Advice on Whereabouts: Moving from Denver to Knoxville Area-ish? (Maryville: apartments, rental)

[COHeather]

My husband, sons, and I currently live NW of Denver, Colorado. I've lived in CO since 1987 (prior to that, SE Michigan), and my husband's lived in CO since 1999 (prior to that, NW Alabama). We love Jeeping, hiking, cycling (mountain and path), and pretty much everything outdoors. Where we live, we have back-yard access to dozens and dozens of miles of paved off-road cycling/walking/running trails. Mountain day hikes (although now horribly crowded) are 15 miles away. About 40 miles NE of our home, we have many, many miles of relatively flat country dirt roads that are great for cycling (and running) for someone like me who prefers not to ride in traffic. We also love offroading/rock crawling in our Jeep, and there's trails within 30 miles of us (beyond that, we're fighting traffic on I-70 or US-285). We are car nuts (on a budget). The car culture here is pretty good (no rust!). My husband manages an offroad shop, and I'm a small law office manager. We don't necessarily need to stick with our respective careers.

We are wanting out of Colorado due to the drastic growth of the area. Increasingly, since about 2012, it has become stifling with rude people and awful traffic. The statistics on the influx of people moving here is breathtaking. It's finally recently slowed down, but it remains way too crowded. The recreational pot industry makes me want to hurl.

I realize that TN likely isn't going to compare to where we currently live in CO in terms of close-by paths/etc. for riding/running/wheeling. However, we MUCH prefer the slower pace of life, the friendliness of people in TN, and the average political feel, as well (we're middle/right; Libertarian, and are comfortable with religion), so the trade-off is worth it - as long as we plan our move to have the best access possible for the activities we love. Also, I've read no less than ten memoirs so far on through-hikes of the Appalachian Trail, and am REALLY looking forward to visiting/getting to know that trail.

Because of the desire to have access to elevation/mountains, we are looking at the Knoxville area. Ideally, we'd love 20 acres in the mountains - but I'm guessing that's probably not realistic for people who still need to work for a living. We've visited the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area for two years now (Great Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion), and will be going back again next month. I'd love to get suggestions of where we should look, so we can spend 3-4 days driving around and getting a feel for various areas. I've done a bit of reading, and have some searches saved on Realtor.com, but hearing from actual people would be ideal. We prefer a small town, but are OK with suburbia, too. We're wanting to stay $225K or less. We don't need much. We want to take our equity here in CO and set ourselves up for a life spent stressing less, and enjoying the outdoors more. We have zero interest in a newer neighborhood with small yards, and want to avoid HOAs at all costs. In a dream world, we'd find a house on a couple acres, where I can house a couple rescue horses. But, in reality, we'd be happy with a house with good bones on a half acre yard so our dogs can safely run.

Thanks for reading. I figured it would be worth it to put a lot of detail in this, in case something specific resonates with someone whom can provide related advice. Thank you in advance for any suggestions.

[scottcolby]

Originally Posted by COHeather

My husband, sons, and I currently live NW of Denver, Colorado. I've lived in CO since 1987 (prior to that, SE Michigan), and my husband's lived in CO since 1999 (prior to that, NW Alabama). We love Jeeping, hiking, cycling (mountain and path), and pretty much everything outdoors. Where we live, we have back-yard access to dozens and dozens of miles of paved off-road cycling/walking/running trails. Mountain day hikes (although now horribly crowded) are 15 miles away. About 40 miles NE of our home, we have many, many miles of relatively flat country dirt roads that are great for cycling (and running) for someone like me who prefers not to ride in traffic. We also love offroading/rock crawling in our Jeep, and there's trails within 30 miles of us (beyond that, we're fighting traffic on I-70 or US-285). We are car nuts (on a budget). The car culture here is pretty good (no rust!). My husband manages an offroad shop, and I'm a small law office manager. We don't necessarily need to stick with our respective careers.

We are wanting out of Colorado due to the drastic growth of the area. Increasingly, since about 2012, it has become stifling with rude people and awful traffic. The statistics on the influx of people moving here is breathtaking. It's finally recently slowed down, but it remains way too crowded. The recreational pot industry makes me want to hurl.

I realize that TN likely isn't going to compare to where we currently live in CO in terms of close-by paths/etc. for riding/running/wheeling. However, we MUCH prefer the slower pace of life, the friendliness of people in TN, and the average political feel, as well (we're middle/right; Libertarian, and are comfortable with religion), so the trade-off is worth it - as long as we plan our move to have the best access possible for the activities we love. Also, I've read no less than ten memoirs so far on through-hikes of the Appalachian Trail, and am REALLY looking forward to visiting/getting to know that trail.

Because of the desire to have access to elevation/mountains, we are looking at the Knoxville area. Ideally, we'd love 20 acres in the mountains - but I'm guessing that's probably not realistic for people who still need to work for a living. We've visited the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area for two years now (Great Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion), and will be going back again next month. I'd love to get suggestions of where we should look, so we can spend 3-4 days driving around and getting a feel for various areas. I've done a bit of reading, and have some searches saved on Realtor.com, but hearing from actual people would be ideal. We prefer a small town, but are OK with suburbia, too. We're wanting to stay $225K or less. We don't need much. We want to take our equity here in CO and set ourselves up for a life spent stressing less, and enjoying the outdoors more. We have zero interest in a newer neighborhood with small yards, and want to avoid HOAs at all costs. In a dream world, we'd find a house on a couple acres, where I can house a couple rescue horses. But, in reality, we'd be happy with a house with good bones on a half acre yard so our dogs can safely run.

Thanks for reading. I figured it would be worth it to put a lot of detail in this, in case something specific resonates with someone whom can provide related advice. Thank you in advance for any suggestions.

Hey Heather,

I don't have any suggestions, but just wanted to say I'm moving to Knoxville from Denver myself, on September 1. I'll be renting about a mile from downtown. I understand what you mean about Denver and the crowds. I've been here since 2010, and it's gotten pretty bad.

Good luck. I will be interested in any replies you get as they may help me when I'm ready to buy closer to the mountains!

[linnemj]

We moved a little SE of Maryville in Blount County 4 years ago. I would recommend making an appointment with a realtor to sit down and discuss your ideas and budget. They can let you know what is realistic. As many others have mentioned, it is important to have a job first before moving here. Many people rent for 6-12 months before committing to buying a home.

Best of luck with your search!

[noahj3906]

We are relocating to Knoxville from Denver in two weeks and we can't get out quick enough. Traffic is unbearable, cost of living is a joke, and i miss my southern culture. We also won't miss all the pot heads who have came to Colorado in the past 5 years to do nothing but smoke weed. Lastly, we won't miss blizzards in April. Whoever tells you how great the weather is in Colorado is full of "you know what".

Glad to see you guys are headed south as well. I graduated from UT in 1997 and should have never left Knoxville. We have been in Denver since 2009 and i won't miss it.

[Beretta]

Originally Posted by noahj3906

We are relocating to Knoxville from Denver in two weeks and we can't get out quick enough. Traffic is unbearable, cost of living is a joke, and i miss my southern culture. We also won't miss all the pot heads who have came to Colorado in the past 5 years to do nothing but smoke weed. Lastly, we won't miss blizzards in April. Whoever tells you how great the weather is in Colorado is full of "you know what".

Glad to see you guys are headed south as well. I graduated from UT in 1997 and should have never left Knoxville. We have been in Denver since 2009 and i won't miss it.

Welcome Home!

[COHeather]

Thank you for the replies - WOW I'm so not alone! I wish the rest of you luck in your relocation, too!!

[QuiltingNanny]

Is it common to get an apartment or house rental for 6 months? Usually it is a 1 year lease.. and I know I'll find something before that and then have to deal with breaking the lease issues.

[JOinGA]

Originally Posted by QuiltingNanny

Is it common to get an apartment or house rental for 6 months? Usually it is a 1 year lease.. and I know I'll find something before that and then have to deal with breaking the lease issues.

Look on Apartments.com and search in the city or zip code. Once the results come up click on the drop-down "Lifestyle" and choose short-term rental. It seems like there are many options.

[bsemler]

I live in powell and previously lived in maryville both nice places close to Knoxville I moved from NW Ohio 3 and half years ago and love everything about Tennessee and Knoxville area and when I was looking into buying a house I looked northeast of knoxville,northwest of Knoxville and south of Knoxville

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by QuiltingNanny

Is it common to get an apartment or house rental for 6 months? Usually it is a 1 year lease.. and I know I'll find something before that and then have to deal with breaking the lease issues.

You can often negotiate the lease length. Most corporate apartments will also do a six month lease, usually with a higher monthly rent, larger deposit, or both.