Not Knoxville (Philadelphia: crime, house, living)

[Doc. T.]

Originally Posted by jabogitlu

SmartFix 40 should hopefully fix some of those traffic problems around downtown. Was watching WBIR today (am in Greeneville for the moment) and saw it backed up on the traffic check-in. Euwww, I do not miss that traffic.

Amen & amen!

Originally Posted by bbkaren

Not terribly helpful to me, but thanks for sharing your point of view!

Attempting to improve effectiveness for future commentary. Shalom

[Beretta]

I will add a Hallelujah to that as well. The traffic through 40 can be dangerous for an interstate. The forefathers that had 40 routed through downtown Knoxville, instead of around, to generate traffic to/through our fair city can say: Mission Accomplished.

Yep, there are better and there are worse highways and byways. Those 2 lanes that curved right at the Broadway exit (going east) always scared me to death. I always seemed to have an 18 wheeler beside me taking up 1/4 of my lane. I am glad that this problem will be alleviated.

[Doc. T.]

Originally Posted by Eat

A lot of the above is misleading. There is no way the the traffic at the merge of I-40 and I-75 is "staggering." There are many areas of the US with much, much worse traffic. There have been slowdowns at the downtown merge due to construction, but the western merge usually moves at the speed limit. Construction is currently under way to complete the widening of I-40 through the downtown area. It will be done in about a year and a half. If the traffic in the completed areas is any indication, we will have a pretty darn good flow right through the area.

Rents and housing prices have increased in a lot of places, but Knoxville has not had the dramatic increases that other areas have "enjoyed."

The comment on subsidized housing is bizzare and troubling in its subtext. Knoxville is no different that some othe cities. It has some subsidized housing, but the above makes it seem like it is everywhere. It isn't.

The litter is no worse in Knoxville than any other major city in Tennessee.

Boating goes on all year round. TVA manages the lakes for mutiple puposes. One of them is flood control. For that reason, they draw the lakes down a few feet in the fall so that they can absorb heavy winter rains and prevent downstream flooding.

Murders are NOT all that frequent in Knoxville. I have no idea where the OP got that idea. It is probably as safe or safer than comparabily sized cities. I don't know a single person that worries about it. Not one.

HUD Section 8 programs, TN Housing Development Program, Knoxville County Development Corporation and other local agencies subsidize a plethora of units in Knoxville and Knox country. Indeed, it is all around and about you.
Farragut, of course, is excluded.

Murder rates per capita are higher here than in the major metor areas of Pittsburgh, Minneapolis-St.Paul and Honolulu - US Census data - perhaps, some folks, as you indicate, have become impervious to the deaths of their fellow citizens. Shalom, always.

[ThatTNGuy]

Originally Posted by Doc. T.

Murder rates per capita are higher here than in the major metor areas of Pittsburgh, Minneapolis-St.Paul and Honolulu - US Census data - perhaps, some folks, as you indicate, have become impervious to the deaths of their fellow citizens. Shalom, always.

Is this the third or fourth time you've said this?

[tntim]

Originally Posted by Doc. T.

Murder rates per capita are higher here than in the major metor areas of Pittsburgh, Minneapolis-St.Paul and Honolulu - US Census data - perhaps, some folks, as you indicate, have become impervious to the deaths of their fellow citizens. Shalom, always.

Could you provide a link to this data?

[Doc. T.]

Completely, "missed the boat." No Memphis affiliation. Scouted K-town for possible business development - e.g. providing jobs. Downtown truck-traffic gridlock, litter, air pollution and related issues have precluded that strategy.
Shalom.

Tntim, appreciated your inquiry. Data was acknowledged as from - U.S. Census Bureau - numerous clicking and your own ability to research the US government data base will eventually satisfy your quest. Alternatively, you may try David Savageau's book "Places Rated Almanac - 25th Anniversary Edition." However, it is quite expensive - library may have? Usually, don't post links because city-data will censor them if they're competitive.
Shalom

Thanks for the information. Excuse redundancy. New to this site and not quite sure of system nuances. Will strive for brevity in the future.
Shalom.

Originally Posted by SmokyMtnGal

I will add a Hallelujah to that as well. The traffic through 40 can be dangerous for an interstate. The forefathers that had 40 routed through downtown Knoxville, instead of around, to generate traffic to/through our fair city can say: Mission Accomplished.

Yep, there are better and there are worse highways and byways. Those 2 lanes that curved right at the Broadway exit (going east) always scared me to death. I always seemed to have an 18 wheeler beside me taking up 1/4 of my lane. I am glad that this problem will be alleviated.

SmokyMtnGal, - appreciate your insightful and accurate comments. Shalom.

Thanks, for the rejoinder. Californians, as a whole, have one of the best Co2, recapturing programs in the world. They're combining efforts with other Western states, Canadian provinces and even other countries to tackle this problem. Kudos! Likewise, as a former Los Angeleno, wouldn't you agree that such issues as truck-traffic gridlock, air pollution, litter, infrastructure development and related socio-cultural issues need strategic attention? Ok, if your position is to the contrary - I can accept that! For me, they have proven detrimental to potential business development that may supply jobs to this community. No need to help with the packing thou; some bags remain open and some closed. Continue to relish your stay.
Shalom.

Originally Posted by jabogitlu

SmartFix 40 should hopefully fix some of those traffic problems around downtown. Was watching WBIR today (am in Greeneville for the moment) and saw it backed up on the traffic check-in. Euwww, I do not miss that traffic.

Jabogitlu, I can understand how you would "not miss the traffic." Indeed, let's trust that the "fixing" shall soon proceed - apparently, it has been sorely needed. Shalom

Originally Posted by gemkeeper

I have to agree with GBH, Wilkes, and Eat. The Knoxville that we have known over the past 10 years is a garden spot compared to many other major cities.

We frequently drive the I-75/40 corridor from GA to MI and have found it one of the easiest cities to traverse, even during rush hour.

One would have to live in a bubble not to expect some (very little) violent crime, litter, or infrastructure problems in any city that is on a growth curve. With the kind of interest and concerns that I see expressed in the Knoxville paper and from its residents, I envision all of these things addressed on a daily basis.

I think that the waterfronts are quite well cared for and lovely. This is an asset that no city or state will jeopardize. The lakes and river system are important to Knoxville's economy and growth.

I think, Doc.T, that this, like so many things, is a matter of perspective. Do you live in the Knoxville area? Are you looking for a city to move to? I hope that one day your opinion of Knoxville will change for the better. I guess this is why we don't all live in the same place. We view them differently. To each his own, to quote my mentor!!

Well written, well appreciated.
Shalom.

Originally Posted by Wilkes

I've always found it funny when folks feel the need to refer to themselves as "Mister" and "Doctor" when associating with other adults. Is it insecurity? I guess it could be a superiority complex too. Anyways "T", the Knoxville area seems to be at the beginning stages of cleaning itself up. I hail from Pittsburgh originally, back when it was a real "Steel City". It was the dirtiest place I've ever seen, until I went back in '98. It cleaned up real well! Maybe there's hope for Knoxville - too.

Never associated with any "other adult on this site." Have overcome all insecurities - what's next?
Shalom.

[knoxmomma]

"Doc",

I don't know what your motives are, but ............

Your claims about Knoxville's crime rate is just unfounded. In Knoxville murder is not "frequent". In fact, Knoxville is ranked way down at 129 in violent crime in America:

http://www.morganquitno.com/met05a.pdf

You then go on to talk about how bad the boating is in Knoxville. Why, then, did Boating Life magazinie rank Knoxville as the 4th best boating community IN THE COUNTRY??:

Boating Life - 10 Best Places to Live And Boat (http://www.boatinglife.com/article_content.jsp?ID=52931 - broken link)

Your comments about the bad business climate in Knoxville are again I believe off base. Recent ratings of the Knoxville business community: #5 in the country by Forbes magazine for "Best Places for Business and Careers:, #1 in the country for recent college grads by the Economic Research Institute, #9 in the country for "America's Hottest Cities for Business Relocation and Expansion" by Business Expansion Magazine, #18 in the country for "Best Places to do Business in America" by Inc. Magazine, #5 in the country for best overall business climate by Site Selection Magazine. Here's the link:

Knoxville Rankings

You must really be a great business man if you know so much more than Forbes and Inc magazine!!! I run a company with 150 employees and business is booming!

Yes, Knoxville can have some traffic problems, but it's nowhere to be found in the lists of worst traffic lists.

Doc, we try to keep the Knoxville forum straight forward.

[fbama73]

Doc T- I sincerely hope that you find a place that suits you perfectly, even if you can't find it in Knoxville. Peace to you.

But Eastern Tennessee will always be just perfect for me.

[TXboomerang]

Happy trails Doc. I'm sure you'll find your utopia elsewhere. Personally, I don't care for any extras down here complaining that such and such isn't as great as where they came from. If where you come from is so great, why the heck would you leave?

[NJDevil]

Hey Doc, they don't like me either. I wasn't even knocking the city. All Wilkes was curious about was why someone like you feels the need to call himself 'Doc' when the rest of us have low-key, unsophisticated names. You interpreted his words wrong, no biggie.

You are right about many things here in Knox. Have you lived here, or are you moving here, or what? You can prove your points and others can prove you wrong, it's so political. I have read many times about the air pollution in this area. And there are not enough roads to ease this traffic; for some reason they will not build more roads over that river. I like Knoxville a lot because it is so different from anywhere else I've lived, and liberal enough. But if I were to travel to CA, I'm sure I would feel the way you do. I know the things you said about CA are correct, I've heard similar things from my husband's uncle. You are obviously both very intelligent men. Could be that natives here having something against liberal CA (the same ones who don't like northerners). Knoxville has a long ways to go in the "green" department, as do most southern cities. I have a lot of hope for and faith in Knoxville.

Murder rates - it was on the cover of last Sunday's paper - mostly seems to be downtown. I'm not going to argue with your facts, but I do feel pretty safe here. We wouldn't have moved here if we didn't think it was a pretty safe town.
Shalom to you sir.