Home buying advice! (Knoxville, Kingston, Central: estate, transplants, house hunting)

[lazarusmn]

Hello all,
I'm about to move my little family to Knoxville to start a new job. I really don't know the area much at all and I need some advice about homebuying. I have a little child who will be going to public school, and education is VERY important to us. We want to buy in a great school district-- this is our first priority.

We'd also like to be close to the UT campus. I've heard that the neighborhoods just to the west of campus have great schools and are also very expensive. Does anyone know of areas within that school district that would be more reasonably priced-- where I could get a 3-4 bedroom house for $200-220k? The house doesn't have to have granite countertops and whirlpool baths, though we also hope to not have to redo a house that's in bad shape.

What do you think? Is this possible if we're willing to compromise on things like exterior beauty and acreage? Or should I be looking further out? (And if so, where??)

Thanks in advance for your help! I've really enjoyed reading this forum.

[EastTNBelle]

I live in the Rocky Hill area of west Knoxville. My kids are 8 & 11 and we LOVE Rocky Hill Elementary; very involved parents and teachers. It can be tricky to find a house in the range your looking for but can be done. I live in a 1963 tri-level, 4brs/3bas and my house is worth 175k(ish). Good luck looking... I would recommend the Kingston Hills/Kingston Woods neighborhood-it runs from Morrell Road all the way over to Gallaher and from Westland to Gleason (check a map and you'll see). It's zoned for excellent elementary/middle/high. It's very convenient and close to interestate.

[DaveC20853]

Spend some time reading this forum (as I do) to learn the "good" areas. Then use this website to do some house hunting: Find Homes By Area .

If you can, make a trip down and spend several days just driving around (with a good map and GPS). Mark down area's you like, then investigate those areas more in depth both here and with a RE agent.

My 2 cents.

[JMT]

All of Knox County is in one school district: Knox County Schools. The schools in posh West Knox are governed by the same curriculae and same standards as those in blue collar East Knoxville. The teachers are paid the same, the benchmarks are the same, and the textbooks are identical. The only difference is the socio-economic background of the students and their families.

As EastTNBelle said, the Rocky Hill neighborhood has a particularly strong elementary school. In general, schools in West Knox enjoy more parent participation than do schools in some poorer parts of town. Having said that, however, my students here at U.T. who were educated in poorer high schools are just as well prepared for college as those who attended the more popular high schools in the wealthier western neighborhoods.

Another part of town you might want to consider is Fountain City. The people there are fiercely loyal to their schools (Fountain City ES, Gresham MS, Central HS), it's just a couple of miles north of downtown Knoxville, and Fountain City is an affordable alternative to West Knox.

[Barking Spider]

JMT said it well. I don't think you will find anything (with a house on it) with "acreage" in your price range anywhere near UT. You really do need to come and visit and travel all around town to get a feel for what suits your needs.

You will find 4 totally different communities within 5 miles of UT by going north on Broadway, south on Chapman Highway across the bridge, west along Kingston Pike, or east on Summit Hill or Magnolia. Go 5 more and it keeps changing. There is something for everyone, but there are also places you would not want to live. It all depends on YOUR needs.

Good luck with your search, and your move here.

[lazarusmn]

Thanks to all for replies! JMT, I'm grateful for your clarification about the school district--one of the things that's complicated about this is that I don't assume that "school in a poor/mixed neighborhood" means the same thing as "crappy school." I went to public schools in a poor area myself and got a great education and went on to Ivy League schools. But it can be hard to tell what's what from far away.

I know I will have to come to town in order to get a feel for things, but I can only be there for 2-3 days so I would like to have as good an understanding of neighborhoods beforehand as I can.


Can someone tell me what's the deal with South Knoxville? It seems like a great location, and the prices are good, but none of my future colleagues have mentioned it as an area where people live. Is there something they're not telling me?

Thanks again!

[SmokyMtnGal]

Originally Posted by lazarusmn

Can someone tell me what's the deal with South Knoxville? It seems like a great location, and the prices are good, but none of my future colleagues have mentioned it as an area where people live. Is there something they're not telling me?

Thanks again!

South Knoxville is not, generally speaking, seen as open to transplants. It is an old, rural type area that is very, very closed to outsiders for the most part. There is a new shopping center opening up out that way that they fancy to be a junior Turkey Creek so there are some new subdivisions opening up. It is an area of Knoxville where truly everyone seems to know everyone else. The schools aren't that great (one of my best gf's daughter goes to South Doyle just like my friend did 20 years ago and they love it) and the high school is on a state Watch List. This area judges wealth by how nice your pickup truck is and how many people attend your funeral. Personally, I love the area. But then again, my parents are from southwest Virginia and I am a country girl at heart.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by SmokyMtnGal

South Knoxville is not, generally speaking, seen as open to transplants. It is an old, rural type area that is very, very closed to outsiders for the most part. There is a new shopping center opening up out that way that they fancy to be a junior Turkey Creek so there are some new subdivisions opening up. It is an area of Knoxville where truly everyone seems to know everyone else. The schools aren't that great (one of my best gf's daughter goes to South Doyle just like my friend did 20 years ago and they love it) and the high school is on a state Watch List. This area judges wealth by how nice your pickup truck is and how many people attend your funeral. Personally, I love the area. But then again, my parents are from southwest Virginia and I am a country girl at heart.

That's a very good description of South Knoxville. And might I add one more: it's a Wal-Mart area as opposed to a Target area. That may not mean much to some people, but to me it's an important distinction.

Otherwise, I really do like South Knoxville because it is so country yet is also just a few minutes from downtown/U.T. While the well heeled in West Knox battle rush hour traffic to get to downtown, the meek and lowly in South Knoxville can cruise up Chapman Hwy at or above the speed limit and be downtown in no time at all.

I still think lazarusmn should look at Fountain City as an affordable alternative to West Knox.

[Kitties of Domination]

South Knoxville is notoriously anti-development and fiercly independent (or stubborn, some say). Many transplants and visitors comment that it is "a bit rough", and is a bastion for "anti-city" and "anti-annexation" sentiments. But it also has many fans for the same reasons. To give a better perspective' it is probably the only area within the city limits where I have ever seen livestock (!); while not technically legal, what are you going to do? Its South Knoxville!! I would probably not recommend this area to someone from the east coast.

[fbama73]

OK, I'm curious- how far South does that particular "South Knoxville" mindset go? We're in early stages of scouting out areas, and South is looking good to us.

JMT, if I may ask, what do you teach at UT?