Relocating from California (Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Farragut: for sale, houses, to buy)

[Mytown]

We are considering moving to the Knoxville area from California, just south of Sacramento. I was just wondering what the good and the bad of the area is?

To epic19... Let me phrase another way... My husband who is also from Ca says Tn is all good for him. I thought you might find this reasuring in addition to the other comments left here.

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by john t

Also, if you enjoy driving out to the bay or beach, the beach is a minimum of 9-10 hours from Knoxville.

Best of luck.

We have public pools (indoor and outdoor) and lakes to swim in, though.

[CUinTN]

Hi Epic19,

We are also relocating to TN (Greeneville) from the Stockton area. We have spent a lot of time in Oak Ridge for work and feel pretty confident comparing the two areas accurately. Most folks don't realize that once you are east of the I5 interstate, CA is pretty rural and conservative. Knoxville really isn't that much different than many of the smaller cities in the central valley. The biggest difference is that it is GREEN. Of course the price you pay for that is the humidity which is only slightly highter than the central valley since so much of the valley is irrigated. You have access to the mountains just like you do in Sac, but the mountains of east TN are lower in elevation (the highest peak is ~6500 ft). There is some skiing, but it's not like Tahoe. Of course, it's not as expensive either Another big difference that we've noticed is that the city people as well as the folks in the country are very friendly and like to strike up a conversation to while away the time in lines etc. The other thing that I never see mentioned here is how much better the roads are. You know how you have to have an SUV to keep from falling into the potholes in CA? Well, in TN the roads are beautifully maintained even small county roads. The sales tax is higher, but only by 1.25% and most everything else except food is cheaper.

UT Knoxville's vet school is pretty well regarded and I read somewhere that they are (were?) offering incentives for vet students entering large animal practice. Something to look into.

Sorry this got long but i hope it helps

[suzycue]

Does anyone know how bad the humidity is in Knoxville versus Miami? I can imagine that the air quality in Miami is better because we have ocean, but I am just curious to learn more about the humidity...

[Suzanne1945]

Originally Posted by suzycue

Does anyone know how bad the humidity is in Knoxville versus Miami? I can imagine that the air quality in Miami is better because we have ocean, but I am just curious to learn more about the humidity...

We just spent 8 days in Maryville when temps were 90 - 94 and humidity ranged from 60% to 80%. The higher numbers are in the evening and early morning. We live in Central FL and trust me we worked outside from 9 a.m. to 2 or 3 p.m. while in TN (yard work) and didn't get heat exhaustion. We CANNOT do that in FL. Yes, there is humidity but it's not so thick that it takes your breath away! I do think you will and can adjust. Not sure if you are close to water in Miami and get the sea breeze, but I can tell you that breezes started about 11 a.m. and continued into the afternoon. That's my comparison to FL humidity.

[john t]

suzycue,

The average summertime dewpoint for Knoxville and Miami is around 70F. This is a measure of heat and humidity. Knoxville summer highs are upper 80s to lower 90s. About the same as in Miami. Knoxville is generally overcast and hazy during summer with passing clouds. One big difference is there is very little wind/breeze in Knoxville in the summer, avg only 3-5mph. Miami has much more breeze especially near the ocean.

Best of luck.

[john t]

My data is from NOAA, the National Weather Service. Go to their website and look up cities and weather data. They have historical weather data with averages, month, week, etc.

Best of luck.

[suzycue]

Originally Posted by john t

My data is from NOAA, the National Weather Service. Go to their website and look up cities and weather data. They have historical weather data with averages, month, week, etc.

Best of luck.

Thanks John & Suzanne..Appreciate the feedback!!

[pdq]

When I want the beach I just put my feet in the kiddie pool, same exact thing really. Water is water, right? I mean come on, Newport Beach is the same as the Hudson River is the same as Lake Erie is the same as Love Canal is the same as Ft Loudon. A Knoxville indoor pool or San Francisco Bay, what's the difference?

[hiknapster]

I believe that someone is being sarcastic!