Need Rural...but w/in 30 min of Knoxville (Kingsport, Maryville: house, rent)

[mbmouse]

You are correct, it is not as easy to finance land as it is a house, but you can do it, 20% is a good figure, with some lenders you just have to sign something saying you intend to build on it at some point. All land lenders have different rules, just be sure to be honest with your broker, that way they'll be no surprises.
As for the other issues, TN is not VT. Yes, check into the county regulations before you buy, but I have not heard of anything like you are speaking of here in East TN.
Townsend and Walland are nice, pretty areas, but rather rural and a long drive to major towns/cities for anything other than day to day needs. If Hubby thinks Tri-Cities is to small, he is really not going to like those towns!
I never understood the property value hike in the past 10 years in Townsend, except that most of those sales and subdivisions are to vacation cabins/homes.

[bbkaren]

I saw Townsend and its housing prices; all the land is pretty expensive and almost all of the listings are within subdivisions (where I'm sure there will be what we call "McMansions" built)...in which we have no interest in living whatsoever.

Walland seems nice--rural enough yet only 25 miles from Knoxville...is that right? According to Mapquest it's around 1/2 hour. Right now in NJ he commutes 17 miles and it takes 45 minutes!

[JMT]

Originally Posted by bbkaren

I saw Townsend and its housing prices; all the land is pretty expensive and almost all of the listings are within subdivisions (where I'm sure there will be what we call "McMansions" built)...in which we have no interest in living whatsoever.

Walland seems nice--rural enough yet only 25 miles from Knoxville...is that right? According to Mapquest it's around 1/2 hour. Right now in NJ he commutes 17 miles and it takes 45 minutes!

Actually I don't recall ever seeing any McMansions in Townsend. It's very rural out there, but the highway to Knoxville is good and easy to navigate. Walland would be similar, but much less touristy. Not that Townsend is very touristy (I think there are only 4-5 motels there).

That is definitely a beautiful part of the country. I know of a couple of people who live in Walland and commute to downtown Knoxville and don't seem to mind the drive.

[TXboomerang]

I just moved to the west Knoxville area a month ago and love it. As for the suggestions so far, unless I missed it I have not seen anyone suggest Lenoir City or Kingston. Both are fairly short drives and certainly a much more bearable commute than Townsend, or even Maryville IMO. Lenoir City is just a few miles from Knoxville and is a great place to buy a place with 2 acres. I've not been to Kingston, but that is another place I'm planning to investigate.

Lenoir City doesn't have much to offer for shopping and stuff, but is so close to Farragut and West Knoxville that you can shop there easily and regulary (10 minutes away). BTW, the stats from this website about median household incomes and values is WAY off. Maybe in 2000 it was right, but certainly way off currently.

[hiknapster]

It seems to me that Lenoir City had underperforming schools. I had looked into the area. It is really pretty but...

And Kingston is bit of a ride to Knoxville during rush hour. It can be bumper to bumper that hardly moves.

Now that you are in West Knoxville, how are you finding the commute?

[JMT]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

It seems to me that Lenoir City had underperforming schools. I had looked into the area. It is really pretty but...

And Kingston is bit of a ride to Knoxville during rush hour. It can be bumper to bumper that hardly moves.

Now that you are in West Knoxville, how are you finding the commute?

Those are my sentiments exactly. Loudon County's schools don't seem to be up to par with Knox County's or Maryville's schools. Kingston is quite a commute from downtown Knoxville. And the traffic on I-40? FORGET ABOUT IT. I'd much rather cruise up Alcoa Hwy from Maryville to downtown Knoxville. Plus, Maryville has all the shopping conveniences right there (Target, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe's, etc); no need to commute to Turkey Creek (West Knox).

[TXboomerang]

Ooops. I forgot what the poster was looking for. We don't have kids and my work day is from 10am to 6pm so rush hour traffic is not a concern. Plus I moved from north Dallas so what is called traffic around here to me is actually kind of funny. Even today, everyone was complaining how bad Kingston Pike and I-40 was, and I just thought, hmmmm, this is like 6am-10am and 4pm-7pm Monday through Friday all year in Plano.

[hiknapster]

Yep. Your commute from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. is a non-issue.

[bbkaren]

Thank you all for your insight! Please keep it coming!

[bbkaren]

I posted on another forum about being interested in the Walland area (Blount County) and got a couple surprises; is this for real, or am I being discouraged from moving to Tennessee by a native who's not fond of yankees? lol Same person, both replies.

I mean...I know Kingsport has the Eastman plant--but does that affect this far away? Good grief, it's 115 miles from where I mentioned. Anyway, he/she posts these two replies:
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You would need to be very close to Knoxville to be within 30 mins as traffic is a bear and there aren't many ways in or out. For any "bar scene" you would need Knoxville or Johnson City as that's where there are bars due to the colleges. Primary education is pretty low ranking, our motto is thank God for Mississippi. Air quality is not good as we have TVA coal fired power plants and Eastman Chemical company which is huge in Kingsport and gives the air an odor. There was a rayon plant in Lowland that gave off a tremendous stench, I'm not sure if it's still operating. Sinus problems and cancer rates are pretty high here. Do a little research on the web and you will find the facts.
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Blue Skies
Kingsport, TN
4 hrs ago

You would need to be pretty close to Knoxville to be 30 mins away. Bars only exist in Knoxville and Johnson City as that's where the colleges are and we're in the Bible Belt. Primary education rankings are very low, like the bottom 10%. Air quality is poor as we have many TVA coal fired power plants and manufacturers like Eastman Chemical company. Sinus problems are extremely common. We are seeing more and more gated communities. Meth is a problem in E. TN causing crime numbers to rise.