I was driving around East Tennessee today and was very sad. I see new subdivisions going up where there was once farmland. I miss seeing the pastures and the cows. I miss the rural rustic beauty that once was in this area. I feel hypocritical when I actually look forward to the development of "Dumplin Creek" which will be built on what was once a wooded area in the heart of Dumplin Valley. (It will be nice to have decent shopping on this end of Knoxville, but is it really worth the price of losing our scenery?)
This area is becoming a retirement haven. I have spoken with several realtors lately who have said that you'd think business would be bad here when you look at the national numbers, but that it isn't. We have lots of folks moving up from Florida to flee the insurance and taxes. One I spoke to said he is also seeing a lot of New Englanders moving to East Tennessee. I just hate that we're losing the farmland and the trees because of the area's growth. I suppose that everyone has said that when it happens to their area. I'm just grateful that we do have protected areas such as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Panther Creek State Park, and other areas where some of the area's natural beauty will remain intact.
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