West Haven? (Knoxville, Central: for sale, real estate, houses)

[Lakehopper]

Looking at neighborhoods now because that is where they put the houses... West Haven looks somewhat harmless when driving through and poking around the side streets. Anything I should know about the area besides meeting the neighbors when i was down there a few weeks ago? The weather was cold that week, but the neighbors were not... We seemed to get the "welcoming committee" treatment even when it was in the teens outside! All we did was get out of the car and look a little bit at a house that was for sale... Next thing we knew there were three gentlemen out there greeting us and giving us an ear full about the house's history and one took my wife over to meet another neighbor at the house across the street. My wife said she might have a problem putting in a garden with all the black walnut trees and then another guy offered her some space on their lot! So, what is the catch?

[Barking Spider]

Welcome to East TN, AND Knoxville! This is fairly typical, by the way.
Oh, the catch might be that you have to sample some home baked goodies.

[Lakehopper]

Originally Posted by Barking Spider

Welcome to East TN, AND Knoxville! This is fairly typical, by the way.
Oh, the catch might be that you have to sample some home baked goodies.

Now, you are really freaking wife out... She is known up here for her baking and everybody wants her to open up a shop to sell the stuff. Also another part of the conversation down there (without letting them know about her baking), they brought up a "contingency" with the house that includes sharing deserts in the neighborhood! We have always had more than enough deserts to go around and that is one thing that will never be a problem... I think some neighbors (and her coworkers) up here are already losing weight since we packed up her kitchen and sold the house!

What part is "fairly typical"? The neighborhood, people you meet on the street, "contingencies" with moving into neighborhoods of Knoxville, what? Oh, is it the part that I'm in disbelief we could have found a nice place to live so easily?

Thanks for letting me know... anybody else have anything I should know?

[Lakehopper]

I call this area West Haven since it is closest to West Haven on the map. It does have West Haven Elementary, Bearden Middle, and West High for schools. The neighborhood is actually just inside the 640 loop from there and south of Western Ave a few blocks. Drawbacks include the constant sound that comes with the raised highway (has to be 640/75) nearby and possibly hearing the train a few more blocks away as per the map. Trains are not a problem since we have lived much closer to the tracks up here and the observed road noise was actually a lot like our noise machine we use sometimes at night to block out noises. Yep, we could be weird when... So, now you have a better shot of finding something to talk about with this information???

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by Lakehopper

I call this area West Haven since it is closest to West Haven on the map. It does have West Haven Elementary, Bearden Middle, and West High for schools. The neighborhood is actually just inside the 640 loop from there and south of Western Ave a few blocks. Drawbacks include the constant sound that comes with the raised highway (has to be 640/75) nearby and possibly hearing the train a few more blocks away as per the map. Trains are not a problem since we have lived much closer to the tracks up here and the observed road noise was actually a lot like our noise machine we use sometimes at night to block out noises. Yep, we could be weird when... So, now you have a better shot of finding something to talk about with this information???

Glad the neighbors were so welcoming. That's the way it is here. If you don't like friendly - and some people don't, it freaks them out - then the South isn't for you.

But the neighborhood that you are describing isn't very good. I suspect the house you are buying is very, very inexpensive and for good reason.

[Barking Spider]

I meant its typical for Knoxville, and East TN in general. I really don't know that specific neighborhood, but Hik apparently does.

[Lakehopper]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

Glad the neighbors were so welcoming. That's the way it is here. If you don't like friendly - and some people don't, it freaks them out - then the South isn't for you.

As far as being friendly, we knew we would run into that a bit since we have lived in FL and visited in TX, MS, and other places that people are not as "cold" as NY.

Believe it or not, it even works that way in other countries where I have lived such as Scotland and Spain. Not to start an international incident, it is just that (I believe) when people are physically comfortable most of the year due to their conditions (like weather), they tend to be happier and treat others better.

You know that song "Don't worry, be happy" came from a warm place where the weather seems very nice all the time... Do you think it could come from somebody sitting in a cold place up north where the heating bills drive the economy?

Up here, everybody is so worried about surviving the winter, they run around in the good weather preparing for it and ignoring opportunities to be better neighbors! We are so ready for this move right now...

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by Lakehopper

As far as being friendly, we knew we would run into that a bit since we have lived in FL and visited in TX, MS, and other places that people are not as "cold" as NY.

Believe it or not, it even works that way in other countries where I have lived such as Scotland and Spain. Not to start an international incident, it is just that (I believe) when people are physically comfortable most of the year due to their conditions (like weather), they tend to be happier and treat others better.

You know that song "Don't worry, be happy" came from a warm place where the weather seems very nice all the time... Do you think it could come from somebody sitting in a cold place up north where the heating bills drive the economy?

Up here, everybody is so worried about surviving the winter, they run around in the good weather preparing for it and ignoring opportunities to be better neighbors! We are so ready for this move right now...

I would have agreed with that up until the moment I arrived in Florida. That was another world altogether. And when I moved from Orlando to Fort Myers well, that was another planet. Of course it was full of cranky retirees from very cold climates so that might have something to do with it. Apparently the sunshine state never thawed them out!

Yes Barking Spider, I had to know every area back when I was a real estate agent. I suspect you don't get a lot of inspections in the Western Avenue - from I-640 to 11th St. - area.

[Lakehopper]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

I would have agreed with that up until the moment I arrived in Florida. That was another world altogether. And when I moved from Orlando to Fort Myers well, that was another planet. Of course it was full of cranky retirees from very cold climates so that might have something to do with it. Apparently the sunshine state never thawed them out!

Well, actually they were not "comfortable" there... the heat was killing them! A lot of them turn out to be "half-backs" after a while anyway... they move halfway back. I was in Pensacola more than Orlando and those were the ones that I'm taking about...

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by Lakehopper

Well, actually they were not "comfortable" there... the heat was killing them! A lot of them turn out to be "half-backs" after a while anyway... they move halfway back. I was in Pensacola more than Orlando and those were the ones that I'm taking about...

Yes, I've been aware of the term for a couple of decades. Pensacola is more military and Southerners and not a heck of a lot like most of Florida. If you'd lived along the coast from Central to Southern Florida you'd change that theory and fast.