You should see NORTHEAST Tennessee! (I liked it better than Chattanooga-Cleveland, anyway.)
Do you mean the Tri-Cities area? We only made it as far as Newport and Del Rio on one trip. It was beautiful but it felt like we were too far from some important things for retirement. Even though we are healthy right now, we figured that as we get older, great health care will become more important to us. Also want to be within an hour’s drive if at all possible to a decent airport. There were a couple of other things we would be looking for, but I don’t feel like mentioning them here.
We found a wonderful lazy river called the Hiwassee and stayed in a riverfront home. Had its own dock so kayaking and tubing are options right there. We stayed in Benton, and thought Cleveland offered us some things. Not sure about the airport or health care there, but that river was just what we needed. Loved having an Amish/Mennonite Farmers Market right there.
We might be interested in another area if we could find exactly what we’re looking for. For the time being, we decided we’re not ready for a move for at least a few more years. Vacationing in Tennessee, big yes.