America has a history rooted in liberty. The beacon of hope and freedom that is America has long drawn people to the Land of Opportunity. The Rule of Law and the right to own property has opened doors for many and provided mothers and fathers a place to call their own and raise their children with the values they beliefs they cherish. Many generations of children have played and roamed and frolicked and explored the wonders of the outdoors.
In these more troubled days, however, that has changed. Neighborhoods that were once safe are no longer a harbor from the chaos of the broader world. Parents fear to let their children go outside alone for fear of abduction or worse. Streets that were once filled with the boisterous shouts and shrill giggles of excitement that marked American neighborhoods full of street games, cul-de-sac parties, and all manner of conversations and adventures are now largely vacant. Life in most parts of the country has moved indoors. Real adventures and imaginations have been replaced with level-ups and virtual worlds for many people, both adults and children.
Sadly, there are now many “Blue” states whose ideologies, policies, and trajectories are difficult to distinguish from the “Red” of the communist revolutions of the 20th century. But there are still bastions of freedom in the United States. There are still places where a multifaceted freedom is still loved, embraced, and defended. There are still places in this country where the benefits of life are largely defined by the nature of the location. So, if you are still reading along, let me drill down into one of the most remarkable places in these United States.
Paradise Corridor
The “Paradise Corridor” is a small region mostly in the foothills of the Appalachian mountain range. It ranges from the northern part of Georgia through eastern Tennessee to the southern part of Virginia. The Paradise Corridor got its name from its unique geographical profile, and how that geography protects its inhabitants. The Corridor is largely protected from the extremes that are a looming threat (or do actual damage) to people and property in different regions of the United States.
This small region is nestled in the foothills, and too far east of the plains to suffer the full devastating force of the powerful tornadoes that rip through the regions west of the Corridor. It is too far south to suffer the frequent sub-zero temperatures and blizzards of those regions more northward. It is too far west and again sheltered effectively by the beautiful Smokey Mountains to suffer more than heavy rains when hurricanes slam the Atlantic coast states further east. And, while not as big of an issue any longer, the yellow fever and mosquito-borne scourges of previous eras didn’t affect this region due to its more northern position as compared to the sweltering fetid sweat factory areas further south.
It is also a fertile strip of land, in part because of the precipitation. Drought is extremely rare in the Paradise Corridor, and there are lots of lakes and rivers and streams. The frequent rainfall allows growth of all manner of crops without having to worry about excessive irrigation demands.
There are few places like this region anywhere on earth, and no others as uniquely situated in the USA. It really does earn its reputation as a little slice of paradise.
But, Tennessee Specifically…
Drilling down a bit further, Tennessee is really a phenomenal state. Let’s talk taxes first. When it comes to the personal income tax, Tennessee is unique in the region. You won’t have a pile of tax forms to submit each year because Tennessee doesn’t have a personal income tax. You get to keep your wages as far as Tennessee goes. The voters and residents of Tennessee care so much about this that the Tennessee State Constitution was amended in 2014 prohibiting the legislature from enacting a payroll or earned personal income tax. In Tennessee, you keep what you earn.
In addition to the personal aspect of keeping more of your own money, the state as a whole is in a FAR better fiscal situation than the bankrupt blue states like Illinois. The state has had a budget SURPLUS for the last few years. With a projected budget surplus of $2.7 billion for the 2024 fiscal year, the state’s got room to maneuver, and is less likely to pass onerous or foolhardy taxes to cover for incompetent economic dunderheads pulling the strings behind the scenes. Plus, unlike a lot of other states that are knee-deep in debt because of their insane policies and handouts and corruption, Tennessee keeps its borrowing in check. The state’s debt-to-GDP ratio is one of the lowest in the nation, and that means your tax dollars aren’t going to paying off old loans. In fact, Tennessee’s economy is chugging right along, with a projected GDP growth of 4.6% in 2024. If that projection holds, it will very likely far outpace the national average!
This good state of affairs should hold into the future as well. Tennessee has strong budget rules and practices in place that encourage fiscal responsibility and aim to maintain budget stability. There are balanced budget requirements for specific funds, like the General Fund. The state government also can’t spend willy-nilly. Tennessee has a spending growth limit based on personal income growth, and this restriction acts as a safeguard against excessive or unhinged expenditures (like you see in, say, California, perhaps?). Tennessee also has strict limitations on how much debt it can take on, further promoting fiscal responsibility and preventing excessive borrowing that you or your children will one day have to pay back (plus interest). But, that’s enough about money. Let’s talk climate next…
Tennessee has a marvelous climate. It has something for everyone, four true and distinct seasons. In the springtime the daffodils burst forth in swaths of yellow with the redbuds right on their heels. Shortly thereafter, life erupts everywhere with the bees busy buzzing from apple and cherry blossoms to their hives and back again. The bright green shoots beat back the drab dredges of winter by dotting the tips of branches with every hue and shade of bright green imaginable. Beautiful blue birds and yellow birds and red birds flit around eating bugs and grubs and zipping back to nests full of freshly-hatched and hungry chicks. Squirrels chitter, birds sing, skittish newborn spotted whitetail deer bounce and hide, and woods and forests come bursting to life again. Gardens get planted, grass gets green, the fish start biting, and the productivity of the land that has laid dormant through the winter comes alive. Springtime is magical in Tennessee.
But, it doesn’t end there. Summer brings warm days, lake days, and adventure like the good ol’ days. The buds of spring explode into dense and deeper green foliage of every kind. Towering oaks and willows and every kind of temperate shrubbery cover the varied landscape of undulating hills and bottom lands and mountains off in the distance. The animals are alive and thriving in nature’s bounty. Indeed, there is much to do while it is warm for people too. Trips to the mountains, sports for the children, catching crawdads in the creeks, and the smells of freshly cut grass. If you have a green thumb, you’ll get to start picking your squash and zucchini and okra and greens. The sun is strong enough to tan your hide, but not so sweltering that you feel like you are baking at the beach (but without the beach). Few things communicate “vitality” like an East Tennessee Summer.
But Summer eventually melds into Fall. The endless green horizon morphs from the lush and variegated greens to a spattering of yellow here and there before colors once again paint the world majestic. Flaming shades of red and vivid yellows slowly conquer the green until the earthy tones of Autumn reign supreme on conquered maples and elms and every deciduous tree as far as the eye can see. The stalwart pines and cedars still hold fast their greenery, but the colorful rout is on. Tourists come from all over the country to see the beauty of Autumn in the Smokey Mountains. It is a wondrous sight to behold, and the locals get to experience it every year. Summer also brings perfect weather and idyllic temperatures. Football season kicks off with fanfare and gatherings among friends to root for favorite teams. You’ll see the hiking trails bustle with nature lovers, and tents pitched to enjoy weekends camping, and fired-up grills sizzling burgers and brats.
Eventually, the march of time takes its toll on the colors of Fall, and the trees drop their leaves as the gusts of Winter snatch them downward in swirling, chaotic paths. But even as the temperature drops and winter coats replace lighter wear, the nip in the air is more invigorating than biting. The warm hearths and even warmer hearts welcome friends and families for the holiday season, where lights and decorations brighten the yards and communities, and Nativities still represent the beliefs of the people. The anticipation and excitement of the Holidays makes joy abundant in Tennessee. Eventually, though, the electric lights of Christmas come down. And, the leafless trees are usually decorated once or twice per year with the icy sparkle of a few inches of snow. Usually, it is enough to liberate the young from school, giving opportunity for exuberant children to trade classes and study for sledding and snowmen for a day or two. As soon as the last of the snow melts, and sometimes before, Spring intrudes again with the flowers signaling the imminence of life’s explosion once more. And thus the cycle repeats.
Variety is the spice of life, as they say, and the Tennessee cycle is spicy enough to keep enjoyment of life near a peak all year long. East Tennessee is “lit” as the kids say these days.
So, What’s So Special about Dandridge?
Dandridge, Tennessee, is a little chunk of paradise in the eastern part of the state. It is located in Jefferson County, which borders Knox County, which is the home of the largest city in East Tennessee, Knoxville. Jefferson County was established in 1792, and Dandridge has been the county seat of Jefferson County since then.
The proximity of Dandridge to other areas of Tennessee is really quite remarkable. It takes about 30 minutes to get to Morristown. Knoxville is less than an hour away. Sevierville is 20 minutes away and Dolly Parton’s theme park, DollyWood, is just a bit further into Sevierville. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is less than an hour away as well. Jefferson City, New Market, and White Pine are other close by communities within Jefferson County.
The people in Dandridge are salt-of-the-earth types. Farmers and friends. Friendly and welcoming. Borrow a cup of flower, lend a helping hand, pull your tractor out of a ditch types. And, the values and independent streak runs deep here. There are more firearms than people in these parts. Basically, Dandridge is full of folks who have managed to retain their sanity when it seems like the rest of the world has gone mad.
Dandridge itself is in USDA Zone 7a, meaning you can grow just about everything that can survive in a temperate climate. And, you can find loads of native Pawpaw trees, persimmon trees, mulberry trees, and ginseng growing wild. Douglas Lake provides reliable electricity to the region by turning the turbines in Douglas Dam.
The rural nature of Dandridge itself has special appeal for those who may be concerned with the ongoing societal breakdown seen in the big cities and blue states. If societal decay causes tensions or tempers to flare and makes the cities unsafe, or the grid goes down, or economic trouble comes, the way Dandridge is situated both geographically and culturally will make it a reasonable place to weather the storms or whatever crisis du jour rears its head. Dandridge is a great place to live, both in normal times and if the Zombie Apocalypse hits.
Our Little Dandridge Homestead
There’s a little plot of land in Dandridge my family and I call home. Situated at 2353 Hall Road, our abode rests atop our hill near the high point of our 51 acres of land. With active Greenbelt classification, the property taxes aren’t bad at all. We’ve lived here for over a decade, and know the nooks and crannies of this property like you do when you’ve lived somewhere for over a decade. There are hilly hills and flat fields and wooded areas. There’s a pond, bamboo forests, and an old horse shed in one of the fields. The property includes the hills directly across from the house, so nothing will ever mar the pristine views from the back deck unless you want to change the view for some reason. The air is clean, and the water from our aquifer-fed well is plentiful and pure. Past the big hill on the property, English Mountain stands tall as a beautiful daily reminder of the majesty on display right here.
The year-round creek at the base of our “mountain” holds a host of life, including salamanders, crawdads, and small fish. The bottom land is deep soil with virtually no rocks, making a fantastic growing area for crops, hay, gardens, or wild flowers or as a field for pasturing livestock. The steep bank of the mountain makes a perfect backstop for target practice
The land is special and will always hold a special place in our hearts. As a bit of an arborist, I planted an orchard many years ago. We now have the following mature fruit trees that produce abundant fruit each year:
6 pear trees, 2 each of 3 different varieties.
5 apple trees, 4 different varieties
2 crabapple trees, 2 different varieties
3 cherry trees, 3 different varieties
6 pawpaw trees, 6 different varieties
6 mulberry trees, 4 different varieties
2 aronia berry bushes
3 current berry bushes
3 gooseberry bushes
1 mayhaw tree
3 jujube trees, 3 different varieties
4 Asain pear trees, 4 different varieties
1 medlar tree
2 Japanese raisin trees
2 che fruit trees (also called melon berry trees), 2 different varieties
4 fig trees, 4 different varieties
2 Japanese persimmon trees, 2 different varieties
4 grape vines (4 different varieties, with 2 each of muscadine and scuppernong types)
1 massive arbor of arctic kiwi vines
In addition to these planted and cultivated mature fruit trees, the property also has innumerable native and wild-growing pawpaw trees behind the creek. When my children were younger, we had an annual pawpaw expedition where we’d all boot up, cross the creek, and hike along until we found a pawpaw tree. I’d give the tree a mighty shake or two, and the pawpaws would come plummeting down. They’d scramble to find the fallen fruit and put it in their buckets. Memories made! There are also countless native autumn olive bushes dotting the hills that will feed the birds and any human pickers with their sweet berries. The native mulberry trees are a treat as well with huge, thick mulberries that get to be the size of two blackberries stuck end to end. They are delicious. And, speaking of blackberries, there are innumerable natural blackberry canes in thickets all over the property at the edges of the fields. There are more than you can pick every year without an army of finger-wielding friends to help. Additionally, if you are willing to wait until the first frost or full ripeness, two enormous American persimmon trees stand tall in one of the fields. Once the leaves have fallen and the frost hits, the astringency leaves the fruit, and thousands of the candy-sweet orbs are yours for the taking. And, if you don’t want them, the whitetail deer will gobble them up.
All in all, this place is a wonder out of doors. There is even an electric terminal in one of the fields that is separately metered for whatever you’d like to do with power in the middle of a field. I had scores of chickens down there at one point, and used the electricity for heat lamps in the winter and to pump water from the creek to keep them watered with an electric pump. Now, I just keep enough chickens up near the house to keep our family supplied with eggs.
Speaking of the chicken system, it works like a charm with minimal effort for up to a dozen chickens or so. The system includes a shed on top of a base that opens on each end. The bottom of the shed is a large-holed wire mesh that allows the chickens to roost up high and poop through the floor into a large tray. This keeps the birds out of their own poop, which I’m sure they’d appreciate if they weren’t chickens. There is a walkway to the bottom beneath the poop tray where they can take dust baths and lay eggs in private, which they also like. Each end of the base opens. One end opens to reveal the laying boxes so the eggs can be gathered in less than a minute. The other end opens to allow the poop tray to slide out so it can be emptied into a wheelbarrow and discarded or used as fertilizer. That needs to be done about every 6 months or so. Again, minimal effort for lots of eggs! The watering system needs to be refilled every few months with a hose, and the food system also needs to be refilled every few months. That’s it. Easy. Protein for days!
The house is a wonderful two-story with lots of open space and plenty of room for guests. Our family of 7 utilizes the 4 bedrooms, a theater room that doubles as a guest bedroom, a storage room (that also can house a twin bed), and a separate office. The downstairs has a large open area where we exercise and work out while looking out at the views. The 2nd kitchen downstairs can be utilized for separate living or renting out the basement to a long-term renter or just utilized for the dishwasher (which is how we primarily use it). The downstairs has a great area for desks as well, which we used for homeschooling our children.
This house has been lived in and continues to protect us and care for us well. With five children, this house has developed character over the years. There are some hidden signatures in some places when our young ones decided to go rouge and practice their graffiti skills where they, ahem, shouldn’t have. There are some tack holes in the walls where children strung lines of string holding cutouts of puppies and kittens across the room. And there are the scuffs and dings that come with live and love.
And, if you require connection, this place has it. Our location is an oddity in the area as there is great cell phone reception here. Additionally, fiber optic cables arrived in 2023, so internet speeds of up to 10 GIG are available through Trilight. That’s pretty doggone fast.
This house’s gas fireplaces keep us warm in the winter, and the breezes that wind through the valley keep us cooler in the summer. Three of our kids were born here, and innumerable memories, joys, tears, and meals have been consumed here. This house has been our home.
Links of interest:
Zillow data for 2353 Hall Road, Dandridge, TN 37725 (be sure to view the updated pictures on the landing page, if you haven’t already)
Tennessee Property Viewer Data (click the “Export PDF of this map” button to save the data)
Jefferson County Parcel Data (can also download as PDF)
Would You Like to Live Here?
We are thinking of moving on, however, if we find a buyer that would like to live here. So, we are accepting offers. Please, though, serious inquiries only. If you’re seriously interested, feel free to reach out via the contact form below.
Value is always and everywhere a subjective thing, and time is a scarce commodity. Please only inquire if you see value in the property, are seriously interested and have the means to make a serious offer, should your inquiry consolidate your interest into a desire for ownership.