What do folks like the best and least? (Knoxville, Chattanooga: transplants, sales)

[gemkeeper]

We read on the forum about individual great places to visit or nice neighborhoods to live in. We hear about the horrific rush hour traffic in Knoxville and comments about poor air quality.

But, what do YOU like the best about this area and what do like the least in metro Knoxville and surrounding counties?

We have so much information, but can someone put their likes and dislikes in a nutshell - or even two nutshells?

[amyevansmom]

I love that there are tons of great places to shop. 4 Targets in a 30 min span is AWESOME! There is really nothing missing store-wise in Knoxville.

I don't like rush-hour traffic nor Saturdays during a VOLS home game. UGH.

[Beretta]

Best: The Four Seasons, the majestic beauty (when you can see it through the haze) and the Good Hearted People.

Least: Some of the folks are not educated and/or narrow minded. We have quite a few folks that don't know how to read and write. They are not necessarily dumb people; just not "with it". It is just very difficult to pull some of these folks up out of that.

Before anyone gets too huffy at me, my very own grandmother never learned how to read or write and my grandfather never went past 6th grade. It was a miracle that my father got an engineering scholarship to Va Tech that changed his, and our, lives forever.

[hiknapster]

This will be far from a comprehensive list. These are just thoughts off the top of my head.

What I like:

The weather. To some, it might be too hot or too cold. To me it is almost perfect. I've experienced brutal winters for 34 years and horrible heat and humidity for nine. This is just about perfect. Yes, it gets hot and cold, but nothing lasts for very long. I do wish there was a little bit more snow. An inch a year, or less, is not much. But the spring is the most wondrous thing that I have ever experienced.

The people. I love the people. They are friendly, for the most part, and above all, polite. They have a great sense of humor. They get my jokes. I get there's. I finally feel like I can be myself, and I don't think I really knew myself before I moved here.

The religious atmosphere and the blurring between church and state. I don't think I would would have liked that before living in Florida, but after witnessing some of the lowest forms of society, crime, drugs and downright meanness, I think it is a great place to live and bring up a child. Do I go to church? Not often. But for those that are offended by people telling you, "Jesus loves you," I ask you to consider the alternative.

I love the tomatoes. Best in the world!

I love the fireflies. They are enchanting.

Things I dislike:

The fact that two major arteries run through Knoxville. They are just too darn crowded, and quite frankly, the roads can't handle people going to Florida from the mid-west and back, again.

The overbuilding. There are tons of subdivisions where there use to be farms or quiet suburban areas. They are on top of each other and they are unbelievable ugly. The local roads can't handle it, either. There are very few scenic areas to drive in in the immediate area.

The rude people that are moving in. I couldn't take that atmosphere in Florida, and I'm afraid it is becoming like that here.

The high sales tax.

The summer air pollution. There is a permanent haze for a few months here and it is tough to breathe.

Local politicians. They are involved in their own soap-opera, with their hands in the pockets of the developers and don't care what happens to their city and county. The have no foresight, no planning. They need to take a trip to Chattanooga and see how it is done.

Jobs. There are very few good ones and all of them do not pay well. I know too many local college grads that are grossly underpaid or working in jobs that someone without a degree would dearly love to have.

That's all I have for now.

I hope it helps.

[gemkeeper]

Thank you all 3 for your great responses. You have all verified the feelings that we have had about Knoxville.

First off, my husband and I both immediately were taken with the friendliness of everyone we met right from our first visit to the area. And, it felt very sincere.

And, believe it or not, it reminds me of my hometown in the mts. of N. PA. I know that that may sound strange, but I grew up in a friendly, rather isolated small city (Williamsport, PA) where people were just friendly, humble everyday folks. The kind of people who lived their religious beliefs and you loved them for their warmth and sincerity.

That makes the Knoxville area feel like home to me.

And, of course, as you all feel, the weather with four seasons is a wonder. I couldn't live any other way. I, too, wish there was more snow, but you take what get. One of these winters Knoxville will get several inches at a clip and we'll love it!

The shopping is important to me, as well, amyevansmom. I am a crafter and one of the first things I did when researching the area was to check to see if there was a Michaels, A.C.Moore and Joann's. Oh, happy day - all three! (Plus, the Targets - WOW! How good can life get?)

The negatives were the areas where I really needed some help. We all develop our individual gripes about an area, but I didn't have one personally. We really wanted to see what people who have lived in Knoxville felt were negatives (native-born or transplants, either and both).

The common thread that is impossible to miss is the traffic mess - with the Interstates, in particular. But, what we didn't even think about is the dissatisfaction with the local politics (and we have experienced some duzeys [sp?] ourselves) and the rapid overrun of new developments. This is a problem wherever we have lived. Even when we had been residents ourselves for just a couple of years, seeing so many others moving in and building ever-bigger, land-hogging homes on what was the beautiful pristine landscape that attracted us in the first place was pretty disconcerting. That is where you hope that the town fathers show some concern and put restrictions to slow overdevelopment. Sounds like that might not be happening, right, hiknapster? Think we'll look at existing homes as well as property to build on.

And, I think that rudeness comes along with that overdevelopment many times. Frustrated local people, but primarily new folks that don't understand the culture they are moving into - and sometimes don't care - and they feel entitled. Frustrating problem. Hopefully, the friendliness of the many will override that.

The lack of education of many in the area is tough to remedy unless you start with the little ones just entering the school system. I guess you know first-hand, SmokyMtnGal, how just one generation can overcome that. I am hoping that I can fill a niche either through Adult Ed. or maybe the Public Library system to teach reading to some of those adults. I have found working with uneducated adults in the past that they care more about learning than they would ever let on.

Sorry that this got so long, but I appreciate all of your imput so much. It helps tremendously with the decision making process. I feel like I have a circle of friends already in Knoxville area. I'm ready to move and can't wait for the fireflies next June.

Thanks.

[Deborah53]

gemthornton,

Thanks for starting an insightful thread.

[gemkeeper]

Deborah53, thank you for that. I think many of us researching and considering a new home with major life changes want to get to the basics about an area. It can get so confusing with so much info on the forum!

My husband and I loved Maryville from the start. Our first visit was about 6 years ago when we started look seriously in the Knoxville area. You are very wise to give yourselves this much time to look. We feel now that the choice for us is becoming so easy. We just hope we can give as much to the community as we feel we are going to receive.

Lots of new friends out there to meet! Please keep me posted and I hope the next few years fly by for you. It would be nice to meet some day.

Have a great year with those 4th graders. I miss them, one and all.

[tntornadox]

I think the traffic worry is a bit overblown- all you have to do is avoid the interstates as much as possible during certain times of the day, otherwise, they flow seamlessly.

Other major routes will carry you were you want to go during Rush Hour, and they aren't usually bumper to bumper. (Neither are the interstates, as long as you avoid Downtown at 5pm).

Ex. Take Broadway to Downtown instead of I-40.

[hiknapster]

I've tried the local roads as has my husband. That isn't any better. Sometimes it is worse.

The only time I don't have to worry is when I am traveling to work at 5 a.m.

[gemkeeper]

I guess no matter how you travel, the key is to avoid going into the city at 5 PM no matter which route you take. (5 AM - off to work?!!)

Coincidentally, 5 -6 PM is just about the time we have always hit Knoxville coming back from a visit with our son and family in MI. My husband and I always try to take our "do what you have to do" at a rest stop or exit just north of Knoxville. (LOL) Big help we were to all of you local people!

Thanks for the insight.