scared but excited... (Knoxville: real estate, to rent, buying a house)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
So it's a definite - my husband's contract is on it's way and we will be moving to the knoxville area in june '10... i'm experiencing tons of anxiety as it is now a reality and am asking for help... what rural areas (not necessarily rural - we want one-two acres) are the closest to the city of knoxville? We will be looking in the 300k-400k range for houses and children may attend catholic school (we're still deciding on that, but hope for them to), hopefully living within 15 min. or so from the school. Also, are there any swimming holes, beaches in the area you would recommend - we aren't really the pool type. Thanks!
So it's a definite - my husband's contract is on it's way and we will be moving to the knoxville area in june '10... i'm experiencing tons of anxiety as it is now a reality and am asking for help... what rural areas (not necessarily rural - we want one-two acres) are the closest to the city of knoxville? We will be looking in the 300k-400k range for houses and children may attend catholic school (we're still deciding on that, but hope for them to), hopefully living within 15 min. or so from the school. Also, are there any swimming holes, beaches in the area you would recommend - we aren't really the pool type. Thanks!
It's scary moving anywhere, but you'll be fine. Knoxville is a fabulous place to be moving to.
Really, Knoxville is surrounded by rural areas. It gets very rural about 10 minutes out, no matter what direction you travel, pretty much. Knox County schools are very good. We have a nine-year-old in the system and I highly value education. I'm originally from an area with very good schools.
You can be in Knox County and find a house with 1-2 acres. In fact, we live in the city limits and have half an acre!
This is a very good resource for checking out schools.
yes, I'm definitely lucky having the resources that enable me to have many options... I am certainly not complaining or whining that I just have so much to worry about and woe is me. As with any family moving, I am feeling the anxiety of going to an unfamiliar place and 'starting over again' with three children in tow and will be living the furthest from friends and family I ever have been. It's just not knowing, is all. Plus, we are not going to rent before buying a house, so I am really researching city data as it has proven to be very helpful and getting the most info I can from the folks that live there. After reading pages and pages of city data knoxville, I am a little worried about pollution, humidity, allergies (2 kids have mild allergies) and the fact there is no snow, HOWEVER: the good things I've read and experienced while visiting (NICE PEOPLE!!) low taxes, GREAT job for my husband, good schools, great university town, lots to do, outweigh the factors I am worried about.
Having money certainly helps with giving my family more choices, but does not mean i should have nothing to worry about.
Thanks hiknapster - I will look up the websites! Would you happen to know the closest (to knoxville) beach to swim in a lake? I know there is tons of water around - haven't been able to find locations of beach swimming.
We don't have snow for skiing or even making snowmen. You will get to see it, though. You'll get excited, tears will come to your eyes, and then it will go away. Perfect.
yes, I'm definitely lucky having the resources that enable me to have many options... I am certainly not complaining or whining that I just have so much to worry about and woe is me. As with any family moving, I am feeling the anxiety of going to an unfamiliar place and 'starting over again' with three children in tow and will be living the furthest from friends and family I ever have been. It's just not knowing, is all. Plus, we are not going to rent before buying a house, so I am really researching city data as it has proven to be very helpful and getting the most info I can from the folks that live there.
Having money certainly helps with giving my family more choices, but does not mean i should have nothing to worry about.
I understand where your coming from on anxiety of moving to an unfamiliar place and "not knowing". Same for me except we don't have 3 kids in tow. This will be semi retirement for hubby and me and initially we wanted to research and just get a house but after a couple of visits and looking and having limited resources, it's more difficult than we thought. So unfortunately unless a higher power dumps the perfect house in the perfect location in our lap, we'll be selling my home we built 19 years ago and renting over there for awhile in order to find the perfect place for us. We have 3 dogs, 2 small ones and one very OLD one which also limits us, but they are part of our family so it's not an option to get rid of them. As it is most anywhere though, if you've got the money you can have most anything you want. You will do fine with all the helpful people on here to direct you.
Hiknapster, thanks - we are huge fans of lake beaches so we will definitely check this one out, possibly a good camping spot for us... I've read from past posts that you are from Mass - i am from upstate NY and lived in Buffalo for 4 years. I definitely will NOT miss the fact that the only time myself and other people went outside in winter was to scrape their cars off before work (or trek to the local establishment) and don't even think about going outside to make a snowman - way too cold! It'll be interesting to see if the town becomes like a ghost town on sundays during the football season like it did in Buffalo! Appreciate your sharing your knowledge.
LLuce, I wish you luck with landing where you want to and that opportunities arise for you - are you in Illinois right now? What made you look into knoxville of all places? I am just curious... I always wonder why people end up where they are (or want to end up). We picked knoxville because my husband found the perfect job. We visited and I really liked it. The first night we were there, we had dinner downtown, I asked a couple to take a picture of my family with the bridges of the tn river in the background and we got to talking and told them we may move there... after we parted ways in the restaurant, come to find out, THEY PAID FOR OUR DINNER!!!!! We were shocked. Anyway, it was a very positive first visit! (we have heard that about tennesseeans - so welcoming to newcomers) Again, we are lucky we will have the resources from my husband's job - we aren't now and never have been wealthy, so I know what it's like to struggle and try to make ends meet and wait for the perfect opportunity. I truly hope you can move - did you ever find the perfect location, or are you keeping that a secret?!
LLuce, I wish you luck with landing where you want to and that opportunities arise for you - are you in Illinois right now? What made you look into knoxville of all places? I am just curious... I always wonder why people end up where they are (or want to end up). We picked knoxville because my husband found the perfect job. We visited and I really liked it. The first night we were there, we had dinner downtown, I asked a couple to take a picture of my family with the bridges of the tn river in the background and we got to talking and told them we may move there... after we parted ways in the restaurant, come to find out, THEY PAID FOR OUR DINNER!!!!! We were shocked. Anyway, it was a very positive first visit! (we have heard that about tennesseeans - so welcoming to newcomers) Again, we are lucky we will have the resources from my husband's job - we aren't now and never have been wealthy, so I know what it's like to struggle and try to make ends meet and wait for the perfect opportunity. I truly hope you can move - did you ever find the perfect location, or are you keeping that a secret?!
Yes, I am in Illinois and we're anxious to get out. I was born and raised here, my folks are from Missouri and my my husband is from southern Missouri so country folk we're used too. We took a trip many years ago to Knoxville and loved the area. The mountains and terrain is beautiful. Then my husband and I took a motorcycle trip on our bikes there last June. We rode from Illinois over to TN and North Carolina and met some friends that live in Knoxville and it just reawakened the area to us. My husband is very close to retirement....me, not as close. However, we want to move over there while we are still active and can enjoy some fun things to do and enjoy the beautiful country. The property taxes here ($4000K a year ) is ridiculous and there is nothing here!
I am a registered dental hygienist and my husband has been a truck driver all his life. I will probably continue to work a day or two a week or preferably do temp work as a hygienist since it is decent money, he will probably work part time doing something he likes instead of something he has to do. We will move, it's just a matter of finding what we want in the right location. We will more than likely have to come and rent and look around and enlist a real estate person to help. I know it will all work out, it's just waiting for all the pieces to fall in the right place. We don't want to wait too long though, life is too short.
Hiknapster, thanks - we are huge fans of lake beaches so we will definitely check this one out, possibly a good camping spot for us... I've read from past posts that you are from Mass - i am from upstate NY and lived in Buffalo for 4 years. I definitely will NOT miss the fact that the only time myself and other people went outside in winter was to scrape their cars off before work (or trek to the local establishment) and don't even think about going outside to make a snowman - way too cold!
It got to the point where I wouldn't scrape off the car. After living up north for 34 years, I would run out to the car, start it up and turn on the heat, then run back to the house and watch everything melt.
It'll be interesting to see if the town becomes like a ghost town on sundays during the football season like it did in Buffalo! Appreciate your sharing your knowledge.
It becomes a ghost town on Saturdays. This is Vols country! They are the nicest bunch of fans!
LLuce, I wish you luck with landing where you want to and that opportunities arise for you - are you in Illinois right now? What made you look into knoxville of all places? I am just curious... I always wonder why people end up where they are (or want to end up). We picked knoxville because my husband found the perfect job. We visited and I really liked it. The first night we were there, we had dinner downtown, I asked a couple to take a picture of my family with the bridges of the tn river in the background and we got to talking and told them we may move there... after we parted ways in the restaurant, come to find out, THEY PAID FOR OUR DINNER!!!!! We were shocked. Anyway, it was a very positive first visit! (we have heard that about tennesseeans - so welcoming to newcomers) Again, we are lucky we will have the resources from my husband's job - we aren't now and never have been wealthy, so I know what it's like to struggle and try to make ends meet and wait for the perfect opportunity. I truly hope you can move - did you ever find the perfect location, or are you keeping that a secret?!
The best reason to move anywhere, right now, is because you have a job. You just happened to hit the jackpot because the job is in Knoxville.
I did extensive research before settling on Knoxville. It came down to good schools, nice people, very affordable cost of living and employment opportunities.
That was back in 2005, so the economy was booming everywhere, especially where we were moving from - Florida - but Knoxville looked like the sort of place that could weather the long haul. We were correct.
We did take a bold chance, though. We had nothing set up, but my husband felt confident that he could get a job as an auto mechanic because of his experience. The day before we left he saw an available job online and called. He set up and interview on that Monday.
We moved out of Florida on that Saturday. October 1, 2005. One of the vehicles overheated every hour as it pulled the weight of my husband's tools, so we had to keep pulling over. The trailer finally gave way on I-75 in Atlanta on Sunday night. The next day, an angel soldered the trailer together.
We had to call the man with the job and tell him our plight. We finally made it on Tuesday and the man gave my husband a job within the hour.
We camped for nine days before we found a place to live. And we had a nine-year-old and were frantic because we had to enroll her in school. We had very little money. We scraped together what we could and took a chance.
Every penny and every frantic moment was worth it.
I'm going to throw my vote in regarding how you can't go wrong with Knoxville. We've been here 4 years and love it. I'm from upstate NY too, just the eastern side of the state- the Hudson Valley. The snow we get here in Knoxville is the best kind in my very humble opinion. It is pretty to look at, and melts by noon before it gets all nasty and dirty looking. Even better is the fact that Spring arrives here in March and April, not May and June. To me Knoxville area is just as beautiful as the Hdson Valley area of NY state.
When we moved here we didn't know anyone either. But we've made lots of friends, and Knoxville has definitely become home to both Bill and I.
KKupfner, I hope you find your niche here in Knoxville and one day realize that you made a wonderful choice in leaving NY and relocating to Knoxville and Knoxville feels like your hometown too.
Pam
Quote:
Originally Posted by kkupfner
Hiknapster, thanks - we are huge fans of lake beaches so we will definitely check this one out, possibly a good camping spot for us... I've read from past posts that you are from Mass - i am from upstate NY and lived in Buffalo for 4 years. I definitely will NOT miss the fact that the only time myself and other people went outside in winter was to scrape their cars off before work (or trek to the local establishment) and don't even think about going outside to make a snowman - way too cold! It'll be interesting to see if the town becomes like a ghost town on sundays during the football season like it did in Buffalo! Appreciate your sharing your knowledge.
LLuce, I wish you luck with landing where you want to and that opportunities arise for you - are you in Illinois right now? What made you look into knoxville of all places? I am just curious... I always wonder why people end up where they are (or want to end up). We picked knoxville because my husband found the perfect job. We visited and I really liked it. The first night we were there, we had dinner downtown, I asked a couple to take a picture of my family with the bridges of the tn river in the background and we got to talking and told them we may move there... after we parted ways in the restaurant, come to find out, THEY PAID FOR OUR DINNER!!!!! We were shocked. Anyway, it was a very positive first visit! (we have heard that about tennesseeans - so welcoming to newcomers) Again, we are lucky we will have the resources from my husband's job - we aren't now and never have been wealthy, so I know what it's like to struggle and try to make ends meet and wait for the perfect opportunity. I truly hope you can move - did you ever find the perfect location, or are you keeping that a secret?!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $53,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We have 3 dogs, 2 small ones and one very OLD one which also limits us, but they are part of our family so it's not an option to get rid of them. As it is most anywhere though, if you've got the money you can have most anything you want. You will do fine with all the helpful people on here to direct you. 
