Relocating to Knoxville real soon (Loudon, Gatlinburg: sales, apartments, rental)

[BigJoeyV]

Hey all,
I'm a telecomm engineer from south PA and my company is relocating me to be based out of the Knoxville office that we have. I'm going to be relocating in the very near future and would like to trouble ya'll for some information about the area.

I am a married father of two (5,6) and we are looking for a quiet, affordable neighborhood in a decent school district. Id like to stay withing 15-20 miles of center city. From what I can tell, the city itself is not all that big. I've done a good deal of net research on the area and it seems to be a pretty nice place. I was raised in a small town that isn't so small anymore and have lived in the burbs for the last seven years. I took the relocation so that I can get away from the hustle and bustle of the northeast and back to a way of life where family trumps career, money and power every time.

With that said, if you could take a moment to chime in, I'd greatly appreciate it.

1. Does anyone have any recomendations of towns close to the city with low crime, reasonable traffic and decent schools that they would like to share.

2. Can anyone tell me what NFL team is carried in Knoxville (please say Titans, I'm a life long Oilers/Titans fan and I'm tired of paying for Direct Ticket.

3. How's the general cost of living? I know the sales tax is up there, but are the items (clothes/food/etc pricey)

4. Is Knox county dry (ie: alchohol sales)

5. I'll likely be coming before my family does so they can finish out the school year so can anyone recommend any short stay apartments?

6. Are there many festivals (art, crafts, harvest). My wife loves that stuff.

7. I plan to get a fishing license the minute I can prove residency. Where should I go for that first largemouth? How about that first catfish? Are there many bank fishing opportunities?

8. How are the restaraunt choices?

9. Lastly (for now), are there any college football teams around (Relax, I'm kidding. I'm already conditioning myself to the color orange and trying to read up on the SEC)

Thanks to any and all in advance for your help.

9. It seems there are some nices parks in the area. Is this true?

[JMT]

Welcome to Knoxville!

I can't answer all of your questions, but I can tell you that Knoxville is indeed a wonderful place to live. Even though I'm single and love it here, I recognize that Knoxville is also a very family-friendly place.

When you say "affordable" it would be helpful if you would give us an idea of what you mean. Knoxville is certainly more affordable than places like DC or San Fran, but it's not the bargain that some people think it is. If your budget is $100k, you might have problems finding something in a nice area. For $200k you can definitely find something in a decent area, but if you want to live in the posh areas where the best schools are supposed to be (and that's debatable) you'll have to probably go higher than $250k.

If you want to stay within 15 minutes or so of downtown, you'll probably have to stay in Knox County. I personally love the Fountain City area of Knox County, but some people think that West Knox County has the best schools. West Knox County, however, is more expensive than Fountain City.

Knox County has package (liquor) stores, but only restaurants within Knoxville's city limits are allowed to serve mixed drinks.

There are tons of festivals around here. There are a dozen counties in the greater Knoxville area, and in each one you'll find lots of crafts festivals, street fairs, stuff like that. The mountain touristy town of Gatlinburg is pretty much a non-stop crafts fair all year long.

Knoxville has a gazillion restaurants, most of them chain restaurants. But you'll also find a lot of fabulous independent restaurants, particularly in the downtown/Market Square and Bearden/Homberg Place neighborhoods.

And yes, the local CBS and Fox TV stations carry the Titans. It's awesome!

[oldmanbob]

Congrats BigjoeyV, I would suggest the Hardin Valley area, and that puts you about 20 minutes from downtown Knoxville. The cable companies, as well as the sattelite, offers multiples sports packages, as no networks carries any exclusive teams. The City does have several art exhibits, and the event called First Fridays, is good with normally some 12 or so merchants involved. Knox is not dry, and many places to party, and several great resturants to choose from. Chophouse, Connors, Peerless , are some good steak places, and several Itialian choices, such as Corobas, Olive Garden, and all kinds of the normal chains. Walkers crossing, Lanesborough Apts, just to name a couple of places to stay, and fishing is great with the 4 lakes we are surrounded by. To have good bank access, Ft Loudon, Metlon Hill, and many area boat docks will rent for a fairly low daily rate. Choto Marina, had a rental program , called Freedom Boat club, and a great way to fish. Also several guided trips available, and for the big Rock fish, go to Loudon Dam, and float with the current. Good luck, and you will recieve lots of help, from all the locals.

[anothertntony]

Others have already answered most of the questions, but I will add that there was a recent thread regarding cost of living that is worth reading:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/knoxv...-they-say.html

Despite the title of that post, I consider the cost of living in Knoxville to be very reasonable.

[BigJoeyV]

Thanks all very much.

Is there a farmers market of any sort?

[JMT]

Originally Posted by BigJoeyV

Thanks all very much.

Is there a farmers market of any sort?

Yes, there are several farmers markets. I know of three in Knoxville proper: one downtown, one in West Knoxville, and one in East Knoxville. I believe they operate during the warmer months. I'm sure there are other farmers markets in other communities, and of course in the summer you can go buy a lot of produce directly from the farms in the surrounding counties. Grainger County tomatoes are the best on the planet!

[Kitties of Domination]

And there's some BIG catfish to be caught here, especially near the dams

[creeksitter]

I think if you want a slow paced lifestyle stay away from west Knox/Hardin Valley. Fountain City might be a good fit. West Knox has the best schools, but others ae good. Tell us where your office is located and what style & age of house you like, size of yard, etc.

Do you think you'll be here on a long term basis or does your company transfer people a lot.

[Tn405]

We live in West Knox and I love it. Grew up in Penna, lived in Florida, and now here. You definitely see lots of weather as the last two weeks have told us. And yes you will bleed orange especially in the fall. People say West Knoxville is busy, crowded, and so much traffic well I haven't seen it except maybe Christmas around the mall. Yes the roads have cars on them but I can get anywhere I really want within 20 minutes and if I want to go to the mountains I can be there in less than 40. Hope you like it here.

[knoxgarden]

I think you and your family will be very happy in Knoxville. I'd suggest looking in West Hills for a house. It's an older suburb, circa 1960s, convenient to downtown, relatively flat with big sprawling ranchers on huge lots. Lots of parks and schools, huge YMCA, close to everything. Zip code is 37919. You'll find houses that have been updated and also some older ones that can use some updating.
Restaurant selection here is amazing. Lots of ethnic choices and smaller chef-owned places plus every chain. Many have live music, too.
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Farmers markets are very good and true farmers' markets. The state of Tennessee realizes the asset it has in small family farms and actively supports them and helps them market their produce. You'll find a wide array of veggies, honey, meats, eggs, flowers, cheese, baked goods, etc. during the season. Lots of heirloom fruits and veggies, most of it organic.
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