Moving to West Knoxville..any insights appreciated (Chattanooga, Farragut: sales, rentals)

[FriendlySteve]

Hello all. I've been offered the opportunity by my company to transfer to a similar position in Spring City....it's very tempting. It's a good opportunity, more money, and I've always wanted to live in the south (currently live in Baltimore, Md.). I've heard many nice things about Knoxville from co-workers who have been there before. My question is two-fold. First, I have to make a choice whether I want to live somewhere in West Knox. (been checking out rentals), which entails a little higher rent, about a fifty mile commute to work each day, and getting up about fivish daily....or finding a place in one of the many communities along 75 or 40..Loudon, Lenoir, etc. That would be cheaper and closer, but not sure I want to live somewhere off the beaten path. Would love some feedback on this. Any opinions welcome.

Also, for a single male in mid-40s who has spent his whole life on East Coast, and welcomes the idea of going somewhere friendly and fun, does Knoxville fit the bill? I realize this is a very general question, but I would enjoy any insights from Knox. natives, past or present.

Thanks for reading.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by FriendlySteve

Hello all. I've been offered the opportunity by my company to transfer to a similar position in Spring City....it's very tempting. It's a good opportunity, more money, and I've always wanted to live in the south (currently live in Baltimore, Md.). I've heard many nice things about Knoxville from co-workers who have been there before. My question is two-fold. First, I have to make a choice whether I want to live somewhere in West Knox. (been checking out rentals), which entails a little higher rent, about a fifty mile commute to work each day, and getting up about fivish daily....or finding a place in one of the many communities along 75 or 40..Loudon, Lenoir, etc. That would be cheaper and closer, but not sure I want to live somewhere off the beaten path. Would love some feedback on this. Any opinions welcome.

Also, for a single male in mid-40s who has spent his whole life on East Coast, and welcomes the idea of going somewhere friendly and fun, does Knoxville fit the bill? I realize this is a very general question, but I would enjoy any insights from Knox. natives, past or present.

Thanks for reading.

I guess it all boils down to what you would be comfortable with.

For me personally, I would absolutely NOT want to commute 100 miles a day. But there are people around here who do that and don't think twice about it. Driving 50 miles each way with no traffic is probably a lot more enjoyable than spending 50 minutes in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Lenoir City might not be such a bad compromise. It's right next to West Knox and is starting to see quite a bit of growth.

As for whether or not you'd be happy in Knoxville, there is absolutely no way any of us can answer that for you. What do you like to do in your spare time? I know of several single guys and gals in their 40s who love it here. But I'm sure there are others who would rather be somewhere more exciting than Knoxville.

If you're able to, you should probably come on down here and spend a few days living as a local, doing some grocery shopping, checking out restaurants and night clubs (if you're into that), driving the commute to Spring City from various places and at various times of the day just to see if you could stomach doing it 250 days a year.

Good luck!

[FriendlySteve]

Thanks JMT. You made many good points. The distance involved from W. Knox to Spring City is what's hanging me up a little. It's alot of driving. As far as Lenoir, it's so close to Knoxville, that I don't really see the advantage of going there, unless rentals are significantly cheaper...as opposed to just sucking it up and doing the drive from Knox. every day. Anyway, thanks for responding.

[knoxgarden]

I'd check out Rockwood, Harriman and Kingston. Those are on a state highway and would avoid the worst of the drive. They're pretty places and would be significantly cheaper to live. You'd be in easy driving distance to Knoxville as well as work.
Rockwood, in particular, would put you close to work as well as Knoxville, Chattanooga and Nashville.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by FriendlySteve

Thanks JMT. You made many good points. The distance involved from W. Knox to Spring City is what's hanging me up a little. It's alot of driving. As far as Lenoir, it's so close to Knoxville, that I don't really see the advantage of going there, unless rentals are significantly cheaper...as opposed to just sucking it up and doing the drive from Knox. every day. Anyway, thanks for responding.

What is it about West Knox that makes you think you want to live there? If you tell us a bit more about what you're looking for, maybe we can help you figure out where you should start looking.

[goodbyehollywood]

Hi FriendlySteve--

I can give you a litmus test. When I lived in D.C., I had a colleague who commuted from Baltimore to NoVa for work every day. If you would be willing to make that drive, you would have no issue commuting from West Knoxville to Spring City. The traffic will be a pleasant surprise, and you could live in Farragut or Lenoir City and cut the drive time down a little.

There is a price advantage in Lenoir City and many people are moving across the county line. You're still close to the restaurants, bars, social life, etc. of West Knoxville, which I'm guessing is what draws you to this area. If that's the case, then I'm not sure the smaller fringe towns further out will meet your needs.

The only way to know is to come and see.

[BRH]

I agree with the others, that you should visit and drive the route and see if you are comfortable with it. Personally, I love driving and I commute about 40 miles each way to work everyday. (I live in Sweetwater and work in West Knoxville), and it doesn't bother me at all. But as JMT stated, it would drive some people nuts, so that's all up to your personal preferences.

Also, as far as Spring City goes, it's a very small rural town located in Rhea County. I am fairly familiar with it, and there is not a lot there. (A McDonald's, Hardee's, and a few gas stations and convenience stores and that's about it). It is very close to Watts Bar Lake and the Watts Bar Nuclear power plant which is about 8 or 9 miles to the east in Ten Mile, TN. The closest towns for more restaurants and groceries etc. would be Rockwood to the north and Dayton to the south.

And also, since you seem to be willing to commute that distance, besides Knoxville, you might also want to consider Chattanooga. It's actually a bit closer than Knoxville if you live in one of the northern suburbs like Red Bank, Soddy Daisy, Hixson, or Harrison. Also, Rhea County, which is where Spring City is located, is part of the Chattanooga DMA (designated market area) and has closer links to Chattanooga than Knoxville (they receive Chattanooga TV stations, and are usually covered more by the Chattanooga newspaper as well.) As far as commuting from Chattanooga, you would have a straight drive up Hwy 27.

Anyway, just something else you might consider and look into. Both Knoxville and Chattanooga are great cities and wonderful places to live. They are similar in size and amenities. Knoxville is a bit larger and a bit more spread out and suburban based, while Chattanooga is a bit more "artsy" and has a strong, lively downtown scene. You can't go wrong with either one. And from Spring City, the commute distance is about the same either way. You should do some research and then come visit and see what kind of feel you get. It's really the only way to tell. Good luck and hope this has helped.

[RybarSC]

You said you want to live somewhere "fun." I know that "fun" is a relative term for everyone, but as much as I love all the small towns between Knoxville and Chattanooga, if you are looking for fun, I would strongly discourage you from moving to a small town. Unless you are from the area, and have a lot of family and friends in that town, I think most would agree that the most "fun" thing to do in small towns is outdoor activities (hunting, fishing, camping). But, you can just as easily do outdoor stuff living in Knoxville or Chattanooga.

Loudon, Sweetwater, Athens, etc. are all lovely places with wonderful people, but I doubt someone who has lived in Baltimore would conisder these towns "fun." It could also be a MAJOR culture shock to you as well. Having spent considerable time in all of these towns (as a sales rep. I covered East TN for several years), I would suggest moving to a small town only if you are EXTREMELY settled, not looking to meet a lot of new people, and you just want to live a peaceful life without much hassle. Naturally, many people prefer this lifestyle, but others don't.

If you want to meet a lot of new people, have nightlife options, restaurants, shopping, cultural opportunites, etc., I would choose West Knoxville or Chattanooga. Lenoir City is close enough to West Knoxville to be a decent choice, but it is still very small. Again, not a slam at all on small towns. It's just a much different way of life from Baltimore, or any other bigger cities. I believe that Monroe County (home of Sweetwater) is a "dry" county, if that tells you anything!

[piedmont]

I live fairly close to Spring City and would like to emphasize again that it is very quiet and rural around there.

Rockwood is probably the closest slightly larger town (in Roane County), and it isn't much. Housing is quite cheap around here, though. If you like to live in sprawl and have chain stores/restaurants around you, maybe it would be worth it to commute 50+ miles to west Knoxville. I would probably suggest living in Rockwood, Harriman or Kingston and then going to the city (Knox or Chattanooga) on the weekends/days off.

Chattanooga is a really nice little city and I would encourage checking it out. Chattanooga is just over an hour away for me (I'm not too far from the junction of 68 & 27, south of Spring City); a bit closer than that to Spring City (and that time is to the downtown, not the burbs).

If you are an outdoorsy person, there are some great places to explore in Rhea County (Laurel Snow Wilderness, Piney Falls Wilderness) and many others within an hour. Rock climbing and white water rafting are popular in this area, as is hiking.

Let me know if I can be of further help. BTW, I grew up partly in Baltimore!

[Beretta]

If I had to commute 1 hour and 40 minutes a day in addition to a 9 hour day I am not sure how much energy I would have left for having fun. Even in the "fun" hotspots around here we tend to roll up the sidewalks pretty early.

Have you visited here? Will your company allow you a visit before you have to say yes to the transfer? Since you mention that you will be renting that may have bearing on your relocation since there probably are not a lot of rentals in the smaller towns.

I've been to Baltimore for business trips. Wow, what a different lifestyle you are going to have if you move here; whether West Knox. or Spring City. Load up on good, fresh seafood while you can!