Surrounding Suburbs? (Knoxville, Clinton, Jefferson City: relocation, jobs, house)

[Lolantrix]

Hello!

My family and I are planning to move to the Knoxville area in the next year or so and are at a loss as to where exactly to move . . . sound familiar? We are interested in a middle class/small town atmosphere but within driving distance of some major stores. We grew up in a small town in the northwest suburbs of Chicago on a river. It has since exploded in to a "well populated" area with little to no farm land left. We are looking to raise our children in the small town/close knit community like we were raised. Are there any specific communities outside Knoxville like this?

Thank you so much for your time! We are very excited about starting the relocation process!!!

Lolantrix

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Lolantrix

Hello!

My family and I are planning to move to the Knoxville area in the next year or so and are at a loss as to where exactly to move . . . sound familiar? We are interested in a middle class/small town atmosphere but within driving distance of some major stores. We grew up in a small town in the northwest suburbs of Chicago on a river. It has since exploded in to a "well populated" area with little to no farm land left. We are looking to raise our children in the small town/close knit community like we were raised. Are there any specific communities outside Knoxville like this?

Thank you so much for your time! We are very excited about starting the relocation process!!!

Lolantrix

Tell us more about what you're looking for. There are lots of small towns around Knoxville. When you say "within driving distance" what do you mean? 15 minutes? 30 minutes? 2 hours? Do you have jobs in a particular area of Knoxville? What about schools, do you home school your kids or are you interested in the public schools? Do you have a price range?

Once you give us more info on what exactly you're looking for I'm sure you'll get a lot of responses.

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by Lolantrix

Hello!

My family and I are planning to move to the Knoxville area in the next year or so and are at a loss as to where exactly to move . . . sound familiar? We are interested in a middle class/small town atmosphere but within driving distance of some major stores. We grew up in a small town in the northwest suburbs of Chicago on a river. It has since exploded in to a "well populated" area with little to no farm land left. We are looking to raise our children in the small town/close knit community like we were raised. Are there any specific communities outside Knoxville like this?

Thank you so much for your time! We are very excited about starting the relocation process!!!

Lolantrix

What population number/range do you consider to be small town? I ask this because posters here have very different opinions about population size when it comes to defining small towns and big cities.

[Lolantrix]

Thank you for the quick response. We are looking for an area that has a population of less than 3,000 to 5,000. I would personally like at least a half acre of property, but that is just a dream. As for the drive, 30 minutes to get to a mall is perfect. We are looking for a quaint local downtown area that has yearly festivals, etc. We would like beautiful views. My kids will be attending public schools, but they are 2 and 8 months right now, so that is a few years away.

We were told to look at the following cities: Clinton, Jefferson City, Lenoir City, Loudon, Kingston, Andersonville and Norris? I have also done some research online and really liked Drandridge?

Once again, thank you and any information or direction that you can give us is much appreciated.

[JMT]

Dandridge really is a cute little town, and its setting is gorgeous right there on the lake. I mean right smack on the lake.

However, if schools are a big concern I would opt for Norris. Not that the schools in Dandridge are bad, I just think that Anderson County (Norris and Clinton) have, over all, better schools than Jefferson County (Dandridge and Jefferson City). At the elementary school level it probably doesn't matter a whole lot, but I think Anderson County HS is a notch better than Jefferson County HS. And I think Roane County HS (Kingston) would be a notch below Jefferson County HS.

Norris is a quaint little town, too, but it doesn't really have a downtown; the town was built to house workers who were building Norris Dam (1930s?). But it really is beautiful, too, and it's worth checking out.

Kingston is also nice but, again, schools might be a concern. However, the town is certainly nice and the setting is gorgeous.

[hiknapster]

Did I answer this question on the Knoxville forum? Yes, I have!

Surrounding Suburbs?