wages vs housing costs? (Knoxville, Oak Ridge: rent, lease, work)

[hiknapster]

Here is what I was looking for. It is actually from someone that use to be on this forum. This is the only stats that I trust.

Here are salaries for Knoxville.

Knoxville, TN - May 2006 OES Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

Now if you want to compare other parts of the country:

May 2006 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

[AlisonL]

Good links Hik. Thanks for posting. Looks like my hubby could probably make about the same in TN as he does here. Even if he makes less, we'll still be further ahead in the south.

[Eat]

Originally Posted by SmokyMtnGal

Kevin, congratulations on the new job!!!! What an exciting time for you! Are you going to be working at the Siemens facility off of Pellissippi? If so, you may want to consider looking for housing in the Hardin Valley or Karns area (northwest). You are coming at a great time also for your wife's teaching job. Contracts will be up for next year in the next few months. Let us know how we can help.

Anyone looking for housing in the Hardin Valley area should bone up on the Orange Route before making any offers. A freeway may be in your backyard in a few years, if you aren't careful.

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by gemkeeper

Thanks for the heads up on Sperling, Hik. We found it to be pretty right on when we made our move here in 2001. Maybe the figures were current at that time and they are still using the same data. Way off from 6 - 7 years ago!

I hate to give anyone information from a website that might not be reliable.

Welcome, Kevin. It will be great for you to be that close to your folks. I hope that your wife finds a local teaching job. Keep us up to date on your home search.

If you hover over the link with your cursor, it tells you when the data was last updated.

[kkspangl]

Hi all,

First for SmokeyMtnGal, yes the job is with Siemens just off the Pellisippi frwy on Innovation Dr. My wife and I are looking at houses in the Karnes, Clinton area as well as Maryville/Alcoa and Oakridge, not sure yet what we are going to be able to do on the housing front yet. But any info related to these areas would be appreciated. My wife has also gone ahead and put in her application for teaching jobs in Knoxville and Maryville so far.

For hiknapster, Thanks for cost of living comparison links found them to be very helpful so far.

So right now our biggest remaining hurdle is figuring out the housing situation, and we are already working with a couple of Mortgage lenders to see what we can do.

Thanks to all

kkspangl

[kkspangl]

Well we have actually found a house that we are very interested in, but it is not in the areas we had really been researching. So I am asking all ya on the forum to provide any info in regards to schools, crime, lifestyle, acceptance of transplants for the following Knoxville zipe code: 37918.

Thanks

kkspangl

[gemkeeper]

Originally Posted by LauraC

If you hover over the link with your cursor, it tells you when the data was last updated.

Thanks, LauraC, for that info. I did not know this. I am glad I was backtracking through the thread to see what I had missed!

Very wise decision to check the zip code before making an offer, kkapangl. I hope that this works out for you.

[myndsplyntur]

Originally Posted by kkspangl

So I am asking all ya on the forum to provide any info in regards to schools, crime, lifestyle, acceptance of transplants for the following Knoxville zipe code: 37918.

Thanks

kkspangl

I was raised in the 37918 zip code. It depends on whereabouts in that zip code you are - the school could be either Halls, Gibbs, Powell, or Central... curriculum is essentially the same, the demographics are not.

Crime is very minimal and if there is any usually it's between people who know each other - random crimes generally don't happen. Do you have more specifics on the name of the community?

You will be in either Halls or Fountain City, most likely... personally I like Halls better than Fountain City because it's mostly just homes, aside from the few grocery stores / fast food joints; Fountain City of course has plenty of beautiful homes, it just seems a little less comfortable imo. There are more new developments in Halls, Fountain City is older.

In any case you will most likely have a headache of a drive to get to the interstate, but it's really only a problem if you're going to be doing the 9 - 5 type of work hours, otherwise it's usually not too bad. It's not a long drive but the route can get congested during those rush hour times, and of course depending on where you live in that zip code there may be a different route you can take all together.

Anymore specifics besides just the zip code?

[kkspangl]

Thany you so much for the info myndspntur. The actual address of the house is:
6612 Hickory Way Lane Knoxville, TN 37918. This should give you a specific neighborhood to go by for more specific details.

Once again thank you.

kkspangl

[myndsplyntur]

Ok the house is in Halls, in Cedar Chase subdivision. You are going to be living at the end of a cul-de-sac that, oddly enough, I used to live very close to. I played in that neighborhood when I was kid.

At the time that I was there it was a very safe neighborhood, I used to run around there all the time with the other kids. I don't believe anything has changed. It is an older neighborhood, but in that back cul-de-sac area those are newer homes, I would say not more than 10 - 15 years old (depending on which one it is). It's also a relatively quiet area, and being in the back of the subdivision the streets will be pretty barren most of the time, if you have kids you won't have to really worry TOO much about them getting hit by a car or something.

I believe that area has been rezoned since I was in school - the elementary school would be Adrian Burnett Elementary, and most likely Gibbs Middle and High Schools -- but possibly could be Central.

It's still gonna suck getting to the interstate from there though, lol. Plan for at least 15 - 20 minutes to get from your house to the interstate on ramp if you are leaving between the hours of 7:15 AM and 8:30 AM. Otherwise it shouldn't take any more than 10 minutes to get to I-640.

There is a Kroger's, Wal-Mart, Food City, and Ingles within 5 - 7 minutes of your house... along with a K-Mart and a bunch of other little stores in the area. Plenty of fast food restaurants, Bel-Aire Grill and in fountain city plenty more restaurants if you want. It's a pretty self contained little community.

It's a good place to live, especially for a family. In Fountain City, which is just over the hill, there is a park that is heavily used by the community, around 7 - 9 minutes away, and a skating rink is within appx 5 minutes of that house.

Hope this helps, if you have any other questions though I'll be happy to help.