On a quest for Eden (Knoxville, Hendersonville: low crime, transfer to, school)

[KristaG]

Okay, folks, here we go...
I have spent most of this year completely convinced that I would be moving to Hendersonville. Now that I am down to the wire (with 45 days), someone has mentioned Sevierville as being "perfect" for me, so I thought I would toss it out there and see what the general consensus is.

We have 3 kids (15, 9, & 6) all very, very different and my brother is also moving with his 3 teenagers, who also like different things. We all do agree on one thing - WATER IS A MUST! So, when you combine all of these interests, we are looking for a place where there is lots of water and the availability of water sports; fishing, skiing, swimming, etc. We also need a place where the teenage girl can shop, shop, shop (in fact, the only way to get her up there without her commiting Harey-Carey was to remind her that she would HAVE to get an entirely new wardrobe because of the climate differences)! We have 1 teenage boy who enjoys ANYTHING outdoors, regardless of what it is - he's pretty easy to please. We have 2 more boys, one who just wants to be in the mix of other teenagers and one who likes to do his own things, no matter what that may be.

Me? I mostly just want to be inspired. A mountainous view would be quite nice, but large bodies of water is a necessity (I am a Florida girl, after all). More importantly, I'm smart enough to know that happy kids create very little grief, so it is pretty much all about the kids. I want them to have a variety of experiences available to them, even if one of them is to just lay back and practice doing nothing for awhile - just soaking in the scenery. Low crime rates, particularly among teens is crucial! We want to bring our kids to an area with good, wholesome values where they will not be innundated with the whole teen gang and drug thing. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART! We also want a good school system, where the teacher-student ratio is not at a rate where the kids become nothing more than a number or a name on a page. We want our kids to really find out what they're made of by being exposed to a wide variety of things and perhaps tapping into their creative side. It also wouldn't be a bad idea if the older kids were able to find a place where they could get a job.

Oh, and as far as employment, my husband and I both work for Walgreens, so we can transfer to either place and my brother will be opening up a little breakfast and lunch restaurant, so he will want a place that serves his business well. We appreciate any help you can give us, as the clock is now ticking. I'm also going to post this thread on the Knoxville area forum and see what they have to say.