I see there are a few threads on Nashville and Chattanooga, but I was wondering if anyone had experience living in the Knoxville area. I'll be going to UT for my PhD so I'll be there for a few years at least. Pros and cons, areas to live or avoid, hidden gems, favorite hiking spots, etc would all be helpful. I'm really excited about leaving the traffic and concrete of Houston behind, and I can't wait to hike and camp in the Smokies!

Also, my boyfriend will be coming with me and looking for a job. How's the economy there? He's a geologist and Navy vet with a huge range of skills from general labor to scientific research. Will it be easy for him to find a well paying job? Are there any large corporations with headquarters there? I can't find a lot online so I'm a little concerned.

Any information would be helpful. Thanks!

largelili,

Congratulations on continuing your education at the University of Tennessee. Absolutely gorgeous campus. I highly suggest a good pair of walking shoes...and get ready for the hills in/around campus.

We moved to Blount County, Tennessee (20 minutes from campus) 7 years ago next month. Prior to that move I lived in the DFW area for 27 years. Though I have great memories of DFW, I find I don't miss the area. Candidly, I was in Houston about 9 months ago and honestly don't know how people put up with the traffic.

There are alot of Aggies in East Tennessee...and a few (such as ZooGuy) post on TexAgs. I'm scattershooting so here goes:

If you are an outdoor person, you will love this area. The Smoky Mountain National Park, which bisects the Cherokee National Forest, is about an hours drive from Knoxville. Great hiking and camping. My personal favorite is about 90 minutes southwest of Knoxville...fishing for rainbow trout on Citico Creek near Bald River Falls, which is in the Cherokee National Forest. More of a day trip, there's also Looking Glass Falls in the Pisgah National Forest, located about two hours east of Knoxville in Western North Carolina (not far at all from Asheville). And then there's the lodge at the summit of Mt. LeConte. Bottom line, there is never a shortage of places to go to experience Mother Nature.

Knoxville itself is only 250,000 people...and the 'metroplex' totals only about 750,000. Traffic is nothing like Houston, so get ready for a bit of a respite. The airport is actually located in Alcoa, TN, which is in Blount County. Only 12 gates, and airfares are not cheap.

With all due respect to my Aggie brethren, people here are much more fanatical about UT sports. In a way, it goes beyond obsession. You will grow to hate Creamsicle Orange. Also, the Strip puts Northgate to shame.

Say good bye to great Mexican food...Chuy's is about the only thing here. BBQ is OK if you find the right spot, but sweet pulled pork is common.

Get ready for lower temperatures, very high humidity, and alot less sun than you are used to. Knoxville is in a valley, with the Smoky Mountains to the Southeast, and the Cumberland Plateau to the Northwest. As such, inversions, particularly during January-February, make for many cloudy days.

People are very friendly, even more so than I ever experienced in Texas. But also, generational roots run deep here. It's not uncommon at all to meet locals who have an uncle that still moonshines, or to meet someone that remembers when they got running water in their home (I worked with two people in their 30's that didn't get an indoor toilet until they were teenagers. Weird to say the least).

As far as your boyfriend, I would recommend he look into the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, about thirty minutes north/northwest of Knoxville.

Driving distances to other areas: Nashville is 2.5 hours west, Atlanta is 3.5 hours south, Cincinnati is 4 hours north, and Charlotte is 4.5 hours east.

It's a slower pace of life and you'll laugh at some of the stuff that makes the local headlines. About three years ago, the announcement that the Cheesecake Factory was building a unit in Knoxville made headlines in both the papers and on the local television stations.

Politically speaking, this area is as right of center as it gets (the 2nd District of Tennessee has been Republican since the 1850's). I find it a bit humorous that locals who proudly display the Confederate flag have no idea of the area's history. During the Civil War, East Tennessee was loyal to the Union...and a black man by the name of William Bennett Scott, Sr. was the mayor of Maryville, TN in 1869. I guess that's the one thing I don't like about this area...Confederate flags on pick up trucks are not as rare as they should be...in my opinion.

But at the end of the day, we feel very fortunate to live here.

Thanks, ToddyHill! I was hoping you would be the one to respond. I'm pretty excited about moving and even more so after reading your description. I lived in Wichita, KS for 5 years prior to this so I'm excited about 'downsizing' again after a year in Houston. I'll keep an eye on ORNL for the SO. I'll be doing research there myself and I know they look for post-docs. I've heard there are sometimes post-master's jobs as well. Thanks for your insight!

Oak Ridge would be a good place to look. ORAU and ORNL hire many. Just not me

I live in Maryville as well. Toddy's wife is helping us find a house. I'm a teacher (not my first profession - environmental education) trying to get on at UT or one of the local colleges - and not being successful so far. Toddy is spot on about the food scene and everything else, although I have found a decent Tex-mex place in nearby Athens.

If you guys have some free time when you get here, I'd be glad to show you around. Also considering getting my doctorate, but not in the cards right now.

quote:

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Absolutely gorgeous campus.

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Must have missed that part. Reminds me a little of the other, so-called, UT -- at least in part.

No, really, it isn't bad by any stretch, but I wouldn't call it "absolutely gorgeous."

my daughter starts August at UTK, and we are going to orientation this Monday.
As a freshman,she is required to live on campus, so no housing issues. Anything else we should know? We will be visiting from Franklin, TN a few times a year, so, other than the market square area, where should we look for restaurants, etc?

Restaurants near campus are a cluster. Plus, there won't be much parking. I'd go to the Westown area (Westown Mall) for restaurants. What kind of food are ya looking for?

You live in Franklin? Congratulations! I love that area...great downtown. Whenever I get to the Nashville area I always try to get to downtown to stop off at Savory Spice...some great stuff there.

Sadly, after having eaten at a couple of the local restaurants in Franklin (there's some great food there), I don't think I can recommend anything on the same level...near the UT campus or on the Strip. But that's just me.

Keep this in mind (given you'll be traveling up to Knoxville the next few years): Foothills Milling in Maryville. Check out their website. Some of the best food I've ever enjoyed.

OK, separate question...is this your oldest daughter going off to college? If so, get ready for a gut wrenching experience. When I finally came to that moment where I had to say 'good bye,' I walked down that dormitory hall with tears in my eyes. It was very difficult.

Anyway, good luck at UT! Hopefully, we will be sending two other daughters there next year!

what kind of food? uhh, good food? we are pretty open, although we are in a healthy phase, so any place for two adults to get a drink and some hopefully non-fried food.

this is our only child, so, yeah, it will be tough.

We are really excited for her. She is going into the school of nursing, and, with plans to get a doctorate in nursing, it's hard to turn down the money that the state of Tennessee gives you.

Also, we love living in Franklin. We are about a mile and a half from downtown, so just too far to walk, but still close. Agreed on the spice store downtown, we've been using their sea salt BBQ rub as a seasoning for grilled veggies lately, and it;s great. You should try it.

Understand your perspective and I can't disagree. To your point, if 100 unbiased people compared Neyland Stadium to Kyle Field, I strongly suspect all would select Kyle as the be-all, end-all of college stadiums. However, the fact Neyland sits on the banks of the Tennessee River...and one could literally motor from the Gulf of Mexico to within a quarter mile of the stadium is pretty cool. What has been constructed on campus may not be the most architecturally significant...but the area in an of itself is one of the nicest venues for a major university. Just my opinion of course.