Is Sequoia Hills a good choice? (Knoxville, Farragut: condos, house, neighborhood)

[Y1Y2]

We are going to move to Knoxville this December? We have two kids (7 years old and 16 months) and are looking for a house nearby the UT. I hate to commute so am considering to live at the Sequoia Hills since it's close to the UT. Housing in the Sequoia Hills are expensive, but location is most important factor to me. Can anyone tell me the advantages and disadvantages of living there (such as less diverse). Are elementary schools good at Sequoia Hills? Any suggestions on other areas that are closed to the UT (driving less than 15 minutes)? Thanks for your help.

[Mytown]

I lived in Sequoyah Hills for 10 years before moving to Farragut and loved it for it's old trees and history and diversity of housing. My children went to Sequoyah Hills Elementary school and I found it to be very good. The advantages are: close to downtown; library, school, park, ball fields, walking trails, dry cleaners, bank, gas station in the subdivision itself; it is also on the bus line; and is pretty safe. For me the disadvantages were: everyone thinks because you live there you are rich and a snob - although Seqouyah Hills has homes at over a Million Dollars, they also have small cottage style homes for much less and condos in there around $100K. FYI - If you move there, when you hire anyone for anything try to get a quote over the phone BEFORE you give them your address.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Y1Y2

We are going to move to Knoxville this December? We have two kids (7 years old and 16 months) and are looking for a house nearby the UT. I hate to commute so am considering to live at the Sequoia Hills since it's close to the UT. Housing in the Sequoia Hills are expensive, but location is most important factor to me. Can anyone tell me the advantages and disadvantages of living there (such as less diverse). Are elementary schools good at Sequoia Hills? Any suggestions on other areas that are closed to the UT (driving less than 15 minutes)? Thanks for your help.

I don't know what you consider to be "expensive" but Sequoyah Hills is definitely a premier neighborhood, easily one of my favorites in the city (if you can afford it). Not only is it very convenient to U.T., but you're right there on the river with lots of jogging trails and hilly, leafy boulevards with beautiful homes. And as Mytown said, not all of the homes are mansions.

However, even smaller homes are more expensive in Sequoyah Hills than comparable homes in other parts of town. You might also want to look at the Island Home neighborhood which is just across the river from downtown off James White Pkwy. It's just as historic but has smaller, more modest homes than Sequoyah Hills. A lot of U.T. people live in Island Home as well as Sequoyah Hills. The Tennessee School for the Deaf is also located in Island Home.

I have a friend who's a cashier at Fresh Market there by Sequoyah Hills. She told me a story that exemplifies why Sequoyah Hills people have a reputation for being rich snobs. A lady gave my friend cash to pay for her groceries and apologized for giving her wrinkled money because her maid didn't have time to iron her money that morning.

[hiknapster]

My daughter goes to ballet school over there, right behind The Fresh Market. Lots of the kids live there. Some are a bit spoiled, but most are very nice, and the parents are incredibly nice and friendly.

Now the customers in Fresh Market are a whole other story. No one ever says "hello' in passing, which is odd for this area. My car was scraped the other day in the Fresh Market parking lot. Took the paint right off. By the time I got to the car, they had already gone.

So I guess their are some unfriendly, self-centered people that live there, but I've also experienced some very nice people. Quite frankly, if I could afford it, I'd move there in a heartbeat.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

My daughter goes to ballet school over there, right behind The Fresh Market. Lots of the kids live there. Some are a bit spoiled, but most are very nice, and the parents are incredibly nice and friendly.

Now the customers in Fresh Market are a whole other story. No one ever says "hello' in passing, which is odd for this area. My car was scraped the other day in the Fresh Market parking lot. Took the paint right off. By the time I got to the car, they had already gone.

So I guess their are some unfriendly, self-centered people that live there, but I've also experienced some very nice people. Quite frankly, if I could afford it, I'd move there in a heartbeat.

I like that area of Knoxville, too. Actually, the area that I REALLY like is just a few blocks from Sequoyah Hills but is light years apart. It's off Sutherland, just west of the married student housing complexes that U.T. owns. Besides being close to the Asian grocery stores in the area, it's also a very hilly, very leafy neighborhood with modest homes. It's also popular with graduate students who like being close to campus but not in a student ghetto like The Fort.

[Y1Y2]

Thank you for all the useful and detailed information.