I made it, then back, and back there soon! (rental, house) - Knoxville - Tennessee (TN) - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

Bizzar1 · 12-26-2011, 12:33 AM

Home. That is a soothing and strong word to me. Im originally from upstate (Rochester) ny. I know many people in Tennessee are not fond of "yankees" so I don't mention it often. I've been in Florida so long I hardly know what home is. From the day my parents (divorced) moved to Fl in 87 I have felt lost. I still visit family in ny every few years but lets face it. There's hardly any Yankee blood left in this Florida man. 12 years in ny, 24 spent in Fl. This may sound a little pathetic and hey, call me a softy but on the 4th day in Knox it snowed for about 5 minutes and yes, I shed a tear. Deep down something said to me " hey buddy look up, you finally found home".

Pam& Bill · 12-26-2011, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bizzar1

Home. That is a soothing and strong word to me. Im originally from upstate (Rochester) ny. I know many people in Tennessee are not fond of "yankees" so I don't mention it often. I've been in Florida so long I hardly know what home is. From the day my parents (divorced) moved to Fl in 87 I have felt lost. I still visit family in ny every few years but lets face it. There's hardly any Yankee blood left in this Florida man. 12 years in ny, 24 spent in Fl. This may sound a little pathetic and hey, call me a softy but on the 4th day in Knox it snowed for about 5 minutes and yes, I shed a tear. Deep down something said to me " hey buddy look up, you finally found home".

I hear ya bud. Formerly a Hudson Valley resident here.....and once I moved to Knoxville, I felt like I finally belonged and "fit" and was home. I go back to NY once a year to visit and stay about 4 days. That is long enough to live on a steady diet of NY pizza and hard rolls and get my fill of pretentiousness, shallowness and keeping up with the Jones. I am always so happy and relieved to come home to Knoxville.
BTW, Food City in East Town in Knoxville sells Speedie sauce. I was thrilled the day I found that.
And I'm about to gently correct your misconception of how Tennesseans regard yankees. I'm sure there are some folks somewhere who would dislike a yankee for being a yankee. In my experience living here the last 6 years, it hasn't been an issue. Stop putting a divisional line where none currently exists. I give you 3 months to be chatting it up like the rest of the residents in Tn. in a grocery store.
Trust me you will feel like you found home.
Pam

J&Em · 12-26-2011, 08:57 AM

Welcome Bizzar1. I'm glad you found "home" for you. We knew we were home very quickly once we found our town outside of Knoxville. We have not looked back.

Pam put into words what I was thinking as well. I'm sure if you look hard enough and act on the thought that people here don't like or actively hate "yankees" you will find someone to oblige you. On the other hand if you come in and love the area, as is, you will feel comfortable in no time flat. We never have had one person say anything to us beyond the neutral observation that we weren't from around here.

What will cause you to be disliked is to repeatedly compare where you used to live with here and constantly point out what you consider deficiencies. The people that do this are generally the ones that are most likely to tell you they have received a cold shoulder or are ignored.

LOL Pam you had to bring up pizza and hard rolls, I just had gotten to the point where I didn't miss them (and bagels!) too much. Sad when that is the only thing you miss from a place you once called home!

hiknapster · 12-26-2011, 11:35 AM

I agree with the two posts above. Some people don't like it here but those people look for a reason to dislike it, are not happy anywhere, or are the type that like pretentiousness and shallowness and don't care for the "realness" of the area. There are cranky, rude people everywhere, people that want to complain about Yankees or Southerners or the sky being blue. The good news is they make up a tiny percent of the local population, which is far, far, far less than most places.

It's true, when the only thing you miss are the rolls it doesn't say much for an area.

I have to think long and hard and then really reach to find something I miss about Southwest Florida. I can think of a couple of things I miss about New England - the seafood and darling shops in some of the seaside towns - but the greatness of the Knoxville area far outshines those. New England has a lot of darling towns but they don't come close to the sense of community I've found here and downtown Knoxville is just charming.

nashvols · 12-26-2011, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bizzar1

Home. That is a soothing and strong word to me. Im originally from upstate (Rochester) ny. I know many people in Tennessee are not fond of "yankees" so I don't mention it often. I've been in Florida so long I hardly know what home is. From the day my parents (divorced) moved to Fl in 87 I have felt lost. I still visit family in ny every few years but lets face it. There's hardly any Yankee blood left in this Florida man. 12 years in ny, 24 spent in Fl. This may sound a little pathetic and hey, call me a softy but on the 4th day in Knox it snowed for about 5 minutes and yes, I shed a tear. Deep down something said to me " hey buddy look up, you finally found home".

Several people have already addressed this...so I don't want to harp on it too much...but for the most part, people aren't going to hold where you are from against you. I think a lot of the "Yankee go home" mentality has long passed. The only situations where I can think of that coming up are from things like what hik mentioned. People who move in and constantly complain about it not stacking up to where they were from before. People who talk condescendingly about the local residents, and generally display a holier than thou attitude. People who think that where they moved from is superior, and wish to change or "enlighten" the local populace out of their heathen ways. People who don't understand the local culture or traditions, and get easily offended when someone tries to explain it to them.

Those people are in the minority, and most of the native residents aren't going to care where you came from as long as you are a good neighbor and they feel like they can trust you.

My one piece of advice would be to try your best to put your mind at ease about that...because if you put on a defensive front, you could possibly come across as abrasive to some people, and get a negative reaction. Based on what you have posted, though, I don't think that will be a problem.

Happy that you found a home, and a job. That's a big deal...especially in this economy. I hope Knoxville brings you a lot of happiness.

Pam& Bill · 12-26-2011, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nashvols

Several people have already addressed this...so I don't want to harp on it too much...but for the most part, people aren't going to hold where you are from against you. I think a lot of the "Yankee go home" mentality has long passed. The only situations where I can think of that coming up are from things like what hik mentioned. People who move in and constantly complain about it not stacking up to where they were from before. People who talk condescendingly about the local residents, and generally display a holier than thou attitude. People who think that where they moved from is superior, and wish to change or "enlighten" the local populace out of their heathen ways. People who don't understand the local culture or traditions, and get easily offended when someone tries to explain it to them.

Those people are in the minority, and most of the native residents aren't going to care where you came from as long as you are a good neighbor and they feel like they can trust you.

My one piece of advice would be to try your best to put your mind at ease about that...because if you put on a defensive front, you could possibly come across as abrasive to some people, and get a negative reaction. Based on what you have posted, though, I don't think that will be a problem.

Happy that you found a home, and a job. That's a big deal...especially in this economy. I hope Knoxville brings you a lot of happiness.

Nashvols you rock! I am all out of rep points can't rep you. Loved your honest wisdom filled post.
Pam

LauraC · 12-27-2011, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bizzar1

p.s. If you made it through this novel thanks for reading and don't worry, I won't spread the news about this gem of a city. There's already enough crazy Fl transplants there hah!

Congratulations on finding a job so quickly.