1. Jobs

1. Limiting local high paying jobs
   1. Factory manager - 40% below national average 
   2. Human Resources manager - 27% below the national average
   3. Manager - 9% above the national average
   4. Healthcare 
      1. Nurse - 27% above national average 
      2. PA - 7% below national average
      3. NP - 13% below national average 
      4. Physician - 37% above national average 
   5. Business development manager - 10% above national average 
2. Main Local Employers
   1. Ballad 
   2. The VA
   3. School System
      1. ETSU
      2. City and county schools 
   4. Eastman
3. A median household income of ~$61,000 (Washington County) or ~$60,000 (Sullivan County) means many households are in a modest-to-middle income bracket
4. Great opportunity for Work From Home jobs - low cost of living vs high paying out of area job, access to high speed internet 
   1. High Speed Internet available 
      1. Close to city areas 
         1. Brightridge 
         2. Brightspeed 
         3. Spectrum 
         4. Cell phone providers 
      2. Rural areas 
         1. Starlink 
         2. Cell phone providers 
   2. Cost of living is 15-20% lower than national average 

• Tennessee — ~90–92
  • Well below the national average; highly affordable housing and taxes.
• Illinois — ~100
• Florida — ~100
• California — ~137.6
  • One of the highest cost-of-living states in the U.S.
• Oregon — ~121.2
  • Above average; housing and utilities drive costs higher.
• New York — ~134.5
  • Very high cost of living, especially NYC metro areas.
• New Hampshire — ~116.1

2. Taxes

1. Property tax good 
   1. Sullivan County — ~$872/yr — well under the national typical property tax bill. Ownwell
   2. Carter County — ~$816/yr — modest, and quite affordable relative to many U.S. counties. SmartAsset
   3. Washington County — ~$1,269/yr — higher than some neighboring counties, but still below many national medians (see below). SmartAsset
   4. Unicoi County — ~$511/yr — very low property-tax bill, especially given median home value is quite modest by national standards. Ownwell
   5. Other counties not mentioned
      1. Hawkins, Johnson, Greene 
2. No state income tax 
   1. One of only 9 states 
3. High sales tax 
   • Top 2 in the nation
   • Everyday purchases — groceries, clothing, dining out, shopping — tend to carry a higher sales-tax burden compared with many U.S. states. That can make frequent spending noticeably more expensive.
   • For visitors or people coming from zero-sales-tax states, the sales tax can feel like a trade-off for Tennessee’s lack of state income tax. Indeed, Tennessee relies heavily on sales tax for government revenue. Think Tennessee+1

However — thanks to low property taxes and no state income tax — overall tax burden can still be competitive depending on your spending habits, home ownership, and income sources.

3. Entertainment

1. Small city - good events but not a lot 
   1. Travel to Knoxville, Asheville, Charlotte  
      1. Morgan Wallen in Knoxville 
      2. Savannah Bananas in Charlotte 
      3. Bigger comedians - Asheville
2. Local Events 
   1. Venues  
      1. Bristol Motor Speedway 
         1. Braves vs. Reds baseball game
         2. Country Thunder 
      2. Appalachian Fairgrounds 
         1. Recently 
            1. Zach Top, Shenandoah, Lee Greenwood, Crowder and Jackson Dean 
      3. Downtown Kingsport 
         1. Fun Fest - artists like Brad Paisley 
   2. Hard Rock Casino 
      1. Comedians like Bert Kreischer 
3. Small-town feel for the events 
   1. Blue Plum Festival 
   2. Meet the Mountains 
   3. Fridays after 5 in downtown JC
   4. Races 
      • Food City 500
      • Bass Pro Night Race

4. Environmental trade-offs 

1. 4 seasons
   1. Heat/humidity 
      1. July - 84-86 
         1. Heat oppressive 
         2. Doesn't last long
         3. Johnson City is somewhere in the middle nationally: more humid than arid regions, but less consistently swamp-like humid than coastal/humid-climate extremes.
         4. Better above 2000 ft above sea 
   2. Snow 
      1. 10-11 inches per year 
      2. 3-5 good snows 
      3. More in higher elevations 
         1. Mountain City and Butler 
         2. Roan Mountain 
         3. Parts of Kingsport 
   3. Fall colors 
      1. I have a whole video on fall in Johnson City  
      2. 3 weeks of some gorgeous colors, crisp mornings and chilly nights 
         1. Well-received after a hot summer 
   4. Spring blooms 
      1. My favorite time of the year 
      2. Flowers and trees bloom
      3. Green trees
      4. Warm weather to get back outside (and golf)
2. Pollen counts high 
   1. Downside of spring and fall
   2. High tree and grass pollen
3. Summer 
   1. Lack of strong storms and tornadoes 
   2. Last one was 2011

5. Food and Shopping 

1. Large chains prevalent 
   1. Grocery stores 
      1. Walmart 
      2. Ingles (regional)
      3. Food city (regional)
      4. Food lion
   2. Shopping 
      1. Big box stores 
         1. Target 
         2. Lowe's and Home Depot
         3. Academy Sports 
         4. Best Buy
         5. Old Navy
      2. Mall at Johnson City
         1. JC Penney
         2. Belk
         3. Dick's Sporting Goods 
         4. HomeGoods 
      3. Kingsport Mall 
         1. Belk
         2. Dunham's 
         3. American Eagle 
      4. The Pinnacle 
         1. Bass Pro
         2. Belk
         3. Dick's Sporting Goods 
2. Locally-owned stores 
   1. Link to my other YouTube channel - local businesses 
      1. Both men's and women's boutiques 
      2. The Generalist 
   2. Restaurants 
      1. Big chains 
         1. Texas Roadhouse 
         2. Aubreys 
         3. Logan's 
         4. Applebee's
      2. Local
         1. Gourmet and Company 
         2. The Stir Fry Group 
            1. Label
            2. Southern Craft BBQ
            3. 620 State 
            4. Juan Siao
            5. Stir Fry Cafe 
         3. Local coffee shops 

Bottom Line

1. Main areas to discuss if you want to move to this area 
   1. Jobs, taxes, entertainment, seasonal pros and cons, food and shopping availability 
2. Interested in the area 
   1. Schedule at least two days to visit 
   2. Drive around the areas 
   3. Find where you don't see yourself living 
   4. Confirm you can see yourself doing live here 
3. Reach out to us!

Ready to take the first step?

Text me at 423-393-9519 or email me at [email protected]!