moving from Florida(want to) (Knoxville, Morristown: real estate, insurance, crime)

[Lynnsing12]

Hi,
My name is Lynn, I currently live in Florida and I work as an orthodontic assistant. After researching several areas to relocate, ( because of the ridiculously rising cost of housing) I have definately decided that Tennessee is the place for me. I've become interested in Maynardville, Tennessee but obviously know nothing about Maynardville. Could anyone give me some input, pros & cons, etc., about the area?

Thank you,
Lynn

[Lynnsing12]

Sorry, I should have said Knoxville area, special interest in Maynardville.

Lynn

[pkoons]

Hi, I was born in Knoxville and now live in MD. I still have family throughout Tennessee. However, I have no specific knowledge of Maynardville. I am able, however, to vouch for some of the areas around Knoxville, especially in Jefferson County to the east.

If I'm not mistaken, Maynardville is about 20 mins north of Knoxville, about the same as Jefferson City and Dandridge. I'm not exactly sure what quality of life you are looking for or what is specifically important to you, but there are some lovely neighborhoods in Jefferson City (especially Patriot Hills, a nice country club community). A new Patriot Hills home may cost you $350K tops, which here in MD would barely get you a 10 year old town home that is half the size. Jefferson City has plenty of decent shopping, plus there is a college nearby so there's a fair share of restaurants and campus events (football games, etc). Dandridge is a little less interesting in terms of culture, but there are some nice lakefront properties.

I would stay away from the Sevierville/Pigeon Forge tourist trap area - you can get a great cabin as a getaway, but there is unbearable traffic and I wouldn't want to spend every day in it. It's nice as an offseason weekday excursion, but not as a place to live year round.

Hawkins County lies further east - very rural, and since you mentioned real estate prices, you can get a great piece of property in a nice town like Rogersville. Rogersville is definitely a classic "small town" with a Main Street District, but there are some great new homes up in Stewart Hills and it's a big enough city to have multiple churches, grocery stores, a community pool & park, music stores, movie theaters etc.

Finally, if you want to stay closer to the city to get a little more of the Knoxville "experience" , the Farragut area is pretty pricey but is full of professionals, with some great homes and a really nice private high school, according to my mother.

Hope this helps - sorry I don't know a thing about Maynardville!!!

[Lynnsing12]

Thank you for the area info . It sounds like I may want to check out those other counties too--I think a nice small town might be perfect for me--the heavy traffic that is around the Pigeon Forge area is probably what I'm dealing with on a daily basis during " snow bird" season here in Florida, and it's a real pain in the neck.
Once again, thanks for your input--it was very insightful--Happy Trails!

[Ridgerunner]

Lynn,

Maynardville is a nice residential community, but I recommend Morristown. It is considerably larger with somewhat lower housing costs. And it is large enough to do all your shopping while avoiding the Knoxville traffic. If you don't want to be 40+ miles from Knoxville, Jefferson City is another nice choice.

Rex

[aclassyrn]

Hi,
I am also living in Florida, on the gulf coast and fed up with the rising costs here. I am planning on moving to Maynardville,Tn in the next few months. My daughter and her family live in Maynardville. It is a small town with lots of Mountain views. Very peaceful and quiet. There are small shopping areas in the community but for stores like Walmart, Lowes, you have to travel to the two next towns. It is about 45 min drive to 1 hour to go to Knoxville where most of the jobs are located. You would also be near the Kentucky line about 30 min away. We have bought land up there and are placing a mobile on it. It will be much cheaper than living in Florida. Taxes for an acre will run about 300 a year. I will not have to worry about Hurricanes. My home insurance will be only about 350 a year. The people are very friendly. There are Baptist Churches on every corner. Traffic is very light. As you can tell I am looking forward to moving up there. Hope this helps and feel free to contact me.

[wendy]

It sounds like you two must live in Port Charlotte, Too. Every year it gets tougher for me to deal with the "snowbird" traffic. My husband and I are thinking about selling our lot down here and buying some acreage somewhere up north. Lately we have been looking in North Carolina. I am just concerened about having to drive in the snow, with icy roads and all. I grew up in Ohio and know what it's like. I'm not sure that that would be much of a problem in TN. Don't know how much snow they get there. It seems like it is kind of hard to find the kind of property we are looking for in NC. We would like a couple of acres of rural land in an area with maybe rolling hills, but not too mountainous. We found land in KY a few years ago that we loved but then again, the concern about the winters. I think TN has more of what we are looking for but maybe I'm just a big chicken. I think I've been spoiled too much after living in FL 21 years. At any rate, every time I have to drive anywhere, especially to Wal-Mart, I say " I've GOT to get out of this town !"

[Joe P]

Originally Posted by wendy

At any rate, every time I have to drive anywhere, especially to Wal-Mart, I say " I've GOT to get out of this town !"

That's hilarious....I said the same exact thing, word for word, yesterday while walking out of.....Wal Mart.

Isn't Florida becoming insane? Between the skyrocketing cost of living, congestion, crime (ever notice that Florida has a connection of some sort with every national crime) and heat. Oh wait, almost forgot the hurricanes.

I can't wat to move.....and I'm exactly one job away from doing just that!

Joe

[Mr. Bighead]

Snow is rarely a problem in this area (Knoxville). The last time the roads were slick here was about two years ago, and that lasted about one day. The last time we got more than two or three inches of snow here was about six years ago. The only real snow-related hazard in this area is panick-induced shopping. If the weatherman utters the S word, stay clear of walmart and grocery stores for a couple of days.

[Faznichie]

I too live in FL and am going back home to TN as soon as my husband retires AGAIN. We found a wonderful track on land that you can see valleys from one side and the other side shows the beautiful TN mountains. Middle TN does not have much snow either. Last year, you can not judge by the snows, was not normal for the amount of snow. Normally when it snows you can still see the grass coming up through the snow.