01/10/2026
After living in Mexico for 16 years, we moved home to Tennessee.
But after nearly two decades away, “home” had changed.
What I expected to feel familiar felt brand new.
I was excited to be back… and also incredibly overwhelmed.
Like many new movers today, we didn’t bring much with us.
No furniture.
No appliances.
Just what we could fit into suitcases and a few rubber totes.
When we bought our house, we needed almost everything…
Beds. Tables. Chairs. Sofas.
Everything for the kitchen.
Winter clothes (we had none).
Cars.
And ways to help our kids feel connected in a new place.
We asked our realtor for a painter recommendation.
When that didn’t pan out, we tried Angie’s List… which honestly wasn’t much better.
What we really needed wasn’t more options.
We needed trusted local insight.
That’s when we heard about a guide for new movers called BeLocal Kingsport & Bristol.
It was filled with recommendations from locals and insider information you wouldn’t easily find online. And we remember thinking…
Wouldn’t it be amazing if something like this existed here in the Tri-Cities?
So in 2023, we made it happen.
After talking with thousands of residents and local business owners, BeLocal came to life… created to help new families feel settled faster and to help trusted local businesses be found at just the right time.
If you’ve recently moved to the area, this guide is for you.
It’s designed to help you navigate a new town during an exciting… and sometimes stressful… season.
And for realtors working with out-of-town buyers…
this is a simple way to provide value before your clients ever arrive.
You can share our digital guide as a helpful resource… giving them trusted local recommendations, community insight, and a better sense of what life here actually looks like.
You can view a digital copy here:👉 https://belocalkingsportbristol.com/
Sometimes the most meaningful support isn’t another checklist…
it’s helping someone feel oriented before they even unpack.
