Moving to Knoxville, TN (Farragut: jobs, houses, nightlife)

[cwuer]

West Knoxville has very little crime and some of the best schools in the nation. Good resale on homes. I would not live anywhere else in Knoxville if I had kids in school.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by cwuer

West Knoxville has very little crime and some of the best schools in the nation. Good resale on homes. I would not live anywhere else in Knoxville if I had kids in school.

UGH. If I hear another comment like that, I think I'll scream. I teach at a major state university here in Knoxville (no prize if you can figure out which one) and my students who come from North Knox are just as well prepared for college as those who come from West Knox.

Real estate is much more expensive in West Knox, and some people think that having expensive homes and wealthy families must mean the schools are also better. That is a LIE. All of Knox County schools are good: same curriculum, same textbooks, same pay scale, etc. Just because more people in West Knox have college degrees does NOT mean that the schools out there are better.

I used to live in West Knox and couldn't stand it: the traffic alone is enough to give Mother Teresa road rage. All the houses look the same, the curvy streets are named for the trees they cut down to build the McMansion subdivisions, there are no sidewalks, there are acres of ridiculously large parking lots for all the ugly strip malls, and people don't know their neighbors. Just drive through the West Knox subdivisions and you'll notice that very few homes have a front porch. That says something about neighbor relations in modern Suburbia.

I'd much rather live in an established neighborhood with sidewalks, full grown trees, older homes with character, mailmen who actually walk to your front porch to leave your mail, etc.

You definitely get more bang for your real estate buck in North Knox and a HECK of a lot less traffic. If you work in downtown Knoxville or at the university, you can get there much more quickly from North Knox, too.

[Scarletthurricane]

Originally Posted by Susana Godoy

Interesting Scarlett...Why so??..besides your bad encounter with the police..I would really like to learn the good and the bad...you always need the pro's and con's..;however, any place can beat Miami...

As much as that experience affected me, it wasn't the main reason I left. The truth is, I really love Memphis, I always will, no matter what. It was mostly my job situation. Min wage is only 5 dollars and some change, and I made more than that but it wasn't enough. So, I left and started school. Once I'm done, I'll head back to TN, despite the lower wages, because I love it there. There is a something in the ground, the air, the water, that means so much more to me than a few corrupt souls.

[Susana Godoy]

Originally Posted by Boris

UGH. If I hear another comment like that, I think I'll scream. I teach at a major state university here in Knoxville (no prize if you can figure out which one) and my students who come from North Knox are just as well prepared for college as those who come from West Knox.

Real estate is much more expensive in West Knox, and some people think that having expensive homes and wealthy families must mean the schools are also better. That is a LIE. All of Knox County schools are good: same curriculum, same textbooks, same pay scale, etc. Just because more people in West Knox have college degrees does NOT mean that the schools out there are better.

I used to live in West Knox and couldn't stand it: the traffic alone is enough to give Mother Teresa road rage. All the houses look the same, the curvy streets are named for the trees they cut down to build the McMansion subdivisions, there are no sidewalks, there are acres of ridiculously large parking lots for all the ugly strip malls, and people don't know their neighbors. Just drive through the West Knox subdivisions and you'll notice that very few homes have a front porch. That says something about neighbor relations in modern Suburbia.

I'd much rather live in an established neighborhood with sidewalks, full grown trees, older homes with character, mailmen who actually walk to your front porch to leave your mail, etc.

You definitely get more bang for your real estate buck in North Knox and a HECK of a lot less traffic. If you work in downtown Knoxville or at the university, you can get there much more quickly from North Knox, too.

How bad could the traffic be there???? I live in Miami...It takes me one hour to an hour in a half to get to work to downtown Miami, and then sometimes two hours back from work, and I only live about 25 miles away from my job....that is traffic...I cannot imagine Knoxville being that way at all..and if it is I must search another place to live!!! I want to get out of overpopulated cities!!!! Thanks for the advice though....I hope traffic is not as bad as it is here...I really would like to move to TN....

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Susana Godoy

How bad could the traffic be there???? I live in Miami...It takes me one hour to an hour in a half to get to work to downtown Miami, and then sometimes two hours back from work, and I only live about 25 miles away from my job....that is traffic...I cannot imagine Knoxville being that way at all..and if it is I must search another place to live!!! I want to get out of overpopulated cities!!!! Thanks for the advice though....I hope traffic is not as bad as it is here...I really would like to move to TN....

Well you're right about that, the traffic here is nothing like in Miami! But the traffic in West Knox is a heck of a lot heavier than in North or East Knox.

[Susana Godoy]

Originally Posted by Boris

Well you're right about that, the traffic here is nothing like in Miami! But the traffic in West Knox is a heck of a lot heavier than in North or East Knox.

hmmmm....SO what about Jobs...where are the good paying jobs located? Is it cool to live maybe in the outside's of Knoxville and just commute to work??? I recently received my Bachelor's degree in Business...do you think I will encounter some trouble finding a good paying job??

[hiknapster]

The traffic is not as bad as Miami. I hate West Knoxville, too. It reminds me of Florida; subdivisions on top of each other, miles of strip malls.

I honestly don't know what areas are great to move to. I'm renting now and looking for a house, and having a hard time deciding where to move.

Jobs...I would suggest that you look at knoxnews.com. I know that for me, my husband and everyone that I have talked to, the job market was tight. There is one person on here that said she did not have a hard time finding a job at all. So I would suggest putting out some feelers first.

[Susana Godoy]

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind

[clarkknoxville]

Hi Susana! I don't know if you are still searching for a job, but let me throw in my two cents...

The University of Tennessee is in the heart of Knoxville and the city somewhat revolves around it. Each year 1000's of students graduate UT; and although many of them move away, there is a large number who stay and work in Knoxville (as was my case). This makes it slightly harder to find a good job that pays well.

But, there are opportunities out there in Knoxville. I would first suggest that you contact major companies headquartered in Knoxville (i.e. Pilot) and see what postions they have available. Second, I would consider a government job in Oak Ridge. There are many good jobs with excellent benefits and Oak Ridge is only about 30 minutes from the heart of Knoxville. The majority of the current workforce out there is nearing retirement age. I myself live in Knoxville and commute to Oak Ridge.

Lastly, don't listen to the prior comments about West Knoxville. I have lived there for 8 years and love it. The traffic could be better for the size of the city, but nothing too bad. West Knoxville schools (including the Farragut) always receive the top scores in the county. Home prices are higher, but you also get what you pay for. Don't get me wrong, North Knoxville isn't a bad place to live, I just prefer West.

I would suggest starting with these sites:
- knoxcareers.com (part of knoxnews.com -- The Knoxville News Sentinal)
- usajobs.gov (Government Jobs -- Good place to look for jobs in Oak Ridge)
- monster.com (best national job site)
- careerbuilder.com (ok job site)
- Don't forget to look on individual company's pages for jobs!

GOOD LUCK!
Clark

[suzycue]

Originally Posted by clarkknoxville

Hi Susana! I don't know if you are still searching for a job, but let me throw in my two cents...

The University of Tennessee is in the heart of Knoxville and the city somewhat revolves around it. Each year 1000's of students graduate UT; and although many of them move away, there is a large number who stay and work in Knoxville (as was my case). This makes it slightly harder to find a good job that pays well.

But, there are opportunities out there in Knoxville. I would first suggest that you contact major companies headquartered in Knoxville (i.e. Pilot) and see what postions they have available. Second, I would consider a government job in Oak Ridge. There are many good jobs with excellent benefits and Oak Ridge is only about 30 minutes from the heart of Knoxville. The majority of the current workforce out there is nearing retirement age. I myself live in Knoxville and commute to Oak Ridge.

Lastly, don't listen to the prior comments about West Knoxville. I have lived there for 8 years and love it. The traffic could be better for the size of the city, but nothing too bad. West Knoxville schools (including the Farragut) always receive the top scores in the county. Home prices are higher, but you also get what you pay for. Don't get me wrong, North Knoxville isn't a bad place to live, I just prefer West.

I would suggest starting with these sites:
- knoxcareers.com (part of knoxnews.com -- The Knoxville News Sentinal)
- usajobs.gov (Government Jobs -- Good place to look for jobs in Oak Ridge)
- monster.com (best national job site)
- careerbuilder.com (ok job site)
- Don't forget to look on individual company's pages for jobs!

GOOD LUCK!
Clark

Hello there.....I am the same person just with a different name Thank you sooo much for that great information!!! I am on the lookout for jobs there in Knoxville on those sites you gave me! I am planning to move around April of 2008, this is really my deadline...if I can move before I will! BUT I have to sell my home first, which will be another nightmare; since home sales are slow now...I am going to give myself like 6 months to be on the safe side. I am wondering about the pay up there in Knoxville. Obviously it depends on what industry you work in, but I am hoping to find a higher paying job than here in Miami. I don't make that much here……(for what it cost to live here). I work as a marketing assistant in a commercial real estate company and I make between the 36K-38K range. Would you happen to know more less the salary range there? Maybe I can find out online as well. I know the cost of living there is much cheaper, but I would like to make a decent salary since I have good experience in my field and I recently completed my Bachelors degree in Business with a major in Marketing. I have also noticed that many college graduates from the University of TN leave. Is it because there are not a lot of job opportunities there for higher degrees? or Is it because of the lower salary? Just curious, I guess.