Knoxville, is it better than Louisville? (Jackson, Alcoa: fit in, best neighborhoods, sales)

[TNKY]

My wife and I are giving serious thought to relocating back down south (currently living in Muskegon MI, lived for 4 years in VA Beach). We've researched many big cities including Charlotte area, Jacksonville FL, Charleston SC, Lexington KY and even considered returning to SE Virginia, but 2 of the more appealing locations are Knoxville and Louisville KY.

I gave the good people of Louisville first crack at why their city is better and they gave some pretty solid reasons why moving to Derby City is a good choice. What do you East TN folk have to say?

We prefer a big city with plenty to enjoy. We love zoos, amusement parks, sports (college/pro), water parks, shopping, dining, mountains & beaches. We are christians, conservative and have 3 children (7-13). We'd love to find an area with friendly folks, lower crime rates and a good selection of christian schools in a city that's headed in a positive direction (like Louisville appears to be). We also want to live a day's drive from West Michigan and not have to be at the mercy of the airline industry (especially these days) when we'd return to visit family.

We're not fans of paying alot of taxes (okay, who is). I understand about no state income tax in TN, but does it get collected elsewhere (tax on food, etc). I'm a mechanic from a chain type repair center that is represented in Knoxville, my wife is an RN.

Louisville looks great to us, but a few issues reside there. Can't seem to find lakes with beaches, though I hear they may be there, hidden in Southern Indiana. City taxes are a bit high. Air quaility isn't the best. I realize no place is perfect, so everywhere will have some drawbacks.

Speak to me, Knoxville!

[gemkeeper]

TNKY, I think the best advice anyone can give you, at least me, would be to read through some of the threads on the Knoxville and Tennessee forums that cover the issues that you are interested in for your new home. Only you can make a decision like this that will impact your family and way of life.

Most everyone who responds to this post will think that their town or city is the absolute best. It will be very difficult to get an objective answer for what you are seeking.

Yes, there is are lots of Christian schools and churches for your family. TN has many lakes, parks, biking and hiking trails, natural beauty, and family attractions.

Knoxville has some lovely parks within the city that many enjoy and care for with pride. It also is home to the University of TN Volunteers and has a great sports program. The entire are offers sports, music venues and entertainment for families of all types.

You are not far from the Smoky Mountains, Dollywood, and Gaitlinburg. There is an international airport 2 hrs. away in Nashville and a regional airport in Knoxville (Alcoa, actually).

There are no income taxes other than tax on investment income (stocks, bonds and dividends), but there is a 9% sales tax. To me, this seems to be offset by the lower cost of living, in general.

I lived in Michigan myself for 17 years and still have a son in the auto engineering field there, so I understand the high cost of living factor in your plans. Southern Michigan is about an 8 - 9 hour drive from Knoxville straight up I-75N, so certainly doable in one day.

I have stated cold, hard facts. You won't truly get the flavor, culture, warmness and attraction of the people of E. TN and the Knoxville area without dedicating yourself to a visit or two - or three. I would suggest visiting the area during different seasons, getting out and talking to local folks and transplanted folks, seeing as much as you can, enjoy the local culture, sports and music events, and get to know the people and character of E. TN.

This is the only way you can determine if an area is right for you and your family. Either city could offer all of the amenities that you seek, but if it lacks the warmth, culture and spirit that you crave in a new home place, it isn't worth too much that it has a low cost of living or a great sports program.

It is important, also, to be aware that you would be the newcomer. Expect to leave the "We did it this way in Michigan" and "Why don't they have a Marshall Field's here in Knoxville?" This is an entirely different culture with friendly, caring and open residents who are proud of their city, state, and culture. Be happy to accept it and fit into the fabric of the area.

Do yourself a favor, research the forum here and visit the Knoxville area to really know what kind of a home place you are considering. I hope that you find all that you are searching for in either area. The folks of Tennessee would be happy to provide you with a good, friendly place to call home if you are willing to accept the area for what it has always been.

All the best to you and please keep us informed of your plans. We would be pleased if you decided to visit each city and decide for yourself.

[gailli]

Never been to a Marshall Fields but isnt this the same store?????
Marshalls #0856


2745 Schaad Rd
Knoxville, TN, 37921

[gemkeeper]

Originally Posted by gailli

Never been to a Marshall Fields but isnt this the same store?????
Marshalls #0856


2745 Schaad Rd
Knoxville, TN, 37921

Good try, gailli! But, nope. Think more like Belk's and Dillards.

(Marshall Fields is probably one of the largest, upper-end department stores in the country and very big in the NE and midwest. They are a part of Federated Department Stores, which owns, Marshall Fields, Dayton-Hudson, Lord and Taylor, and many other stores. Only Wal-Mart, Target and Sears has greater yearly revenues, and they target a different segment of the population.)

[JMT]

I think Knoxville and Louisville are both very nice, but they are very different. Louisville is larger, has a much larger urban core (it feels more like a big city), has cheaper air fares out of its airport, and it's close to other large cities such as Indianapolis and Cincinnati. I would imagine that Louisville also has more upscale shopping than Knoxville.

Knoxville, on the other hand, is closer to some big beautiful lakes, gorgeous mountains, and has more of a small-town feel. I mean seriously, even though there are 700,000 in the Knoxville metro area, it has the feel of a much smaller town, and I mean that in a good way. If you don't believe me, check out the Friday 11pm news reports. There's about 5 minutes of news, then 2-3 minutes of weather, and the rest (and this is no exaggeration) is devoted to high school football. I love it!

Knoxville is much more conservative than Louisville, and there's no shortage of Christian schools around here. Even around the U.T. campus you'll find dozens of religious student organizations. Local politicians routinely put the church they attend in their prospectuses during election time. While there's a definite liberal element to Knoxville, even the liberals here tend to be church-goers.

Tennessee has no state income tax, and The Tax Foundation ranks Tennessee among the lowest in the country in over-all tax burden. I believe only NH and Alaska are ranked lower. Kentucky is ranked considerably higher. Even though we have a rather high sales tax on food, I'd much rather have a sales tax (which I can control) rather than an income tax (which I can't control).

Compared to Louisville, there's more outdoor sports in Knoxville because of our proximity to lots of lakes and mountains. Louisville probably has nicer urban parks, but in Knoxville you're never more than a few minutes away from a lake or mountain.

Here's House Mountain, a large park with several miles of hiking trails and gorgeous views in NE Knox County:



Views from Foothills Parkway in Blount County:







Lakeshore Park (Lake Loudon) in West Knoxville:



Tennessee River (Lake Loudon) in downtown Knoxville:



Lake Loudon:



Fort Loudoun on Tellico Lake:



Norris Lake:



Watts Bar Lake:



Douglas Lake (with low water level):



And want to talk about sports? Here you go!

Neyland Stadium:



Thompson-Boling Arena:



Knoxville Ice Bears:



Tennessee Smokies:

[gailli]

Beautiful pics, its just so beautiful up here no matter where you go, hills, mountain, lakes, streams, its all God's work wherever you go.

Oh, well, like I said, never been to a Marshalls or Marshall Fields, I am keen on Steinmart, TJMaxx and Tanger especially Coach and Kirklands, lol.

[KTowner33]

Knoxville PWNS Louisville.

Turkey Creek is a great place for shopping, and it has an amazing theater with an IMAX screen.

Fountain city is one of the best neighborhoods in the United States to live in, in my opinion. So much to do, great people, everything about it is good.

W. Knox is also great.

I'd go with K-Town over Louisville ANY day.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by TNKY

Speak to me, Knoxville!

Why? Are we going to win something?

[gemkeeper]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

Why? Are we going to win something?

You already did! You're living in Knoxville!!

[H10]

Of the cities listed, aren't Knoxville & Charlotte the only ones with thriving economies & real estate markets as of 2008?

I think Knoxville's great. The environment is really gorgeous (sans-ocean, but still). All of Fall, Dust of Snow Days in Winter (in 3-years I've never seen anything more than a light snow in Knox), and blooming Spring, and cooler Summer days are all breathtaking.

In terms of development, Knoxville's patchy. What I mean by that is 3-8 blocks of Downtown are beautiful for a city, Turkey Creek is a pretty Lifestyle Shopping Center along with many other pretty commercial areas, but there's a bit of overly commercial stuff in between. Come 2012 I think Downtown will rival most any small metropolis' in terms of attractiveness.

In terms of the suburbs, it seems a lot of people live in North Knoxville on this board. North Knoxville is very nice, with a lot to offer. Many here don't care for West, but that is Knoxville's predominant suburban-McMansion area with most of the chain-stores for shopping & dining.

South also has its benefits. I don't care for East, but that's mainly because of the crime rate over there.