Downtown Knoxville for work, nearby towns with fireflies, trails, nature (Jackson: real estate, how much)

[NicaNica28]

Hi everyone, I have been reviewing lots of forums regarding relocation to Knoxville and am left with a few questions specific to our situation. We are a family of four (self-employed husband, myself and two kids, 7 and 1) and are considering relocating to the area in search of milder summers and better outdoor recreation. We will be visiting next month, but would not be moving until 2017. Our questions:

1. My husband would be interested in opening a business downtown. Where is the busiest downtown area for foot traffic and fun...Gay St., Market Square, elsewhere?

2. Where should we look for a house that is not too far of a commute to downtown (20-ish minutes), but is far enough away to have a yard, peace and quiet, access to nature? ~$250,000. Preferably somewhere with good schools, access to trails, parks, nature, green space, etc. I keep hearing Farragut, Seymour, Maryville as good options for families. Would any of these meet our requests or are there others you would recommend?

3. On a more whimsical note, are there fireflies/lightning bugs anywhere in the area? I used to see them as a kid in middle-of-nowhere FL, but I haven't seen any in years in either FL or GA, (possibly due to overhead spraying for mosquitoes killing them off?) and would love to see them flitting around of a summer's eve. 😊

I'm sure I'll think of additional questions, but these are a good start. Thank you all for all the valuable information you constantly provide!

[NJDevil]

1 - yes, Market Square and Gay St are the popular areas. I think people feel safer walking around that part of downtown in the evenings over the Old City.
2 - I suggest south Knoxville because of proximity to Ijams and their trails / nature. Other parts of Knoxville have greenways, Maryville has a really nice park and is close to Townsend, but you're getting further away from downtown Knox. Can't give you any input on schools.
3 - yes we have fireflies here. They're out in the spring and summer I guess. Then the Smokies have synchronous fireflies (only in one other part of the world) every June.
Synchronous Fireflies - Great Smoky Mountains National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

[NicaNica28]

NJDevil, thank you for your answers, that helps A LOT! We will be visiting in a few weeks and will definitely check out the downtown areas you confirmed as the busiest/most popular.

Thanks for the advice on nearby towns/suburbs. I kept reading west, west, west, so it's good to know that south would put us closer to nature. I'll check into some of those areas and their schools' ratings.

I'm PUMPED about the fireflies! YAAAAAYYYYY!!! I remember seeing some in Asheville a few years back and hoped they would be present in Knoxville, too, since they are fairly close.

Again, thanks!

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by NJDevil

1 - yes, Market Square and Gay St are the popular areas. I think people feel safer walking around that part of downtown in the evenings over the Old City.
2 - I suggest south Knoxville because of proximity to Ijams and their trails / nature. Other parts of Knoxville have greenways, Maryville has a really nice park and is close to Townsend, but you're getting further away from downtown Knox. Can't give you any input on schools.
3 - yes we have fireflies here. They're out in the spring and summer I guess. Then the Smokies have synchronous fireflies (only in one other part of the world) every June.
Synchronous Fireflies - Great Smoky Mountains National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

I don't agree with the Old City comment. I know that it's not scary at all and jam packed on busy nights. However, I've walked through on deader-than-doornail nights and days and it wasn't scary then, either. The Old City reputation, if it was ever deserved, follows it with some people long after it changed.

Also, Gay St., north of Summit Hill is really burgeoning, although it's tough to find any empty real estate. That's kind of part of the Old City, since it's one street over. Jackson is extremely hot, right now and of course that runs into the Old City. If there is anything left, you can check from Broadway to Gay.

Other properties are being developed and moving north and east of the Old City and Gay areas, since the city is now running out of room for businesses. Downtown Knoxville is hot, hot, hot right now.

I still love ya, NJD, though!

You might check Union, too. There's going to be a restaurant opening where the photography studio used to be. It's going to be a MAJOR offering. Same can be said for the old Patrick Sullivan's in the Old City. What kind of business is this?

Oh! Another part of the city that is about to boom is near the railroad depot, although they are about to open some businesses there. You have to jump on properties right now.

[NicaNica28]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

I don't agree with the Old City comment. I know that it's not scary at all and jam packed on busy nights. However, I've walked through on deader-than-doornail nights and days and it wasn't scary then, either. The Old City reputation, if it was ever deserved, follows it with some people long after it changed.

Also, Gay St., north of Summit Hill is really burgeoning, although it's tough to find any empty real estate. That's kind of part of the Old City, since it's one street over. Jackson is extremely hot, right now and of course that runs into the Old City. If there is anything left, you can check from Broadway to Gay.

Other properties are being developed and moving north and east of the Old City and Gay areas, since the city is now running out of room for businesses. Downtown Knoxville is hot, hot, hot right now.

I still love ya, NJD, though!

You might check Union, too. There's going to be a restaurant opening where the photography studio used to be. It's going to be a MAJOR offering. Same can be said for the old Patrick Sullivan's in the Old City. What kind of business is this?

Oh! Another part of the city that is about to boom is near the railroad depot, although they are about to open some businesses there. You have to jump on properties right now.

Excellent information, thank you! We wouldn't be moving until summer 2017 so we would have to check back around that time to see what/where things are happening then and what commercial real estate, if any, is available. Very helpful, thank you!!

[creeksitter]

Maryville has a good greenway system but it is a bit farther than 20 minutes. Ditto for oak ridge - it has more unpaved and nature-y trails. West Knoxville has some greenways, older subdivisions will be in your price range.

Please talk a little more about "access to trails, parks, nature, green space, etc." Can you be more specific? Do you want a subdivision/area where most of the lots are left in a natural state? Do you want to be able to walk to a greenway?

Oh and just about everyone has fireflies if they have a lawn and trees.

[NicaNica28]

Originally Posted by creeksitter

Maryville has a good greenway system but it is a bit farther than 20 minutes. Ditto for oak ridge - it has more unpaved and nature-y trails. West Knoxville has some greenways, older subdivisions will be in your price range.

Please talk a little more about "access to trails, parks, nature, green space, etc." Can you be more specific? Do you want a subdivision/area where most of the lots are left in a natural state? Do you want to be able to walk to a greenway?

Oh and just about everyone has fireflies if they have a lawn and trees.

Hi creeksitter! Thanks for your response (and for recommending Knoxville in my previous thread. )! How much further than 20 minutes is the commute from Maryville to Knoxville, do you know? When I plug in the numbers on another website I get 23 minutes via car, but I'm sure that's city limit to city limit so going deeper into Maryville where the subdivisions are will add some time. 30 minutes would be ok, but we probably wouldn't want to go much more than that. Does that seem reasonable or should we concentrate our search elsewhere? Oak Ridge sounds nice in that the trails seem more natural.

To elaborate on my 'access to nature...' comment, essentially we want a home with a private back yard within walking distance to a walking/biking trail system and if that trail system connects to places of interest, even better! We definitely want a home with a lawn and trees so that we can enjoy the fireflies!!!

[NicaNica28]

Another question. Farragut and Maryville seem to have the largest populations of any of the nearby towns/suburbs; do either of them have a downtown and, if so, is it interesting and walkable? That may be an option for my husband's business (traditional barbershop) if the area has foot traffic and then we wouldn't necessarily need to worry about commuting to downtown Knoxville. Maybe a stretch but worth finding out.

[creeksitter]

Maryville has a quaint downtown with "potential", not sure that there's enough foot traffic to support a barbershop.

The Jean Teague greenway in Knoxville connects homes to commercial areas. That might be a good place to look unless you visit Maryville and decide it's worth the extra drive.

Also Westwood neighborhood in Knoxville is close to some great commercial areas if you can find something in your budget. It's near the Sutherland/ third creek greenway.

[NicaNica28]

Thanks for that insight, creeksitter...I'll look into those areas! You're a real asset to city-data...I appreciate you!