Lexington/Knoxville/Madison-Hunstville area (Louisville, Florence: apartment, lease, how much)

[xtrafast]

Hi. New to the forums here, but here for the main reason of researching different information about places for me and my wife to move. So far, we've been strongly leaning towards a move to Knoxville, a big part due to the proximity to the Smokey Mountains and all of the outdoor activities that would be within an hours drive from Knoxville.

I've been doing my preliminary job searches, and today was made aware of a job opening I may be offered in Madison. I have to say me and my wife were not at all leaning towards Alabama as a place to live, but as I research the Madison/Athens area, it seems like quiet a nice place. I'm also aware that one of the companies I'll be applying with will possibly make Lexington a choice for me to make. A few questions:

If we want a house to lease or buy with a large back yard for our dog and us to enjoy, is this something we can find in the Lexington area with relative ease? Or would we find ourselves moving outside of the city some to find this? Close towns are okay, maybe some others are close enough for an easy commute compared to what I deal with in the Dallas area.

Traffic: We live in Plano, the north suburb of Dallas and traffic really stinks here and has progressively gotten 10 times worse in 3 years it seems. What is traffic like in the Lexington area?

Weather: We are very tired of the long/hot/dry summers here. I know its a drought and we are drier than usual, but we are tired of it still being 90 at midnight in August. What are the seasons like in Lexington? I'm aware that we will be able to expect quiet a drop in average temperatures from what we are used to, and in the summer time that is ABSOLUTELY FINE! lol However, the winters are probably a little colder than we care for, not that we mind it getting cold if it means not having 90+ degrees starting in early May and going to mid-late October like it is here often. And snow, how much is common? Will we need a snow shovel? lol, actually, that is fine also, just curious.

Outdoors: Another attraction of Knoxville to us is the apparently abundant outdoor activities that would be available. We have a dog who loves the outdoors and are sick of having her trapped in an apartment here. We mostly expect to be walking, hiking and canoeing with Nikki (our dog), and maybe some trail running and biking for me and my wife. Is Lexington really solid for outdoor lovers? Not just looking for one or two great places to go outdoors, but a wide variety is what we hope to find.

Elevation: Texas is fairly flat and boring to us with not many trees in our area, mainly because they seem to clear cut every single new area they develop, so it takes 10-20 years for big trees to grow up again. How is Lexington in terms of trees, hills, or even mountain type terrain (smokey mountain type).

Thanks for taking the time to read this, I know its long, lol. But any input would be greatly appreciated!

PS:yes I've posted this in 3 forums now, but have tried to modify each paste of it to direct the proper questions for the state forum I'm posting in. Trying to gather some info as me and my wife are planning our move very soon.

[crystalblue]

hmmm

could anyone add more details about how these cities are similar/dissimilar?

lexington and knoxville that is...

[lexingtongal]

You shouldn't have a problem finding a house with a large yard. Stonewall subdivision comes to mind. A lot of the houses are on 1/4 to 1/2 acre lots. Much bigger than anything you will find in a new subdivision.
Lex is very dog friendly. There are several dog runs (large fenced areas for dogs to run off the leash) in the parks. There is a bike/walking path that has already started that will eventually run all the way from The Ky Horse Park down to the Pallisades area. One portion of the path is already in place and another portion is slated to begin this year.

There are numerous parks and/or paths to take your dog to.

As for weather the only thing constant about it is how quickly it can change. We have 4 distinct seasons but winter is not horrible. If we get snow it usually melts within a few days. Summer can be hot, dry and humid but when it gets this way an afternoon storm will usually come through and clear it out a bit.
Lexington is in a plain so it is not hilly. You will find tons of trees though. I have noticed a sign that read "Tree City, USA" whatever that means.

You have probably already done so but if not check out visitlex.com.
Traffic is not unbearable here. As I've stated many times on this forum it totally depends on where you live and work. If you work downtown and are travelling in from the outlying areas it will probably take you 20-30 minutes. If you live within New Circle Rd it will probably take 5-10 minutes (these time being during rush hour).
The mountains are about 1 hour from Lex. The terrain gently moves from slight hills, to rolling hills, to mountains. Also, the Red River Gorge is about an hour from Lex. It has many, many trails and places to camp. It's a great hiking/camping spot with many natural arches.

[nalabama]

xtrafast moved to Knoxville last November. crystalblue, are you thinking about getting out of Florida or law school at UK vs. UT?

[crystalblue]

i am

i love floriduh, but it just seems to be going down the tubes quick

[Sig]

Lexington sucks!!!!!! I would strongly recommend Knoxville or Huntsville over Lexington any day. The winters are awful and the interstates are off to the side of the town, so the traffic is unforgiveable. There are no attractions here, no zoo, or nice waterfronts, the music scene is awful. The only thing to do is the horse park, you can do that if you like paying to look at horse poo. Seriously for such a small area its the worst of the worst traffic. Blah!

[Sig]

Dude tons of cities and small towns have those signs that say tree city usa

[censusdata]

As for Knoxville vs Lexington...

Knoxville is a better place for suburban living (less traffic, better freeway system, suburbs feel more rural), while Lexington is better for historic/ urban living (great areas around Transy, Henry Clay home) and has a more vibrant downtown. Lexington is only 1 hour 15 minutes from the suburbs of Louisville or Cincinnati, Knoxville is at least 2-3 hours from any major city.

[censusdata]

Originally Posted by Sig

Lexington sucks!!!!!! I would strongly recommend Knoxville or Huntsville over Lexington any day. The winters are awful and the interstates are off to the side of the town, so the traffic is unforgiveable. There are no attractions here, no zoo, or nice waterfronts, the music scene is awful. The only thing to do is the horse park, you can do that if you like paying to look at horse poo. Seriously for such a small area its the worst of the worst traffic. Blah!

The one place in the Lexington area that I would consider living in around here permantly would be Georgetown. It has the easiest access (traffic wise) to Downtown and is only 45 minutes from J-town or Florence, 55 minutes to downtown Louisville or Cincinnati.

Nicholasville is alright but the commute to UK/ Downtown / St Joe or Baptist Hosp is awful, probably 45 minutes to an hour

[InLondon]

Originally Posted by censusdata

As for Knoxville vs Lexington...

Knoxville is a better place for suburban living (less traffic, better freeway system, suburbs feel more rural), while Lexington is better for historic/ urban living (great areas around Transy, Henry Clay home) and has a more vibrant downtown. Lexington is only 1 hour 15 minutes from the suburbs of Louisville or Cincinnati, Knoxville is at least 2-3 hours from any major city.

Suburban living can be found anywhere along the southside of Lexington. Mainly south of New Circle Road.