Things to do in Knoxville, also a comparison to other cities (Oak Ridge: low crime, neighborhoods)

[windycity82]

Hello,

My parents (nearing retirement age) are looking at possibly moving south. I'm a newcomer to the region too (Greenville, S.C.) so I don't know too much about the cities they're considering. Could anyone who's moved around a lot or traveled a lot in the South give an opinion on the best overall place to live between Knoxville, Nashville, Charlotte, Raleigh, etc.? Please feel free to mention other good cities if I'm forgetting any. They probably don't want to go farther south than Tennessee. I thought Knoxville might be a good possibility for them, but I'm reading a lot of negative and very little positive, so that's disenchanting. Schools are not an issue for them, so the main points would be low crime, lots of things to see and do, nearby recreation, etc. Thanks!

[JMT]

Originally Posted by windycity82

Hello,

My parents (nearing retirement age) are looking at possibly moving south. I'm a newcomer to the region too (Greenville, S.C.) so I don't know too much about the cities they're considering. Could anyone who's moved around a lot or traveled a lot in the South give an opinion on the best overall place to live between Knoxville, Nashville, Charlotte, Raleigh, etc.? Please feel free to mention other good cities if I'm forgetting any. They probably don't want to go farther south than Tennessee. I thought Knoxville might be a good possibility for them, but I'm reading a lot of negative and very little positive, so that's disenchanting. Schools are not an issue for them, so the main points would be low crime, lots of things to see and do, nearby recreation, etc. Thanks!

I'm not sure what you mean when you say that you're reading a lot of negative and very little positive about Knoxville. If you're referring to this forum, keep in mind that it's pretty much just 1 or 2 people who are saying negative things; the rest of us who post about the Knoxville area love it here and say so in our posts. Also keep in mind that the one person who seems to post nothing but negative posts about Knoxville happens to live here, so if it's really as bad as he says, surely he would've moved away by now.

At any rate, what kinds of activities do your parents enjoy? Knoxville certainly has a lot to do. We're close to the Smoky Mountains and to several large lakes.

Otherwise, I don't know that Knoxville offers any more or less to do than the other cities you mentioned; they all have museums, touring Broadway shows, live theater, historic neighborhoods, golf courses, outdoor festivals, large shopping malls, excellent medical care, etc.

Knoxville's crime rate is probably lower than the other cities you mentioned, particularly Charlotte and Nashville. But you can look up crime rates here at city-data.com and check out for yourself. There are some neighborhoods in Knoxville with more crime than others, of course. But over all, the crime rate here is pretty good for a big city.

One thing to keep in mind, however, is the airport situation. If your parents enjoy traveling, they might not want to live in Knoxville. While our airport is nice and is VERY easy to navigate, air fares are probably double what you'd pay out of Nashville or Raleigh. Charlotte generally has high fares, too, thanks to the near-monopoly of USAir there.

[knoxgarden]

I'm semi-retired in Knoxville and love it. Plenty to do, easy to do things -- don't have to sit in traffic or worry about huge crowds. Lots of good restaurants. Very hard to be bored here.
I love taking classes at the University of Tennessee. They have dramatically reduced rates for those over 60 and/or disabled.
Adult Student Services at The University of Tennessee (broken link)
I've taken classes in interior design, pottery, and right now I'm taking forensic anthropology and there are a couple of retirees in it, along with younger students. I'm really enjoying my second chance at an education.
There are a lot of very active older people around. Knoxville seems to give them a second wind. A lot of interesting volunteer opportunities. Medical facilities are excellent and people are very friendly.
The airport can be an issue but I don't fly much. Car travel is very easy.

[gemkeeper]

I remember you mentioning a month or so back that you were going to take the forensic anthropology class, knoxgarden. Sounds very interesting. Glad you made it.

Looking forward to doing the same myself next fall in as many disciplines as I can manage.

The UT Adult Ed website should help you out a lot, windycity. Also, search for the post from LauraC titled "101 Things to do in East Tennessee" published by the Oak Ridger newspaper. Great list of wonderful attractions for any age. It will give you and your folks a view of what they may enjoy in E. TN. The whole thread is a treasure trove of things to do and see in TN.

Continue reading threads that seem to talk about Tennessee's appeal and offerings and you will learn a lot very quickly about the area. You might want to move yourself!

[tsimmu]

Originally Posted by windycity82

Hello,

My parents (nearing retirement age) are looking at possibly moving south. I'm a newcomer to the region too (Greenville, S.C.) so I don't know too much about the cities they're considering. Could anyone who's moved around a lot or traveled a lot in the South give an opinion on the best overall place to live between Knoxville, Nashville, Charlotte, Raleigh, etc.? Please feel free to mention other good cities if I'm forgetting any. They probably don't want to go farther south than Tennessee. I thought Knoxville might be a good possibility for them, but I'm reading a lot of negative and very little positive, so that's disenchanting. Schools are not an issue for them, so the main points would be low crime, lots of things to see and do, nearby recreation, etc. Thanks!

Hmm, you don't say from where they're moving but since they don't want to be too far south what about KY -- Lexington? or VA -- Roanoke? Richmond?

[windycity82]

Thanks! Interesting stuff -- I'm especially glad to hear about the variety of continuing ed classes. I will continue reading more posts.

[SearchingTexan]

Never been to Knoxville and am interested in the scenery. Know it's in the vacinity of Smokies. Any areas to live that are close to these....lots of trees but within close proximity to city ammenities, conservative also? Thanks.

[pdq]

Hi windycity,

I think it comes down to what your parents intend on doing in their retirement. You mentioned Raleigh and Charlotte. We've lived in both and both are fabulous areas, near-international cities, cheap flights to everywhere, a close drive to everything; mountains, beaches. I'd recommend the Cary area of Raleigh and Lake Norman area of Charlotte. There are great clean rural areas outside of the cities as well. Right where you are in Greenville is also a good choice, mountains, and the beach is just a whisper away. Western NC also is a wonderland of places and towns, all in the mountains with easy access to the coast. Nashville does offer a lot to do but unless they're really into the music scene, offers little over the NC, SC areas. All that said, Knoxville is a choice but with the problems you've already read there may be better choices for your parents, most people only move once for retirement. I would research it greatly. After they visit each place I'm sure they'll know what's right for them.

Best of luck in finding a great place for your parents.

[TXboomerang]

I moved here from the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I love it so far, and only wish I had moved here sooner. Is it paradise? No, of course there are problems here. But I haven't seen more problems here than Dallas as far as crime goes, actually less it seems. Also the traffic is a breeze as Knoxville rush hour is really 1 hour that is not too bad, compared to the Dallas rush hour that was from 6AM-10AM and then from 3PM-7PM.

As far as what to do, if they like outdoors at all, there are at least 8 state parks within 2-3 hours drive, depending on where in Knxoville they move.

[2lizards]

What about Asheville, NC? It's got more to do than Knoxville and is more compact. Knoxville's downtown is starting to come alive, but Asheville's is already there. Of course, housing is much cheaper here in Knoxville.