E2M

Hi, the company i work for have asked if i would be interested in relocatong to Newport Tennessee to work on a new process i was involved in.
What is it like there?
What is the difference in cost of living?
How will a brit fit in taking a local job?

dunroving

Not sure where Newport is but I am biased towards Tennessee in general. Nice climate, reasonable cost of living, no state tax. Mid- and east Tennessee are generally pretty good, but I don't know much about western Tennessee.

Pulaski

Newport is small-town rural, in the western foothillls of the Tennessee Appalachians.

If you want the bright lights of the big city, it won't be for you (the closest "big city" is Knoxville, half an hour to the west, and isn't that big a place). It won't be for you either if you have a problem with bible belt conservative attitudes, or "red-neck culture". If you like the out door activities, the peace and fesh air of living in the country, and being able to buy a house and a patch of land for a fraction of the cost in the UK.

Cost of living? Relatively low, housing costs very low compared to the UK - you should be able to rent a small house or an apartment (which may be "a house", in this part of the world) for $700 a month or less. Some things cost more, like insurance, medical expenses, but eating out is cheaper, food is more or less the same (varies by product and season - fresh produce and dairy produce varies much more in price than in the UK, bread costs a lot more - £1 a loaf and up), and housing and cars are much, very much, cheaper.

A rule of thumb that works for many things is what you can buy for £1 in the UK will cost you $1 in the US.

Patrick

Isn't Cocke county dry?

Pulaski

So I hear.

E2M

Thanks for the reply's.
I am told that Cocke county is the wettest dry county in the US.
Looking on mapquest newport is a couple of miles inside the county border so we wouldn't necessarily have to live there,
Is the religious culture local or a big issue in the southern states? I am of the mind that i wont bother them about it if they dont bother me.

Patrick

It is quite difficult to describe without you ever experiencing it! It is basically Christian Fundamentalism, if you think they won't bother you because then you are mistaken. They will insist on grace in a restaraunt, will make everything about Jesus and talk your ear off about faith. They will then do things that are contrary to Christian believes - I would rather someone act christian rather than spout religious reterick at me and then not act in any way christian!

All I can say is just be prepared to accept it.

Patrick

dunroving

It's not just restaurants. I have worked at two universities in the South where departmental meetings sometimes started with a (Christian) blessing.

You'd also need to figure out how to respond to the question, "What church do you go to?" (I've never been asked "Do you go to church?")

Pulaski was right about figuring out what you are looking for. Rural Tennessee is NOT the place for someone who thrives on what London has to offer, for example. For someone like me, it's midway good. I lived in middle Tennessee, with rural/picturesque Tennessee and the fun of Nashville within arm's reach (just in different diections). This was idyllic for me.

You could say the same to anyone who posts on this board asking "What's the US like?" Doh! It really, really makes a difference where you'll end up. The whole country, end every indovidual state, is so diverse that you could be miserable in one part of Tennessee (for example), but happy as a pig in muck in another part. You are wise to do your research ahead of time.

You might want to tell us what it is you like to do for fun. For me, bicycling and outdoor activities are it - and where I live currently only partly satisfies this interest. Bicycling is a good example - there are hotbeds of cycling in the US, and then you go 50 miles down the road to an area where no-one cycles - and drivers throw things at you.

It really is important to make sure you can get what makes you happy in the place you're planning to move to.

E2M

Thanks,
I'm a pretty easy going bloke, married with 4 boys, i drink moderatly dont smoke and enjoy family life. i like cars and motorbikes and can turn mt hand to most diy work My wife and kids are basicaly the same, we like sports, days out, bbq etc. I would be dissapointed if folks didnt like us just because we didnt go to church, but have no problem with those that do.
I should hear this week what package my company has to offer for me to move over, then i will be able to ask questions about how things work: visa types, length of stay, restrictions, health care etc so all you knowledge will help us make the decision.

BritGuyTN

I live in Nashville (middle TN) - I think its great.

East TN knoxville etc would be a prob for me as i'm a city boy, but if i had a family it may be a different story

To be honest i haven;t come across the religious issues - maybe because i live in a fairly liberal city

Pulaski

I have heard "horror stories" about religious bigots here in the bible belt, and although I live in a fairly small town (some way from Charlotte) I have only very occasionally been asked which church I go to (none at the moment, which is how I have always answered the question) and suffered no problems with people as a result of my answer, nor for that matter, any other problems with peoples attitudes. People here have been very friendly.

If I get any comment at all, it is only comments on my accent, mostly from girls who "just luuurve it!" .... Dang, I only moved here after I got married!

Maybe some people ( ) just look like they need to be saved!

E2M

Thanks for the insight, maybe we'll have to see how it goes.
Ed

RoB1833

On the church question when I lived in the South I answered truthfully that I did not attend church and had no intention of ever going. Be prepared for shocked looks, pity in the fact that people firmly believe you will go to hell and long conversations about their beliefs and why you should conform.

I personally didn't see why I should shy away from being honest when church is an every day conversation, even in work.