Air Quality in Eastern Tennessee (Knoxville, Chattanooga: home, buying, schools)

[gnGracie]

I've been reading this forum for about a week now and have found it very informative, so I'm hoping for some input. Here's my situation and what we're looking for:

My family currently lives in NW Florida. We have decided to relocate in the next year or so and are very strongly considering eastern TN. We love the area and plan on making several trips before we decide where to move, but I've been hearing about pollution in the Knoxville area and tri cities area (which are our primary areas of interest). My mom has severe asthma and will also be relocating with us, so this is a very big concern. Any recommendations about areas with the least pollution?

Other than pollution, our primary concerns are schools and jobs for teachers and realtors, and from what I've been reading, these look pretty promising.

Thanks so much for any help/recommendations.

P.S. I've been to the EPA's site as well as some TN sites, but I want to hear from locals as well.

[BarbieGirl]

I have a property up onthe Cumberland Plateau in Middle Eastern TN in a new community called Indian Trail Estates. I have been up to visit several times because I am building a home there. I also have asthma and the air up there is so crisp and clean. The area is also growing rapidly! There are so many people buying up there from Florida. I am using it primarily as a second home as I am not ready just yet to relocate, but in 5 years or so.

[Magster]

Air qualty was a concern for us, too, so I did some research about Campbell County, about 30 miles northwest of Knoxville, where we are relocating. It has an air quality of 80, where 100 is the best. Sounds good to us!
Cheers,
Maggie

[gnGracie]

Thanks so much BG & Magster. I've added both of these areas to my "check out" list. I appreciate your input.

[nova]

where are you guys getting your info eastern tenn. has some of the worst air quality in the contry. the great smokies are dying because of it. And don't forget about the atomic city (oak ridge, tn) polluting the air with what the goverment omitts to as radio active dust into the air. Or the illegal dumping of nuclear waste and radio active matierials.
http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=a...cal&CityID=117

[galena]

Please, give me answers about the air quality in eastern TN.

So far, I've read that Knoxville (is Alcoa responsible?) and the tri-cities (Eastman) have poor air quality. I also know there is a nuclear power plant near Dayton, a town that interested me. What's the air like in the Chattanooga area? Usually, bigger towns have poorer air quality (more cars, more factories, more plants); is that true in TN?

On my quick 3-day trip during the last week in February, I couldn't really judge because it was snowing / had snowed. I wasn't frolicing around outside checking out the air. I was mainly heading towards Cookeville / Crossville so I didn't lollygag going through Elizabethton or Johnson City. I did stay in Johnson City the first night, but I didn't do any investigating. The next morning, I was out of there before the snow got worse.

Johnson City is bigger than I want. I want a town, not a city.

How is the air in Elizabethton?

Dayton?

Cookeville?

Crossville?

[Eat]

There are a couple of large coal burning power plants in the Knoxville area that contribute quite a bit to the pollution. TVA in all its wisdom prefers to generate power with coal at one place and ship it to another via their ubiquitous high voltage lines. Fortunately, scrubber stacks are now going up on both of these plants, which should cut down significantly on their contribution to the pollutants.

Another factor is relatively heavy truck traffic. Two major interstates intersect in the area.

However, it is all relative, and it's nothing like the LA basin. We know about it because it is reported in the press, but we really don't notice it.

[TheShadow]

Nuclear power plants emit only water vapor. I worked at one for three years.

[galena]

I know that nuclear power plants don't cause regular polution; however, there's the nuclear waste problem. There are also memories of Grenoble and Two Mile Island. How safe did you feel working in one, Shadow?

[Tennesseestorm]

Be careful out there folks. NWS is showing a air quality alert that covers the entire valley areas of east Tennessee, from Chattanooga, all the way up into Tri-Cities metro and even up into adjacent southwest Virginia.