Rarity Communities was created in 1994 by a real estate developer, Michael L. Ross, who had a passion for buying rare properties offering great scenic beauty. Rarity Communities todate has opened nine properties: Rarity Club, Rarity River, Rarity Meadows inthe Sweetwater Valley, Rarity Meadows at Head of the Creek, Rarity Pointe,Rarity Bay, Rarity Ridge, Rarity Oaks and Rarity Mountain, and will consist of a total of 14 properties once construction is completed. In addition to their scenic beauty, buying properties that were easily accessible to the interstate and close to major metropolitan areas was also a priority. All of Rarity’s properties are located either on the interstate or just one exit off. They are close to Knoxville, an aggressive metropolitan area, and also to Chattanooga, a totally-redeveloped city featuring art galleries and aquariums, as well as small restaurants and shops downtown

Ross strictly manages the natural environment surrounding his communities. The company works in partnership with the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Tellico Reservoir Development Agency to preserve waterfront integrity.

Fred McArthur, Rarity’s executive vice president, has worked with Michael Ross for the past 38 years. “We realized that master-planned amenity communities, like the Hilton Head type communities, did not exist in East Tennessee,” Fred said.“They did exist in Western Carolina and were very successful and have been for years. We realized that being at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains is the same mountain as in Western Carolina, except that the sun sets on our side. We wanted to offer this area to the 78 million folks who are getting ready to retire.”

According to Fred, people do not come there because of the resort’s amenities. “They want to live here for the area’s natural beauty. They are looking for where they want to live and how they want to live for the rest of their lives. When they find the place they want to live, they want a sense of community and a way to live that matches their dream.”

Rarity Communities has been hugely successful due in part to the climate – people love their four distinct but mild seasons. “We have more species of trees than anywhere else in the United States because we are right at the crosshairs of the climate,” Fred said. “If we have a dusting of snow, it will melt by noon, but the mountains will have beautiful white caps as a backdrop for our communities. The Tennessee Valley is in between two ranges of the Appalachian Mountains and is protected from hurricanes and backwashes of hurricanes. Since development was started, there have been a lot of hurricanes in Florida. Hurricanes will come up and hit the Smoky Mountains on the North Carolina side, but will then head directly up to the northeast.”

There are many reasons to buy a property at Rarity Communities. In addition to the area’s great natural beauty,they are blessed with an extraordinary amount of water. All of their communities are close to the Tennessee River chain of lakes. “We are very fortunate that we’re in an area that is not feeling the effects of the economy like the rest of the country is experiencing,” Fred explained. “In addition, we have the lowest overall taxation in the United States with the exception of Alaska. It’s very inexpensive to live here from a tax standpoint and the cost of living is very low. We are in an extremely inclusive area. The mountain people of Appalachia embrace you – they don’t know a foreigner.”

Their first community, Rarity Bay, was designed in a French Country architectural theme. It’s a slightly more affordable property than some of the other properties. A gated community with 10 ½ miles of water frontage, Rarity Bay offers a great clubhouse, tennis, swimming and fitness center. The property offers an incredible golf course designed by D. J. DeVictor and Peter Langham with breath taking views of the Great Smoky Mountains and Lake Tellico. Rarity Bay’s golf course is a fun and challenging course to experience for recreational or competitive play. They offer a host of clubs to join that would appeal to nearly every level of interest.

Rarity Club is a very upscale, gated community located on Lake Nickajack near Chattanooga with 13 miles of walking trails and a Lee Trevino-designed Championship golf course that is currently under construction.

Rarity Pointe is located nine miles from Knoxville on Lake Tellico with a Bob Cupp-designed golf course, which is one of the best golf courses in the state of Tennessee. Both the Rarity Club and Rarity Pointe communities are designed with a European architectural theme.

Rarity Mountain is spread out over 5,000 acres, with 4,000 of those acres left as green space. The community includes an upscale village and a four-to-five star Lodge & Spa. The architecture is done in Timber Craftsman style using expensive rocks and timbers. This community is more of a vacation and second home community. The amenities include a wellness center, repelling rockclimbing, mountain biking, ATV course, SUV course, an underground spa located on the side of the mountain, and a Pete Dye-designed golf course. The homes range in cost from about $799,000 to $1,200,000 and are strategically placed toprovide extraordinary views.

Rarity Ridge is a community of classic American-style homes set along the Clinch Riverin Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Rarity Ridge highlights the past with its traditional, vintage-style details.

Rarity Meadows is a gated community that offers lush woodlands, abundant fishing ponds and scenic walking trails that create a peaceful refuge of leisure and satisfaction. Each spacious home site ranges from one to five acres meticulously located on a country estate, offering magnificent mountain, valley and meadow views.

Rarity Oaks is situated on 430 acres with large oak trees and 550 homes, including estate homes and villas, with a golf course and mountain and brook views from every angle. Owners can become members of the adjacent Oak Ridge Country Club that features a Bob Cupp-designed golf course as well as an Olympic-sized swimming pool and tennis facilities.

Rarity Rivers is a peaceful, southern community on the banks of Chickamauga Lake near Dayton. Rarity Rivers features miles of walking trails, championship golf, swimming, fitness center, tennis, clubhouse, and a Marina & Yacht Club.

Rarity’s communities provide its members throughout all of their properties with gorgeous homes with great scenic beauty and an endless variety of luxurious amenities.

We would like to thank Fred McArthur, executive vice president of Rarity Communities, for talking with us and sharing information about the communities. We encourage our viewers to learn more about these extraordinary properties and consider them as a possible location when planning for retirement.