What's it like, living in Knoxville?
March 2, 2016 11:04 AM Subscribe
I'm considering moving to Knoxville sometime in the next 2 years. Help me figure out if it will be a good fit.
I'm 26 now, looking to move when I'm 27 or 28. No children, bringing my partner with me. We're considering moving for 2 reasons: A)I might attend the college of architecture and design at UT, and B)We hate where we live now and need a change of scenery. There's not much recent info on AskMe, so it's update time!
1) What's the cost of living like?
>>Currently living in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. The cost of living is above average, especially for housing and utilities. What are my chances of finding a place to live, either in a good/fun neighborhood, or close to school? BONUS: What neighborhoods should I be looking at?
2)Employment opportunities for those of us without degrees?
>>While I'm in school I'll need to work. I have an associate's in graphic design with minimal experience. Most of my experience is in customer service (bank teller, hospital operator, etc). What are the chances of finding a job that will pay a living wage? Where I'm at now, most of those jobs pay $9-$10, all retail pays minimum wage. With even the worst 1 bed apartments costing 650+, it's not sustainable. I'm currently making ~12.50, and that is the bottom of being stable.
3)Things to do
>>We're not really drinkers, so bars and pubs and breweries don't matter. We like thrift stores, bazaars, independently owned shops, antique places. Museums and art events/classes. Music. Outdoors things like botanic gardens, zoo, canoeing, parks, etc.
4)Weather
I hate winter. The shorter the better. I don't mind heat, but temperate is better.
5)Culture n vibe
A point that I'm worried about- Partner and I are both very left re: politics. Having a community of other radicals would be a huge bonus for me, but I'll settle for friends that simply aren't racist/misogynistic.
I grew up in the south and have a soft spot for it (minus the conservatism). I've also lived in Chicago, and liked the feel of the city, though the two are nothing alike.
I'm 26 now, looking to move when I'm 27 or 28. No children, bringing my partner with me. We're considering moving for 2 reasons: A)I might attend the college of architecture and design at UT, and B)We hate where we live now and need a change of scenery. There's not much recent info on AskMe, so it's update time!
1) What's the cost of living like?
>>Currently living in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. The cost of living is above average, especially for housing and utilities. What are my chances of finding a place to live, either in a good/fun neighborhood, or close to school? BONUS: What neighborhoods should I be looking at?
2)Employment opportunities for those of us without degrees?
>>While I'm in school I'll need to work. I have an associate's in graphic design with minimal experience. Most of my experience is in customer service (bank teller, hospital operator, etc). What are the chances of finding a job that will pay a living wage? Where I'm at now, most of those jobs pay $9-$10, all retail pays minimum wage. With even the worst 1 bed apartments costing 650+, it's not sustainable. I'm currently making ~12.50, and that is the bottom of being stable.
3)Things to do
>>We're not really drinkers, so bars and pubs and breweries don't matter. We like thrift stores, bazaars, independently owned shops, antique places. Museums and art events/classes. Music. Outdoors things like botanic gardens, zoo, canoeing, parks, etc.
4)Weather
I hate winter. The shorter the better. I don't mind heat, but temperate is better.
5)Culture n vibe
A point that I'm worried about- Partner and I are both very left re: politics. Having a community of other radicals would be a huge bonus for me, but I'll settle for friends that simply aren't racist/misogynistic.
I grew up in the south and have a soft spot for it (minus the conservatism). I've also lived in Chicago, and liked the feel of the city, though the two are nothing alike.
Response by poster: Excellent answerso far!! I forgot to add:
public transportation?
posted by FirstMateKate at 11:29 AM on March 2, 2016
public transportation?
posted by FirstMateKate at 11:29 AM on March 2, 2016
If you like a more, small town feel, Oak Ridge is about 30 minutes away from Knoxville. The main employer is the Nuclear Power Plant, and all that atomic testing back in the day makes it pretty carcinogenic, but for a few years it's not a bad option.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 11:36 AM on March 2, 2016
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 11:36 AM on March 2, 2016
Best answer: Knoxville Native here.
1. Cost of living is lower than the national average by a fair bit IIRC. How much it costs to rent largely depends on the area you pick, aside from downtown, it generally gets a bit pricier the further west you go, but that varies quite a bit.
2. Depending on your skill set there are definitely jobs for the degree-less, but its been quite some time since I had a non-white collar job so I'm not certain what that looks like. I actually never finished my degree and I'm working as a Network Admin, so take that for what it's worth.
3. As was said above, there is a ton of non-drinking things to do that fall in your categories in Knoxville and surrounding areas.
4. Winter is usually pretty mild, with the occasional nasty cold and wet bit.
5. Knoxville is certainly on the conservative side, but its generally ok, and I'm far enough left I've been accused of being a Communist, so take it for what it's worth.
6. Public transport is pretty much limited to the KAT bus line, and I can't comment too directly on it as I've never really used it. Most folks do consider a care a necessity here, depending on where you live.
As a side point, Y-12 and ORNL aren't nuclear power plants, Y-12 primarily a manufacturing facility and ORNL is research, although they do operate an HFIR research reactor.
posted by skrymir at 11:49 AM on March 2, 2016
1. Cost of living is lower than the national average by a fair bit IIRC. How much it costs to rent largely depends on the area you pick, aside from downtown, it generally gets a bit pricier the further west you go, but that varies quite a bit.
2. Depending on your skill set there are definitely jobs for the degree-less, but its been quite some time since I had a non-white collar job so I'm not certain what that looks like. I actually never finished my degree and I'm working as a Network Admin, so take that for what it's worth.
3. As was said above, there is a ton of non-drinking things to do that fall in your categories in Knoxville and surrounding areas.
4. Winter is usually pretty mild, with the occasional nasty cold and wet bit.
5. Knoxville is certainly on the conservative side, but its generally ok, and I'm far enough left I've been accused of being a Communist, so take it for what it's worth.
6. Public transport is pretty much limited to the KAT bus line, and I can't comment too directly on it as I've never really used it. Most folks do consider a care a necessity here, depending on where you live.
As a side point, Y-12 and ORNL aren't nuclear power plants, Y-12 primarily a manufacturing facility and ORNL is research, although they do operate an HFIR research reactor.
posted by skrymir at 11:49 AM on March 2, 2016
Best answer: From my perspective in Atlanta, downtown Knoxville definitely seems to have buzz lately. It seems to be related to the fantastic Big Ears music festival, but I'm not sure which led to which. So, regarding item #5, I think you'll be good, and it may even be improving.
posted by intermod at 1:37 PM on March 2, 2016
posted by intermod at 1:37 PM on March 2, 2016
If you have allergies (asthma, hay fever), stay away from Knoxville, as the area is one of the worst places in the US for this.
posted by pushing paper and bottoming chairs at 7:09 PM on March 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by pushing paper and bottoming chairs at 7:09 PM on March 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Hi! I live in Maryville, which is about 20 minutes south of Knoxville (easy commuting distance, though I work here in Blount County.) Like you, I'm a lefty. I love Knoxville.
Pros:
posted by workerant at 7:14 PM on March 2, 2016 [2 favorites]
Pros:
- We never got hit as hard by the recession as many other areas. Our job market never completely collapsed.
- Lots of fun stuff to do: music festivals, Open Streets, the Tour de Lights, super dog-friendly, mountains & lakes nearby for outdoor fun, Highland Games, film festivals, etc.
- Reasonable cost of living. Be sure to look for rental houses; for some reason rental houses seem to be better bang-for-your-buck than apartments.
- Knoxville proper, Oak Ridge and Maryville are relatively progressive; other areas less so. It's very hit-and-miss... Greenback (one town over from Maryville) is hick backward. Tellico Plains (further than you'd want to commute but still fairly close) is a sundown town.
- Climate: summers are hot but everything is air-conditioned and there is TONS of free public access to area lakes. It can get cold during the winter (really cold; I've seen -9F on my thermometer) but it never stays cold. There are breaks throughout the winter of 50 or 55 degree bluebird days.
- Wages aren't huge. I'm self-employed, but during our slow season I moonlight with catering and bartending companies. I make $10-$14/hour + tips, but that's considered good money here.
- I haven't used KAT, Knoxville's bus service, but I understand that it is extremely limited. A car is pretty much a necessity.
- Make no mistake: this is a red state. No matter where you live, you will be in the minority, and usually should be circumspect when voicing political opinions.
- If you have a fixie bicycle now, sell it before you move here. Knoxville is very hilly and you will need gears.
- Knoxville supports lots of niche interests, with good record stores, a thriving vintage motorcycle and hot rod scene, human-powered watercraft (SUPs and kayaks) are everywhere.
- The local live music scene is hit-and-miss, depending on your tastes. We have the BEST bluegrass/Americana radio station in the country (WDVX) that hosts free live concerts every weekday at lunchtime in the Knoxville Visitor's Center. We also have, uh, a regular public radio station (WUOT) with an award-winning news department.
posted by workerant at 7:14 PM on March 2, 2016 [2 favorites]
5 Reasons To Skip Nashville And Go To Knoxville Instead
Sorry Elvis, we're skipping Memphis, too.
Nashville seems like the place to be, right? WRONG.
Well, that's a little harsh, because Nashville, like Memphis, is a slice of Tennessee you should definitely try to visit in your lifetime. But, over on the east side of the state is Knoxville, a city that definitely doesn't get as much credit as it should.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/knoxville-better-than-nashville_us_56e19658e4b0b25c9180edd2
posted by intermod at 7:59 PM on March 12, 2016
Sorry Elvis, we're skipping Memphis, too.
Nashville seems like the place to be, right? WRONG.
Well, that's a little harsh, because Nashville, like Memphis, is a slice of Tennessee you should definitely try to visit in your lifetime. But, over on the east side of the state is Knoxville, a city that definitely doesn't get as much credit as it should.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/knoxville-better-than-nashville_us_56e19658e4b0b25c9180edd2
posted by intermod at 7:59 PM on March 12, 2016
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1 -- Cost of living is much lower than Virginia. I don't know about neighborhoods, but I lived out on the west side and had no trouble getting into town or to UT whenever I needed to.
2 --Dunno, sorry. I had a job before I moved there.
3 -- Tons of stuff to do that you'd like, especially in the East Tennessee area generally.
4 -- It was just about exactly eight years ago today, I'd been at my job for about two weeks, and there was a dusting of snow on the ground. Maybe a quarter of an inch. I drove my Mustang down a precipitous hill out of my apartment complex and down to the freeway and out to the suburb where my office was. Around lunchtime, I looked around and realized that no one else was there. I called my boss's cell and asked whether I'd missed a holiday or something.
"Are you at the office?"
"Yes..."
"How did you get there?"
"I drove..."
"Through the snow?"
I thought, Well, I wouldn't say 'through' it... and went home for the rest of the day.
5 -- It's a heavily college-centric town in a metropolitan area of around a million people. It's in the South, but it's not in the Deep South. Knoxville's the most conservative of the three major cities in Tennessee, but I never felt too out-of-place with my Obama bumper sticker.
posted by Etrigan at 11:21 AM on March 2, 2016 [4 favorites]