Igor Blevin's, "A Native Californian in Knoxville" (Jackson: spring break, sale)

[TheShadow]

I've found the lack of walkability to be the norm for the suburbs of most cities. The neighborhoods may have sidewalks, but the bigger thoroughfares are a nightmare for walkers, and even poor for cyclists as there are no barriers between the traffic and the bike lanes that are often littered with glass, screws, nails, and other things dangerous to bike tires. Kingston Pike is undergoing a lot of roadwork right now, so blocked sidewalks, and barricades, cones, etc, are definitely in the way for walkers and cyclists. The more walkable places nationwide seem to be the downtown areas, and the smaller cities, or college towns.

Some communities for seniors have alternatives to address the issue, with minibuses, golf cart lanes, senior dial-a-ride buses, and even locally organized rideshare services. We have a neighbor-to-neighbor service for those who can no longer drive in our community. It's not for frequent or daily use, but can provide a non-driving neighbor to get rides pre-arranged with other willing neighbors to appointments, or even on shopping trips.

ETHRA is also available for pre-scheduled trips. They request a 3 day advance notice for scheduling. It's only $3.00 within the county, and another $3.00 for any time you cross a county line. Here's the link to them: https://www.ethra.org/programs/16/public-transit/

[Igor Blevin]

Median home prices are down nationally month over month due to quickly rising mortgage interest rates, but they are up 7.6% for the year.

Knoxville home prices are up 23% year over year.

Here are the top cities for people considering moving to Knoxville. I came from Sacramento CA.


Jun '22 - Aug '22

1 851 -- Los Angeles, CA
2 533 -- Chicago, IL
3 401 -- Nashville, TN
4 303 -- San Jose, CA
5 257 -- New York, NY
6 204 -- Atlanta, GA
7 194 -- Seattle, WA
8 186 --Miami, FL
9 163 -- San Diego, CA
10 145 -- Chattanooga, TN

I would think more people would be moving here from Memphis than from Nashville. Nashville has moved up from the 5th spot last month to the 3rd this month. Atlanta moved up 3 spots.

Meanwhile, 3/4 of people planning to sell their Knoxville home are looking to purchase another home in Knoxville. They are not going anywhere. Most of the 25% looking to leave Knoxville plan to stay in Tennessee and move to either Nasvhille or Chattanooga.


https://www.redfin.com/city/10200/TN...-market#demand

[LauraC]

Memphis and Nashville are Democrat. East Tennessee is Republican.

People of all ages in Oak Ridge, walk and run in the parks on paved paths not in the streets or on sidewalks. Those may be listed in online research as blueways or greenways. The most popular one in my town is a long one that goes along a lake. Just posted an older photo of that one in the OTHER CD forum depicting a man walking, two skaters, a runner and a young kid on a tricycle on that path in November of 2009. It is also used by adults on bicycles, solo runners/walkers and dog walkers. Bicycles and boats can be rented. Here's a link to that photo on CD:

https://www.city-data.com/forum/64170150-post6.html

And here are some more photos of the paved path along that lake to show why people don't have to use the streets/sidewalks for exercise. I've been there at the crack of dawn for sunrise and sunset photos and I've seen people (couples, solos, families, teams) of all ages and shapes using it for exercise. I'm sure there must be similar type parks in the Knoxville area for that.

Dog Walkers:



Foot bridge that's part of that same path:



Runners from a College male and female rowing teams that hold regattas on the lake and run (Jan - Apr) for exercise before practices:





Solo Runner and Solo Bicyclist:

[Igor Blevin]

I miss using cruise control.

Driving to Nashville or Asheville or Boone, it is so hilly all the way, I can't use cruise control.

On a long drive over flat or gently rolling terrain, I can set cruise control and enjoy not having to pay attention to my speed, just my steering.

With the hilly terrain throughout Tennessee, if I set cruise then the car is constantly accelerating hard up hills or braking down hills. It is not smooth. It is not fuel efficient.

I like to be able to start accelerating before actually going up hill so I can carry some speed until I get back to the desired speed as the car gently decelerates uphill. With cruise control, the car has to decelerate on the uphill slope before it triggers the need to accelerate, and then it drops gears and hammers the throttle hard to get back to set speed. It is jarring and wastes fuel.

When declining hills, I just let the car carry a little extra speed to the bottom. I might tap the brakes once or twice on the way down, but it is smooth and at the bottom of the hill I might have some extra speed in preperation for climbing the next hill. With cruise, the car is constantly breaking downhill and then when I hit the bottom, once again, the car slows uphill until the hard acceleration.

It is not a big deal. I just don't use cruise anymore since moving to Tennessee. It is just another one of those small adjustments you only learn after moving and can't possibly predict before the fact. It is small potatoes, but I do miss cruise. It was very convenient and it was nice to maintain a constant speed without having to constatly pay attention and add inputs.

Just a note.

[TheShadow]

I rarely used cruise before I moved here because there was too much traffic on the highway to use it effectively anyway. I only ever used it on long flat boring drives cross country or from one end of the state to the other (I-5).

[12icer]

I am originally from The Knoxville Area, and lived all over the area for a while.

I was just wondering what those of you who have lived there all your lives view the changes to the city.

I also would like to know how Igor feels about the area.

I have lived in the Rivers Bend Tri State area TNMSAL around Pickwick Tn and McNairy County Tennessee for a long time off and on.
It is very different from where I grew Up.

We used to go to the Y and swim when we were kids, the water was so cold we would be blue. The last time I was by there and In the mountains It was completely different and it made me sad.

We used to go to the Chimneys on weekends and climb the hill at the back of the campground there before we cooked and ate.

Lotta Change up there with the roads, A lot of the places I lived around town are gone completely now.

I have a lot of kin in the Berry Highland between Sutherland and Kingston.

[12icer]

I am seriously considering renting a place in the Maryville or Seymour area for the summer this year and do a lot of looking at the area.

I have a cousin in law who just lost his wife and My wife and I need to do something besides stay in the city and walk the same trails till the reaper comes for one of us.

Cuz and his wife spent a lot of times up here so we may make him find a friend and live up this way for a couple of months.

Probably get a place with four brs so the kids can take turns.

Any Ideas of a good safe place. No more than 10,000 for the two months.

Igor you should know some of the places as you seem to keep on the roads a lot.
Thanks for the thread, it is full of info and memories!!!

[creeksitter]

It's good to encounter someone else who remembers when the chimneys picnic area was a campground. Memories of those camping trips include bears.

I have mixed feelings about the current state of Knoxville. Yes I like that downtown is so vibrant but I don't want us to turn into another Nashville. I'm doing my part to Keep Knoxville Scruffy. I don't want to attract intolerant people like those code snitchers. Eek. It's part of the Appalachian culture that we mind our own business and are tolerant of others and I'd like it to stay that way.

I preferred Sevier ave when it was a shopping street instead of entertainment district. Grocery, hardware, drugstore, etc. I can remember back that far.

[creeksitter]

Most of Maryville and Seymour is pretty safe. I expect if you send Igor an address he can research reported crimes.

[Igor Blevin]

Originally Posted by creeksitter

Most of Maryville and Seymour is pretty safe. I expect if you send Igor an address he can research reported crimes.

I can do that.

A lot of Maryville comes back safe per my crime app.