Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Tennessee
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 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.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 01-26-2015, 08:31 AM
 
5 posts, read 6,098 times
Reputation: 21

Advertisements

Hi all! This is my first blog post so bare with me

I am in my late 20s and considering moving to Chattanooga or Knoxville, TN. I'm fairly liberal and from upstate SC (it's a tricky combination I've also lived in Asheville, NC, which I love for their food, craft beer, and beautiful scenery, but I am looking to move somewhere that would make for a brand new adventure. Some specific things I'm curious about:

1. Cost of living... I have two dogs and am hoping to rent a house as opposed to an apartment
2. I'm not seeking a crazy nightlife, but I do enjoy festivals, arts, craft beers, good food, concerts, etc.
3. Outdoor adventures... I hear Knoxville is actually about an hour from the mountains, but I'd love some more insight on what's closer to the city. I enjoy hiking, camping, swimming—really just soaking up the outdoors in any capacity
4. Traffic... is Knoxville's traffic as bad as I've heard?
5. Downtown area—could someone describe the differences of each, pros/cons?

These are the main thoughts that come to mind, but any comments outside of this are also greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 01-26-2015, 01:05 PM
 
6,353 posts, read 11,591,423 times
Reputation: 6313
COL is comparable - Knoxville has slightly lower rent

Knoxville wins on concerts & entertainment - there are 2 historic theaters downtown, it is the home of AC entertainment that brings a lot of interesting bands to town.

Look up Outdoor Knoxville, the Greenway sysyem and the Urban wilderness - lots of outdoor activities right downtown. Chattanooga has its own offerings - including hang gliding.

Knoxville traffic is fine if you stay out of the suburbs at rush hour.

Both have great downtowns but Chattanooga seems to be more tourist oriented with chain restaurants.

The best thing to do is plan a trip to visit both.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-26-2015, 02:32 PM
 
13,353 posts, read 39,963,688 times
Reputation: 10790
Quote:
Originally Posted by kkelly27 View Post
Hi all! This is my first blog post so bare with me

I am in my late 20s and considering moving to Chattanooga or Knoxville, TN. I'm fairly liberal and from upstate SC (it's a tricky combination I've also lived in Asheville, NC, which I love for their food, craft beer, and beautiful scenery, but I am looking to move somewhere that would make for a brand new adventure. Some specific things I'm curious about:

1. Cost of living... I have two dogs and am hoping to rent a house as opposed to an apartment
2. I'm not seeking a crazy nightlife, but I do enjoy festivals, arts, craft beers, good food, concerts, etc.
3. Outdoor adventures... I hear Knoxville is actually about an hour from the mountains, but I'd love some more insight on what's closer to the city. I enjoy hiking, camping, swimming—really just soaking up the outdoors in any capacity
4. Traffic... is Knoxville's traffic as bad as I've heard?
5. Downtown area—could someone describe the differences of each, pros/cons?

These are the main thoughts that come to mind, but any comments outside of this are also greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!
Chattanooga is surrounded by mountains; Knoxville is a short drive from mountains. Chattanooga has an awesome urban neighborhood just across the river from downtown (connected by a pedestrian bridge) with a Whole Foods as its anchor. Chattanooga's art museum is head and shoulders better than Knoxville's. There are just as many outdoor festivals in Chattanooga as there are in Knoxville. Knoxville's downtown riverfront is slowly being discovered, while Chattanooga's downtown riverfront is an integral part of the city. Both cities have downtown amenities such as movie theaters, but Chattanooga's also has a wonderful children's museum (Knoxville doesn't have a children's museum anywhere) as well as a minor league baseball park (Knoxville's is 20 miles away in Sevier County).

I lived in Knoxville for over 14 years, own a house in Knoxville, and my parents still live there, but I would choose Chattanooga over Knoxville any day of the week.
__________________


IMPORTANT READING:
Terms of Service

---
its - possession
it's - contraction of it is
your - possession
you're - contraction of you are
their - possession
they're - contraction of they are
there - referring to a place
loose - opposite of tight
lose - opposite of win
who's - contraction of who is
whose - possession
alot - NOT A WORD

Last edited by JMT; 01-26-2015 at 05:47 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-26-2015, 03:03 PM
 
5 posts, read 6,098 times
Reputation: 21
Thank you both so much and I plan to look into each of your suggestions. I agree with you Creeksitter that a road trip is imperative to making a good decision. Also JMT... as I respect your info on proper grammar, please forgive my misspelling of "bear" in my original post
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-26-2015, 03:43 PM
 
410 posts, read 802,938 times
Reputation: 248
I also have to give a thumbs up to Chattanooga as a town surrounded by mountains and growing leaps and bounds. Their downtown area has become a cultural scene and is just a more artsy laid back town. I like Chattanooga!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-26-2015, 05:46 PM
 
Location: Nashville, TN
1,285 posts, read 2,357,286 times
Reputation: 1007
I lived in Knoxville for two years and used to love it. I used to say it was much better than Chattanooga. However, in the last year I have been to Chattanooga three times and I love it more than ever. I think I would choose it honestly.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-26-2015, 09:15 PM
 
6,353 posts, read 11,591,423 times
Reputation: 6313
I get the sense that a lot of Chatt's progress is being funded/pushed by its upper crust while Knoxville's is more grass roots. And thus slower. I think of Chattanooga as being a two-tier society while Knoxville is more well rounded. Hopefully that is changing as Chattanooga is getting away from its industrial roots.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-27-2015, 06:17 PM
 
5 posts, read 6,098 times
Reputation: 21
Thank you all so much for your opinions and advice! It sounds like everyone seems to really enjoy Chattanooga! Does anyone have any particular recommendations for visiting either city? Not necessarily tourist attractions... I'm more interested in discovering the culture and the landscape. I really appreciate everyone's input!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-28-2015, 06:45 AM
 
6,353 posts, read 11,591,423 times
Reputation: 6313
In Knoxville be sure to dine on Market square - if you are here for the Saturday farmer's market all the better. Visit the Old city for night life. I you are a nature lover visit Ijams - the boardwalk trail by the river and Ross quarry trail are two of my favorites. The UT trial gardens on the Ag campus are nice when the flowers are blooming.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-28-2015, 08:43 AM
 
5 posts, read 6,098 times
Reputation: 21
Thank you creeksitter! These are wonderful suggestions... I will be sure to look into each of them while planning a visit.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 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.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Tennessee

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:51 AM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top