First post

[lseries]

I'm a long-time gun owner, and have been shooting for over 50 years, I think. I'm a librarian by trade.

I've lived all my life in the D.C. suburbs of Maryland, but want to retire to a place far enough away that no one will ever commute to D.C. from there. More specifically, I'd like to be in the mountains, in a place less crowded, where it doesn't take an hour to drive around the block, where I'm not on top of my neighbors and my neighbors aren't on top of me. I can retire any time, but would like to keep working a few more years, not least because I like what I do, my colleagues, and my boss.

I'm thinking of northeast Tennessee as a possibility. The Bristol, Johnson City, Kingsport area looks attractive. However, I also need to be within reasonable striking distance of Knoxville, since my sweetie of several decades' standing (and, by far, the best thing that ever happened to me!) has some non-life-threatening medical conditions for which she needs to be able to get treatment.

We're thinking of coming down Memorial Day week to check out the area. So if anyone has suggestions of where to start looking...

My main interests are target shooting and developing (usually low-recoil) loads that I can shoot accurately. As accurately as I can shoot, that is! I don't quite "get" the current tactical fad, but I'm also happy that we don't all like the same guns, cars, and women--not necessarily in that order. (Well, at my age, that may be the correct order!)

I've been a life member of the NRA for several decades, and a non-life member for many years before that. I'm also an executive member of Maryland Shall Issue. I was one of the 4000-odd protesters against SB281 (here in Maryland we call it the Second Amendment Disenfranchisement Act of 2013), not that the protest did any good. :( So I hope that establishes my bona fides and no one thinks I'm actually anti-gun and trying to infiltrate the group.

Thanks for providing this site. I look forward to participating and learning, not only about Tennessee, but also about firearms.

[Raoul]

Why don't you consider Greene County. Property values are low and there have been lots of deals in foreclosed properties. It's a beautiful area with minimal governmental BS. Drive to Knoxville is about 1 hour.

[Ramjo]

I live in Greene county and can vouch for the mountainous views and stretches of farmland. There are a few places to go shoot locally, too.

[Spook]

Welcome, Iseries. I'm a transplant from the other side of the Potomac from you. Check out Middle Tennessee. You can get some world class medical care at Vanderbilt. Anywhere you end up down here I expect you'll be happy.

[whitewolf001]

Welcome from the hills cousin. Can't go wrong really, I mean, you'll be evading hostile lands and headed to constitution territory. My dad is from that area and grew up there.

[lseries]

Thanks for the warm welcome and the suggestions. Greene County is on our list to check out.

What do y'all (I'm trying to speak idiomatically :)) think of Cocke County? And do you pronounce it like what you do to food before you eat it or like what you have to do to a single-action gun before you fire it? Or something else? (Up here we have a city named Bowie, and you can always tell the visitors because they pronounce it BOW-ee, while the natives all call it BOO-ee.)

I can't resist thinking of Clevenger, Tennessee. For some reason the software won't let me continue much beyond this point, so I can't explain the connection.

Also, please let me know if there's a better section for this kind of discussion. Edited May 11, 2013 by lseries

[DWARREN123]

Howdy and Welcome to TGO   :wave:

Hope you can get down here to Tennessee.

[Volzfan]

Welcome to TGO!!

[Guest Cazador]

Cocke county is pronounced like a a male chicken or the thing you piss out of. Nice area to live if you are from there or have kin (family) that live there. It takes about 4 generations of family before anyone can say they are from cocke county. So your great great great great gran children are allowed to say they are fom there. Any way Greene county is a great place or a little closer to Knoxville is Jefferson county. Avoid Hamblen county. They seem to be on a kick to act like the best county in TN. and want your tax dollars to do it. Grainger is also a nice place. Small rural communities , slow paced. I live in Grainger and will never leave. None of the big city crap to deal with.

[Hershmeister]

If medical issues are a important factor, I would research where the best docs/hospitals are located for that condition and then plan my move into that area. None of us get younger and it's a reality of life that you spend more time with docs the older you get

Chattanooga area should be on your investigation list as well as Nashville area. They're all great.

[tartanphantom]

Welcome to TGO!

[npgunner]

welcome to TGO! 

[Guest Justin@libertysuppressors]

Welcome to TGO!