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[apollo]

Any and all commentary welcome.  I can look up a lot about the university, but the culture of the institution is never really there online is it?
Also, I've been through Johnson City once, and ran a track meet there in college once, but I have no idea what the place is like to live in. 

[msparticularity]

I have spent a lot of time in the general area, since my grandma and her whole family lived in Bristol and I spent many long summer vacations there. Before I launch into my perspectives on local/regional culture, though, let me ask a very basic question--are you already familiar with Appalachia?

[writingprof]

Post-industrial decay meets some of the most incredible scenery in the country.  Deliverance-style banjo music in the background.

Do you like Southern Baptists?

[apollo]

I lived in NC for 5 years, visiting the mountains just about every weekend I could.  From Boone to Asheville to Murphy, I've done just about all of it, in town and in the woods.  I've been over into TN by way of Gatlinburg and Knoxville a few times, and I've been through southern WV, too, hiking and rafting.  So, I have visited a lot.  Visited.  Not lived. I also get the sense that while the mountains of NC and VA are indeed part of Appalachia, it is just not the same on the other side of the divide. 
I lived in Winston-Salem, a pretty culturally-vibrant small city.  I've been told things about Johnson City which come from an extremely negatively biased source, so I don't know what to expect.
I do not like Southern Baptists but have lived in the South my entire life.....so, I've figured out how to get along just fine.

[msparticularity]

Post-industrial decay meets some of the most incredible scenery in the country.  Deliverance-style banjo music in the background.

Do you like Southern Baptists?

And Nascar! I cannot overstress the importance of this.

I lived in NC for 5 years, visiting the mountains just about every weekend I could.  From Boone to Asheville to Murphy, I've done just about all of it, in town and in the woods.  I've been over into TN by way of Gatlinburg and Knoxville a few times, and I've been through southern WV, too, hiking and rafting.  So, I have visited a lot.  Visited.  Not lived. I also get the sense that while the mountains of NC and VA are indeed part of Appalachia, it is just not the same on the other side of the divide. 
I lived in Winston-Salem, a pretty culturally-vibrant small city.  I've been told things about Johnson City which come from an extremely negatively biased source, so I don't know what to expect.
I do not like Southern Baptists but have lived in the South my entire life.....so, I've figured out how to get along just fine.

Okay, I think that what you're going to find on t'other side  is that things are a bit more impoverished and a lot less culturally and educationally diverse. The educational level of the population in Tennessee is lower than that in North Carolina, and so is state support for education at all levels. Suspicion of governmental programs, including higher education, is fairly pervasive, and anti-intellectualism can be pretty prevalent. Many small to midsized towns are still very hooked into the social strata of the mid-20th century, and newcomers can find it difficult to become a part of a social circle. If one is not interested in becoming a part of a reading group, the Ladies who Lunch, or a church community, there just isn't all that much going on on a regular basis. Grocery shopping and eating out can be difficult for those with dietary limitations or eclectic tastes, as well.

OTOH, if you like bluegrass (which I do) there is some truly terrific music, and the scenery and outdoor recreational opportunities are fabulous. If you are already partnered and are fairly self-sufficient, you could have a really lovely life there, but I think it could be a considerable challenge for a single academic interested in finding like-minded others.   

[just_me1]

In the late 1980s there was a book, which was turned into a book, about a professor at ETSU's medical school who became the area's unofficial AIDS expert.  The book is a bit dated but contains a very good overview of the area.   

http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/118586/My-Own-Country/overview

[spamicide]

I have a buddy from grad school whose on faculty there.  They love it.  Married and two kids, which makes it easier vs. if you are single.  They do a lot of outdoor stuff and appreciate the city for what it is, a small big town.  However, they do make an effort to get out the big city at least twice a year to get some of the things they miss.  Many of the other faculty are like minded, in that they are all educated and have experienced life elsewhere.   

[transparentopaque]

I lived there for eight years. I went to grad school there. I adjuncted there. I will try to supress my personal distaste for the area, resulting from a number of personal crises I lived through and not from anything about the area itself, as I answer your question.

The campus is gorgeous, if you like ancient trees, brick buildings, and more ancient trees. The library is gorgeous, except now they ruined it by putting an Einstein Bagels right on the first floor, right smack dab on the most prominent spot on the first floor. I can't understand what commerce has to do with a repository of knowledge. The student center and food court are literally only about 30 yards away!

The faculty were very accomodating to me as a grad student. As an adjunct professor, they were still kind, although I did not receive much professional support. But that is the plight of adjuncts the world over. I made it after all, thank goodness, and am typing this from a fine office on the other side of the country.

As for the area itself, it is beautiful. The Blue Ridge mountains are basically staring down their noses at the campus. But getting into the mountains can be a bit tricky. I never felt safe. And no, I've never seen Deliverance. But I did hear of enough goings-on up in those mountains to keep me and my family down in the valley. The police raided a mountainous state park while I was there and pulled about 10 or so people down out of there. They were caught in the act, basically, of engaging in impromptu sexual encounters in the bushes.

Johnson City is growing fast. Even during my eight years, the city has begun to grow, especially along its western border. Downtown is a depressing collection of run-down buildings. The city powers lack any form of creativity when it comes to revitalizing what could be a wonderful business district. Instead, the chain stores cut down through the center of town and they keep on coming. There is a Panera Bread and an Atlantic Bread Company right across the street from each other. It is safe enough, which is good if you have kids, but there are some areas of town which are not ideal for family life. Even this is changing fast. I moved into a nice neighborhood, but when I moved out eight years later, I had already witnessed more crime than I wanted. Our neighbor almost shot his wife as she ran frantically through the street one morning. My vehicle was broken into, and other incidents in the vicinity made me glad to finally leave.

It is very conservative. People will assume you share their beliefs about race, God, guns, politics, etc. In summary, I am glad I am here and not there, but while I was there, things weren't all bad. 

[undisciplined]

I lived near there for awhile. Traveled to JC every couple of weeks for a kids' activity. I've lived all over the South, but this was the whitest, most homogenous place I've never lived. And the Baptists aren't the half of it. The Methodists! And all the other big-box Evangelicals. Remember, this was home to the Great Awakening. Lots of homeschoolers (and this is not a generalization; Little Undi's activity revealed an unusually high percentage of home schoolers). Others have mentioned the fabulous outdoor recreation opportunities, and this is true: hiking, rafting, fly fishing, kayaking, riding, cycling. Still, I don't miss the area. Good luck finding a decent major newspaper to read, if that's important to you. I also recall that ETSU, at least in the non-sciences, paid incredibly poorly.

[dr_prephd]

It is very conservative. People will assume you share their beliefs about race, God, guns, politics, etc. In summary, I am glad I am here and not there, but while I was there, things weren't all bad. 

I grew up there, both of my parents went to college there, and most of my dad's family still lives near there or in the area. Although I haven't lived there since I was 13, I'll tell you this: when I would invite friends over to spend the night on Saturdays, they always thought it was very weird that we didn't wake up and go to church the next morning. There was not a single black child in my elementary school class. Actually, let me rephrase that. There were only white kids, most of whose parents (and grandparents) all lived in JC, or the surrounding areas of Bristol, Kingsport, Jonesboro(ugh)...

That said, if you're white, Christian, and conservative, it's a relatively liveable small city (think Harrisonburg, VA as a comparison, if that helps) with decent real estate prices and a low cost of living. While it may be in the "mountains," it's not like Deliverance at all. Of course, all that's just a short drive off, but still...

[looking4newplace]

I lived near there for awhile. Traveled to JC every couple of weeks for a kids' activity. I've lived all over the South, but this was the whitest, most homogenous place I've never lived. And the Baptists aren't the half of it. The Methodists! And all the other big-box Evangelicals. Remember, this was home to the Great Awakening. Lots of homeschoolers (and this is not a generalization; Little Undi's activity revealed an unusually high percentage of home schoolers). Others have mentioned the fabulous outdoor recreation opportunities, and this is true: hiking, rafting, fly fishing, kayaking, riding, cycling. Still, I don't miss the area. Good luck finding a decent major newspaper to read, if that's important to you. I also recall that ETSU, at least in the non-sciences, paid incredibly poorly.

Agree w. you, primarily. ETSU is a decent campus. The area itself however, is a different story.

Have been here 6 years. If you have a niche, and your own group, you will be fine here. Otherwise, no. It's not the worst, Im sure there are places in rural Louisiana, etc...however its surprising with a moderate sized university there is so little for students to do....taverns etc....

The main strip State of Franklin is boring unless you've never seen a mall before. Johnson City itself is better than Carter County.

Also having worked with people in outer counties, there is, as the earlier post mentioned a great deal of anti-intellectualism and general smug ignorance. My neighbor, for example thinks the Wall St. crash was started by Obama.

Religion isnt an issue, as long as you don't talk about it (yes, we are in America). I own a house in Johnson City and my neighbors did ask what my religion is, something that couldnt matter less in NY or Fl (where I have previously lived).

If you are here for graduate work get involved in a gym or sports or whatever. You will need to use alot of your psychological coping skills.

That being said I don't know why city planners don't wise up and fix the old downtown. It could be a nice hangout for students who spend money, music, etc. Right now its been dead since the 80's pawn shops, 1 or 2 defunct antique stores with dust etc.

Its a disappointment.

[dr_prephd]

Religion isnt an issue, as long as you don't talk about it

That's because everyone will assume you're a Baptist unless you tell them otherwise.

[reener06]

I just wanted to say, as someone whose research is in Appalachia, and who lived in Boone for awhile, as well as other parts of Appalachia, Deliverance is full of stereotypes and is pretty ridiculous. There is crime everywhere, there is sex everywhere (otherwise we wouldn't survive as a species too long), and this has little to do with stereotypes primarily created by those outside the region.

Of course, I like bluegrass music, find it an incredible art form, and have only found the kindest people in Appalachia. Yes, religion is an issue, but I just praise God and go on my way. I've found the people I know in Appalachia, once they know me, will go out of their way to help me and make me feel welcome. You know, like a lot of other places in America.

[prytania3]

I'm a Baptist. And you all are what? *** *****s?

[yellowtractor]

I lived near there for awhile. Traveled to JC every couple of weeks for a kids' activity. I've lived all over the South, but this was the whitest, most homogenous place I've never lived. And the Baptists aren't the half of it. The Methodists! And all the other big-box Evangelicals. Remember, this was home to the Great Awakening. Lots of homeschoolers (and this is not a generalization; Little Undi's activity revealed an unusually high percentage of home schoolers). Others have mentioned the fabulous outdoor recreation opportunities, and this is true: hiking, rafting, fly fishing, kayaking, riding, cycling. Still, I don't miss the area. Good luck finding a decent major newspaper to read, if that's important to you. I also recall that ETSU, at least in the non-sciences, paid incredibly poorly.

Agree w. you, primarily. ETSU is a decent campus. The area itself however, is a different story.

Have been here 6 years. If you have a niche, and your own group, you will be fine here. Otherwise, no. It's not the worst, Im sure there are places in rural Louisiana, etc...however its surprising with a moderate sized university there is so little for students to do....taverns etc....

The main strip State of Franklin is boring unless you've never seen a mall before. Johnson City itself is better than Carter County.

Also having worked with people in outer counties, there is, as the earlier post mentioned a great deal of anti-intellectualism and general smug ignorance. My neighbor, for example thinks the Wall St. crash was started by Obama.

Religion isnt an issue, as long as you don't talk about it (yes, we are in America). I own a house in Johnson City and my neighbors did ask what my religion is, something that couldnt matter less in NY or Fl (where I have previously lived).

If you are here for graduate work get involved in a gym or sports or whatever. You will need to use alot of your psychological coping skills.

That being said I don't know why city planners don't wise up and fix the old downtown. It could be a nice hangout for students who spend money, music, etc. Right now its been dead since the 80's pawn shops, 1 or 2 defunct antique stores with dust etc.

Its a disappointment.

Please use standard English grammar, punctuation, and capitalization on this academic forum.  Thank you.