Looking for information about TN...

[Dax]

Specifically the Knoxville area.

DH and I are tossing around the idea of moving out of FL, but we really do not want to return to NJ. We have looked around at some places, and TN keeps coming up as a possible location..

So I am wondering, anyone from around that area, offer up any advice as to where to start looking...I would appreciate it

 

[mandy200587]

I'm from TN but more from the Nashville area. I know there are some Disers on here from the Knoxville area though.

 

[Dax]

Honestly...I am open to Nashville area as well...

Right now anything is better than where I am now..

 

[mandy200587]

What are you looking at as far as towns?

 

[Wishing on a star]

What types of jobs, schools, cultural opportunities, etc. are you looking for???

I think job opportunities, weight against cost of living, might end up being the biggest factor???

As far as NJ and FL(disney) Knoxville is at an excellent location, on I75 and I40.
Nashville, though, could still be a good location based on how you look at it.
It is about a 3 hour drive between Nashville and Knoxville.

Nashville is definitely a true metropolitan area.
Knoxville, while it has a pretty large populalation, would be considered by many to be more of a smaller city/town experience.

The most upscale and growing part of Knoxville... (with leaps and bounds!) is the West Knoxville - Farragut area. Tons of major development with shopping, restaurants, banks, hospitals, etc. have been going on at the area known as Turkey Creek. (maybe you could goodgle or yahoo that and see if anything comes up?)

Another area right outside of Knoxville that you could look at is Maryville.
I would suggest that.

Tennessee also has different geographical areas.

In the summer, Nashville will be very hot.... there are not many Tennessee hills there at all. Knoxville is on the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. Generally, not quite as hot, but still up in the 90's, and not quite as dry... (of course, generalities here)

It has been a long while, but I used to live outside of Knoxville... I may be able to answer questions if you wish to PM me.

I would start out by visiting websights about both areas.

And, of course, the only way to really get a feel for an area is to visit for couple or three days!

Hope this helps!

 

[GoofyBaseballMom26]

I live about 3O miles north of Knoxville but work in Knoxville every day. This really is a great place to live. The University of Tennessee offers sports galore for a sports fan. There is a good variety of cultural events. K'ville is 3 hours from Nashville, four from Atlanta and two from Ashville. Good weather, it is hotter in the summer than I hoped and the snow has decreased each year since I've lived here.

I agree with the other poster, West Knoxville, Farragut has the best to offer for housing etc. Housing is cheap compared to other areas of the country.

Please feel free to PM me if you want more specific information.

Hope you will be a neighbor soon!

 

[MScott1851]

I live in Memphis (the western end of the state.)

Stay far away from here!

I'd go with eastern TN. The area around Knoxville is lovely, and I like Chattanooga as well.

 

[npmommie]

I live in Memphis (the western end of the state.)

Stay far away from here!

Can I ask why?

 

[Buckalew11]

I live in Memphis (the western end of the state.)

Stay far away from here!

I'd go with eastern TN. The area around Knoxville is lovely, and I like Chattanooga as well.

my nephew and his wife have been living in Memphis and are there for 2 more years for her residency. I believe they'd agree with you!


Dax, I'm from NJ originally and have lived in the Knoxville area since '75. It is a wonderful place to live. Wishing on a Star had a lot of good points. if you would like to know anything about Maryville and east to townsend, PM me. I know a wonderful real estate agent in our area who has been at it for years too. You could not go wrong with Elizabeth!

 

[tinatark]

I'm about 15 miles east of Knoxville...

Housing - cheaper than Florida, and like a couple of pp's mentioned, Farragut/W. Knox is the "nicest" area right now. Housing there is more $$ than other, still desirable areas of Knoxville, though, since it is "the latest and greatest". There are some historical areas (Fountain City) and other areas, not in the middle of everything, but still very nice.

Jobs - the University is here, as well as 4-5 hospitals, TVA offices, along with other corporate offices. Not sure what industry you would be looking in.

Sports - if you are a UT fan, you will be happy in Knoxville. If not a fan, choose when you wear your fan gear - sometimes it can be ugly!

Culture - Knoxville has a symphony, and we've hosted several traveling Broadway shows over the past few years.

No state income tax, low property tax rates. One thing I still struggle with in this area is, the city and county are separate. You have a city mayor, county mayor, city police, county police, etc. You really get the small town feel when the city/county departments publicly bicker over responsibilities.

 

[perdidobay]

Can I ask why?

....extreme poverty

....corrupt politicans ( that the citizens vote right back into office as soon as they get out of prison)

....hundreds of miles from anything remotely scenic

....only behind Detroit in violent crimes, robberies, rape, etc.

Is that enough or do you need more reasons?

 

[Wishing on a star]

Yep, no offense to anyone, but I have to agree with the above posts re: Memphis!

 

[TNMouseFan]

I'm 60 miles east of Knoxville. It is a very nice place to live.

If you are looking for a smaller town area check out Tri-Cities TN/VA area (Bristol, Kingsport, Johnson City) it is a fanastic place to raise kids.

I would be glad to help in anyway I can!

 

[lemondog]

I would also have to agree with the Memphis info. Stay away! Everyone I know who has lived there (including natives) hated it!

I have lived in Nashville my whole life. I absolutely LOVE it! It's a large metropolitan city, but it does seem to have a small town feel too. It's very multi-cultural due to all the colleges and universities (hence the name "The Athens of the South), and is top-notch in health care. You will never want for lack of a specialist of any kind. I believe this is in part due to so many healthcare companies being headquartered here.

The city for the most part is beautiful. The more affluent areas are west and southwest of the city - Brentwood, Franklin, Green Hills, Belle Meade, West Meade, etc. For the most part housing is more affordable here than most other places in the country. There is a big urban renewal going on too so lots and lots of downtown/midtown living opportunities if that's more your style.

It can get hot in the summer, but trust me, if you've been living in Florida this will seem like nothing to you!

If sports is your thing we've got NFL football, NHL hockey and of course college football is huge, with Vanderbilt and UT.
The arts are well-represented as well, We have a gorgeous symphony hall, fine arts museum, ballet, symphony orchestra, opera, etc. And then there's always the music. Within 5 minutes of moving here you're guaranteed to meet a songwriter/singer wannabe, hehe.

The one MAJOR con to Nashville is the public schools. With the exception of certain schools in Williamson County, they are pretty bad. We send our kids to private school as do many others around here.

If you have any more questions about Nashville, just ask!

 

[npmommie]

....extreme poverty

....corrupt politicans ( that the citizens vote right back into office as soon as they get out of prison)

....hundreds of miles from anything remotely scenic

....only behind Detroit in violent crimes, robberies, rape, etc.

Is that enough or do you need more reasons?

Well sheesh, I didn't NEED any reasons, I was just curious, Never been to TN.
and you forgot to put your smilie face behind that last sentence

 

[intheworks]

I'm 60 miles east of Knoxville. It is a very nice place to live.

If you are looking for a smaller town area check out Tri-Cities TN/VA area (Bristol, Kingsport, Johnson City) it is a fanastic place to raise kids.

I would be glad to help in anyway I can!

I have lived in Kingsport my whole life and think it is a great place to live also

The Knoxville area is nice too, and is also just a little bit closer to the Smoky Mts/Pigeon Forge area

 

[OhhBother]

I have lived in Kingsport my whole life and think it is a great place to live also

The Knoxville area is nice too, and is also just a little bit closer to the Smoky Mts/Pigeon Forge area

Lots of Tri-Cities DIS fans, I see!

I've lived in the Tri-Cities my whole life -- live in Erwin and work in Kingsport. If you're looking for small towns and beautiful scenery, this is a great region. Plus, we've got a convenient airport with direct flights to Orlando, and we can drive to just about any major metropolitan area on the East Coast in less than a day.

If you're looking for quality-of-life info on this area, my company has a great recruiting website. It's set up for doctors, but the info is relevant to anyone: http://www.wellmont.org/www.wellmont.org/recruitment/index.html

 

[TN Hockey Mom]

I live in West Knoxville. We enjoy it and can't imagine living anywhere else. The Farragut area is nice but you can get more for your money in the Cedar Bluff area (which is where I live). Cedar Bluff is only 15-20 minutes from Farragut. In fact, I grew up in Cedar Bluff and went to Farragut High School. I would also suggest checking out the Hardin Valley area - it's probably a little more expensive than Cedar Bluff but still a little less expensive than Farragut.

My son plays hockey with a boy from California and a few weeks ago we asked them why they decided to move to Knoxville, TN (they don't have any family here and they work from home). His mom stated that she did some research on the internet and found that Knoxville was listed as a great place for families to live based on education, crime, cost, etc.

We do have a lot to offer even though we're not a huge city. We have college sports and we have a minor league hockey team. Also, 30-45 minutes up the interstate there's a minor league baseball team. There's also the Smokey Mountains. We have plenty of places to shop and dine. We also have an outdoor ice rink downtown around the holidays (I'm sure it's not as nice as a lot of other outdoor rinks - but it's nice considering it's in Knoxville, TN).

We also have 4 seasons, although the summers seem to be getting hotter with more humidity and the winters seem to bring less snow each year.

As someone mention earlier, Maryville is also a nice place to live. It's only about 20 minutes from Knoxville and would be less expensive.

Good luck.

 

[perdidobay]

Well sheesh, I didn't NEED any reasons, I was just curious, Never been to TN.
and you forgot to put your smilie face behind that last sentence

I'm sorry if I came across as snarky, I didn't mean too.

Really, Memphis is a bad bad place that is only getting worse. I forgot to list murder in the list yesterday... they are second only to Detroit in that category also.
I live in the same county as Memphis but as close to the next county line as is possible. My DH works in east Memphis, and my DD and Her DH live there.
I worry about them daily. I try not to have to come inside the interstate loop around Memphis and for the most part I don't. The problem is that the crime from Memphis is moving farther my way all the time. I can't wait until we can move away.

Once you cross the Tennessee River east of Jackson, the state becomes 100% more beautiful and safer.
Please do visit that part of the state some day

 

[Nyla]

I've lived in Nashville for about a year and a half now, after moving from California.

Personal reasons to want to move back to Cali aside (my whole family is back in Cali ) , Nashville is a wonderful city, full of warm, friendly people. The culture is diverse, and you will always find people willing to help you, whether your car breaks down in an intersection, to just being lost on 2nd Avenue. The weather is a bit unpredictable; it can be raining one day, sunny the next, and snowing on the third day. When it's hot, it's HOT, and when it's cold, it's freezing, but you can't beat the feeling of being in a large city with a small-town feel. The healthcare, like someone else said, is unbeatable, and there is a wide variety of it. (I recommend Vanderbilt; they've been great with me!)

Good luck!