Moving to Knoxville from Orange County California (Johnson City, Kingston: new home, established neighborhood)

[nikki21lin]

My husband, 2 year old son and I will be moving to Knoxville this June, from Orange County California. Since we currently live so far away we are doing most of our house searching online. My husband will be in Knoxville in April to get to know the area a bit better.

We are noticing alot of affordable, new home construction in north Knox County. Can any of you give me information, positive or negative, regarding this area, since I haven't come across any in other threads?

We would like to be in an area with good school systems, convienent shopping and be within 20 minutes of the university (my husband will be working at UT). Though we aren't crazy about being in an area filled with strip malls. After reading other threads it sounds like west of the city is highly commercialized, though highly praised and recommended to newcomers.

We appreciate any input...thank you!

[JMT]

Originally Posted by nikki21lin

My husband, 2 year old son and I will be moving to Knoxville this June, from Orange County California. Since we currently live so far away we are doing most of our house searching online. My husband will be in Knoxville in April to get to know the area a bit better.

We are noticing alot of affordable, new home construction in north Knox County. Can any of you give me information, positive or negative, regarding this area, since I haven't come across any in other threads?

We would like to be in an area with good school systems, convienent shopping and be within 20 minutes of the university (my husband will be working at UT). Though we aren't crazy about being in an area filled with strip malls. After reading other threads it sounds like west of the city is highly commercialized, though highly praised and recommended to newcomers.

We appreciate any input...thank you!

There's nothing wrong with the schools in North Knox. All of Knox County is under the same school system.

Depending where in North Knox you're looking, you should be able to get to downtown / U.T. in 20 minutes. If you need a newer place, make sure it's got easy access to I-75 so the commute to downtown won't be so bad. If you don't mind an older home, Fountain City is a great area; at one time it was Knoxville's first suburb, way back around the turn of the century. Now it's part of the city and is very desirable for people who like the hilly terrain, the sense of community, the architectural styles of the older homes, and who don't want to spend a fortune for a West Knox mcmansion.

There is also a lot of reasonably-priced, new housing up in North Knox, and (so far--knock on wood) it's not the suburban nightmare that is West Knox.

Good luck!

[nikki21lin]

that's great information...thanks a bunch! you confirmed some of our thoughts and gave us new points to consider. it almost seems we may have alot of options in knoxville...that's great!

[nikki21lin]

am I right to think that "west Knoxville" is the more commercialized, busy, built up part of the county? While the north areas, such as Gibbs, Halls, and Karns is mostly new home construction and growing?

Would I also be right to think that the west part of the county is most desirable because of the established neighborhoods, shopping, restarants, etc.?

i appreciate any input.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by nikki21lin

am I right to think that "west Knoxville" is the more commercialized, busy, built up part of the county? While the north areas, such as Gibbs, Halls, and Karns is mostly new home construction and growing?

Would I also be right to think that the west part of the county is most desirable because of the established neighborhoods, shopping, restarants, etc.?

i appreciate any input.

Actually, if you want established neighborhoods, do not head to West Knox. Well, don't go farther west than Northshore Drive.

The western part of the county is more desirable to some people (not me) probably because it's wealthier, it's got the more expensive shopping areas, it's got the big mega churches, more country clubs, and it's closer to Lake Loudon. It's also got the traffic, the chain restaurants, the overcrowded schools, the expanses of parking lots.

There's lots of new construction in West Knox, it's just the expensive stuff. North Knox / Halls is where you'll find new homes for less than $150k.

[Milo Bloom]

In my mind, the best areas of Knoxville are the places that have nothing to do with the major east-west travel routes. For the least traffic and best living, avoid living near:

I-40
Kingston Pike
Magnolia

That leaves North and South Knoxville. Amazingly, my two favorite areas of town!

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Milo Bloom

In my mind, the best areas of Knoxville are the places that have nothing to do with the major east-west travel routes. For the least traffic and best living, avoid living near:

I-40
Kingston Pike
Magnolia

That leaves North and South Knoxville. Amazingly, my two favorite areas of town!

I agree! In fact, the ONLY reason I don't live in South Knox is because there's not a Target down there. I know that's pretty lame, but I can't stand Wal-Mart. So instead, I'm in North Knox and am extremely happy.

[sliverbox]

As someone who's lived in Cali and born in Knoxville, I can tell you that there is a big difference between the way cities and suburbs work in these two locations. Being in California, you are probably used to the fact that no matter how far you drive outside of a city, housing prices are still ridiculous. You are also probably used to the fact that the sprawl and density in most of California is almost unrelenting until you are a good ways outside of any given area there.

This is not the case in Most TN cities. While homes might be more pricey in some areas like West Knoxville, The city itself is actually very small. The suburbs are 4 and 5 times bigger than the city itself, but a quick 15 minute drive gets you out into the middle of nowhere. What's more is that unlike the freeways in CA, living 40 miles away in TN from your job is a 30-45 minute commute simply because you will experience very little traffic right up until you get very close to the city. So this gives you greater flexibility to live further out, have a bigger piece of property, at a cheaper price.

Indeed- Knoxville will not be anything like anywhere in CA, so don't expect things to be familiar. It is unique in it's own way, and still retains a lot of local character. Good luck to your move.

[nikki21lin]

thank you for the input.

i understand what silverbox typed and appreciate being reminded. i am originally from the east, only lived here for 4 years. but it's been long enough to forget there are towns and cities where life runs at a slower pace than southern california. we welcome that lifestyle and look forward to it!

so, it looks like we have a lot options in the knoxville area. your help has been most appreciated and will certainly aid in our decision making.

thanks again!

[sliverbox]

Well, good luck with your future endeavors. Again , there are a lot of differences both good and bad between OC and Knoxville. Expect a lot more rain, 4 seasons, and tons of weird things that you don't really see in CA, like big fireworks supercenters, big trailer parks and big expanses between the major TN cities that have a whole lot of nothing. But that's really small potatoes when you look at the bigger picture.

To me one of the biggest positives of the area is that if you want to go to the mountains and camp, there are many national and state parks. Like Big South Fork for example. You can go up there this time of year... and you will be the only people in the park except for a few hunters here and there. If you like swimming, many of the lakes in the area are enormous, like Norris lake. It actually gets warm enough in the summer to swim in. As far as the Smokey Mountains, well they are beautiful but getting there is a pain in the rear. The crazy thing is that if you want to get out and hike in the Smokeys, hardly anyone that goes there ever leaves their cars. So hiking a mile or so off the roads will land you in the middle of the mountains with few other people.

Downtown Knoxville is undergoing a big change. The big Tennessee Theater was built in 1927 and seats 2500 people. It was extensively restored and has a massive Wurlitzer organ. The city has a lot of things that you'd think only a big city would have, like a symphony, art museum, cultural center, and a healthy visitor center that gets used every weekday with a live, free music show. A radio station named WDVX is there, playing regional and local music. You can actually tune in right now at: http://www.wdvx.com . That's a good way to get a feel for what is going on in town as far as music festivals, shows, and so on. When you are in Knoxville, make sure and check out Mast general Store, an old-time store that sells everything from rocking chairs to old fashioned candy. There are also a number of good places to eat there. Barley's taproom has almost 100 beers on tap in the old city. The tomato head has great pizza, and last time I was there, I ate at this new Mediterranean place on market square. Unfortunately I have to say that 90% of the eateries in the Knoxville area are chains. We're talking Cracker Barrel and waffle houses. ( I secretly love waffle house) But.. expect to see less Japanese joints and more chains.

Knoxville is also not terribly far from Asheville, NC and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Asheville is considered Knoxville's sister city and it is a really neat place. Another undiscovered, unspoiled small town nearby is Johnson City, TN which is situated at the base of the Smokey Mountains. I hiked up there on a rhododendron bald that is part of the Appalachian trail. Like Knoxville, it has a major university, ETSU. It also has a surprising amount of musicians.

Anyhow, hope that helps you get a mental fingerprint of the region. But reading is one thing. Actually living there is another.