Favorite Knoxville area towns (Oak Ridge: place to live, place, great)

[VolDude]

She'll have a much easier time finding a 3 or 4 bedroom house in Fountain City over Maryville city for 120 or under.

From growing up in Maryville and what little I know about FC residents, I'd guess people in Fountain City would be more accepting of transplants.

[w8tn2go]

Thanks everyone, that's all very,very interesting! I do however, completely understand. It's sort of odd and funny how people designate a certain area of the world as theirs.
Would you consider Maryville to be one of these rural areas or would it have to be a much smaller town yet? Which areas would you consider rural? I guess compared to where I live there are many parts of knoxville that look rural to me. LOL Thanks again - as always!!

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by w8tn2go

Thanks everyone, that's all very,very interesting! I do however, completely understand. It's sort of odd and funny how people designate a certain area of the world as theirs.
Would you consider Maryville to be one of these rural areas or would it have to be a much smaller town yet? Which areas would you consider rural? I guess compared to where I live there are many parts of knoxville that look rural to me. LOL Thanks again - as always!!

Maryville isn't that big, but I think it is one of those places where neighborhood is going to make a big difference. Some of Blount County can be a bit rural, if you know what I mean, but there are some nice new areas, too. It is just so darned overpriced. I cannot see why.

And where I had the rough time was in Knox County! Knoxville is a big city and there are a lot of people in the county, but some areas are still a bit like that. I was right on the edge of Anderson County, running into some rural areas.

It so much more than people designating a place as their own. I didn't realize that there is still this clan mentality in many places in East Tennessee. These people have been raised to never trust outsiders. It was how they survived and if you look at it that way, it is understandable. So, I prefer to not bother them and live somewhere else.

[Beretta]

Originally Posted by VolDude

She'll have a much easier time finding a 3 or 4 bedroom house in Fountain City over Maryville city for 120 or under.

From growing up in Maryville and what little I know about FC residents, I'd guess people in Fountain City would be more accepting of transplants.

I totally agree with this post after being a Maryville city resident for many years. To find something suitable for 120 or under will be a big accomplishment. Maryville is accepting of transplants in a casual way; transplants will have a difficult time breaking into the inner circle. There are enough transplants in Maryville now to be accepting of other transplants. The main thing is price; Maryville city housing is steep compared to other Knoxville area towns. I have been to Hik's house and no where in Maryville would you find something that nice for that price.

[w8tn2go]

Thanks Hik and SMG - I know exactly what you mean!
I'll have to check out the mls map a bit just to see what's out there and compare places and areas a bit more in depth.
Thanks again everyone!! Our vacation's getting closer - I can't wait!!

[creeksitter]

I'm thinking that a security guard salary in Knoxville will barely pay enough to support a family, much less buy a home. OTOH a guard with a security clearance in Oak Ridge will make enough to support a middle class lifestyle.

My dad lives outside Kingston and although he's a nerdy professor type he gets along fine with his country neighbors. I'd reccomend looking in Kingston or Harriman for affordable housing. Like anywhere you'll find pockets that aren't welcoming to strangers, so you'll want to take extra time to talk to neighbors before you choose a home.

[hiknapster]

I'm not so sure about that, creeksitter.

First of all, if you have kids you are going to be in contact with your neighbors more than if you are a nerdy professor. It got to the point that I had to keep my daughter inside the house. Hostile parents are not easy to deal with. Harriman, especially, can have people that may be a challenge. And you have to consider the schools.

Second, you can certainly buy a house on a security guard's pay. Especially now. It won't be the Taj Mahal and it will probably be somewhere in Fountain City or Powell or Halls because they have better schools than South Knoxville. It won't be big, either, but people have raised kids in 1,100 square feet homes for decades. It can be done. There are houses out there for $90,000 and less.

Now I don't know if they already have a house to sell, or if they are first-time homebuyers, but the $8,000 tax refund isn't a bad deal, either. Last year, we got approved on $800 a week gross for a $123,400 loan.

Just some thoughts...

[w8tn2go]

We have a house to sell here and from looking at the price differences between here in WI and there, we'll pretty much be buying a home similar to ours (1,300 sq ft 3bd 2 bth) for about $20,000 less. Now of course no one (or at least no one should) just jump into this without having a job secured ,etc but we've been living on 1 income for over 5 years now and have always done just fine. I guess it just depends on how much you "require". But also, after comparing different "security guard" type jobs - they can vary A LOT in pay.

[Bear Creek]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

Seriously.

Like I said, you could get good neighbors, but for the most part when you get rural or very small town you can get some people that don't like "strangers" around. It's odd. They are not what you would call "rednecks." We've found them to be super nice around here. There is another subculture of people that I would have to call "Appalachian" and they are not very welcoming. They look like they've had to fight their entire lives and their ancestors did, too. There's a rough sort of way about them and although I can empathize and understand it is very, very difficult to endear yourself to them. Surely, I tried, but they really want no part of that. They are use to being with their own.

I'd rent to make absolutely sure where you are finally going to settle in.

Coming from the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, I think the people of Appalachia are a great people. In my opinion, they are very welcoming and friendly. Just my two cents. Of course, I may be wrong, I am Appalachian, after all.

[Back Again]

Originally Posted by relocatingnursingstudent

I've been living in the city of Maryville for a few weeks now, after visiting ~10 times in the past few years. I just started my new job and have been on MANY, MANY trips to Wal-Mart, Kroger, the movie theater, the mall, various restaurants, etc. I have encountered a little more than normal staring at times, (I blame the accent) but no more rudeness than expected. (Some people just aren't friendly, no matter where they live) Most people have been VERY nice and friendly. My neighbors all stop to chat (or at least wave) and my coworkers have been very accepting so far. Things may change, I guess time will tell. But I plan to NEVER leave Maryville!! I LOVE it here!! We chose Maryville city for the great schools for our two boys (12 and 6). But now that we're here, we're really enjoying the safety and overall cleanliness of the area.

And there are lots of other transplants here, so you won't be alone!

Where did you relocate from?