Coming to explore NE Tennessee for possible relocation.  On paper, the Knoxville suburbs or any of the nearby towns/cities seem to fit the bill but until I have boots on the ground I just won't know.  Hence the reason for the trip.

Not ruling out anything in the Northeast part of the state but I prefer the following:

Looking to be less than 1 hour from a decent sized city (such as Knoxville).

Need to be in hills / valleys and not far from mountains.  I loathe flat terrain.

Max 15-20 min away from places like Home Depot, Supermarkets, Restaurants, etc.  So in or not far from a small town I guess.

Not necessarily in the sticks, but I would prefer a few acres (or more) bordered by some woods.  I would love to be able to shoot and ride ATV's behind my house if that were at all possible.

I love scenery such as rivers so being nearby would be great.  Would like to obtain raw land within a few months and build new.  Timeframe to move in is approx. 18 months from now.

I may add some stuff if I think of it.

It sounds like you're hoping to find the same Conservative Paradise as everyone else who is moving to that part of the state.

Absolutely!

Morristown, Greeneville, Newport, Jefferson City are all within an hour of Knoxville or Johnson City.  Cost of land is going up, so your wallet will be your guide.  NE TN is beautiful country.  Take your time with your visit, seek a real estate broker, and ask questions.  Best of luck!

We’re full.

There is that.

I second Greenville (Davy Crockett country) and/or that area. Lots of really pretty areas and still not too far from necessities.  I’ve met the Greene County Sheriff on several occasions and most of his staff. Top notch. That’s a big factor for me. Lots of shenanigans going in in some of these small counties.  Most are GTG however. The U.S. Atty’s office there is also run by a good man....FWIW.

Like John said, there are a lot of outlanders (me included-but 11 years ago) moving here, and I mean a lot!  I live 35 minutes NW of Chattanooga. The growth around me is unreal! The prices people are paying for land and homes is driving prices thru the roof.

I have a new neighbor that built a $500k home on two acres. Why, especially way out here?  Why would you not stick that new house on 40 acres of land? Because land is no longer $3k an acre.  It’s also much higher in smaller tracts now.  I’m sure he paid $25k for his land alone. Silly!

I really enjoy my 15 acres, but I’m being surrounded.

I initially said that in joking, but from some real estate agents I know we really are kind of here in Knoxville and surrounding areas.

According to them there is no inventory of homes for sale. I know I keep getting hounded via texts, phone calls and snail mail trying to get me to sell my place and it is nothing special. It suits my needs just fine and I have no desire to move.

I know a couple of people who have listed their houses and within hours to no more than a couple of days getting offers above asking.

I don't know about homes with acreage,  but the last estimate I heard for sfh in Knoxville metro was a demand of 3000 with supply of 1500. Ktown is blowing up, I am seeing tons of out of state plates driving around, that 5 years ago you wouldn't have seen.  I am born and raised in West Hills, and I barely recognize Knoxville anymore.  

No kidding. At first I just figured these out of state plates are just traveling through....Glad I'm not the only one noticing this. I have a friend who has noticed it too.

But from what I hear from those all around the country is this is the norm now. I do think TN has become much more attractive due to no state income tax, hardly any vehicle inspection counties (especially East TN) and lots of lakes, rivers and mountains. I can also say having worked out of town for a couple of years we are blessed with a pretty good interstate system and access to other areas/states a lot better than some places.

Rocky Hill/Bluegrass born and raised here.

1. Be ready to buy and pay. Property here is selling quickly.

2. Your expectations of buying and moving there in 18 months is unrealistic. You’ll be lucky to find a contractor that is any good who isn’t booked till late 2022 / early 2023 at this point.

BTW take a look at building material costs.

Tennessee isn’t the slow-paced country lifestyle that a lot of folks imagine, it’s booming precisely because people like OP are moving here. Lack of familiarity coupled with some good old-fashioned naivety need to be addressed by doing a ton of homework.