Considering Knoxville & Chattanooga (Maryville: best cities, loft, house)

[michael49]

My wife and I are in our mid 30's. We live in the Northeast, but we are searching for somewhere with milder winters! Plus, the housing prices here are ridiculous for what you get.

No kids yet!

We are very down to earth, unpretentious.

We love the mountains, hiking, camping, kayaing, etc. We are very "outdoorsy" people. We also like to run, although we can only run outdoors for about 7 months of the year here. We lived in FL for a few years, but we really missed the change of seasons, mountains, hiking, etc.

We considered Colorado, but it just too dry out there for us - we like to see things green! Plus, I love lakes - not many in CO, except for way up in the mountains.

We also like some interesting restaurants to go for dinner on weekends (not pricey, just fun and different).

I will be attending a conference in Nashville at the end of October. I think Nashville is much too far from the mountains for us to consider, but I would like to visit Knoxville and Chattanooga, but we may only have time to see one place.

My wife and I both work in health care.

We live near several colleges/universities now and I have often found "college towns" fun places to live; this is one reason we have considered Knoxville.

What do you think? Does Knoxville sound like a good place for us? I know that this is the Knoxville thread and it may be biased, but how would you compare Knoxville and Chattanooga? Any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!!

[JMT]

Originally Posted by michael49

My wife and I are in our mid 30's. We live in the Northeast, but we are searching for somewhere with milder winters! Plus, the housing prices here are ridiculous for what you get.

No kids yet!

We are very down to earth, unpretentious.

We love the mountains, hiking, camping, kayaing, etc. We are very "outdoorsy" people. We also like to run, although we can only run outdoors for about 7 months of the year here. We lived in FL for a few years, but we really missed the change of seasons, mountains, hiking, etc.

We considered Colorado, but it just too dry out there for us - we like to see things green! Plus, I love lakes - not many in CO, except for way up in the mountains.

We also like some interesting restaurants to go for dinner on weekends (not pricey, just fun and different).

I will be attending a conference in Nashville at the end of October. I think Nashville is much too far from the mountains for us to consider, but I would like to visit Knoxville and Chattanooga, but we may only have time to see one place.

My wife and I both work in health care.

We live near several colleges/universities now and I have often found "college towns" fun places to live; this is one reason we have considered Knoxville.

What do you think? Does Knoxville sound like a good place for us? I know that this is the Knoxville thread and it may be biased, but how would you compare Knoxville and Chattanooga? Any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!!

Knoxville does have a much larger university community than Chattanooga. However, if you like outdoorsy stuff you might enjoy Chattanooga more. Outdoors magazine ranked Chattanooga one of the 10 best cities in the country for outdoor sports.

Chattanooga is closer to whitewater rafting. Knoxville is closer to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but you've got 11 million other tourists to deal with. The mountains around Chattanooga are much more tranquil.

Chattanooga is also surrounded by mountains; in Knoxville you have to drive a bit to get to the mountains. Chattanooga also has a cooler downtown than Knoxville (in my opinion).

Since you both have jobs in the medical field, you shouldn't have any problems finding jobs in either city.

Good luck!

[michael49]

Originally Posted by JMT

Knoxville does have a much larger university community than Chattanooga. However, if you like outdoorsy stuff you might enjoy Chattanooga more. Outdoors magazine ranked Chattanooga one of the 10 best cities in the country for outdoor sports.

Chattanooga is closer to whitewater rafting. Knoxville is closer to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but you've got 11 million other tourists to deal with. The mountains around Chattanooga are much more tranquil.

Chattanooga is also surrounded by mountains; in Knoxville you have to drive a bit to get to the mountains. Chattanooga also has a cooler downtown than Knoxville (in my opinion).

Since you both have jobs in the medical field, you shouldn't have any problems finding jobs in either city.

Good luck!

Hmmm, maybe we should check out Chattanooga. I definitely would like to be close to the mountains. Thanks for the input.

[knoxgarden]

I'd pick Knoxville over Chattanooga. House Mountain State Park is a 10-minute drive from downtown and considered to be the best urban rock climbing anywhere. It has hiking.
TDEC: DNH: House Mountain State Natural Area
You can head west from Knoxville and hit Frozen Head State Park in 20 minutes.
Tennessee State Parks: Frozen Head State Park
And best of all, Obed Wild and Scene River area is about an hour's drive away.
Obed Wild & Scenic River - Obed Wild & Scenic River (U.S. National Park Service)
None of those are in the Smokies. You can find roads less traveled there through the Smoky Mountain Field School run by UT. They offer some wonderful programs.
SMFS cover 07
There are lots of places to run in Knoxville. You'll have to deal with some hills. The Knoxville Track Club is very active and publishes a good list.
Greenways (broken link)
UT keeps things lively. There's a good local live music scene for all kinds of music. We have a good jazz festival as well as an opera festival.
I think you'd be prime candidates for a loft downtown or a rehab near there.
Jobs in the medical field are plentiful. UT is a teaching hospital and runs a huge hospital that's the shock-trauma center for East Tennessee. There are several huge hospitals in town.

[hiknapster]

I'd pick Chattanooga.

Chattanooga ? Chattanooga TN ? Chattanooga Tennessee

[Beretta]

It's easy to visit both and draw your own conclusion.

[TNTransplant06]

I agree w/ JMT on this. Chatt is prob better choice. I moved to Knox last year and have been to Chatt a few times and much prefer it. There are lots of things to do and it's beautiful. Knox is kinda dull and boring and not very pretty. The downtown in Chatt caters much more to being "out and about" for exercising and hanging out. It seems "fresher" to me. They are only about an hour and a half apart so check them both out for yourself. Chatt just seems a bit more progressive than Knox.

[ZoesMom]

Originally Posted by michael49

Hmmm, maybe we should check out Chattanooga. I definitely would like to be close to the mountains. Thanks for the input.

You're in the same boat as myself. Moving from the DC area to TN in the Spring, we are looking at Maryville area and plan on checking out Chattanooga as well. If we get down there before you, I'll be sure to post pictures for you to see both

[TNTransplant06]

Wow...in my opinion Maryville and Chatt are worlds apart! It'll be interesting to see what you choose and why.

[mbmouse]

I know you are looking at just Knox and Chat at this time but have to considered other areas? It sounds like the Tri-Cities area east of Knox would also fit your bill.