Climate and type of living in Knoxvile (Knoxville, Portland: house, movie theater)

[Aptor hours]

What is the climate like in Knoxville? How urban or non-urban is Knoxville?

[hiknapster]

I see you are from northern New Hampshire. I'm from Mass. and have lived here almost four years.

From my standpoint and probably yours, the winter is a breeze. A dusting of snow a couple of times a year that usually melts right then and there or, at the most, in a day. Daytime temps are often in the 40s.

We had a particularly brutal winter this year. Usually our cold temps are only for two or three months, but this year we had some cold temps in October. The low for that month was 29 which is really unusual, but the high was 84. The lowest temp was found at 5 degrees in January, but even then the high was 65.

Spring is unbelievably spectacular; flowering trees everywhere, even in the woods. If you don't believe in God, spring in East Tennessee makes a very good argument for deism.

Fall is almost as spectacular as New England. I think the only thing that beats out Tennessee is there is not an abundance of red-turning maples like the northeast. It is still very pretty, there are some reds and the Smokys will definitely remind you of home.

Summer might be tough for you. I lived in Florida for about ten years, most of it in southwest area, so I don't think it gets very hot. I live in a house that's surrounded by huge oaks, hickorys and other massive trees and can sit on my patio, but we've only lived in the house for a year. Previously, we lived in a metal box!

I think of Knoxville as a rather large town. It reminds me of Worcester, Mass., except we have the Tennessee/Holston River that flows through it. It's much bigger than Nashua, Manchester or Portland but doesn't even come close to the size of Boston.

People are very friendly here. You have to set aside "chat time" when you go to the store. You will never be bored sitting in a doctor's waiting room. Outside of Knoxville it rapidly becomes rural, even right out of the suburban sprawl of West Knoxville. The area is more diverse than what we are use to. That has turned out to be a big plus. I've had the opportunity to make friends with people that are absolutely fabulous!

I really wanted to respond to you because I really think it helps to hear opinions from someone that shares your perspective, especially regarding climate. They don't have the food that we are use to, especially the seafood, and the people can be superficially nice, which makes for a pleasant day, but deep-down people are all the same.

But in the long run, I am giddily happy that I've moved to Knoxville. It has perfect weather, in my opinion, beautiful scenery, pleasant people and the cost of living/jobs ratio is very balanced.

[Aptor hours]

Hmmm sounds nice! I know people sometimes say "oh but the summer is so hot" but I figure it is sooo cold here in the winter that we spend so so much time indoors that a little more time in AC in the summer is no big deal. It isn't uncommon to have -20 winter nights and 0 degree days and I HATE HATE IT!

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by Aptor hours

Hmmm sounds nice! I know people sometimes say "oh but the summer is so hot" but I figure it is sooo cold here in the winter that we spend so so much time indoors that a little more time in AC in the summer is no big deal. It isn't uncommon to have -20 winter nights and 0 degree days and I HATE HATE IT!

Oh, I know. Boy, do I.

I have always hated the summer. But it seems so much less tolerable in New England because the stubborn Yankees don't want to install A/C. Sometimes the only place you can catch a break is the mall or a movie theater. Watching pizza makers slaving over hot ovens without A/C is the norm.

I use to dread summer when I lived up north. Try sleeping without A/C during a two-week heat wave in New England. Now THAT'S torture!

When I moved to Florida I was pleasantly surprised to see that EVERYTHING has A/C. That made it so much nicer, so it became the opposite of hiding in the house in the winter and racing to the car to heat it up. The only difference was you didn't have to scrape the car down.

There's A/C everywhere here, too, but I've been known to go to work in a blazer during the hottest month. It's not that big a deal. And we seem to almost always have a breeze, while the leaves on the trees wouldn't move for weeks in Mass. It is probably better where you live in northern New Hampshire.

Tennesseans have no idea how beautiful their weather is, unless they've lived in other places.

[anothertntony]

I grew up in TN and moved to upstate NY. I basically agree with what has already been said. I was in TN for the "blizzard of 93" where we got 20+ inches of snow. That was by far the largest snow storm that I experienced in TN (it was also incredibly fun!) and it had basically melted within a week or so.

It can get cold (single digits), but that never lasts for more than a few days before it jumps back up. People still wait for winter to end to get to the more pleasant spring, but winter is not harsh by any stretch of the imagination. The most important thing is that it is mild enough to not have much of an effect on your life (you may not have a bbq, but you can still do most things in the winter) whereas in the NE it has a huge impact on your life for a large chunk of the year.

I think I may only have one upstate NY winter left in me before I throw up my hands and move South or West (this past winter was pretty brutal)...

[itsjustme64]

We moved from central NH to Eastern TN. We wanted milder winters, and not too hot summers. We found it here. As to urban, non urban, I would say Knoxville reminds me of Manchester, but it is sprawled out a lot further. Kingston Pike is the equivalent of about 10 miles of South Willow Street, and it runs parallel to I-40.

If you haven't visited yet, I highly recommend it. We came here originally on a visit just to cross it off our list (we were sure we wanted NC/VA), and we were pleasantly surprised. One year later, we are here and happy.

[leonard]

Originally Posted by Aptor hours

What is the climate like in Knoxville?

I was there last week.

I figured on the next trip I will bring an umbrella, a swim suit, a light jacket, a heavy parka. Now that will usually cover each day until noon. Then it starts all over again.

Mind you I am moving there this Summer.

[RamblinRoseRanch]

Hmm..... may want to cancel that parka, Leonard- if you're comin' down in the next few months or so. May want to add a boat to that list, though, considering all the rain we've had/are having.

[Beretta]

Originally Posted by leonard

I was there last week.

I figured on the next trip I will bring an umbrella, a swim suit, a light jacket, a heavy parka. Now that will usually cover each day until noon. Then it starts all over again.

Mind you I am moving there this Summer.

Very funny! We were sweating yesterday and the morning temps are going to be in the 40's tomorrow! There is a saying around here that is so true. "If you don't like the weather around here just wait a minute; it'll change."

[Scott LF]

I'm from Mass. and have lived here almost four years.



But in the long run, I am giddily happy that I've moved to Knoxville. It has perfect weather, in my opinion, beautiful scenery, pleasant people and the cost of living/jobs ratio is very balanced.

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A very nice post ! It's nice to see accurate information. I live here now (in my own personal paradise) and am originally from SE Florida. Been here just shy of 2 years. Your right, every time I shop at Walmart, I have to set aside time fer vizitin'

I dub theee a half-back !!