Potentially moving to Knoxville and looking for heaps of information. (Memphis: apartment, rental)

[DuckLuck]

I've been researching different cities to relocate around the country and think that Knoxville might be the one. I'm a blend of conservative and liberal i.e. I vote Democrat, pro choice, I'm college educated, I don't use drugs, I'm not in to hipster or overly "hippie" lifestyles, I'm intellectually curious while seeking a simpler and more traditional place to live. I want to be able to access healthy organic food and go running in clean parks, but I like my good old fried chicken and a lifestyle that doesn't take health and environmental issues too seriously.

I have a lot of questions, so here goes:

1. Is there a large hipster community in Knoxville?

2. Are there a lot of early 30's, single, college educated adults?

3. I would like to live in an area that is close to the city center, safe, somewhat trendy, but at the same time inexpensive. As in, I will be renting an apartment and my price range is around $600-$700/month.

4. According to Forbes, and a few less reputable sources, Knoxville is relatively an economically stable city with a healthy employment growth rate. Is this true? I will be pursuing work in community outreach or within a university.

5. Is there an element of old south, old money, non-transplant population there?

6. Are there health food stores such as Whole Foods?

7. Is getting around without a car realistic?

8. What will the temperature be towards the end of February/early March? Is this a sunny city?

9. Are there many asians or mixed ethnics there?

Thanks in advance for your answers. I'd really appreciate thoughtful answers from people who live there or have lived there recently.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by DuckLuck

I've been researching different cities to relocate around the country and think that Knoxville might be the one. I'm a blend of conservative and liberal i.e. I vote Democrat, pro choice, I'm college educated, I don't use drugs, I'm not in to hipster or overly "hippie" lifestyles, I'm intellectually curious while seeking a simpler and more traditional place to live. I want to be able to access healthy organic food and go running in clean parks, but I like my good old fried chicken and a lifestyle that doesn't take health and environmental issues too seriously.

I have a lot of questions, so here goes:

1. Is there a large hipster community in Knoxville?

Not really. Knoxville is a very middle-of-the-road city. There is a "hipster" element here, but it's nothing like Asheville NC which seems to go out of its way to be hopelessly hip and annoyingly granola.

Originally Posted by DuckLuck

2. Are there a lot of early 30's, single, college educated adults?

Absolutely. Nothing like Atlanta or Nashville, but certainly a good chunk of our city residents are educated, single thirtysomethings.

Originally Posted by DuckLuck

3. I would like to live in an area that is close to the city center, safe, somewhat trendy, but at the same time inexpensive. As in, I will be renting an apartment and my price range is around $600-$700/month.

That's a bit on the low end of rental prices here but it's certainly doable, particularly if you don't mind living in a neighborhood with a little bit of an edge to it, a neighborhood that's not too polished and scrubbed. Old North, South Knoxville, and Fourth and Gill are neighborhoods which come to mind.

Originally Posted by DuckLuck

4. According to Forbes, and a few less reputable sources, Knoxville is relatively an economically stable city with a healthy employment growth rate. Is this true? I will be pursuing work in community outreach or within a university.

The University of Tennessee is a huge employer. I teach at U.T. and love it. Keep in mind, though, that as the state faces year after year of budget crises, U.T.'s funds keep shrinking and we're forced to do more with less. Salaries are generally lower here than elsewhere, too. But if you can get on at U.T., it's a fantastic place to work. I don't know anything about how easy it would be to get a job in some sort of community outreach organization.

Originally Posted by DuckLuck

5. Is there an element of old south, old money, non-transplant population there?

Absolutely. The Sequoyah Hills area west of downtown/U.T. just oozes with old money. Over all, Knoxville is a very scruffy, blue collar town, but Sequoyah Hills is definitely where the well-heeled Old South has come to roost.

Originally Posted by DuckLuck

6. Are there health food stores such as Whole Foods?

Whole Foods has announced they're coming to town. We already have two Earth Fares (Earth Fare is based in Asheville NC and is a clone of Whole Foods). We also have a wonderful food co-op called Three Rivers Market (near the aforementioned Old North neighborhood) and several farmers markets. Trader Joe's is also coming here.

Originally Posted by DuckLuck

7. Is getting around without a car realistic?

Not really. If you live within a couple of miles of downtown and work downtown or at U.T., you can conceivably get by without a car. But, really, having a car is pretty much necessary here, particularly since riding a bicycle isn't easy on all of our hills (Knoxville is very hilly).

Originally Posted by DuckLuck

8. What will the temperature be towards the end of February/early March? Is this a sunny city?

Your guess is as good as ours. Our summers are solidly warm, but the rest of the year can fluctuate pretty wildly. We've had Christmases in the 70s and Christmases below 0. It's generally warm'ish the end of February/early March although we've also had snow in March.

Otherwise, our winters are generally gray and chilly (rarely frigidly cold), our springs are usually sunny with periods of spring showers, our summers are sunny and hot, with beautiful afternoon thunderstorms, and our falls are gloriously sunny and dry. Generally.

Originally Posted by DuckLuck

9. Are there many asians or mixed ethnics there?

Around the university, yes. There are several Asian grocery stores here. Nothing like on the West Coast, but not bad for a city snug in the Appalachians.

Originally Posted by DuckLuck

Thanks in advance for your answers. I'd really appreciate thoughtful answers from people who live there or have lived there recently.

[Barking Spider]

What JMT said..........

[hiknapster]

Thank goodness JMT fielded this one.

Yes, what he said!

Regarding weather, it is going to depend on your perspective. If you are use to the weather up north you will probably consider this place to be rather warm and fairly sunny. If you are from Florida or California, less so. I've lived up north and in Florida and I think the weather here is perfect, four seasons of well-balanced weather. Not too cold or too hot. A lot of locals think the area is not that sunny but it really isn't true. Florida is incredibly sunny but after ten years I was ready for some gray days and had enough of the relentless Florida glare. Then again, I like to curl up with a good book or old movie sometimes.

Anyway, the middle of February to the middle of March is usual our first signs of real spring, a very exciting time when the Bradford pears start to bloom along with the daffodils!

Our bus system is not that of a large city but it is not bad. You are still better off with a car but it is doable. If nothing else, insurance is relatively inexpensive.

All and all our city is very small but lovingly restored. It has seen a major renaissance in the past few years. We are progressive - we just elected our first female mayor who is very liberal - but not pretentious and mostly just welcoming libertarian.

[Pam& Bill]

JMT, You rock!
Pam

[DuckLuck]

Gah! Thanks so much for this! Now the big question is, how does it compare to Nashville and Memphis in regards to the same query I have?

[mattbward]

Plenty of Hipsters here, they hang out down town. You can go to Preservation Pub or the Pilot Light, Coffee and Chocolate or Old City Java and they are everywhere. This is your typical PBR hipster.

As far as asians, Farragut (West Knoxville) has the largest concentration and a great asian market called Sunrise Market.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by mattbward

Plenty of Hipsters here, they hang out down town. You can go to Preservation Pub or the Pilot Light, Coffee and Chocolate or Old City Java and they are everywhere. This is your typical PBR hipster.

As far as asians, Farragut (West Knoxville) has the largest concentration and a great asian market called Sunrise Market.

Sunrise Market is nowhere near Farragut. It's in West Knoxville just a couple of blocks west of West Town Mall. But yes, it is a large Asian supermarket run by very friendly people from Taiwan.

There are a couple of smaller Asian grocery stores along Sutherland in the Bearden area of West Knoxville. They're across the street from what used to be married student housing for U.T., home to hundreds of Asian and African students and their families. Those housing complexes have been demolished, but the stores are still there.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by DuckLuck

Gah! Thanks so much for this! Now the big question is, how does it compare to Nashville and Memphis in regards to the same query I have?

Nashville and Memphis are much larger than Knoxville. Memphis is tainted by its rampant crime and massive welfare class. It was recently named America's poorest city. It does have quite a few urban pioneers who are trying to take back urban neighborhoods, so if that's your thing, Memphis might be a place to investigate.

Nashville is the closest thing we have to a Sunbelt boom town. About half of the state's growth is in metro Nashville. Wages are higher there than in Knoxville, but so is the cost of housing. Being the state capital and home to a dozen colleges and universities, it's a very white collar town. There are scads of young people who flock to the city because of the music industry, too. And make no mistake, there are a lot of celebrities in Nashville. The "bank of celebrities" (Hollywood-based City National Bank) has offices only in L.A., NYC, Vegas, and Nashville (although they're opening an office in Atlanta for all the rap stars and professional athletes who live there). So Nashville does have some mighty swank neighborhoods and lots more cash than Knoxville or Memphis.

[airen123]

and more hipsters in Nashville, for sure.