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This is a tough one. The same salary if it is middle class or above is going to go farther in TN than elsewhere due to the lack of an income tax. If you are in the lower income brackets, the high sales tax will more than overcome the lack of an income tax, though.
Greenville probably has the nicest downtown area. Chattanooga would probably come in second. Knoxville has been slow to revitalize downtown but they are finally getting there. Love my TN VOLs so for me that would be a big draw, but maybe not so much for others. I don't intend to sound mean but Fayetteville is in Arkansas and the state is far from the beach, and the mountains there are comparatively hills.
Knoxville is probably closest to the most outdoor activities and scenic beauty. You can live in Maryville and be in commuting distance to Knoxville and have mountain views in your backyard. Some areas in Greenville offer mountain views but not as many as around Knoxville. Greenville is also close to a ton of outdoor activities. You might add another 20 minutes to get to the mountains compared to Knoxville. Chattanooga is also close to a lot of outdoor activities.
Knoxville is the biggest of the three towns and will offer more shopping and such. Honestly, though, there isn't much shopping I need to do that can't be found in Greenville or Chattanooga.
Greenville is going to be closer to the beach than the others but it's still just over 3 hours to get there.
If I had a job offer paying the same and I had to relocate to go to any of these cities, Knoxville would be my first choice, followed by Grenville, then Chattanooga. I'd honestly have to think long and hard about any relocation to Arkansas. I'd probably just stay put unless I was out of work.
Given that I'm currently in Greenville, it would be a huge disruption to move back to Knoxville so I'd be unlikely to move. Greenville is a great area to call home, especially if you like outdoorsy stuff. I tried to find a job in Knoxville when I graduated UT and didn't get any good paying offers. Tried again about 10 years later and ended up ion Greenville with a great job instead.
This is a tough one. The same salary if it is middle class or above is going to go farther in TN than elsewhere due to the lack of an income tax. If you are in the lower income brackets, the high sales tax will more than overcome the lack of an income tax, though.
Greenville probably has the nicest downtown area. Chattanooga would probably come in second. Knoxville has been slow to revitalize downtown but they are finally getting there. Love my TN VOLs so for me that would be a big draw, but maybe not so much for others. I don't intend to sound mean but Fayetteville is in Arkansas and the state is far from the beach, and the mountains there are comparatively hills.
Knoxville is probably closest to the most outdoor activities and scenic beauty. You can live in Maryville and be in commuting distance to Knoxville and have mountain views in your backyard. Some areas in Greenville offer mountain views but not as many as around Knoxville. Greenville is also close to a ton of outdoor activities. You might add another 20 minutes to get to the mountains compared to Knoxville. Chattanooga is also close to a lot of outdoor activities.
Knoxville is the biggest of the three towns and will offer more shopping and such. Honestly, though, there isn't much shopping I need to do that can't be found in Greenville or Chattanooga.
Greenville is going to be closer to the beach than the others but it's still just over 3 hours to get there.
If I had a job offer paying the same and I had to relocate to go to any of these cities, Knoxville would be my first choice, followed by Grenville, then Chattanooga. I'd honestly have to think long and hard about any relocation to Arkansas. I'd probably just stay put unless I was out of work.
Given that I'm currently in Greenville, it would be a huge disruption to move back to Knoxville so I'd be unlikely to move. Greenville is a great area to call home, especially if you like outdoorsy stuff. I tried to find a job in Knoxville when I graduated UT and didn't get any good paying offers. Tried again about 10 years later and ended up ion Greenville with a great job instead.
A couple of things. Knoxville proper might be bigger but the MSA are essentially the same with K-ville having a 2k advantage until you open it up to the broader MSAs and then Greenville-Spartanburg has it by about 400k. I also can't think of any shopping that Knoxville has that Greenville doesn't have.
Don't think I'm bashing Knoxville, but when I moved from Birmingham to Knoxville it is noticeably smaller. There isn't a good equivalent in Knoxville of what Greenville has downtown.
I like Chattanooga, but they are having some serious gang problems which would make me rethink of wanting to move there.
I voted for Greenville. Nice area, a lot to do outdoors, reasonable drive to Atlanta and Charlotte, decent economy, and the closer out of the four to the beach (I'm a beach guy). I've been to Knoxville a few times and have enjoyed it. I can't comment on Chattanooga or Fayetteville, AR since I've never been to either city.
A couple of things. Knoxville proper might be bigger but the MSA are essentially the same with K-ville having a 2k advantage until you open it up to the broader MSAs and then Greenville-Spartanburg has it by about 400k. I also can't think of any shopping that Knoxville has that Greenville doesn't have.
Don't think I'm bashing Knoxville, but when I moved from Birmingham to Knoxville it is noticeably smaller. There isn't a good equivalent in Knoxville of what Greenville has downtown.
I like Chattanooga, but they are having some serious gang problems which would make me rethink of wanting to move there.
Birmingham MSA: 1.1 million
Knoxville MSA: 900,000
Birmingham CSA: 1.3 million
Knoxville CSA: 1.1 million
Birmingham does feel larger but in reality they aren't much different in size. Knoxville has some nice shopping areas, but Birmingham has more high end stores. The downtowns couldn't be anymore different. Birmingham's is lively and seeing new residential growth while Knoxville's downtown hasn't changed much over the years. Greenville and Chattanooga have better downtowns than either of them.
Birmingham's is lively and seeing new residential growth while Knoxville's downtown hasn't changed much over the years
Shakeesha! when were you last in Knoxville? Downtown's change over the last 20 years is like night and day. It has gone from a ghost town to a lively place filling up with condominiums, retail, restaurants.
As for comparison to Birmingham - of course B'ham feels like a much larger city - it is! Especially 100 years ago when the downtowns were being developed. Even today a lot of Knoxville's MSA population is in towns and small cities in the surrounding area. Knox County population is around 400K and that gives a better impression of the urban area and about 10% of those people live in settings you would describe as rural.
Creeksitter have you been to the Fayetteville/NW Arkansas area? I'm curious to how this would compare and contrast to the others. And if not, why.
Fayetteville is nestled in the Ozarks with the mountains being both south and east of town. North of Fayetteville is a string of towns that make up a metro of close to 500K anymore with Fayetteville anchoring the south end.
The area doesn't really feel urban at all compared to the others in this discussion as the four main towns in the string all are overgrown hamlets from earlier days.
Also, while the mountains in Arkansas are not as tall like the Smokies, don't discount the scenic beauty in Arkansas because the Ozarks actually aren't mountains at all. Rather an uplift that has eroded through the eons in spectacular fashion. The Ozarks are stunning in their own way.
Fayetteville is nestled in the Ozarks with the mountains being both south and east of town. North of Fayetteville is a string of towns that make up a metro of close to 500K anymore with Fayetteville anchoring the south end.
The area doesn't really feel urban at all compared to the others in this discussion as the four main towns in the string all are overgrown hamlets from earlier days.
Also, while the mountains in Arkansas are not as tall like the Smokies, don't discount the scenic beauty in Arkansas because the Ozarks actually aren't mountains at all. Rather an uplift that has eroded through the eons in spectacular fashion. The Ozarks are stunning in their own way.
I have heard the Ozarks are very pretty and Fayetteville is right next to them (where Greenville & Knoxville for example it takes a drive to get to the hills). It looks like you can be in the hills within minutes from Fayetteville. I have heard there are some nice lakes in the Ozarks too. Yes when I say Fayetteville I mean that metro area that includes Springdale, Rogers and Bentonville. That's why I thought it was a good comparison to the other three areas since the metro areas are similar sized (and they are all close to mountains and 3 of 4 have large universities right in town).
Shakeesha! when were you last in Knoxville? Downtown's change over the last 20 years is like night and day. It has gone from a ghost town to a lively place filling up with condominiums, retail, restaurants.
As for comparison to Birmingham - of course B'ham feels like a much larger city - it is! Especially 100 years ago when the downtowns were being developed. Even today a lot of Knoxville's MSA population is in towns and small cities in the surrounding area. Knox County population is around 400K and that gives a better impression of the urban area and about 10% of those people live in settings you would describe as rural.
Hey Creeksitter :-)! I visit Knoxville fairly often to see my friends. They live in Farragut, however, we go downtown to the Market Square and Gay Street to eat and shop at the little boutiques, and yes on Friday and Saturday nights. It has seem some changes since I was a student back in 2004, but not like Chattanooga and Greenville have over the same time period. I'd like to see Knoxville add more residential, retail, and convention space. There is a lot of potential to develop the riverfront, if the leaders pushed for more urban development instead of the suburban type stuff that continues across the city.
Yes Chattanooga was even more of a ghost town in the past - and 50 yrs ago Greenville was a small city. So that is why you see more new residential construction. Knoxville has seen mostly office/retail to loft conversions. I like the adaptive reuse - there's a lot of character in the old buildings. But you might not notice the conversions just driving past. There is a large new apartment building between Gay st and the Old City going up at this time.
Knoxville is having a downtown home tour next weekend if you have time for a road trip.
I don't care for the new construction on Chattanooga's north shore - it seems so sterile. I do like the new development between the aquarium and the art museum - it seems to have more "texture".
Scenic beauty: 1. Chattanooga 2. Fayetteville 3. Knoxville 4. Greenville
Home prices: 1. Fayetteville 2. Chattanooga 3. Greenville 4. Knoxville
People: 1. Chattanooga 2. Fayetteville 3. Knoxville 4. Greenville
Weather: pretty similar for all four places
Future job growth: 1. Fayetteville 2. Chattanooga 3. Greenville 4. Knoxville
Chattanooga or Fayetteville would be my picks
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