Maryville Vs Oak Ridge (Knoxville, Clinton: work, hospital, houses)

[EastTNBelle]

I work in Oak Ridge, so I'm going to be a little biased...OR has fantastic schools and is on the verge of a resurgence. 3 new neighborhoods planned and new retail in the works. It's 20-30 mins to Knoxville and a pretty drive. The local chamber has good relocation info; that's a good place to start. Best of luck!

[LauraC]

The only thing I will comment on is if you live in the town where you work, you'll spend more time with your family. I'm retired now and live in Oak Ridge and the first thing I noticed is my younger neighbors leave for work later than I did in Maryland when I was in the workforce and are home a lot earlier. I'm assuming they all work in town and wouldn't live in Oak Ridge, for example, if they were commuting to Knoxville.

What are your kids' interests?

[Chrisgirl]

Thanks EastTNBelle and LauraC! That is such a good point about family time. We are pretty lucky right now that I can walk to the preschool where I teach and where my youngest goes and my oldest's school is across the street from that. My husband only has a 25 minute commute. A long commute would be an adjustment.

LauraC, my second grader loves to read, draw, and take piano lessons. My preschooler loves to play, play, play. They both like to swim in the summer and spend lots of time outside. We like to go to the library and children's plays at the community playhouse down the street.

[Kitties of Domination]

Maryville is probably what you desire.

[BarbG]

Maryville is very family oriented, has wonderful activities for children, and has the most beautiful greenways. We looked at both Maryville and Oak Ridge when we moved here 2-1/2 years ago, and have never regretted deciding on Maryville. Of course, I'm biased since I love where I live.

[bbkaren]

Maryville does indeed have tons of great stuff! It's experiencing pretty high growth right now, though, and in my mind, some of the southern charm might be getting diluted, kwim? (lol! "said the girl from New Jersey").

There are, however lots of rural areas that I'm sure are still pretty down to earth.

And keep in mind for schools in Maryville, the renowned schools are for folks who live within the city limits. From what I understand, there is a way to get your child into the city schools if you live outside city proper, if you pay a fee and transport him/her to and from yourself. The non-city schools are good too, just not as "excellent" as the ones within the city limits.

[Doc. T.]

Originally Posted by DarlaJean

Our Family is thinking of relocating. Both these cities appeal to us. Can someone tell me which city is more desireable? Where is the B&W plant located in Oak Ridge. How far is Maryville from Oak Ridge? We live in Ohio now and really want a change. your area is beautiful

You would be well advised to choose Oak Ridge. First of all, you will get a much better bang for your buck in the housing market. Oak Ridge has both older and newer homes; thus, you choices will be "reasonable given what is available. Secondly, Oak Ridge is much easier to get around in than Maryville. Roads are less congested and you are substantially closer to major shopping centers - such as the new Turkey Creek Mall - expansive outdoor walking shopping complex. Thirdly, Oak Ridge is about 25 to 30 miles from Maryville. It would prove to be a costly and burdensome commute. Finally, Oak Ridge supposedly has one of the top 100 high schools in the nation. However, that is old data! Overall, Maryville has good schools. Even though M-ville is a small community it is quite spread out and students can spend as much as 50 minutes on the bus. Perhaps, you may not want to manage that burden? Finally, both communities have a wide range of Churches that would meet your spiritual needs. Effectually, the choice is yours. Enjoy and look positively into your transitional efforts.

[bbkaren]

Darla, clearly you're gonna have to go visit and see for y'self! Good luck!

[TXboomerang]

I have no idea how good schools are in Clinton and Norris, but I would suggest giving them a look if you want something with a true small town feel. Maryville is very nice and really close to the mountains, but it is also more congested IMO, especially during tourist months.

Clinton is less than half the drive than Maryville would be, and Norris is still shorter although a little longer of a drive than Clinton would be. Norris is VERY charming IMO compared to the others, with a very small town feel. Both Clinton and Norris would be very close to shopping in Powell which although it doesn't have everything West Knoxville and the Turkey Creek area have, it has a lot and seems to be growing very quickly.

If you are looking for convenience, I'd stick with Oak Ridge, Clinton, or Norris and keep the commute short. Maryville to Oak Ridge would get real old real fast IMO.

[VeritasMatters]

I'll throw in my two cents here! We moved to E. TN almost a year ago from Northern CA. My husband works in Oak Ridge, where his company put us up for 3 months. So we got to know OR pretty well. We bought a home in Clinton, after looking as far from OR as Halls and Maryville, Kingston, etc etc.

We are absolutely thrilled w/our decision to live in a small, uncomplicated, and more rural area. We are only 30 minutes from downtown Knoxville, OR is a 15 minute (and may I say, beautiful) drive for my husband's commute. Maryville is OK, it does have an EXCELLENT public library, but we just didn't care for it. too spread out and traffic reminded us too much of CA--as did Farragut and Turkey Creek.

OR has higher property taxes, and excellent schools, yes, but then Clinton's apparently are also good. Our children are all grown, so this also has to be considered when comparing your preferences to ours. Clinton has a new Walmart and Starbucks that will open in a few days/weeks, and many other upgrades going on. We love the Old Clinton area, and, of course being on the Clinch River is a whole wonderful world in itself! There are LOTS of varied sports going on all around us, and of course, you have to know about the rowers on the Clinch and Melton Lake - a big draw for some!! We love that we live in a quiet area, but are only minutes from any larger shopping areas.

Hope this helps.