moving to knoxville need some info and advice! (Oak Ridge: credit, unemployment rate)

[Kat21]

hi! my family is being relocated to knoxville well west knoxville out by oakridge in about 4 to 5 months. we have an 8 month old girl who will be just over 1 when we move and i was wondering what there is to do there thats family oriented as well as night life for us adults. also what is there to do out there as far as jobs. min wage is?
also is there a latin community? mexican, puerto rican, cuban, anything? is there alot of racism cuz im not a big fan of that. hope to hear from yall soon thanks
Kat

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Kat21

hi! my family is being relocated to knoxville well west knoxville out by oakridge in about 4 to 5 months. we have an 8 month old girl who will be just over 1 when we move and i was wondering what there is to do there thats family oriented as well as night life for us adults. also what is there to do out there as far as jobs. min wage is?
also is there a latin community? mexican, puerto rican, cuban, anything? is there alot of racism cuz im not a big fan of that. hope to hear from yall soon thanks
Kat

LauraC posted on here a while ago some great things to do in Oak Ridge for families such as the children's museum.

West Knox was made for shopping, so I hope you like to shop. It's wall to wall shopping centers.

There are several jazz clubs out in West Knox if you're into that.

There's not much of a Latin community in Knoxville, but my Latino friends here have never said anything about racism here. This is a university town and also has a lot of highly educated people because of TVA and Oak Ridge, so I really don't think you'll have any problems.

The unemployment rate in Knox County is very low, something like 3.5%, so there are tons of jobs. Most are in the service industry (restaurants, banks, etc.). My students who work in restaurants are all paid much more than minimum wage, something like $7-8/hr.

Where are you moving from?

Good luck with your move!

[Kat21]

im glad to hear that! whats the best way to get to know people out there. i hate moving without knowing anyone. im origionaly from daytona beach florida and my husbands from mexico. we are currently living in NM though. we met out here 6 years ago.

[hiknapster]

Go up and talk to them. I'm not being sarcastic. It's funny, because a lot of them don't make initial eye contact, at least that's what I've found. I think they think it is impolite, or something. But if you start talking to them, you will make friends.

You will also make a lot of friends at work.

And lastly, if you go to church you will make a lot of friends that way, too.

[Kat21]

good advice thanks.

[nikki21lin]

hey kat21! my family and I are also moving to Knoxville this summer. Though I don't know a lot about Knoxville in particular, since you have your little one, you can make a bunch of friends at the park and playgrounds. Connecting with a playgroup or a Mom's club is also a good way. I also second JMT, you can make friends at church. These are my 2 main sources of friends, since I'm currently not working outside of the home.

I wish your family a safe and happy move!

[JMT]

Originally Posted by nikki21lin

I also second JMT, you can make friends at church. These are my 2 main sources of friends, since I'm currently not working outside of the home.

I wish your family a safe and happy move!

Actually, hiknapster is the one who recommended church as a good source of friends. Even though I agree, I just wanted to make sure credit was given where credit was due.

I hope you all have a wonderful move to Knoxville. It's a great city, very family friendly, and full of some great people.

Good luck!