The D.C. Metro region is a fast-paced, congested area where
everyone is either busy, in a hurry, suspicious, or just indifferent. Traffic
is terrible, prices are high, and no one visiting this area would ever accuse residents
of being overly friendly, welcoming, or accommodating. Not many people stay
here after they retire—as a matter of fact, according to Gallup, it’s one of
the top areas in the country from which people are trying to escape.
When I first moved here, I was 13 years old (probably the
worst possible time in my life to move to an area like this), and the culture
shock was pretty extreme. I came from a town where I had a close group of
friends (and I’d known them my whole life), a tightly knit family, and several
pets (including a horse). Moving to this area meant giving up friends, hardly
ever seeing family, and selling the horse. It took years to finally meet some friends
and settle in.
As a matter of fact, my husband and I still talk about how
unfriendly people in this area can be. The reasons for this are varied—it’s a
transient area and people move in and out constantly; everyone is running
around trying to get from one place to another in gridlock traffic; people are
overworked and stressed and simply don’t have time for others.
Not so in my hometown.
Every time we return to Kingsport for a visit, we’re newly
surprised at how nice everyone is. People smile, they say hello to each other
(even the people they don’t know), and there’s just an overall feeling of
hospitality. It’s not at all unusual to strike up conversations with check-out
clerks in the grocery store, or even a random group of folks sitting at the
next table in a downtown restaurant.
There’s a neighborly feeling throughout the community—folks help
each other out and pitch in when needed. Over the last few years, downtown
renovations have been moving full-speed ahead, including re-purposing some old
warehouses that have been shut down for years. Now the old warehouses are a thriving farmer’s market,
and this area will soon have its own carousel. A while back when the idea for the carousel was first conceived, volunteers were needed. My mom
volunteered to paint one of the characters, and every Tuesday for several
months the volunteer painters convened to put the community project together. (http://engagekingsport.com/our-programs/kingsport-carousel/) Mom's part of the project may be seen below.
There are good reasons why Kingsport is listed as a top town
in which to retire and why it attracts so many folks from up North (www.topretirements.com). It’s a
friendly place full of people who enjoy being a part of a small community with a
big heart and a lot of southern hospitality.
