Relocation to E. Tennessee, big drug problem I was told?? (Knoxville: crime rate, houses)

[Cheeva316]

Well I been all over Zillow checking out the different areas of Eastern Tennessee for houses to buy and found plenty I love. I currently live in FL and I'm tired of it and the pill problem around here is getting pretty bad.
I have a 6 yr old and a 16 yr old plus my disabled 65 yr old father so but now hearing Tennessee has a really huge meth, heroin and pill problem, especially in Eastern Tennessee??

So some insight would be great.

If I do buy in this area I'm all about acereage, country setting with decent schools, healthcare, not too far away from stores and restaurants etc.

Thanks

[Northern Chick]

Following

[NYS2Tennessee]

The drug problem here is going to be worse in small towns/rural areas. Tennessee has been taking steps to help control the pill problem, so hopefully that continues to improve. We live in Knoxville, and plan to stay in Knox County based primarily on the drug problems in some surrounding counties. You can easily get a country setting and still be in county limits, or even city limits.
TBH though, drugs are everywhere now. My hometown in NY had a total of 4,000 people.... and serious drug problems. Rich towns, poor towns... it's everywhere.

[Beretta]

There is definitely a drug problem in East TN. Buy closer in to avoid (more) problems.

[Cheeva316]

So closer to the mountains is drug problem? I was hoping to be at least 30 min away from mountain scenery for hiking, rivers, horse back riding, scenery etc.

[Cheeva316]

My reasons of asking are not cause either of my family members have had a drug problem or be tempted by them but solely on the safety of my children, my disabled father, house and car break ins or in person Robery is the main concerns. Where I live now they have pill problem big time but they don't bother me nor do I mess with them but I'm just tired of seeing them and Florida has a huge problem with homeless people everywhere.

[NYS2Tennessee]

Based on what you're looking for I'd suggest Knox County, Maryville, or Oak Ridge. Good schools, shopping, and plenty of other amenities. Have you visited the area at all? Smaller towns tend not to have the best schools and are more isolated.

[Serious Conversation]

First, people not familiar with east TN are of the frame of mind that cities have worse schools, more crime, etc., but that just isn't true in this area. In east TN, the cities (again, with exceptions) and their suburbs are generally much better places to live than an outlying rural area. I spent the last three years in a major Midwestern metro where the city really was awful and the outlying country areas were much better places to live, but it's flipped here.

In general, crime in most of east TN is quite high, particularly property crime. Burglaries and theft are common. Many times these crimes are committed by people on drugs, or have some tie back to drugs. Random violent crime is pretty rare, but the violent crime rate is high - again, it's mostly contained to people who know each other, and it's primarily drug and domestic.

Schools in rural areas tend to be much worse. I don't live in metro Knoxville and do not really live in the country, but I am zoned for county schools. The high school I went to is only a 4/10 on Great Schools. Knox County schools are probably better than where I am. The elementary and middle schools rated better, but I graduated high school in 2004 and we had nowhere near the amount of AP classes or as high of test scores as the city high school did. They also offered more sports (I got a waiver to wrestle for the city), better academics, and more all around. I have two cousins who graduated from this same high school since 2012 and went to UT-Chattanooga, and neither thought that high school prepared them for college. This school is also regarded as the best county high school. I'm sure outlying counties are worse than where I went.

Country setting and significant acreage are pretty much mutually exclusive with good schools and access to healthcare/shopping/restaurants. You can have one or the other - not both. Many truly country counties may just have Food City, Walmart, and dollar stores. You may be well over half an hour away from a community hospital, which will basically just refer you to Knoxville for serious concerns. Some rural areas may not even have a family doctor or an urgent care for quite a ways off.

It's worth a visit, but a lot of folks think east TN is something like Mayberry or something off of a Pigeon Forge tourist brochure. While the area has a lot of natural beauty, there are also a lot of crime, drug, social, and economic problems below the surface. People who come in thinking it is Mayberry and move too rural are likely going to be quite surprised.

I'd agree to look around Oak Ridge and Maryville. Both have a small town feel without becoming too isolated or feeling backward. I also like the area on 75 going south of Knoxville toward Loudon and Sweetwater.

[geranium]

Cheeva, the previous posts are accurate. Much of Appalachia is suffering from a meth/prescription drug problem.

Even here in far West Knox County, my neighbors have increased their home security; cars parked outside overnight seem especially vulnerable. For us, it's a property crime issue and not one of personal safety.

[High Altitude]

Definitely check out Maryville, Oak Ridge or Lenoir city.

These are areas that are ruralesc, but still have great amenities and close enough to Knoxville/West Knoxville with easy access to the outdoors for hiking and other outdoor activities.

Crime is only an issue if you go further out, true rural areas.

I have lived all over the United States, and I personally think Knoxville is one of the best values in the nation with respect to cost of living vs what you get with housing/jobs/amenities/nature/things to do etc.