when we visited Asheville, just trendy restaurants that charged nearly-Washington DC-level prices. We also liked Hendersonville and Flat Rock.
We went down to Greenville one day during our visit and the temperature climbed almost 15 degrees in that short drive! I'll take altitude over heat any day.
What about counties farther to the north, like Watauga and Ashe counties? There seem to be some pretty areas there too but we have not visited them yet.
I'm a FL guy, and I own a mountain lot in northern Georgia, near the apex of TN and SC. I'm not sure about NC and SC, but the political climate in Georgia is pretty sensible- Cynthia McKinney notwithstanding.
Be aware that overhead power lines are a problem in the mountains. Ice storms are notorious for outages. Look for a place with buried powerlines.
I'll say one thing- southern people are the best folks to be around. The manners, the friendliness, you can't beat it.
Well, in all fairness, they are not alone. When you combine the influx of yankees with the invasion of illegals, the south is becoming virtually unrecognizable.
And once again, the northern invaders are the ones with the money..... :)
The beauty of northwest Georgia, north of Dahlonega and near Blairsville is very appealing also. Lots of green valleys with farms and cabins dotted in them. Clear water streams running through the mountains and hills and into the meadows. It doesn't get any better than that. I think it's one of the prettiest areas I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is absolutely spectacular this time of year, there's no doubt of that.
Ah yes...the ubiquitous illegal alien. How could I have overlooked the border jumpers? Still early, I guess.
So all that's left for the South to be completely surrounded is an amphibious invasion from the stinking Europeans.
Big Irish sigh................
Being assisted by the homegrown scalawags that gleefully trade away our heritage and sell off our land for a pittance.
Those who purchase, and own, the land have the option to develop and sell it at a profit. You refer to "our land" - if it's yours, you are of course welcome to keep it as you wish, but if it does not belong to you, you can't prevent development. That's just the way it works.
Don't encourage them. I know it's hard to resist bragging about our beautiful Southland, but once they've completed their invasion, it will look just like what they left behind. A cesspool.
It's been discovered already; it's not a secret! :)
Recently spent 3 nights at the new Biltmore Estate Hotel. A local informed my wife and I Ashville has a large gay population ... for what it's worth.
Are you a Southerner or transplanted yankee?
I was born in Pennsylvania, went to school in Massachusetts and in England, have lived in Northern Virginia for 25 years, and am thinking about where to go for retirement. Like most Americans these days, I'm peripatetic. I think of myself as an American, not a Virginian, Pennsylvanian, etc.
OK. It's been discovered. But don't encourage them. I do everything that I can to discourage yankee immigration.
Hell, I'd rather have the border jumpers than the damnyankees!
Is this a leftover Civil-War thing, or just a reaction to development?
Asheville is a great little town. . .(*largest New-Age population east of Colorado, I believe; but that is not ALL bad!). . .but Greenville is thereal gem here. Beautiful city; beautiful down-town. . .and award-winning redevelopment on-going. . .big on community/activities/celebrations-festivals; even has baseball team.
(We are used to Atlanta prices and when husband went to game in Greenville and ordered food for family; handed the lady forty dollars anticipating bill. . .she gave him twenty-three dollars back in change.)
So in addition to your topo maps, your demographic studies, your road maps, etc., study up on micro-climates. A very few miles can make a huge difference.
oops. . .sorry.. .that was twenty-six dollars back in change. . .
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