Lincoln vs Knoxville, TN (Omaha, Atlanta: fit in, apartments, home)

[ASB84]

I have the option to live in either place. Does anyone here have experience with both cities? If so, can you compare and contrast them? I'm familiar with Knoxville but not Lincoln.

[attrapereves]

I've only been to each city one time, but you will find the culture rather different. Both towns are a nice mix of liberal and conservative, but Knoxville will be more Southern.

Are there any specific elements of each city you would like compared?

[Lincoln Nebraska Native]

Originally Posted by attrapereves

Knoxville will be more Southern.

Definitely. I've only passed through Tennessee once (on the way to Alabama), but there is really nothing at all Southern about Lincoln by comparison. We ("the natives") do not speak any kind of Southern accent here and the few people that do are almost always from out of state. To fit in faster, I'd recommend not saying "y'all", "ain't", or "I reckon." It just sounds foreign to our ears. We also call soft drinks "pop", not "coke" or "soda."

[justmiinNE]

Moved to Lincoln from Atlanta 15 years ago. The main thing will be the weather, Knoxville will be closer to Atlanta weather wise. Both are College towns, so alot of the entertainment (ie; sports) in the area, is college based. What other info are you looking for?

[STLCityMike]

They are very differnt georgraphically. Knoxville in along the smokey mountains, and closer to many other cities (Chattanooga, Nashville, Ashville, Tri Cities) and an eastern oriented city. Lincoln is close to Omaha, but more western in design and feel. Nebraska is a much less urban state than Tennessee, and while KC is also close, cities in the western US are much more isolated. I realize this has no impact on quality of life, but if a person likes more urban environments and day trips this could be a factor.

[ASB84]

Originally Posted by justmiinNE

Moved to Lincoln from Atlanta 15 years ago. The main thing will be the weather, Knoxville will be closer to Atlanta weather wise. Both are College towns, so alot of the entertainment (ie; sports) in the area, is college based. What other info are you looking for?

Ok cool, I actually live in atlanta now. I've been in the southeast my whole life, so Lincoln appeals to me just for the change of pace. I am a huge college football fan so both cities are a plus in that regard. I have even started following Nebraska football more closely in case I move there. The thing about Lincoln that makes me a little weary is it just seems like you are so far from other major cities. I think I can handle the cold though. By the way, this move would only be for a few years. Also, I am 29 and single...what areas of Lincoln are best to live in? I can afford $1200 a month for an apartment.

[Raphael07]

You could definitely do downtown with that sort of budget. Lots of new apartments opening up in the area.

[justmiinNE]

It depends on what you mean as far from large cities. Omaha metro is reaching a million, a little over 1/2 hour away. KC is only 2 1/2 hours away. Then all in a days drive around 8 hours is Denver, Chicago, Minneapolis, and St. Louis. I moved here as a single 28 year old, for a change of pace and scenery. Now I'm married, with 4 kids. Don't think I'm leaving any time soon. With a $1200 budget, you can have your choice of places to live. I would definitely check out the Historic Haymarket area downtown. New arena just opened in Sept., the area has been non stop action since it opened. They even opened a Mellow Mushroom, so that should remind you of home. The atmosphere for home football games, is something everyone needs to experience. The stadium becomes the 3rd largest city, on game days.