We are trying to find land for a future home (8-10 years out).  So far we have found properties in the above towns.  

Any feedback?  We are looking for something somewhat rural, quiet, don't mind driving an hour or so for the home improvement stores, groceries, etc.

ETA:  Found a couple of properties in Spencer.  Anyone know anything about that area?

If you do go to Celina, go as far from there and still be close to the Clay/Jackson County lines. I grew up in Clay County. Damn, the sheriff's there are never not crooked as fuck.
I was so damn glad to hit 18 and join the Army to get away.  Land in Clay Co is cheap because there is absolutely  nothing anymore. Unless you want to work in a sawmill or one of the few garment factories left in the area.
My mom passed away last year and I haven't been back there since.

Hilham is really nice. I had dated a few girls from that area. Close enough to Cookeville, but far enough away to be quiet.

Clay Co/Celina is quiet. Real quiet. Nice scenery,  great deer hunting and turkey hunting. But like a lot of very rural places, meth heads will steal you blind during the day as that is when a lot of people will travel to another county for work. That is when the break is happen there. Middle of the day if you don't have neighbors close enough to see your place and not recognize a vehicle that belongs there. That is one good thing. The neighbors will look out for one another if a strange vehicle will show up without the home owner car not there.

Me personally,  I would pick Hilham.

Thank you for the information

I have lived in celina all my life good place to live. Not alot of jobs locally.
Good hunting and fishing.  Home of Dale Hollow Lake  so lots of tourist in summer.

Hello fellow Clay Countian! I lived in Moss, actually Oak Grove. Went to Hermitage Springs school.

@bubba1977

Can you tell me anything about Vonore?

It’s in Monroe county.

What else? That’s a pretty general question.

Some of that area is on/near Tellico lake, not to be confused with the Tellico river or Tellico Plains, as a lot not from here (forums) do.

It’s between Maryville and Madisonville on Hwy 441. Right now with the booming economy it is showing some growth but is still for the most part very rural.

Vonore is near portions of Tellico Village, again not the same as TP, etc. The are in general is probably an hour from the airport in Alcoa (McGhee Tyson) but that can vary depending on which direction in or near Vonore you are. The South Cherokee National Forest is about 30-45 minutes away and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is about 45 min to an hour or so. No major interstates really close, I-75 is about 30-45 min. away towards Sweetwater.  

Before buying at any of these locations an extended stay would be advisable.

ETA: Now the big question is, what will it be like 8-10 years from now when you move there. No way to tell that. It could continue to grow or there could be another recession. It is a dice throw, but that is true about anywhere you pick with the outlier being the 8-10 year window.

Thanks for the info

Is Porky’s Shake still around? I went there once a week at least when I was in high school.

Will you still be working or be retired? This sort of thing has a lot of bearing on what we can suggest as far as area(s).

Also, how much of a rural area are you wanting? Many of these small towns/counties, internet is hard to come by once away from a city. Obviously one can get a dish for tv anywhere.

Vonore has one thing going for itself: genuine A&W drive-in!  

But seriously, give us details & we'll narrow your search.

Porky shake been gone for several years.

Damn. I loved that place

Porky Shake is long gone. It's an office for a local trucking company now.

My uncle lived on Hwy 52 down near the bottom of Moss Stretch. He had a huge pepper patch. As a young teen, me and my brother a year younger picked pepper for my uncle. He treated us to all we could eat at Porky Shake. Loved the burgers and strawberry milkshakes.

Wow. More people from Clay County here than I realized.

Retired and looking for a minimum of 20 acres.  Decent internet is a concern.  I read in another thread about AT&T  and their unlimited wifi plan.  It's supposed to only work w/ a tablet but you take the sim card from the tablet and install it in a router, change the router's IMEI number and now you have wifi thru the house.

Water is another topic.  Talked w/ a well driller about a property in Vonore and he said minimum 300', could be 1200' for good water.  6K to 12K.

Some of the properties have electric, water and internet at the road.  I'm good w/ well water, kinda' need the electric and internet though.

Law requires the electric company to supply you no matter where you live. Water & cable have no such requirement.

20 acres can easily be found all over East TN. You issue will be getting something that isn't straight up & down or sits next to a landfill.

I would have thought most of the Vonore area was on city water but that's just speculation on my part. Personally, *I* would be less than thrilled about being on a well. Pumps go out at THE worst possible times, IMO.

Given my addiction to the net, I would be hard pressed to not live somewhere where hard line cable isn't an option. Speaking of which, try to avoid Charter Cable. They make Comcast look perfect. For the record, I've been a Comcast customer for around thirty years now. I still hate them but do admit they're 100 times better than they used to be.

I would be tempted to call a realtor in each county, give them a list of your criteria of "must haves" along with the "would be nice to have" & let them do the work for you. If you do one in their home county, they would know which ones to avoid, IMO. Then you could google earth the ones they suggest, see what you think about them.

Anything above Knoxville is going to be pretty darn rural as long as you're out of the cities of Bristol, Kingsport, Johnson City & Sevierville. Beautiful areas & not a lot of congestion as long as you're away from the Smokies or Dollywood.

Good luck to you & I hope you find something decent. I'm sure there's some of us who would be happy to bird dog a spot for you should you need it checked out before you come down to see it yourself.