more specific info for areas around Knoxville requested (Cleveland, Maryville: relocating, housing)

[k350]

Greetings!

After reading through 15 pages or so, I have gotten very good information on the knoxville area.

I am moving to Knoxville sometime this summer from Cleveland, TN. I am going to be attending UT in the fall so commute distance to UT is in mind.

I been thinking about Marysville, Farragut and Lenior City. I do not mind a bit of a commute but at least no more than 45 minutes. I will gladly trade some commute time for cheaper apartments. I have also seen Oakridge pop up but never did care for living around a tritium facility.

Farragut seems out of my price range from what I been looking at. Lenior city is a further drive but seems there are better deals there for apartments. But surfing the internet is fine but does not at all show what the place is really like.

I am cruising up to there this weekend to look around, I am interested in a place with 2 bedrooms for under $600 a month. A good, safe area also, no ghetto or trailer trash area, can't stand criminals or those "types" that seem to do nothing all day but hang out and bother people or have the doors slamming open and shut all night long with some Cops TV drama going on all the time.

Will only be living there for 2 years while in school then relocating to where the heck ever, so it is no long term commitment thing in mind.

Thank you.

[NJDevil]

I think you may find something in the Maryville area. You can check out Seymour too. There are no bad areas in Seymour, but the small apt complexes may be hard to find info on. Smoky Crossing is the biggest complex, but I went to their website and it is too expensive (they have a ton of amenities). There is an apt building in south Seymour on the right side of Chapman....can't remember the name.

Have you googled apartments in Maryville/Alcoa/Rockford? I don't know any bad areas there either.

[k350]

I will check out Semour then also, thanks.

I have googled and wrote some things down. I will make a drive tomorrow to check everything out.

It is hard as I said to get a feel for the area through the internet. For example, here in Cleveland there are many good deals on apartments, but only a few you would ever want to live in. Plus some apartments from the outside seem very nice, but until you read a little further and see it is subsidized housing. Also I guess it is generally known here, but unknown to those that do not reside here, everything past a certain street and south is just sort of the bad areas. Though of course not bad like Atlanta or anything.

thanks.

[goodbyehollywood]

Farragut won't be affordable, and Lenoir City is a far commute. It may seem okay at first, but it will get way old fast. I'd stay close to campus, especially with gas prices the way they are. A lot of students live in Fort Sanders, the downtown fringe (not the pricey urban lofts or riverfront bldgs), South Knoxville or the older parts of North Knoxville, because they're close in and affordable. Check the UT boards, Craigslist and the Beacon online. You might find an affordable sublet. Good luck!

[k350]

I don't know, I been through knoxville a few times and from what I have seen and read, I rather not live in the area, especially the south and central part.

I hate college kids, not hate but generally can not stand the loud, abnoxious atmosphere stereotypically associated with the college kid dominated atmosphere. I am in my 30's and married, so I am not an atypical college kid type. Though IO love to party and have a night life, I rather commute to it, not have it around me. But if you have some specific place in mind I would check it out, I could be just biasing the whole area.

Lenoir City is a drive, about how far to UT? I currently am commuting 45-60 minutes to get to the UTC campus now from where I live at in Cleveland, my job is in Cleveland though so it was not in the best interst to move. So I kind of put a 45 minute commute limit just due to the fact that was what I was going to be doing anyway if I attended UTC.

Thanks for the info on places to check out, will do so.

Also, as a side, how is the job market? I am taking it is not booming but hopefully it is better than it is here. It took me 6 months to find the job I have now, and that only pays $9.10 an hour. Sucks to have to quit it but I deemed UTK a better program than UTC.

Thanks.

edit: What about louisville? seems a lot of apartment hits come up with that area.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by k350

I don't know, I been through knoxville a few times and from what I have seen and read, I rather not live in the area, especially the south and central part.

I hate college kids, not hate but generally can not stand the loud, abnoxious atmosphere stereotypically associated with the college kid dominated atmosphere. I am in my 30's and married, so I am not an atypical college kid type. Though IO love to party and have a night life, I rather commute to it, not have it around me. But if you have some specific place in mind I would check it out, I could be just biasing the whole area.

Lenoir City is a drive, about how far to UT? I currently am commuting 45-60 minutes to get to the UTC campus now from where I live at in Cleveland, my job is in Cleveland though so it was not in the best interst to move. So I kind of put a 45 minute commute limit just due to the fact that was what I was going to be doing anyway if I attended UTC.

Thanks for the info on places to check out, will do so.

Also, as a side, how is the job market? I am taking it is not booming but hopefully it is better than it is here. It took me 6 months to find the job I have now, and that only pays $9.10 an hour. Sucks to have to quit it but I deemed UTK a better program than UTC.

Thanks.

edit: What about louisville? seems a lot of apartment hits come up with that area.

I was going to mention Louisville. A lot of older college students seem to live there. About the only drawback is it's right next to the airport. Plus, the apartments I've seen around Louisville have been slapped together pretty cheaply which may be another reason they're so inexpensive (besides the airplane noise).

How about looking in North Knoxville? There are some apartment complexes off of Clinton Hwy near the I-75/I-275 junction that are inexpensive and clean. Also check for apartment complexes off of Cedar Lane which goes between I-75 and Fountain City.

And check out Fountain City. For some reason Fountain City is under the radar of most U.T. students even though it's only 10-15 minutes from campus and is convenient to just about everything. There are very few large apartment complexes in Fountain City, so your best bet would be to come up here sometime and drive around the area.

And what the heck, here are some pictures of Fountain City I took last year:

"Downtown" Fountain City with its famous Creamery (outstanding homemade ice cream and other desserts):



Fountain City Art Center (across the street from the Creamery):



Fountain City Park (next to the art center):



Typical Fountain City street scene:



The new Fountain City library:

[k350]

Foutain City does look nice, will check that out also.

I am just bit paranoid about areas though, must be from living in Florida where you can drive one block and be in the drug infested ghetto and drive another block and be in a very nice area, they were just randomly scattered and more go off of street names where to reside rather than towns and areas.

Not that I am some lame whiny wimp, just after living in Florida and a not so nice area in washington (found out after I moved in), I am tired of the hassles that go along with blight and the people associated with it. I am not expecting perfection or mayberry, just people not giving cat calls to my wife when she is walking to the front door or someone knocking on my door in the middle of the night "looking for someone", or noise and stereos blasting with some deep base all day or night long with no regard for other residents.

thanks.

[creeksitter]

I think you bring up a good question : how do you find out what complexes are good and which are scary? I think you will find complexes both South & North that will meet your criteria and others that will be annoying and/or scary. It so much depends on the management. You could have someone ask if they take section 8, ask about the application process, etc. I'm thinking have someone else call and kind of act like a deadbeat or a noisy student and see if the complex encourages them to apply. Reverse psychology, you know. Also a complex that requires a big deposit will weed out folks who are living on the edge.

Then go on a Saturday and talk to people you see in the parking area. They have nothing to lose by telling you the truth about the complex.

[SmokyMtnGal]

Man, I am telling ya, I am smelling a biz opportunity for someone. Clearance house for apartments/houses/etc. for transplants. Too bad that my day job keeps me so busy.....

paging goodbyehollywood, come in goodbyehollywood........

[creeksitter]

There is a website called knoxdigs.com for this purpouse but it is new and doesn't have a whole lot of reviews yet.