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I am curious about these three cities. I will be taking a vacation eventually to visit all of them, but for now I would like your input. Some factors I would like you guys to take into account when voting.....
Traffic - less traffic obviously the better
Weather - I love thunderstorms/rain and hate the cold/snow. Coming from Cleveland, I am looking for a bit warmer of a climate
University - will be getting back into school. Virginia Tech is near Roanoke, but still kind of a hike. Both Tennessee cities have Universities too
Crime - obviously the lower the better
Cost of living - particularly housing costs
VA medical facility - this is important because I am a veteran. I have read good things about the Roanoke facility
Scenery - the mountains are the main reason I have chosen all three cities
Dating - I honestly don't know if dating really varies much, but I am a 30's single male who would be interested in dating
Food - obviously love me some good food, so variety and quality matters
Politics - the less the better!
Which city do you guys like or which one sounds like the better fit for me? Looking forward to your comments
I'll attempt to help- I've actually only been through Roanoke area once, so my knowledge is extremely limited, but I have a lot of experience with Knox and Chatt.
Traffic - Chatt has lighter traffic than Knoxville.
Weather - Honestly, no clue which has warmer weather (Chatt vs. Knox)- I'm assuming they'll both be warmer than Roanoke; I'm going to guess Chattanooga is a bit warmer than Knoxville though on average.
University -Knoxville's UTk is on a whole other level compared to UT Chatt. I'm not sure what you're looking for in a university, but if you're looking for robust programs and courses with lots of offerings, UTk is the one to pick here.
Crime - I think they are comparable.
Cost of living - Comparable.
VA medical facility - No clue; I would guess Knoxville offers better service than Chatt though.
Scenery - I prefer Chattanooga's views to Knoxville's; but both are really pretty.
Dating - No clue. I think you'd be fine in either city but metro knox is bigger, so if I had to guess, I'd guess Knoxville.
Food - I prefer the food in Chattanooga.
Politics - Neither city is really political, I'd guess Knoxville is a bit more though compared to Chattanooga.
I'll attempt to help- I've actually only been through Roanoke area once, so my knowledge is extremely limited, but I have a lot of experience with Knox and Chatt.
Traffic - Chatt has lighter traffic than Knoxville.
Weather - Honestly, no clue which has warmer weather (Chatt vs. Knox)- I'm assuming they'll both be warmer than Roanoke; I'm going to guess Chattanooga is a bit warmer than Knoxville though on average.
University -Knoxville's UTk is on a whole other level compared to UT Chatt. I'm not sure what you're looking for in a university, but if you're looking for robust programs and courses with lots of offerings, UTk is the one to pick here.
Crime - I think they are comparable.
Cost of living - Comparable.
VA medical facility - No clue; I would guess Knoxville offers better service than Chatt though.
Scenery - I prefer Chattanooga's views to Knoxville's; but both are really pretty.
Dating - No clue. I think you'd be fine in either city but metro knox is bigger, so if I had to guess, I'd guess Knoxville.
Food - I prefer the food in Chattanooga.
Politics - Neither city is really political, I'd guess Knoxville is a bit more though compared to Chattanooga.
This is helpful! thank you for taking the time to help
Traffic - less traffic obviously the better Roanoke here--smaller city and smaller metro region. Minimal traffic compared to Knoxville & Chattanooga. Knoxville has pretty rough traffic on I-40. Chattanooga on the bottleneck where 75 meets 24, during rush hour and some other random times.
Weather - I love thunderstorms/rain and hate the cold/snow. Coming from Cleveland, I am looking for a bit warmer of a climate
Definitely all 3 cities. But Chattanooga will be the warmest, being the furthest south, but just by a couple degrees warmer than Knoxville and maybe 3 or 4 warmer than Roanoke, on average.
University - will be getting back into school. Virginia Tech is near Roanoke, but still kind of a hike. Both Tennessee cities have Universities too
Chattanooga has the UT Chattanooga campus, and Knoxville has the University of Tennessee campus. Both are super nice.
Crime - obviously the lower the better All 3 have similar low crime. Not really a big issue overall. Safety is all relative, depending on your comfort and personal experience.
Cost of living - particularly housing costs
Cheapest will be Roanoke area. But Knoxville and Chattanooga aren't too much more pricey.
VA medical facility - this is important because I am a veteran. I have read good things about the Roanoke facility Salem, just outside of Roanoke, has a VA Hospital. Chattanooga and Knoxville have VA clinics. The big East Tennessee VA Hospital campus is in Johnson City--and it's large and really nice.
Scenery - the mountains are the main reason I have chosen all three cities. Chattanooga edges both Knoxville and Roanoke, but all 3 are stunning areas.
Dating - I honestly don't know if dating really varies much, but I am a 30's single male who would be interested in dating Probably Knoxville wins here. It's the largest metro (900k) and has the most singles.
Food - obviously love me some good food, so variety and quality matters Knoxville wins here, they have great options.
Politics - the less the better! All 3 cities sit in red areas. The cities themselves will be mostly blue overall. Roanoke sits in a blue state, but the region it is in, is extremely red.
I have been to each city/metro many times and hold each in very high regard. All 3 rank in the top 25% of my metro rankings.
Traffic - None have horrible traffic, but Chattanooga has the best in my experience.
Weather - Chattanooga is the warmest.
University - VA Tech isn't too far from Roanoke, especially if you lived closer to Salem. Knoxville has University of Tennessee, which is a major Division I school. Chattanooga has U of TN-Chattanooga, which is smaller.
Crime - Roanoke has the lowest crime rate.
Cost of living - Chattanooga has the lowest housing costs. Roanoke and Chattanooga are about the same in buying power (cost of living vs. average income). Still, all 3 have great buying power and great home prices.
VA medical facility - Knoxville and Roanoke (Salem) have VA Medical Centers. Chattanooga does not.
Scenery - Tie. All 3 are gorgeous in this regard.
Dating - I think you could find someone in any of these. But my guess would be Knoxville would be better due to the large university being there.
Food - Knoxville has some great places. They would be my pick.
Politics - All 3 are pretty Conservative, especially Knoxville and Chattanooga. They tend to be less obsessed with politics and more live-let-live in my experiences.
I would highly recommend any of these 3. Great areas. My personal favorite of these 3 is Knoxville. So much to do in an areas its size. One of the most balanced metro areas in the nation, when viewing each metric objectively. And thank you for your military service. Two of our sons are military veterans (Army and Marines). I have a niece and future daughter-in-law who are serving in the Army now. I truly honor and respect the sacrifices you and your family has made for our country. God bless you and good luck in your decision.
VA medical facility - Knoxville and Roanoke (Salem) have VA Medical Centers. Chattanooga does not.
Knoxville does not have a VA medical center, either. The VA medical center for East Tennessee is up by Johnson City. Both Knoxville and Chattanooga have VA medical clinics.
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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
Knoxville does not have a VA medical center, either. The VA medical center for East Tennessee is up by Johnson City. Both Knoxville and Chattanooga have VA medical clinics.
Thanks for the info. How far is Johnson City from these two cities roughly?
Johnson City is 90 minutes roughly, northeast of Knoxville.
Speaking of beautiful areas, if you are curious you should plan a quick visit to Johnson City. The VA campus is incredible (I have several close relatives working there) and Johnson City has East Tennessee State University there which has about 15,000 students.
Johnson City has about 67k people, and the metro "tri cities" region has about 500k. The only "con" with this region is that bigger city amenities like Knoxville or Chattanooga have, won't be available in Johnson City. But the laid back lifestyle, the stunning mountains (arguably more pretty than Chattanooga) and cost of living is very low.
Jobs won't be abundantly available in JC either though, as compared to Knoxville or Chattanooga, or even Roanoke. But it's worth a look, especially if the VA hospital access is important to you.
The thing with Roanoke, is that it is a nice city and in a beautiful region ,but a bit of a "smaller" city and a bit isolated from other metros. The closest "big city" is Winston-Salem, 2 hours away, DC is 3 1/2 hours, Richmond is 3 hours and Knoxville is 3 1/2 hours away.
Johnson City is 90 minutes roughly, northeast of Knoxville.
Speaking of beautiful areas, if you are curious you should plan a quick visit to Johnson City. The VA campus is incredible (I have several close relatives working there) and Johnson City has East Tennessee State University there which has about 15,000 students.
Johnson City has about 67k people, and the metro "tri cities" region has about 500k. The only "con" with this region is that bigger city amenities like Knoxville or Chattanooga have, won't be available in Johnson City. But the laid back lifestyle, the stunning mountains (arguably more pretty than Chattanooga) and cost of living is very low.
Jobs won't be abundantly available in JC either though, as compared to Knoxville or Chattanooga, or even Roanoke. But it's worth a look, especially if the VA hospital access is important to you.
The thing with Roanoke, is that it is a nice city and in a beautiful region ,but a bit of a "smaller" city and a bit isolated from other metros. The closest "big city" is Winston-Salem, 2 hours away, DC is 3 1/2 hours, Richmond is 3 hours and Knoxville is 3 1/2 hours away.
Just something to consider, if important.
Thank you for this.
The isolation of Roanoke is something that I have thought about. I'm not sure if that is a good or bad thing for me...
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