Moving to Knoxville next month! (Chattanooga, Johnson City: extended stay, transplants, apartment complex)
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I'm a 22-year-old guy moving to Knoxville from Northern Virginia. I'd like to know if there's any studios in the area where I could live, I'm going to be living down there on my own, hopefully I will make some good friends eventually. I've lived in Johnson City TN before and I enjoyed it, visited Knoxville once and I loved the city!
But... is Knoxville really a good place to live? I know there's a zoo and an aquarium there, are they nice? What's it like living in an average Knoxville neighborhood? Are people racist?
Do you think most Knoxvillians are good people? Or they seem to be in a bad mood all the time (see Northern Virginia lol)?
I plan on going to school in Knoxville at some point, I'd also like to find true love there, since I find southern women really beautiful
Oh! and how is the traffic?
Please I'd really like to know all these things. I'm leaving Northern Virginia 'cause I can't take it anymore! This area is too expensive, it takes a lot of driving to get somewhere, traffic is horrible, businesses are always crowded, people are rude, etc, etc!
Anyways. Thanks a lot!
I'm a 22-year-old guy moving to Knoxville from Northern Virginia. I'd like to know if there's any studios in the area where I could live, I'm going to be living down there on my own, hopefully I will make some good friends eventually. I've lived in Johnson City TN before and I enjoyed it, visited Knoxville once and I loved the city!
But... is Knoxville really a good place to live? I know there's a zoo and an aquarium there, are they nice? What's it like living in an average Knoxville neighborhood? Are people racist?
Do you think most Knoxvillians are good people? Or they seem to be in a bad mood all the time (see Northern Virginia lol)?
I plan on going to school in Knoxville at some point, I'd also like to find true love there, since I find southern women really beautiful
Oh! and how is the traffic?
Please I'd really like to know all these things. I'm leaving Northern Virginia 'cause I can't take it anymore! This area is too expensive, it takes a lot of driving to get somewhere, traffic is horrible, businesses are always crowded, people are rude, etc, etc!
Anyways. Thanks a lot!
Hi, JackSparrow. First of all, I love the name! Is it your real name or are you really Johnny Depp incognito? Very clever - you will attract a few lovely Southern girls with that moniker.
I am not yet a resident of the Knoxville area myself, but others who are will be very happy to answer some of your questions about housing.
There is a nice zoo in Knoxville, but I think the aquarium you are thinking of is the one in Chattanooga further south by about 100 miles from Knoxville.
There are some issues with heavy traffic within the city especially during the regular commute hours, but probably nothing like you are dealing with in N. VA. The people here are generally quite friendly, not as stressed as you find in an area where you are now in the Washington, Baltimore, N. VA commute radius. And, I would say there are no more racial problems in Knoxville than you would have found in Johnson City, Seattle, or Lewistown, PA.
The University of Tennessee main campus is in Knoxville as well as other smaller nearby colleges. So, you would be able to pursue your education easily - and, meet Miss Right (who may be from New York state, but lovely, nonetheless!).
When you are able continue to follow the posts on the Knoxville and Tennessee forums to get a flavor of what the area is about. Use the search engine at the top of the page for specific topics you are interested in learning about. And, above all else, be sure to work a visit in for Knoxville to see if the area is someplace you would enjoy living for awhile or forever.
Hubby and I are anxious to move soon to the Knoxville area because it offers all of the things we are looking for to give us a good quality of life and one that we will enjoy waking up to each day. Check it out and let us know what your impressions are.
Someone soon will address your housing questions. You can bet on that!
I'm a 22-year-old guy moving to Knoxville from Northern Virginia. I'd like to know if there's any studios in the area where I could live, I'm going to be living down there on my own, hopefully I will make some good friends eventually. I've lived in Johnson City TN before and I enjoyed it, visited Knoxville once and I loved the city!
There are studio apartments here, in different parts of the city. Just do a search on apartments.com or something like that and you will find what you're looking for.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JackSparrow85
But... is Knoxville really a good place to live?
It depends on what you are looking for. Overall I think it's a great place to live.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JackSparrow85
I know there's a zoo and an aquarium there, are they nice?
The zoo is OK, and the aquarium is actually in Gatlinburg, about an hour away - it's OK too. And Chattanooga also has an aquarium that is better than the Gatlinburg aquarium, imo.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JackSparrow85
What's it like living in an average Knoxville neighborhood? Are people racist?
Yes a lot of people are racist here, but again it depends on which average Knoxville neighborhood you are in.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JackSparrow85
Do you think most Knoxvillians are good people? Or they seem to be in a bad mood all the time (see Northern Virginia lol)?
Most of the time people are courteous and nice, just don't let a few bad apples ruin the bunch. Most people will have no problem striking up a conversation with you in the grocery store.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JackSparrow85
Oh! and how is the traffic?
It's cake compared to many other places. Of course there is a rush hour but anymore it's not so bad. However a stretch of I-40 in downtown Knoxville is about to get shut down for construction, so it's probably going to suck until that's done.
yes part of I-40 downtown will be shut down for about a year starting May 1. We'll have to use 640. Hopefully it will be a huge improvement when it's all done. Traffic gets real bad in certain areas during rush hour, but you'll learn the back roads. If you have time, read a lot of the recent posts about people moving here and asking similar questions. Don't concern yourself too much with the posts about shootings. For a large city, Knoxville is pretty darn safe compared to most nationwide. Once you learn the "bad" areas, you just don't go walking around alone after dark, you use common sense.
Due to the huge UT campus and other colleges in the area, Knoxville is very educated and rather liberal (a good thing). It is full of transplants and I would really be surprised to hear of any blatant racism. The surrounding counties could be a different story, but that's not where you want to be anyway. I believe Knoxville has something for everyone.
I do not know what other large southern cities are like, but Knoxvillians are VERY friendly. My husband and I have had so many positive experiences here with strangers that we never would have had in the northeast or FL. No one should ever be offended by or afraid of strangers starting up a conversation. If anything negative ever happens, I believe it is due to un-awareness not rudeness/bad intentions. The only thing I have noticed is that natives tend to make up their minds quick about someone....I do not know if they'd give the person a second chance or not. Hopefully, they will. Also, this may not be a Knoxville thing - I've seen it in surrounding counties. All in all I cannot imagine another city this large having more laid-back citizens.
Thanks for your comments, I can feel the good vibe
I lived in Johnson City Tn for 2 years and no one was ever racist to me, even though that town is 90% white and I am hispanic (from Southamerica). People were very friendly and helpful.
I've already looked up information about Knoxville online but I needed to hear it from real people , I've also looked up apartments in the area, and I only found ONE apartment complex that has studios available and it's in South Knoxville. I'm actually coming down there tomorrow (Monday) to check out that one place. Does anyone recommend South Knoxville? Any suggestions? comments? ideas? Please, I'd really appreciate that!
I'm really excited about moving back to TN. Living in NoVa has been pretty much a nightmare, this place is just not for me!
Thanks again and feel free to leave more comments. Wish me luck
*By the way, my name is not Jack Sparrow or Johnny Depp lol
Pity you aren't Johnny Depp incognito. LOL Although I have to completely agree with Gem that Jack Sparrow is a great name.
I wish you lots of luck in your move, we loved living in East town and we never encountered racist attitudes. We can't wait to move back to Knoxville. But even in East town there are neighborhoods you want to stay away from. Have you checked Knoxville Craig's list for apartments/Studios?
Pam
I've also looked up apartments in the area, and I only found ONE apartment complex that has studios available and it's in South Knoxville. I'm actually coming down there tomorrow (Monday) to check out that one place. Does anyone recommend South Knoxville? Any suggestions? comments? ideas? Please, I'd really appreciate that!
It's OK at best... are you needing something furnished or just a small temporary space? If you just need something small and temporary, InTown Suites Extended stay living for any type of travel has what could be considered small efficiency apartments. They have a small kitchenette and bathroom and bed and such.
Downtown is becoming a very desirable place to live. Volunteer Studios is actually not downtown, but on the edge of Mechanicsville, an African American community. It is not dangerous, just run down.
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