Knoxville surrounding towns

[Sjdemps]

Hahahahaa. Thank you very much hiknapster. I know as soon as I get down there and drive around, I will be able to tell right away the areas for me. So hard to plan from afar and try to make the most of your time looking for the right rental in the right area.

[creeksitter]

I'm just not going to bother anymore.

Hooray! I no longer have to see you insulting my beloved neighborhood or any other place that does not meet your elitist aesthetics.

And yes, I do realize that it is people who come from modest beginnings that can be the most elitist. I've encountered this with a friend's husband.

BTW, if the OP doesn't like the scenery on hwy 25, she has the option to take hwy 61. It's much newer and more attractive. Ever think about that?

[hiknapster]

You'd blanch if you actually knew my background, however modest it is now. I know you don't have children so you can't understand a parent's concern regarding schools. If you had, you would have bought your rentals in a better area.

I can always tell when you're tipping back a few and it seems to be happening more often, lately. Things going sour in the slum landlord business?

[TheShadow]

I live between Lenoir City and Loudon. Both are small towns set in a rural setting, but only 30 minutes or so from Knoxville. I don't have kids, so I won't comment on schools. Loudon is VERY small and has very little shopping other than grocery/drug stores, dollar stores and cutesy little shops. Lenoir City is a bit larger and has all the requisite chains like Walmart, Home Depot, CVS, many restaurant and fast food chains and several inexpensive chain hotels. It is on a highway that leads to the Smoky Mountains Nat'l Park, so it gets quite a bit of through traffic down 321. The nicer areas to live are not in the "downtown" areas, which tend to look a little rundown or cluttered, but in the outlying suburban neighborhoods. There are homes with acreage or in neighborhood settings. Both towns are adjacent to lakes and there are many lakefront or near the lake homes.

[creeksitter]

Of the towns mentioned, I like the "urban fabric" of Lenoir City the best. In that it has an intact main street for a few blocks. I like that there are residential neighborhoods just uphill from the main street that could appeal to someone who wants a "walkable" lifestyle. Do you see any signs of people breathing ne lif into the businesses, Shadow?

It may be necessary to remind newcomers that Knoxville's Market square was a very dismal place 20 years ago. Places can change, especially if they have good urban fabric.

[TheShadow]

Sadly, Broadway, as the old main street of Lenoir City is named, is about 50% vacant storefronts right now. I guess all the traffic has moved over to the 321 corridor, just a few blocks away. 321 is an ugly gauntlet of shopping strips, but it does have most of what we need. When we need bigger shopping we go to Turkey Creek or to Maryville/Alcoa. There is a movement afoot to revitalize Broadway and the city has been looking at various plans to do a physical "makeover" of the streetscape on Broadway. Hopefully having a more attractive and pleasant appearance will begin a renaissance of sorts for Broadway. I love the cute downtowns of Sweetwater and Clinton, maybe Lenoir City will one day be more like that, or like Market Square.