Moving to Johnson City Tennessee
March 26, 2012 8:53 PM Subscribe
My wife and I will be moving Johnson City, Tennessee in June. After settling in, what should we expect?
Mrs. Groundhog Week will be starting her 4-year medical residency in Johnson City in July, which is why we are moving there from the Dallas - Fort Worth area.
Set of questions #1 (Entertainment and Fun)
Aside from hiking or kayaking at the local State and National Parks, what is there to do in Johnson City or the surrounding towns (museums and music venues would be nice)? If I'm taking the wife out for a romantic dinner and evening, where should we go? Are most of the restaurants chains/franchises? If I want to catch some live sporting events (baseball, basketball or soccer) should I settle for the local University teams, or take weekend trips to Knoxville or Charlotte to get my live sports fix?
Set of questions #2 (Local culture)
Both of us are moderate-to-liberal Catholics (and moderate-to-liberal in our politics). After googling up some demographic data, we are in a clear minority, both religiously and politically. I grew up inner city (ethnically diverse), taught for 6 years at a high school that was ethnically diverse, and have the mindset that multiculturalism is a very good thing. Johnson City and the surrounding counties are ~90% Caucasian. Both my wife and I are half Caucasian and half Hispanic. Is it just my paranoia talking, or are we really going to have difficulties finding social connections? On a spectrum from secular to fundamentalist, where does Johnson City and the surrounding counties land?
A response to any one of the questions listed above would be appreciated. Answer all of them and you get a prize! A wi-fi high five!
Mrs. Groundhog Week will be starting her 4-year medical residency in Johnson City in July, which is why we are moving there from the Dallas - Fort Worth area.
Set of questions #1 (Entertainment and Fun)
Aside from hiking or kayaking at the local State and National Parks, what is there to do in Johnson City or the surrounding towns (museums and music venues would be nice)? If I'm taking the wife out for a romantic dinner and evening, where should we go? Are most of the restaurants chains/franchises? If I want to catch some live sporting events (baseball, basketball or soccer) should I settle for the local University teams, or take weekend trips to Knoxville or Charlotte to get my live sports fix?
Set of questions #2 (Local culture)
Both of us are moderate-to-liberal Catholics (and moderate-to-liberal in our politics). After googling up some demographic data, we are in a clear minority, both religiously and politically. I grew up inner city (ethnically diverse), taught for 6 years at a high school that was ethnically diverse, and have the mindset that multiculturalism is a very good thing. Johnson City and the surrounding counties are ~90% Caucasian. Both my wife and I are half Caucasian and half Hispanic. Is it just my paranoia talking, or are we really going to have difficulties finding social connections? On a spectrum from secular to fundamentalist, where does Johnson City and the surrounding counties land?
A response to any one of the questions listed above would be appreciated. Answer all of them and you get a prize! A wi-fi high five!
The Gray fossil beds museum is awesome! ETSU also has a model train museum. If you like beer, Depot Street brewing in Jonesboro is awesome, and they have a bocce court. The ETSU Bucs have a pretty nice stadium and are decently good, I'd go to a few games and see if it suits you. Jack's is a good restaurant, it's on the side of the mall further from the highway. Kingsport has an art walk that changes annually and might be worth a trip.
I grew up in the Tri Cities, and my parents are liberal-moderate and have liberal friends there. Some of them are doctors, that's probably a good community to be hooked into. I certainly wouldn't describe the area as secular, though. I would also be prepared for some racism, not sure how it will compare with TX. I doubt people will give you a hard time about being Catholic, any sort of Christian is pretty well accepted (not including Mormons).
MeMail me if you have more questions!
posted by momus_window at 9:07 PM on March 26, 2012
I grew up in the Tri Cities, and my parents are liberal-moderate and have liberal friends there. Some of them are doctors, that's probably a good community to be hooked into. I certainly wouldn't describe the area as secular, though. I would also be prepared for some racism, not sure how it will compare with TX. I doubt people will give you a hard time about being Catholic, any sort of Christian is pretty well accepted (not including Mormons).
MeMail me if you have more questions!
posted by momus_window at 9:07 PM on March 26, 2012
Johnson City is the focus of Douglas Reichert Powell's Critical Regionalism: Connecting Politics and Culture in the American Landscape. It's a really interesting look at how landscape and architecture produce and interact with culture. He's particularly interested in comparing Johnson City with the poor neighbors in West Virginia.
posted by pickypicky at 9:11 PM on March 26, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by pickypicky at 9:11 PM on March 26, 2012 [1 favorite]
My experience living in Nashville was that people were okay with minority religions, but they really could not relate to non-churchgoers. Moreover, people's social lives revolved around their churches. I'd imagine that's even truer in Johnson City. Be prepared to join up or face isolation. (Note: I lived there over 10 years ago. Maybe this has changed, but I doubt it.)
posted by Wordwoman at 9:36 PM on March 26, 2012
posted by Wordwoman at 9:36 PM on March 26, 2012
Johnson City is actually starting to cultivate a decent music scene. There are several venues downtown: Halo, Galaxy, The Hideaway, to name a few. Closer to ETSU's campus is The Acoustic Coffeehouse. The Down Home is a legendary listening room that is a music-lover's haven. And the Blue Plum Festival coming up in June is the perfect way to check out the whole music / downtown scene.
Pick up a copy of The Loafer to find out what's going on in arts and entertainment. GoTriCities is another good resource.
There are also plenty of non-chain restaurants. Enough that I'm not even going to list them. You'll find good food if you get out and explore.
Regarding culture: Johnson City is more progressive, in general, than other cities in the area. It's still not a multicultural mecca, by any means, but I think you'll find people to be accepting and open-minded.
posted by ecrivain at 9:42 PM on March 26, 2012
Pick up a copy of The Loafer to find out what's going on in arts and entertainment. GoTriCities is another good resource.
There are also plenty of non-chain restaurants. Enough that I'm not even going to list them. You'll find good food if you get out and explore.
Regarding culture: Johnson City is more progressive, in general, than other cities in the area. It's still not a multicultural mecca, by any means, but I think you'll find people to be accepting and open-minded.
posted by ecrivain at 9:42 PM on March 26, 2012
I grew up in Johnson City! I think ecrivain has covered the music scene really well, the short answer is that you'll find things going on in JC without too much bother (and if you're going to go further for cool stuff, I'd recommend Asheville, NC which is just over the mountain). Johnson City is a college town because of East Tennessee State University (as well as a few smaller ones), which brings it some much-needed vitality as well as progressive thinking.
It's also a beautiful place to live - the mountains surrounding JC are gorgeous, and you don't have to drive very far at all to hit some beautiful scenery. If you're into mountain biking or 4-wheeling or anything like that, you'll easily find it. Definitely go and visit Jonesborough (or live there, it's not far!) which is a quaint old-timey town complete with an old-fashioned main street. There is a big storytelling festival in Jonesborough every year that i'd highly recommend.
I don't think you'll have any issues finding social connections (especially if you go to Church). Nobody is going to ostracise you for being Catholic and half-Hispanic, but you will probably find that they'll make a lot of ill-informed jokes about both things. You might also find that people try to convert you - the church i grew up in taught us that Catholics weren't "really" saved, so some Baptists tend to not view Catholics as "real" christians. People aren't unfriendly, though - in fact i think you'll find that people are overwhelmingly very friendly, just often misguided.
I hope that helps - feel free to MeMail me with any other questions!
posted by ukdanae at 1:37 AM on March 27, 2012
It's also a beautiful place to live - the mountains surrounding JC are gorgeous, and you don't have to drive very far at all to hit some beautiful scenery. If you're into mountain biking or 4-wheeling or anything like that, you'll easily find it. Definitely go and visit Jonesborough (or live there, it's not far!) which is a quaint old-timey town complete with an old-fashioned main street. There is a big storytelling festival in Jonesborough every year that i'd highly recommend.
I don't think you'll have any issues finding social connections (especially if you go to Church). Nobody is going to ostracise you for being Catholic and half-Hispanic, but you will probably find that they'll make a lot of ill-informed jokes about both things. You might also find that people try to convert you - the church i grew up in taught us that Catholics weren't "really" saved, so some Baptists tend to not view Catholics as "real" christians. People aren't unfriendly, though - in fact i think you'll find that people are overwhelmingly very friendly, just often misguided.
I hope that helps - feel free to MeMail me with any other questions!
posted by ukdanae at 1:37 AM on March 27, 2012
If you like baseball, the Rookie-level Appalachian League (second-lowest rung of the minor league ladder) has a team in Johnson City, as well as nearby franchises in Elizabethton, Kingsport, Bristol, and Greeneville. The season runs from early June through mid-August.
posted by otters walk among us at 4:34 AM on March 27, 2012
posted by otters walk among us at 4:34 AM on March 27, 2012
OMG Scratch's Pizza. It's nearly three hours from my house and worth the drive.
posted by workerant at 7:38 AM on March 27, 2012
posted by workerant at 7:38 AM on March 27, 2012
I also grew up in the area (Bristol, one of the Tri-Cities along with Johnson City and Kingsport). My parents still live in Bristol, and I go back every year. It is a beautiful, beautiful place.
It is a very socially and religiously conservative area. As others have mentioned, it will probably be somewhat easier for you in that you do have some sort of religious affiliation. There are catholic churches in the area, and that might be a good starting point for you to start meeting people (although I have no idea how conservative those churches may be). It also helps that there is a university in JC, and that you will be involved in the medical community. Both of those things mean transplants that may share a similar outlook as you.
There are moderate and liberal minded people in East TN... but you might just have to look harder to find them. My parents are fairly liberal, but in work and some social contexts they tend to keep their opinions to themselves because they don't want to deal with the blow-back. I can't promise that you won't run across racism... but I don't think your ethnicity should be much of an issue.
Other fun things: Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion. Bristol is the birthplace of country music, and this festival celebrates that, but it's much more than traditional country music. In past years, they've had a stellar line-up of alt-country, bluegrass, folk and roots music including The Avett Brothers, Drive-by Truckers, Dawes, Justin Townes Earl, Dr. Ralph Stanley, Marty Stuart, and Del McCoury. It's a multi-day festival that takes place in down-town Bristol every September.
posted by kimdog at 7:54 AM on March 27, 2012 [1 favorite]
It is a very socially and religiously conservative area. As others have mentioned, it will probably be somewhat easier for you in that you do have some sort of religious affiliation. There are catholic churches in the area, and that might be a good starting point for you to start meeting people (although I have no idea how conservative those churches may be). It also helps that there is a university in JC, and that you will be involved in the medical community. Both of those things mean transplants that may share a similar outlook as you.
There are moderate and liberal minded people in East TN... but you might just have to look harder to find them. My parents are fairly liberal, but in work and some social contexts they tend to keep their opinions to themselves because they don't want to deal with the blow-back. I can't promise that you won't run across racism... but I don't think your ethnicity should be much of an issue.
Other fun things: Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion. Bristol is the birthplace of country music, and this festival celebrates that, but it's much more than traditional country music. In past years, they've had a stellar line-up of alt-country, bluegrass, folk and roots music including The Avett Brothers, Drive-by Truckers, Dawes, Justin Townes Earl, Dr. Ralph Stanley, Marty Stuart, and Del McCoury. It's a multi-day festival that takes place in down-town Bristol every September.
posted by kimdog at 7:54 AM on March 27, 2012 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks for your answers everyone. It's helpful and appreciated.
posted by Groundhog Week at 6:40 PM on March 27, 2012
posted by Groundhog Week at 6:40 PM on March 27, 2012
I've been away...please check MeFi Mail for a rambling set of answers.
posted by The Wrong Kind of Cheese at 9:32 PM on March 30, 2012
posted by The Wrong Kind of Cheese at 9:32 PM on March 30, 2012
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