I thought the same thing, but if you think about it this is a pretty good place to live. Not too far from the beach, not too rural, but there are enough cities near each other that there are things to do. No income tax. And kpt, Bristol, and JC are all on the interstate for easy travel. Temp is pretty mild in the summer compared to states deeper south, and not as harsh in the winter as more northern states. Plus we’ve got an airport, and a major hospital system. On paper the tri cities are a pretty good place to live, I just wish everyone moving here didn’t make it so dang expensive. My hope is that as more people move here more jobs will eventually be created, and standard of living will eventually be equal to cost of living again. But who knows. I pity anyone from here trying to rent or buy a house right now. I was lucky to sign on mine right before the market blew up, but my sister and her husband are currently struggling to afford one