Neighborhoods to Avoid (Knoxville, Kingston, Loudon: sales, to rent, condos)

[BillyJackLives]

Preview Neighborhoods to Avoid
Thanks for taking the time to read this. My wife and I are visiting Knoxville in September in hopes of moving to Knoxville soon. We want to check out housing while we are there, and just check out the city, in general. Could any locals answer the following questions for me?

1.)We have 3 days to stay in Knoxville--where should we visit to get a feel for the city?
2.) What are the better neighborhoods? By better, I mean, less crime--we want to rent for the first year, preferably a townhome or condo, up to $1000/month.
3.) What's the job climate like?
4.) Are the people nicer than the people in Texas? (Please God, I hope so--we HATE living in Texas).
5.) What are the "big" companies/employers there?
6.) I know TN has no state income tax, so do the other taxes compensate for that? i.e., TX has no state income tax either, but we pay crazy high property taxes and we have 8.25% sales tax.
7.) What do you like most and least about your wonderful city?

Thanks again for your time! We're counting the days until our prison sentence in Texas is over (til we move--we're not really in prison--it just feel like it...lol)

Blake

[TedTLPN]

1. The old city
2. RTFF (Read The Friendly Forum)
3. Unless you are in medicine... IT SUCKS
4. Maybe
5. Denso is the only one I have heard of hiring lately.
6. Sales tax on almost everything including Groceries
7. The change of seasons, and people who move here because the land is cheap, but have no plan beyond that.

[hiknapster]

I saw this last night but had run out of energy.

Yes, as Ted said, a lot of this has been answered on the forum, over and over again, but there are some new questions, too.

Originally Posted by BillyJackLives

Preview Neighborhoods to Avoid
Thanks for taking the time to read this. My wife and I are visiting Knoxville in September in hopes of moving to Knoxville soon. We want to check out housing while we are there, and just check out the city, in general. Could any locals answer the following questions for me?

1.)We have 3 days to stay in Knoxville--where should we visit to get a feel for the city?

Old City, Market Square, Gay Street, Volunteer Landing, UT, Cherokee Boulevard and Sequoyah Hills, Kingston Pike through Bearden, down Northshore, up Pellissippi to Kingston to Lovell and into Turkey Creek. That's a quick tour. There is also north Knoxville and Fountain City, too, which would give you a nice tour or older Knoxville. You would start out at Old City but head north on Broadway and end at the Fountain City Park. Stop into the Creamery Grille for ice cream or have a burger at Litton's.


2.) What are the better neighborhoods? By better, I mean, less crime--we want to rent for the first year, preferably a townhome or condo, up to $1000/month.

It's all good. We have a couple of "rougher" areas and they are some cities good neighborhoods. Seriously. That amount of money will be fine.


3.) What's the job climate like?

It's a recession. Having said that, we have the best numbers for all of the major metros in the state. Almost the best numbers, period. It's about 8 percent. To get better you have to go to places like North Dakota.


4.) Are the people nicer than the people in Texas? (Please God, I hope so--we HATE living in Texas).

Wow. I thought the people in Texas were nice. That's what I heard, anyway. I've dealt with a few over the phone and they seemed very nice. On par with TN. Yes, the people are the best in the world, here. And I'm a transplant. But I never heard people in Texas were not nice.


5.) What are the "big" companies/employers there?

Yes, Denso is one. Sysco Food Systems. Lots of distribution centers. University of Tennessee. The TVA - Tennessee Valley Authority. Lot of hospitals. More than usual and excellent healthcare. Three malls, one is limping.


6.) I know TN has no state income tax, so do the other taxes compensate for that? i.e., TX has no state income tax either, but we pay crazy high property taxes and we have 8.25% sales tax.

Yes, we have a crazy high sales tax but crazy low property tax. All in all, we have the 44th lowest tax burden in the country. If you own a home, you are loving it here. I complained until I bought a house. End of story.


7.) What do you like most and least about your wonderful city?

The people and the weather. And its funny, because the nice people complain about the weather all of the time. It's too hot. It's too cold. Well, I'm a New Englander that was stuck in Florida hell for ten years and I know from bad weather and this is FABULOUS weather.

It's also a great place to raise a kid. Hands down. If you don't want to raise kids that deal with baggy pants and attitude, this is the place. The kids are taught to have manners around here. And this is coming from someone that sort of leans left. When you raise kids, it is a priority.

What do I miss? The food. Don't get me wrong. There is lots of great food here and some excellent places for foodies, too. But I'm a New Englander and I'm used to getting the best fish and chips in the world from any corner store on a Friday. Having said that, I have been here awhile and know where to get the stuff to make my own. I survive. I still like it better here than there. The people are nicer and the costs are not even comparable.

Thanks again for your time! We're counting the days until our prison sentence in Texas is over (til we move--we're not really in prison--it just feel like it...lol)

Blake

Hope this helps.

[Kitties of Domination]

Big companies/employers: Pilot Travel Centers, Regal Cinemas, HGTV, Jewelry Television, Ruby Tuesday, Denso, Ameristeel, University of TN, Bush's Beans, Team Health, Green Mountain Coffee, US Department of Energy, TVA, EdFinancial, Sea Ray Boats, Sysco, Brinks Security, Ft. Sanders Hospital, Mercy Health System

[creeksitter]

There really aren't any neighborhoods to avoid just driving around in.

If you are paying $1K rent, that's upper middle class around here. if you have concerns about crime, ask the neighbors.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by creeksitter

There really aren't any neighborhoods to avoid just driving around in.

If you are paying $1K rent, that's upper middle class around here. if you have concerns about crime, ask the neighbors.

I guess it is just an opinion, but I consider $1,600 to $3,000 to be an upper-middle class rent. They can certainly get a decent place for $1,000 a month, but I don't want folks to think that rent is really, really cheap here. Two bedrooms in decent but not brand-new complexes start at about $700.

[creeksitter]

Yeah, I thought about the semantics - think upper Middle Class - rather than Upper Middle Class - note the capitalization. This is for 2 people. $1K for a family home in a good school district would be considered a good deal.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by creeksitter

Yeah, I thought about the semantics - think upper Middle Class - rather than Upper Middle Class - note the capitalization. This is for 2 people. $1K for a family home in a good school district would be considered a good deal.

That's my mortgage!

[airen123]

1.) Drive through UT Campus, downtown, the Old City, Turkey Creek, and Sequoyah Hills. Rent a boat and go out on Norris Lake or Fort Loudon. Hike in the mountains in nearby Gatlinburg.
Eat at Cafe 4 in Market Square or Calhoun's on the River.
2.) Check condos in Northshore Village at Rocky Hill-they are nice and reasonably priced, Condos and townhouses in Sequoyah Hills, and some nice areas along Middlebrook Pike are affordable.
3.) Better than most areas, it's slowly getting better. Restaurant jobs are easy to get as a last resort for some.
4.) Yes, it's a very friendly town.
5.) Clayton Homes, 21st Mortgage, Vanderbilt Mortgage, TVA, UT, Pilot,
6.) The others answered this
7.) Love the atmosphere, people, lack of traffic, scenery, seasons changing, small-big town feel. Dislike the air quality, airport, and lack of local eats for a city of its size.