Waiting on Costco to hire transfers....INFO NEEDED PLEASE! (Knoxville: homes, transfer to)

[NJbred]

Hello,
My husband works for Costco in Augusta, GA, we have out in for a transfer to Knoxville since Augusta isn't all we thought it would be (blazing inferno of boring). I have seen many pictures of the entire area, and to say it's beautiful is putting it mildly. However, reading about some of the air quality problems etc, etc, gets me a tad nervous since I have a 6 year old that is basically allergic to his own skin.
We moved here to GA in October of 2011 from NJ where we lived our whole lives. My sons allergies were incredibly worse in NJ surprisingly, so I'm really hoping that he's just outgrowing them and they won't be a problem wherever we go. There are a few things I would like to have some light shed on, mainly so I know what I'm going to be walking into.

1. Schools. In NJ I had lived in the same town my whole life, as did my mother, grandmother, etc etc and we all went to the same school. When we moved to GA I knew we weren't going to have that "small town feel" anymore, but I extensively researched the school we enrolled our children in, and guess what? THEY STILL SUCK. So, could anyone point me in an area close to Farragut (Within 15-20 miles) that have a REALLY good school system? I'm not against homeschooling.

2. RELIGION. In this area you are only defined as a person by what church you are affiliated with. I'm not ok with that. While yes, I am an atheist, I like to classify my children as just "non practicing". When they are old enough to make a conscious decision for themselves whether they believe in a supreme being, then that is their decision to make. However, my children have made many friends here, and when we set up a play date, obviously the moms are going to "chat", and the first question they ask is, "so, what church are you a part of". Guess how many friends they have now? I do not want my children to be judged because their mother believes that dinosaurs and people didn't roam the earth together.

3. Air Quality.

4. Safety/Crime. We live about 1000 feet from an army base gate, and yet we still hear about motorcycle cops getting shot to death just responding to a call. I know there is no where you're going to go nowadays that doesn't have some sort of issues, but I would like for my children to play outside and not worry about them getting shot, or finding a syringe (joking, but not really). We live in a very small subdivision now with a bunch of retired army people, so my children are outside until dark, but if you go three blocks outside of the subdivision, its like an entire different ballpark.


Thank you in advance to anyone who takes time out of their day to answer my raving rants. We were just really excited when transferring from NJ to GA, and now I rue the day. While I don't want to EVER go back to NJ, Tennessee just seems to have everything we are really looking for, like SEASONS

(Also, I tend to say offensive things that don't sound offensive to me, anything I've said that was derogatory, was just mindless ramblings )

Thanks again!

[DaveC20853]

The search function is your friend. All has been discussed before. Come up and visit us. You might be very pleasantly surprised. I know I was.

[nortonguy]

Why would somebody move to Grovetown and then expect excitement??

[hiknapster]

Well, it is near Augusta. Knoxville is a very small city that often feels like a very large town. I don't know how exciting it will be for the OP, either. I love it here and I'm from the northeast but I grew up in a very small town.

[krconte]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

Well, it is near Augusta. Knoxville is a very small city that often feels like a very large town.

You made my week...I am researching Knoxville and was worried. I am from a small town and I didn't want Knoxville to be HUGE!! I gotta go visit it ASAP!!

[geranium]

If it's any reassurance, no one's asked me about my church. But it's a very conservative area so you might want to prepare a bland answer if you are asked. imo there is no reason to share personal information with strangers.

Safety probably won't be an issue, but air quality will. I read here the other day that the Oak Ridge area has better air than Knoxville; that may also be more in your price range than Farragut (where Costco is) unless you're management. You might want to stay as far from the interstates as you can since some of the bad air comes from them.

Things to do? There are great parks, libraries, children's sports, movie theaters and good restaurants. Lots of greenways for walking.

Good luck with the transfer.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by geranium

If it's any reassurance, no one's asked me about my church. But it's a very conservative area so you might want to prepare a bland answer if you are asked. imo there is no reason to share personal information with strangers.Safety probably won't be an issue, but air quality will. I read here the other day that the Oak Ridge area has better air than Knoxville; that may also be more in your price range than Farragut (where Costco is) unless you're management. You might want to stay as far from the interstates as you can since some of the bad air comes from them.

Things to do? There are great parks, libraries, children's sports, movie theaters and good restaurants. Lots of greenways for walking.

Good luck with the transfer.

And you probably won't get asked, either. Most folks are very polite. They also don't pry. I lived in Yankee Land for 33 years and a lot of them are champs at being nosy. The sad thing is they ask these questions for gossip or to keep in their arsenal for a later date. I've found that Knoxvillians tend to let you tell them your details if you are so inclined and then they seem to keep that info to themselves and honor it.

In seven years of living here only one person has made a comment about church. It was a neighbor welcoming me to the hood. She said, "There are an awful lot of nice churches here." I responded, "Yes, ma'am." That was the end of that. It was as close as anyone ever asked to where I attend church.

There are a lot of churches and Christians here, though. If the sight and thought of that bothers you then this may not be the place for that.

Oak Ridge has a bit better air quality but Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the largest stash of uranium in the country sits there. Just something to consider. I just don't like the vibe. Other people seem to like it though so you really should visit. Traffic can be difficult getting in and out and it is a haul to downtown Knoxville. If you are the type that doesn't want to go there, though, it might be fine.

Allergies seem to be an individual thing. Some people find they get better after living in places like Atlanta but others find that it gets worse. Your mileage will vary!

I have a daughter in school here. She's attended since kindergarten. I love the schools. I've also had adult children in the Mass and Conn. schools, and seen how the Florida schools work. I am very happy with Knox County schools!

I found that the people that do the worse here are the people that go into it looking for things to not like.

[NJbred]

Thanks everyone,

I didn't move to Grovetown to expect excitement, having three small children, I don't get to do too much exciting things. But I didn't expect to have to drive 15 miles to a decent park or to buy a gallon of milk, but things could be far worse.

No one's religion would ever bother me. I actually have a profound respect for people who stand by their beliefs, but not so much when they judge you for yours. I just don't want to be labeled as "that person".

And I have used the search engines, I wanted to get real information, from real people. Not from statistics that are from 2010. I've read plenty on the air quality. If any of you has ever been to NJ, particularly the area from where I was born, then you'd know it smelt like rotting carcasses and low tide more often than not, and living about 10 miles from the NJ Turnpike and Carterets power plants, I'm pretty sure we weren't breathing in untainted air, again, I just wanted a perspective in real talk, not a search engine.

My husband put in for management, we're not sure if he's going to get management, but he's been there long enough to make a decent amount. Coming from NJ, where you pay thousands of dollars a month to live in a sardine can, everywhere I've seen anywhere in the south has been far more reasonable then I could've ever fathomed, so I don't foresee it being an issue.

Thank you again for your help.

[geranium]

If you do transfer and have questions, please don't hesitate to ask. And if you're interested in Farragut ask and I'll see what I find out for you.

[eddyh]

Allergies are terrible, air quality bad