Time To leave South Florida (Knoxville, Maryville: crimes, unemployment rate, living in)

[Rasbell]

Originally Posted by FLORIDA TO NIOTA 2010

Rasbell - How you looked at the picture threads? There's one under the Tennessee forum and one under Kingsport - Johnson City - Bristol. Both are a fantastic tool for research.
Take a look. Beautiful pictures from all over east Tennessee. Enjoy them.

Thanks I'll check them out.

[vlwinfla]

Originally Posted by julie517

I completely agree with you about south Florida! People are just so rude down here, the weather is awful, and I need a new chapter in my life.

From a Fort Myers, FL (SW Florida) native, I have to say, I AGREE with your assessment! SW Fla. is the same way! I can't wait to get out of here either. However, I need to secure a job in TN before relocating. Plus, my Dad is the last stages of a terminal illness so I am kind of hanging on here in FL to see how he does.

Best of luck to you in getting out of Florida!!! I hope I am next!!

[julie517]

Originally Posted by Rasbell

Check this link out

https://www.city-data.com/crime/crime...Tennessee.html

Thank you!

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by julie517

Thank you!

That crime map looks like you are moving into crime central. That's far from the truth. TN counts its crime much more different than Florida. TN counts every charge as a separate crime, so if someone is charged with four counts during one incident it is reported four times. Florida does not do that. It is counted as once.

Further, due to tourism, Florida can be less than truthful with its stats, depending on the area. In swFlorida, two sheriffs constantly run against each other and both accuse the other of falsifying the crime reports.

[julie517]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

That crime map looks like you are moving into crime central. That's far from the truth. TN counts its crime much more different than Florida. TN counts every charge as a separate crime, so if someone is charged with four counts during one incident it is reported four times. Florida does not do that. It is counted as once.

Further, due to tourism, Florida can be less than truthful with its stats, depending on the area. In swFlorida, two sheriffs constantly run against each other and both accuse the other of falsifying the crime reports.

Thank you for the explanation! It seems that Florida is less than truthful about most things!!

[Retired in TN]

Russel, get outta there !! I moved to Newport (1 hr east of Knox) 3 yrs ago. Night & day from Lake Worth (where I too grew up). For more info on costs, also Google City Compare. It will give you cost of living, housing cost comparisons, crime stats etc.... Where I live the COL is 31% less than there and housing is 61% less. My prop taxes are about 1/3 (with twice the house and 5x the property). Sales tax is high (mine is 9.75%)

Also, regarding the comment about Knox doing crime stats differently, They are a national standard of categories. I have noticed that Knox has had as many bank & pharmacy robberies and home invasions in recent months.

I don't know about availability of jobs, but I know that salaries are much less than down there, probably due to less COL.

Regarding the folks down there, yes you pretty much need a passport to go there (green cards don't seem to matter). Up here people are very friendly and wave at you with ALL of their fingers. Folks here are more down to earth and not pretentious as are a large number of folks there.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by Retired in TN

Also, regarding the comment about Knox doing crime stats differently, They are a national standard of categories.

Not true. There are two different ways that states report their stats. There is the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) and the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS).

Federal Bureau of Investigation - Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program

Status of NIBRS in the States

[weisgarber1]

Originally Posted by utvols

We moved here from south fla. about 5 years ago and it is a very nice place to live however; The natives here (good old southerners) have also been pushed out by not only us floridians (sorry to say) but alot of northerners that have completely changed the way of life around here. It's sad (notice that I included myself since I'm a floridian) but I know alot of natives around here and they all tell me the same thing. This place used to be like heaven 4-5 years ago and compared to south fl. I'm sure it still feels that way to some folks that have recently moved up here but wait and see. I give it perhaps a couple more years before it turns into another little florida. I'm sorry to anyone if I sound pessimistic or derrogatory in any way but it is the honest truth. As for the crime, it has skyrocketed in the last 2-3 years.

You make some good points and it just goes to show that many people who relocate want the new environment to cater to their every whim, and desire, no matter what reason they chose to relocate. Many transplants automatically begin to try and change the local culture, no matter where the location, and resist the status quo. That creates problems for everyone. It has affected Florida and Arizona, to name two states, dramatically over the last 20-30 years. And unfortunately, that isn't going to change. N.C. has also been affected adversely, in the minds of many natives there, by the larger than what would normally be expected, immigration from N.Y., N.J., and the N.E.

[FLORIDA TO NIOTA 2010]

That is really sad. Tennessee is such a beautiful place.
And the story about the lady is also very sad and scary. Here in FL we have been getting warnings about people sitting a baby car seat in the road by a car and hiding waiting for someone to stop to help the baby( really a doll ) and then they rob you and steal your car with all you ID and credit cards. If you are lucky they don't kill you. So DON'T STOP JUST CALL THE POLICE!!! It's such a SAD, SAD world (everywhere) we live in.

[hiknapster]

Hmmm. I hadn't heard that story so I looked it up. It allegedly happened in Maryville. I'll withhold comment until all the facts are in.

I've lived here five years and love it here. If anything, I like it a whole lot more than when I first lived here. Of course, I rented near some transplants. When I bought our house, 2 years ago, I purposely bought in an area of locals.

Transplants tend to gravitate together. Sometimes, just by the area, I can tell a transplant. I moved here because of the lifestyle and people and absolutely abhor anyone that wants to come here and change it. Like my instructor said, "We got a place for those subversive Yankees. It's called a gated community." He told me I have a pardon since I have fully assimilated.

The locals like you fine if you enjoy this way of life and don't want to change it. But if you come here and whine about the drivers or the chatting at the cash register or laugh at the accents or assume that the locals are somehow not as smart as you, well, you deserve their disdain.

It would be a major stretch to compare Knoxville with Miami, even on a bad day. There are so many factors that would have to come together for this area to become a Miami that the chances are slim to none. And that is all I'm saying about that.