Most Likely relocating to Etowah Tennessee (Knoxville, Chattanooga: rental, consignment, home)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hi all,
My husband is considering accepting a job in Etowah, Tn. Just going by mapquest, it seems we have the option of living in a "suburb" of Knoxville or Chattanooga. My husband prefers Knoxville, He also graduated from Olemiss, so he likes the south. I have some questions:
1. Is it possible to live in a suburb on Knoxville and still have a 30-35 mile commute to his Job in Etowah, TN?
2. What Suburbs would fall into this category.
3. We currently live in Nothern Virginia, Gainsville Virginia and we are about 30-35 miles from DC. What are the big things to do in/around Knoxville?
Anymore thoughts or inside is well appreciate. We intend to come for a couple days before we decide just trying to get the ball rolling here.
and living in a Knoxville suburb will involve considerable driving and to answer questions 1 and 2, no and none. I live "just up the road" from Etowah, closer to Knox County. It takes me exactly one hour to drive the 52 mi to Turkey Creek via the interstate. Not sure of any Knoxville "suburbs" further west than Farragut.
Etowah is a charming little town in a fairly rural county. You would be at least 2-3 counties away from Knoxville or Chattanooga and about 1 hour to either city. I think you're wise to check out the area before making your final decision. When I first moved to this area I drove to work in Sevier County for six months. I was EXHAUSTED and really don't want to make a drive like that ever again for a job. I suppose it also depends upon your age... but a hour + daily drive to work tires me just thinking about it. Now, I mostly work part time and set my own schedule for when/where I work. So, I encourage you to consider the drive time.
It also sounds like you are more accustomed to a "city lifestyle" and cultural events and would probably be better suited living, and working, in an area and environment like that. Knoxville would probably be a good fit and has lots to offer year-round for community and cultural events. Now, before anyone jumps up to say Knoxville isn't a "city lifestyle" let me note that I'm comparing Knoxville to Etowah and McMinn County and, believe me, in comparison Knoxville is CITY.
I'm happy to help if you have other questions or DM me if you wish.
Welcome to E TN!
Last edited by TN Gal now; 11-15-2010 at 06:06 PM..
My wife and I are empty nesters and we presently live in McMinn County which is where Etowah is located. We love this area and would seriously recommend you consider living right here.
The county seat is Athens, with a population of around 18,000 - that goes up if you throw-in the dogs and cats! Athens has some nice restaurants and a couple of nice supermarkets, including a Super Walmart. Athens is also home to Tennessee Weslyan College and has a branch campus of Cleveland Community College. However, it's still a small town...
The next larger town is Cleveland, about 15 miles south on I-75 - toward Chattanooga. Cleveland has apopulation just shy of 50,000, has a small mall, and many restaurants and supermarkets. It is also the home of Lee University and Cleveland State College.
McMinn County is the mid-point between Chattanooga and Knoxville and is located right on I-75 which is the main corridor up and down the Tennessee Valley. It's about an hour's drive into either metro area for all types of shopping and entertainment.
For those wanting the "really big city", Atlanta and Nashville are each about 2 1/2 hours away.
We've lived here in the Tennessee Vally for well over 20 years and love it! We moved here from Atlanta and adjusted to the "country life" very quickly - we even have cows grazing across the street!
Bottom-line: I don't really think it's necessary to assume you have to live in either metro suburb.
If I understand correctly what you are trying to find is something like having a job out in Front Royale while living in Centerville, but with a shorter commute. You will find that suburbia has not crept out from the cities of Knoxville or Chattanooga anywhere near what they have outside of Washington DC. Things are much more rural in between with lots of quite small towns. You are smart to make a visit before making any commitments as it will be very different from where you live now.
The communities outside of Knoxville most like what you are used to (just smaller and with less shopping) would be Maryville, Farragut and Lenoir City. None would be less than 50 minutes commuting time, depending what part of the community you start and stop in. Unlike the NoVa area the true suburbs do not extend far.
You might have a slightly shorter commute from Cleveland, which is north of Chattanooga, to Etowah. I'm not sure if Cleveland is what you want, though. To get information on any possible good suburbs of Chattanooga you may have to post in that city's forum since I don't know the communities well enough beyond passing through on my way to other places.
It is not always the case, but generally, even when people set out looking for something completely different, they tend to be happiest in an area that is more the size of what they are use to.
And Tennessee tends to be a bit different than, say, cities and towns from the Mid-Atlantic and points north. Cities may have a decent amount of population but feel more like a large town.
For instance, I grew up in towns that were very small - about 14,000. When I moved to a large city in Florida it was a bit too "fast" for me. Even when I moved to a mid-sized area with lots of senior citizens it was still too fast and impersonal. When I moved to a rural setting, only about 15 minutes from downtown Knoxville, I felt that it was a bit too "backward." I moved to within the city limits of Knoxville and felt like I was coming home to the place I was raised, a small suburban town.
Since bimori is already seeking out a place with more population (probably a good move) they may just be bored out of their minds in Knoxville. It is a lovely, revitalized city, but it is not Washington. In fact, neither is Nashville. Atlanta will have some of the amenities, but is going to fall far short regarding museums and a lot of other things. However, I urge you to take a look at Chattanooga. It may hold the most promise for you, especially regarding its proximity to Etowah and Atlanta.
If Cleveland isn't what you are looking for, check out Ooltewah, Tenn., an affluent and rapidly-growing suburb of Chattanooga (about 40 miles from Etowah.)
There is a Costco's (the only store between NOVA and Atlanta) in northern Georgia, about 15 miles from Ooltewah.
My wife and I are empty nesters and we presently live in McMinn County which is where Etowah is located. We love this area and would seriously recommend you consider living right here.
The county seat is Athens, with a population of around 18,000 - that goes up if you throw-in the dogs and cats! Athens has some nice restaurants and a couple of nice supermarkets, including a Super Walmart. Athens is also home to Tennessee Weslyan College and has a branch campus of Cleveland Community College. However, it's still a small town...
The next larger town is Cleveland, about 15 miles south on I-75 - toward Chattanooga. Cleveland has apopulation just shy of 50,000, has a small mall, and many restaurants and supermarkets. It is also the home of Lee University and Cleveland State College.
McMinn County is the mid-point between Chattanooga and Knoxville and is located right on I-75 which is the main corridor up and down the Tennessee Valley. It's about an hour's drive into either metro area for all types of shopping and entertainment.
For those wanting the "really big city", Atlanta and Nashville are each about 2 1/2 hours away.
We've lived here in the Tennessee Vally for well over 20 years and love it! We moved here from Atlanta and adjusted to the "country life" very quickly - we even have cows grazing across the street!
Bottom-line: I don't really think it's necessary to assume you have to live in either metro suburb.
Hope this helps!
I also live in McMinn County and love it. And I have goats in my own backyard.
However, and let me emphasize that in big, bold caps, HOWEVER, it is not for everyone, especially someone coming from a metropolitan background seeking shopping, community, and cultural events. I wouldn't encourage anyone to move here unless they are absolutely certain of what they want for a lifestyle and have a general feeling for life in rural, small-town, E TN.
Athens is the county seat and is a sweet small town. Clothes/shoe shopping in town? Walmart, Kmart, Belk's, Burkes, Cato, Goodwill, a few consignments shops, and another small outlet that I can't remember the name. There's CVS, Walgreens, maybe another. Groceries? Walmart, Food Lion, Ingles, UGO, and Save A Lot. There are two big-chain furniture stores, Big Lots, Dollar Store, Family Dollar, Co-op, Tractor Supply, a few jewelry stores (including the one owned by the man wearing a chicken suit on TV), a few gift shops (mostly downtown), a few pawn shops, a couple of rental places, and several other specialty businesses . Restaurants? "Fine" dining includes Ruby Tuesday, TGI Friday's, Cracker Barrel, Western Sizzlin, and Gondolier. There are a couple of Mom & Pop restaurants (one recently burned), and the usual assortment of fast food, although that variety is also somewhat limited. Sadly, the number of empty stores and closing businesses has increased during the three years I've lived here. Probably true in many areas across the state and country.
The negative #1 distinction for McMinn County is that we lead the state on meth lab "busts." Of course, that probably means that we also lead in the total number of meth labs - busted or not. The drug statistics for McMinn County are downright scary. My personal opinion and note here is that we have a stellar new sheriff, the Athens PD is super, Etowah also has a great police dept and Chief of Police - so statistics basically have no affect on me or my opinion of the area - but I already live here and am not considering a new move to the area...
I consider the availability of shopping, restaurants, medical facilities, etc. to be EXTREMELY limited. It also isn't a huge problem for me. I'd also lived in E TN 25 years before moving to this county. And I also keep my connections to Knoxville for medical and go there if I feel the need for better shopping or dining. Disclaimer here is that I know NOTHING bad about medical services in McMinn County - I just prefer Knoxville.
The OP noted that they would be moving to accept a job. Please keep in mind that's the ONLY way anyone requiring income from a job should move to this area/county. And keep in mind that if that job is lost, it most likely would be extremely difficult, and quite likely impossible, to replace it during this economic downturn. I think it probably was much different here during better economic times, but then, that's probably true everywhere...
My objective with this post is to give a balanced opinion to someone considering moving to McMinn county. It truly is great - for some of us. But, I'd certainly weigh the positive with the negative to get a true picture. I'd also never encourage someone to move here unless I was absolutely certain that person was aware "what they are in for" regarding positive AND negative and/or had the financial resources to recover from the possibility of making the wrong decision.
Should the OP decide to move to McMinn County, we will warmly welcome you into the community
I also live in McMinn County and love it. And I have goats in my own backyard.
However, and let me emphasize that in big, bold caps, HOWEVER, it is not for everyone, especially someone coming from a metropolitan background seeking shopping, community, and cultural events. I wouldn't encourage anyone to move here unless they are absolutely certain of what they want for a lifestyle and have a general feeling for life in rural, small-town, E TN.
Athens is the county seat and is a sweet small town. Clothes/shoe shopping in town? Walmart, Kmart, Belk's, Burkes, Cato, Goodwill, a few consignments shops, and another small outlet that I can't remember the name. There's CVS, Walgreens, maybe another. Groceries? Walmart, Food Lion, Ingles, UGO, and Save A Lot. There are two big-chain furniture stores, Big Lots, Dollar Store, Family Dollar, Co-op, Tractor Supply, a few jewelry stores (including the one owned by the man wearing a chicken suit on TV), a few gift shops (mostly downtown), a few pawn shops, a couple of rental places, and several other specialty businesses . Restaurants? "Fine" dining includes Ruby Tuesday, TGI Friday's, Cracker Barrel, Western Sizzlin, and Gondolier. There are a couple of Mom & Pop restaurants (one recently burned), and the usual assortment of fast food, although that variety is also somewhat limited. Sadly, the number of empty stores and closing businesses has increased during the three years I've lived here. Probably true in many areas across the state and country.
The negative #1 distinction for McMinn County is that we lead the state on meth lab "busts." Of course, that probably means that we also lead in the total number of meth labs - busted or not. The drug statistics for McMinn County are downright scary. My personal opinion and note here is that we have a stellar new sheriff, the Athens PD is super, Etowah also has a great police dept and Chief of Police - so statistics basically have no affect on me or my opinion of the area - but I already live here and am not considering a new move to the area...
I consider the availability of shopping, restaurants, medical facilities, etc. to be EXTREMELY limited. It also isn't a huge problem for me. I'd also lived in E TN 25 years before moving to this county. And I also keep my connections to Knoxville for medical and go there if I feel the need for better shopping or dining. Disclaimer here is that I know NOTHING bad about medical services in McMinn County - I just prefer Knoxville.
The OP noted that they would be moving to accept a job. Please keep in mind that's the ONLY way anyone requiring income from a job should move to this area/county. And keep in mind that if that job is lost, it most likely would be extremely difficult, and quite likely impossible, to replace it during this economic downturn. I think it probably was much different here during better economic times, but then, that's probably true everywhere...
My objective with this post is to give a balanced opinion to someone considering moving to McMinn county. It truly is great - for some of us. But, I'd certainly weigh the positive with the negative to get a true picture. I'd also never encourage someone to move here unless I was absolutely certain that person was aware "what they are in for" regarding positive AND negative and/or had the financial resources to recover from the possibility of making the wrong decision.
Should the OP decide to move to McMinn County, we will warmly welcome you into the community
One correction: there is not a TGI Friday's in Athens. The closest one to Athens is 40 miles away in Maryville. There is, however, an Applebee's in Athens. Maybe that's what you meant?
---
its - possession
it's - contraction of it is
your - possession
you're - contraction of you are
their - possession
they're - contraction of they are
there - referring to a place
loose - opposite of tight
lose - opposite of win
One of my close friends commutes every day from Knoxville to Chattanooga for her job,1.5 hours each way. Not desirable, but doable. Just throwing that out there.
By the way, Etowah is cool little small town, went whitewater rafting there last summer.
Athens or Cleveland sound like your best bet if he takes that job and wants the shorter commute.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $53,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
