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trapper
07-11-2013, 10:56
i want to relocate down a little further south to escape crappy Ohio winters. i want to be within a couple minutes of the AT. would like Tenn or NC. any suggestions reasonable priced property is a big plus.

Alleghanian Orogeny
07-11-2013, 11:44
i want to relocate down a little further south to escape crappy Ohio winters. i want to be within a couple minutes of the AT. would like Tenn or NC. any suggestions reasonable priced property is a big plus.

.........because you might get it.

The NC sections of the AT below Fontana are at elevations much higher than Ohio, and to be "within a couple of minutes of the AT" means your residence would be, too. Unless you're up on Lake Erie getting pounded by lake effect snow, I doubt you'll find much improvement in the winter climate in the part of NC below Fontana Dam. You may very well find overall colder winters, albeit possibly with less snow.

NC-TN around Hot Springs is lower (1,332') due to Hot Springs' presence on the French Broad River, but you're right back up to 3,500' to 5,000' on the north and south sides of the town of Hot Springs.

Erwin, TN is at 1,650' but is more like 10-15 min from the AT at Indian Trail Gap, but there are large areas of private property used as residences in the vicinity of Uncle Johnny's at the Nolichucky River crossing of the AT.

US 19E crosses the AT at around 2,700' and there are residences within a couple of minutes there. Ditto Elk Park, NC, but it's at 3,200'.

Hampton, TN lies at 2,030' while Shady Valley, just south of Damascus, VA is at 2,800'.

If you're looking for real, noticeable changes in average daytime highs and nightime lows, I'd have to guess you've got so look for something below 2,500' or maybe even down below 2,000'. The average ambient temp change is between 3 and 5 degrees per 1,000' of elevation, so it doesn't take much elevation for the NC-TN mountains to have a climate more like southern Canada at sea level.

On the plus side, at and above 3,000-3,500' the summertime daytime highs and overnight lows can be noticeably cooler than Ohio. Our family's place at 3,900' near Grandfather Mountain, NC does not have air conditioning and we normally sleep under blankets in July and August.

AO

fredmugs
07-11-2013, 11:49
Uncle Johnny told me they really did not get a lot of snow where he's at. Having grown up in Michigan and now living in Indiana I understand your desire to move. When I retire it will be out west however. If you haven't done a hike on the PCT maybe you should try that before deciding to move.

dmax
07-11-2013, 12:04
Erwin, Johnson City, Elizabethton, Bristol

Mr. Bumpy
07-11-2013, 12:06
TN has no state income tax.

max patch
07-11-2013, 12:08
Hanover would be a great place to live but they got a lotta snow.

Damascus would be a great place to live but they don't have any jobs.

Namtrag
07-11-2013, 12:14
Look at Roanoke, bigger city with jobs, and the AT goes pretty close by

Seatbelt
07-11-2013, 12:22
I have a buddy who lives just off 129 just north of Fontana/Deals Gap and we talk a lot, his weather is almost always considerably warmer and more tolerable that ours in Indiana. He does get snow, but it usually melts fairly quick---he is not up in the mountains, but down in a lower elevation. Not too far from the AT.

Cedar Tree
07-11-2013, 12:28
Trapper, your PM inbox is full---not accepting more messages.
Contact me through the Packa website.
CT

Venchka
07-11-2013, 14:29
My daughter lives in Boone, NC. A lively, bustling, college town. The nearest AT access is at Elk Park, NC, about an hour's drive away. Naturally, you could live closer to Elk Park and still take advantage of the economic opportunities in Boone.
The weather this year in that part of NC has been CRUD. Snow in Feb., March & April. Rain ever since. However, a terrible day in the mountains of NC beat the heck out of any winter day during the 5 years we lived in western Massachusetts or the two winters that my daughter spent in Columbus, OH.
Word of caution: The folks in NC think a LOT of their mountain real estate. TN may be more affordable.

Wayne

Lone Wolf
07-11-2013, 14:55
i want to relocate down a little further south to escape crappy Ohio winters. i want to be within a couple minutes of the AT. would like Tenn or NC. any suggestions reasonable priced property is a big plus.

Damascus, Va.......................

Lone Wolf
07-11-2013, 14:56
Hanover would be a great place to live but they got a lotta snow.

Damascus would be a great place to live but they don't have any jobs.

plenty of seasonal work at one of the 7 bike shops

trapper
07-11-2013, 15:08
i have a lawn care business up here that i would have to get established wherever i go. love the no state tax

Alleghanian Orogeny
07-11-2013, 15:22
i have a lawn care business up here that i would have to get established wherever i go. love the no state tax

Well, the "within a minute or two" of the AT dramatically narrows your choices. If your lawn care business needs a somewhat populated city and/or a resort/vacation home area, and if you can stand being closer to your business territory and within, say, a half-hour to an hour from the AT, you have practically infinite options. Greenville-Erwin-Johnson City, TN come to mind as low elevation TN cities well within an hour of the AT which may be highly populated enough to support a lawn care business.

AO

Venchka
07-11-2013, 15:30
Maryville, TN. Full of Yuppies in new homes & a good micro-brewery pub. 1-2 hours from the TN-NC divide.

Wayne

tarditi
07-11-2013, 16:02
Look at Roanoke, bigger city with jobs, and the AT goes pretty close by

If you don't mind Virginia, Roanoke has a lot to offer - I live in NC myself, but would consider moving to Roanoke.

trapper
07-11-2013, 19:47
Maryville, TN. Full of Yuppies in new homes & a good micro-brewery pub. 1-2 hours from the TN-NC divide.

Wayneyuppies usually don't mow there own grass so that's a plus for me..it usually takes a few years to build up enough to go full time so i will have a day job for the first few years...i really like damasus go to trail days every year

daddytwosticks
07-12-2013, 07:33
Here in western NC, if you are down in the valleys near a town, the winters are not so bad. I'm only 1 to 2 hours away from most trail heads up to I-40. The closest trail head for me is Winding Stair Gap or Neel Gap. :)

Jeff
07-12-2013, 08:17
i have a lawn care business up here that i would have to get established wherever i go. love the no state tax A booming lawn care business doesn't leave alot of time to hike.:)

Tennessee Viking
07-12-2013, 09:06
Reasonable can be one thing and different to another.

If you are looking at lower taxes for your business. Virginia may have lower taxes. TN has no state income tax but has a very high sales tax. NC taxes are just screwy. State income tax and slowly but growing sales tax.

Damascus VA, Elizabethton/Hampton TN area, Unicoi-Erwin TN/Mars Hill NC, Johnson City TN.

I know a very good realtor in Kingsport TN. She can work with any budget.

Malto
07-12-2013, 09:10
1) couple minutes from AT.
2) little to no winters.
3) Establish lawn care business.

Sounds almost mutually exclusive. AT is mostly high and gets snow. Those places that don't aren't exactly the areas I would expect to be able to walk in and establish a lawn care business. Not sure what the attraction of the AT vs other hiking areas. Take a place like Palm Springs. Warm, affluent and within minutes of plenty of hiking.

dmax
07-12-2013, 09:53
We don't get hardly any snow in Erwin. And when we do it melts right away. That's the way I like it!

slbirdnerd
07-12-2013, 10:45
.........because you might get it.

The NC sections of the AT below Fontana are at elevations much higher than Ohio, and to be "within a couple of minutes of the AT" means your residence would be, too. Unless you're up on Lake Erie getting pounded by lake effect snow, I doubt you'll find much improvement in the winter climate in the part of NC below Fontana Dam. You may very well find overall colder winters, albeit possibly with less snow.

NC-TN around Hot Springs is lower (1,332') due to Hot Springs' presence on the French Broad River, but you're right back up to 3,500' to 5,000' on the north and south sides of the town of Hot Springs.

By crappy Ohio winters, he may not mean cold/snow. What we have here is gray, wet, gray, slushy, gray, mud and more gray; and then we have more mud, gray, you get the idea--it goes on and on. It's abysmal. I spent a winter in NH once, and even with 4' of snow on the ground, the sun still shined and it was better than Ohio.

Namtrag
07-12-2013, 12:40
Still think for the best all-around spot in his situation, he should look at Roanoke area. The area has about 300,000 people, so plenty of work for his lawn care business, near the AT, and fairly mild as it is only about 1200'

Venchka
07-12-2013, 14:45
...or Morganton-Lenoir-Hickory, North Carolina. Heck, even Asheville, NC may still be tolerable.
Just make sure that you have access to one of The Cook-Out (http://www.cookoutnc.com/) burger places. The best drive-thru burger, fries & real milk shake on Earth.

trapper
07-12-2013, 22:01
A booming lawn care business doesn't leave alot of time to hike.:)i make it work now i always find time

trapper
07-12-2013, 22:43
By crappy Ohio winters, he may not mean cold/snow. What we have here is gray, wet, gray, slushy, gray, mud and more gray; and then we have more mud, gray, you get the idea--it goes on and on. It's abysmal. I spent a winter in NH once, and even with 4' of snow on the ground, the sun still shined and it was better than Ohio.bingo.....i thrive on sunshine!

Venchka
07-13-2013, 11:03
According to my daughter, as of July 5, 2013, it had rained every day since June 1, or maybe earlier, in Boone. It definitely rained every day were were travelling to/from Texas & Boone in early June. Weather is variable anywhere you go.

Wayne

Farr Away
07-13-2013, 12:33
I moved south to get away from the ice, snow & cold of upstate NY winters. (Very upstate and close to Canada).

Knoxville is 1-2 hours from the AT, and probably a good place for a lawn care business. We rarely have ice or snow, and when we do, it usually melts off within a day. If it doesn't, the city tends to shut down until it does. We do have a fair bit of rain (good for growing lots of grass, lol), but weather here is very changeable. The saying is "if you don't like the weather, wait a minute".

To manage taxes (we have both city and county property taxes), you might want to look at living out of the city and commuting in - a very large number of people do. If so, pay attention to any bridges you might need to cross on your commute. At some point, that bridge will be closed for roadwork. We have the Holston River meeting the French Broad River to become the Tennessee River, but we don't have a lot of bridges.

You might also want to take a look at some places around Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg - very touristy area and a lot of seasonal work. Also closer to the AT. Property values tend to be high around there though.

trapper
07-14-2013, 08:33
thanks for all the info guys