Curious about Powell area--37948? (Knoxville, Oak Ridge: condos, work, hospital)

[VeritasMatters]

Is anyone here familiar with the Powell area - somewhat off of Emory? Looked at a couple of homes out there today...very lovely, but seems a bit distant from either airport, shopping or ??? Hard to think about buying a wonderful home that ends up being close to nothing !!

Also, does anyone know how expensive it is to clear/thin trees on your property? I'm sure it's something you can't do yourself, don't even know if way too expensive to even consider.

Ooops, hit send too soon! Pardon our ignorance, but hopefully, this is one of the reasons for the great forum!

[BringontheSun]

I enjoyed living in Powell. The area has experienced substantial growth in the last five years. In my estimation, it will continue to grow because of the widening of Emory Road near I-75. This improvement provides easier access and makes a commute relatively painless--except for morning traffic headed west. The large Wal-Mart and other recent additions to Clinton Highway have also added to the growth.

Powell/Emory road is an interesting area. It's where several socio-economic classes share territory. For example, you'll see a $400,000 home (expensive for the area) near $80,000 condos. There is an older, more established middle class community residing in Broad Acres. In this subdivision, most of the homes are older, but on larger lots with large shady trees. You can also find newer subdivisions with smaller lots all along Emory Road--stretching from Karns to Gibbs. The entire road spanning from east to west has relatively new subdivisions. I hear the schools are excellent. Diversity is slowly increasing. As for the social dynamic, Powell has a large community of fundamental Baptists--who are sure to invite you to hear their charasmatic pastor. Some industries, like Levi's, have vanished. Saint Mary's has built a new hospital/fitness facility which is an interesting counter balance to the dominating religious right (I wonder if the facility is doing well). There are lots of good family physicians and dentists in the area. Restaurants are average. Cultural events (except for church, school, and a few rec sports)and the arts are hard to find. Overall, it's a nice community for the Knoxville area. (Sorry, can't answer the tree question, but two large national home improvement chains are nearby and I'm sure they can help.)

[VeritasMatters]

Thanks, BringOntheSun, for your very helpful answer about Powell area. We loved the house(Hickory Stone Lane), just had never thought about being out that far from Nashville or Knoxville airports. Hubby works in Oak Ridge, and I frequent large libraries (genealogy) alot...sounds like the area would probably be a sound investment, which is a definite plus! House sits on 3 acres, so hubby could do archery w/no issues as well! The tree issue is for more the water-view home in Kingston. Would have to clear some trees to get a really good view of Clinch River year round, the house has 50 feet of lakefront/dock-permit, etc. The two houses are pretty much equal in most other aspects. And, Kingston is closer to many of the amenities I mentioned. So, we're really trying to carefully weigh our options...the joys of house-hunting! Appreciate your feedback!

[sliverbox]

I kind of grew up not too far from Powell and went to school there as well. My opinion of it was that it was basically subdivision-hell. HUGE tracts of primarily 1960's, 70's ranchers with the fake aluminum posts out front and all.The biggest of them all is called Broadacres, a sort of experimental 70's development created by the Weigel's empire- a local family that made a fortune selling milk and now own a chain of quick-stop shops and still sells milk to local schools.I honestly never liked it at all, but that's probably because I grew up in a rural area and had to be bussed into Powell with all the subdivision kiddies.

However, there is an older part of town up on a hill where you can still find some older homes and have at least some of that old feel. I never felt like it had all that much of an identity. Just a few blocks up the road and you're on Clinton Hwy and on the road towards a massive shopping center complete with Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowes, Golden Coral, Target, Mcdonalds, and Burger King.

The pros are that it is very safe and very easy to get around in. It is also somewhat centrally located: you can get to Knoxville in about 15 minutes and again, it is close to a major freeway. The school there is rated ( or at least was when I lived near there) as one of the best in the region.

[BringontheSun]

Originally Posted by VeritasMatters

Thanks, BringOntheSun, for your very helpful answer about Powell area. We loved the house(Hickory Stone Lane), just had never thought about being out that far from Nashville or Knoxville airports. Hubby works in Oak Ridge, and I frequent large libraries (genealogy) alot...sounds like the area would probably be a sound investment, which is a definite plus! House sits on 3 acres, so hubby could do archery w/no issues as well! The tree issue is for more the water-view home in Kingston. Would have to clear some trees to get a really good view of Clinch River year round, the house has 50 feet of lakefront/dock-permit, etc. The two houses are pretty much equal in most other aspects. And, Kingston is closer to many of the amenities I mentioned. So, we're really trying to carefully weigh our options...the joys of house-hunting! Appreciate your feedback!

My pleasure. The Powell area is definetly a growing area. I think it provides the best access to all parts of Knoxville, including Lawson McGhee library downtown. Also, I'm sure you'll appreciate UT library. As for the commute, there are also several routes for your spouse to take into Oak Ridge with an average commute of about 30 minutes in traffic.

Your husband sounds like an outdoorsman. This is a fantastic region of the state to enjoy the outdoors. You mentioned the Clinch River--the is the premier Rainbow trout stream in the South. Also, the Big South Fork is about a 50 minute drive north.

There are few of negatives that you might also want to factor in that I did not mention in my earlier post. Powell's recent growth has fueled a 30-40 percent increase in monthly utility costs to allow for upgrades to sewage lines, etc. Secondly, the Powell-Valley area is prone to flooding at certain times of the year. A home adjacent to Beaver Creek should be carefully
avoided. Also, the region's landfill is about 10 miles north of the Powell area. Otherwise, I think you'd be making a good investment. Best of luck!

[hiknapster]

Hiknapster lives in the Powell area near the landfill! Hiknapster's kid goes to the elementary school. You have been warned!

It's an okay area. You are right about the water/sewerage bill.

When we moved here in October '05, the bill was $26 a month. Guess what my bill was last month? $50.

[sliverbox]

$50? Man... I remember back in the day when I rented a place outside of Knoxville and the water was $9 and the electric was $18. In fact, up until the 70's, TVA provided FREE electricity.

[VeritasMatters]

Thanks so much everyone, for your comments re: your various experiences and knowledge of the Powell area. We will toodle on over there today and wander around on a more local level...to see how our nitty-gritty grind would be if we choose to live there. There certainly seems to be alot of road-work and expansion going on ...could be good or not for the future stability/growth. One concern would be increased traffic congestion--something we are definitely hoping to avoid as FORMER [whoo-hoo!] Californians with TN family roots.
suzanne