Best place for Grad student and his family to live (Knoxville: apartments, to rent)

[littlemama27]

Hello All,
This is my first post, so bear with me
My husband will be attending Grad school in a year and we've started to discuss possible schools he'd like to attend. So far Knoxville is at the top of the list based on location and the programs offered at UT. We have a son who will be 1 years old in October.

Here's some info on what we're looking for : an easy commute to UT, possibly by bike or short walk / safe, kid friendly / we will be renting, $600-800 range / close to grocery stores / we love love love coffee and books, so anything close to either would be nice

We plan on visiting before we move, but until then we'd like some advice. We've been doing some research online the past couple of months and South Knoxville looks like it may be an option for us. Are there any neighborhoods that fit our criteria there? If not any other suggestions?

[creeksitter]

South Knoxville is a good choice to be close. There are no good coffee shops (hint, hint, someone needs to open one) but the Book Eddy is a great used book store. They might serve coffee?? Grocery stores are 1 1/2 -2 miles south of the bridge.

You'll find more commercial sevices west near sutherland, plus access to the 3rd creek bike trail. A little farther commute so that's the trade-off.

[knoxgarden]

Look on Sutherland Ave. in Bearden. These are near the Third Creek Greenway and bikable to UT. There are lots of grocery stores near there, including a new Earth Fare and a big Kroger.
And there's an independent book store, Carpe Librum, which has food/coffee some days, I believe.
Carpe Librum Booksellers (http://carpelibrum.booksense.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp - broken link)
And a Panera Bread which serves the area as a coffee shop with wifi. Also a couple of cupcake shops.
There are a lot of apartments near Forest Heights Road and Sutherland Ave. Good bus service from there, too.

[littlemama27]

Thank you both for your advice...I will definitely look into the Bearden area. Are there any other neighborhoods that grad students live in ? I forgot to mention in my original post that we were hoping to rent a house not an apartment...is that doable with our $600-800 price range?
Thanks again!

[LilCabinGirl]

Originally Posted by knoxgarden

Look on Sutherland Ave. in Bearden. These are near the Third Creek Greenway and bikable to UT. There are lots of grocery stores near there, including a new Earth Fare and a big Kroger.
And there's an independent book store, Carpe Librum, which has food/coffee some days, I believe.
Carpe Librum Booksellers (http://carpelibrum.booksense.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp - broken link)
And a Panera Bread which serves the area as a coffee shop with wifi. Also a couple of cupcake shops.
There are a lot of apartments near Forest Heights Road and Sutherland Ave. Good bus service from there, too.

There is a Starbucks right across the street from the Panera too.

[creeksitter]

Yes, that's doable. There's a wide range of housing in both areas.

[littlemama27]

We prefer small local coffee shops to Starbucks, but will go there if we have too. Thanks for the info. We plan on visiting next weekend for a day and we'll definitely check out the area you guys suggested.

[mcatp]

Looks like you will be visiting on a football weekend. Good Luck with the traffic and finding a hotel!

[littlemama27]

We're fully aware we'll be in town during a big football weekend...its the only weekend we have free for a while. We are curious to see what its really like there during football season and if we can handle it. Also, we don't need a hotel room ,b/c we live about 3 1/2 hours away. We plan on trying to avoid the stadium area if possible. Is Market Square usually hard to get to during this time? We plan on arriving early to get some breakfast and explore Market Square. Are there any other ares worth exploring when you only have a day to visit?

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by littlemama27

We're fully aware we'll be in town during a big football weekend...its the only weekend we have free for a while. We are curious to see what its really like there during football season and if we can handle it. Also, we don't need a hotel room ,b/c we live about 3 1/2 hours away. We plan on trying to avoid the stadium area if possible. Is Market Square usually hard to get to during this time? We plan on arriving early to get some breakfast and explore Market Square. Are there any other ares worth exploring when you only have a day to visit?

I think that people that are not attending the game stay away from downtown.

That doesn't mean you can't handle it. Knox County is very spread out. You can go to the mall, a park, a restaurant, The Smokys, and completely avoid the area. What I am saying is that I don't think you need to check out how bad the crowds are. Residents just don't bother with it.

In four years I have never had to change my plans or get stuck in traffic because of a game. And here's a little secret. I don't care for sports and never know when they are having a home game. Maybe the luck of the Irish!

Now, having said that, I understand that you are stuck with your dates. Yes, you can get downtown with everyone else. It just won't be easy but know that it isn't "normal."

Going early might help. It's about your best plan, like you said.

I'd say to check out Volunteer Landing and the river, but that will be almost "gound zero."

You could go to Sequoyah and drive by the beautiful old homes and walk in the park.

What will you be looking for on your visit? The vibe? If so, that's going to be hard. The vibe will be "orange." Or are you looking at neighborhoods for a possible relocation? Maybe something else that interests you?