Moving to Knoxville - seeking advice

[MSNative]

Hi,

 

We are very excited to be moving to Knoxville in two months. I'm planning a house hunting trip in two weeks. Anyone have some good recommendations of places to live? DH will be working downtown. We'd like something within about a 30min. drive and on an acre or more.

 

Also, I'd love recommendations about any homeschooling groups.

 

TIA!! Jackie

[crowscreek]

I don't have any recommendations for you, but I just wanted to wish you and the family GOOD LUCK!!

 

We are in the planning phase of moving from Georgia to North Dakota and are super excited and scared to death at the same time!!

 

:grouphug:

[My3Boys]

I'm in Knoxville. Not a native Tennessean but have been here for 15 years. What would you like to know besides what area to live in?

 

We are in west Knox county where taxes are lower, housing is cheaper and there is a wide variety of housing choices according to income. Downtown is mainly the University of TN along with government buildings, sporting venues, convention center, etc. Lots of conveniences but about double the taxes. It would help to know where your dh is working if you would like to pm me and give me some more specifics on what your priorities are. I'll be glad to take as much time answering your questions as you need.

 

Dh and I are originally from PA and are desperately trying to get back!

[Kim in Appalachia]

I live an hour north of Knoxville, but I know it a little.

 

There are a lot of homeschool groups. If you want your child to do something or be involved in something there is probably a group for it. You will want to join the Smokey Mountain homeschool org.

 

As far as where to live, you will have to explore. You will most likely want to go west of downtown, or north of Knoxville. South of Knoxville may also be good, but I'm not as familiar with that area.

 

If you want an acre of land you will end up around 30 minutes from downtown (maybe 20 to 30?) And that will depend on how much you can afford to spend. Knoxville is not as expensive as most cities. It didn't have the huge bubble on prices like most places, nor have the prices bottomed out like many places.

 

It is a nice area to live. I think it is a pleasant small city. And it is a small city. (I grew up near Philly). There is a nice zoo, some greenway trails, a small downtown area and any shopping you could want. (I live somewhere where my only option is Walmart, so Knoxville is where I go when I need something.)

 

Enjoy exploring the town!

[Tree House Academy]

I grew up an hour north of Knoxville, lived in Knoxville for 6 years, and my mom still lives there.

 

Your best bet is to live on the western side of Knoxville. I lived off of Northshore Dr. for a long time and it was just minutes to downtown and UT. West knox is the nicer area. North Knoxville is okay, South Knox, um - no. I lived off Chapman Hwy for about 6 mos. and it was not pleasant at all.

 

If you find that you really want to get away from the city and live a bit farther out, I would recommend Lousiville/Maryville area. That is where my mom actually lives and she loves it. Maryville has enough on its own to be self sufficient and the drive to UT down Alcoa Hwy is not too terribly long (20-30 minutes depending on traffic).

 

If you are thinking of an apartment rather than a house, there are a lot of decent apartments and such off Kingston Pike. Just realize that, if you go that route (really with any apt in Knox), you are going to have a lot of students sharing the complex with you. We found that to be almost unbearable at times (and we WERE students! LOL).

[SamuelsMommy]

We moved to the Knoxville area about a year ago. We live in Seymour. DH worked downtown when we first moved here and it took him about 30 minutes to get there. We are exactly halfway between downtown Chattanooga and Sevierville/Pigeon Forge. There are a lot of rural areas out here and we love it!

[crowscreek]

Yay!! I am glad you're getting some great info. :)

[lovetobehome]

I'm in Knoxville. Not a native Tennessean but have been here for 15 years. What would you like to know besides what area to live in?

 

We are in west Knox county where taxes are lower, housing is cheaper and there is a wide variety of housing choices according to income. Downtown is mainly the University of TN along with government buildings, sporting venues, convention center, etc. Lots of conveniences but about double the taxes. It would help to know where your dh is working if you would like to pm me and give me some more specifics on what your priorities are. I'll be glad to take as much time answering your questions as you need.

 

Dh and I are originally from PA and are desperately trying to get back!

 

My3boys, we are in PA and desperately trying to get to TN. Want to swap jobs/houses/lives???

[TN Mama]

Jackie,

 

We're in Knoxville. Sent you a PM! :001_smile:

[MSNative]

Thank you for all the great info!! I can't wait to get our current house on the mkt and get to the fun part of looking for our new home. I appreciate all the help!! :) Jackie

[The Girls' Mom]

You are in luck, I live just north of Knoxville, we are moving to TX and our house is for sale ;) Has an AWESOME homeschool room, and not quite an acre lot, but plenty of yard in it. Convienent to Knoxville, Oak Ridge AND Clinton! (Can you hear my sales pitch?)

 

Seriously though, our neighborhood is great, and we hate leaving our house. Which end of Knoxville does he need to commute to?

[mom31257]

:hurray: Hurray for you! Can I come?:sad: We moved from there just over 5 years ago, but a big part of me wishes we never had. We lived near Farragut, but just west of it.

 

I LOVE Knoxville and would be back there in a heart beat. We were a 1 hour drive from my parents and 4.5 hours from my in-laws. Now we are far from both.

[MSNative]

FYI - homeschooling and having your house on the market are two mutually exclusive things for me at this point. How does anyone do that? I feel like I spend all day cleaning up. We get maybe 3 hours in on a good day. So ready for someone to just buy this house already! Whoops, where did that whining and venting come from? Sorry. :)

 

On to the next question - what do you wish you'd known before you moved to (or near to) Knoxville?

 

Thanks!! Jackie

[The Girls' Mom]

FYI - homeschooling and having your house on the market are two mutually exclusive things for me at this point. How does anyone do that? I feel like I spend all day cleaning up. We get maybe 3 hours in on a good day. So ready for someone to just buy this house already! Whoops, where did that whining and venting come from? Sorry. :)

 

 

I hear you. The stress of prepping for sale, and maintaining a clean house with all of us a home all day has driven me to tears!

[My3Boys]

My3boys, we are in PA and desperately trying to get to TN. Want to swap jobs/houses/lives???

 

 

Hmmmmmm. Let me think........ :lol:

[My3Boys]

FYI - homeschooling and having your house on the market are two mutually exclusive things for me at this point. How does anyone do that? I feel like I spend all day cleaning up. We get maybe 3 hours in on a good day. So ready for someone to just buy this house already! Whoops, where did that whining and venting come from? Sorry. :)

 

On to the next question - what do you wish you'd known before you moved to (or near to) Knoxville?

 

Thanks!! Jackie

 

Well, just speaking for us, we wish we had understood the culture a little better. Things have improved in the last few years because more "outsiders" have moved in, but when we first moved here, we got a lot of, well, not-so-nice comments/attitude. Unfortunately, the church and Christian school we were attending at the time were the worst offenders. I've had comments ranging from "northern mothers don't nurture their children" to "Yankees don't teach their children manners". My middle son was the only boy in his class not invited to a birthday party because of this thinking. This was a Christian school, the father taught at the school, and yes, the parents knew.

 

We were told when we first moved here by another couple that had been here a year "we'll tell you what we were told when we first moved here - don't expect to make friends with anyone that's from here". It did, unfortunately, turn out to be true. We were so clueless when we moved here because this kind of thing was never an issue in the NE, where we are both from. It's more than just a north/south issue. People here tend not to socialize outside of their families.

 

I also wish I had known about the driving habits here. Be prepared for lots of aggressive driving, especially speeding and tailgating and very little use of turn signals! Many of the roads here are narrow, winding, 2-lane roads and for some reason people think nothing of crossing the center lane. I've been driven off the road onto the shoulder many times.

 

That being said, this is an extremely conservative area, there is a large evangelical presence, and the area is gorgeous. It is also a very family-oriented area with lots to do. If you enjoy outdoor sports, you will find plenty to occupy you! It was one of the main reasons we moved here. We camp, hike, dh and ds kayak, middle ds also rock climbs.

 

I don't mean to discourage you and I'm not saying if we had known these things we would have made a different decision, although we might have. I do, however, think it would have been easier if we had been prepared.

Edited November 12, 2009 by My3Boys

[The Girls' Mom]

I think a lot of that exclusiveness depends on the exact area too. West Knoxville seems to be worse that way than, say, the Oak Ridge area. (Oak Ridge has people from ALL over in it) I think too that people here expect YOU to make the effort to get to know them, instead of reaching out to newcomers. (not that it's right, but it happens) I think that once you get to know people, it's not that bad.

 

As for the horrible drivers? I've pretty much always lived here, so maybe I just don't notice, but I never thought it was that bad :confused: Not as bad as DC or NYC...lol.

[MSNative]

Wow. I'm sorry you had such a bad experience, esp. at a Christian school. That is def. not right. Thank you for sharing it though.

 

Apryl, I agree with you that people expect newcomers to reach out to them, not vice versa. I found that when we moved here and I'm sad to say that as I've gotten busier thru the years, I've fallen into the same bad habits.

 

We are so looking forward to camping, hiking, kayaking and rock climbing. Kinda hard to rock climb in the corn fields, kwim. :)

 

Thanks for the great info. Please keep it coming.

[The Girls' Mom]

I love to kayak here. I don't do the white water stuff, but we live very close to the Clinch River which is great for leisurely trips :001_smile: The hiking is great in the mountains.

[cbollin]

Also, I'd love recommendations about any homeschooling groups.

 

TIA!! Jackie

 

Jackie,

 

I'm not in Knoxville, but I just moved to TN about 3 months ago (memphis area). But...

 

One thing that was new to me was that I needed to join a "church related school" that allows "off campus options". I didn't want to use the "homeschool option" of reporting to local public school people and test each year and all of that. Having lived in Indiana where homeschool laws are less intense, I was a bit shell shocked in TN. But there are legal options to make it easier.

 

So, in addition to finding homeschooling groups for co-ops, social, etc..... you might want to find a "church related school with off campus options" that fit your educational philosophy. I liked what Home Life Academy offered with much freedom. Not sure how TN laws compare with where you currently are.... or if a church related school is something that even is your route.

 

Yeah - it's stressful to sell a house while homeschooling. I'm not sure how I did it this summer. My dh already lived in Memphis, but the kids and I were in Indiana in a staged house. And we got basics done in the morning. Put everything in a box. Then cleaned cleaned cleaned, and keep cookie dough around for those last minute showings. stressful... funny thing is: the house got an offer after the girls and I moved out. (2 days later....) :lol:

all that staging.....

 

:grouphug:

 

-crystal

[The Girls' Mom]

Oh, I hadn't thought about that.

 

We are registered with Knoxville Christian this year. If you would like more support and sports options it's a good way to go. Home Life is great, but if you want certain things like an accredited diploma, or sports you can't obtain that through them.

[Kim in Appalachia]

We were told when we first moved here by another couple that had been here a year "we'll tell you what we were told when we first moved here - don't expect to make friends with anyone that's from here". It did, unfortunately, turn out to be true. We were so clueless when we moved here because this kind of thing was never an issue in the NE, where we are both from. It's more than just a north/south issue. People here tend not to socialize outside of their families.

 

 

 

 

This is very true! Most of our friends are not from here, or they are from here but have lived out of the area for a while. This is a family oriented area, which results in people sticking just with their family. People tend to be friendly but will not invite you to their home, or come to yours. It is a real issue with school and in church.

[MSNative]

Wow! Lots more rules homeschooling in TN. So, in a spin off, do you use a CRS? If so, which one and why?

If you don't, does the DOE interfere or are they fairly laissez faire?

 

Thanks!!

[cbollin]

Wow! Lots more rules homeschooling in TN. So, in a spin off, do you use a CRS? If so, which one and why?

If you don't, does the DOE interfere or are they fairly laissez faire?

 

Thanks!!

 

I mentioned earlier that I ended up this year with HomeLife Academy when I moved to Memphis.

 

some of the reasons though: I've been homeschooling all along and HLA was compatible with my way of schooling even if now I "not homeschooling" I'm a private teacher in a home setting with a CRS. yeah, whatever. ;)

 

Standardized Tests were not mandatory (that was important to me with 2 special needs kids). Overall it felt the closest to what I was doing in Indiana - except I file attendance online with the CRS instead of just keeping it on file at home. I have to turn in grades too, but that's 2 times per year. (I like semesters). Cost wasn't bad. Easy to fill in forms online.

 

I live in a city that has other options for sports and other activities -- and they don't limit to being only in a specific CRS. So sports/activities/mom support groups weren't a factor for me in deciding a CRS. That might vary in other cities. I'm not in Knoxville. ;)

 

Also, in Indiana we would have had a non-accredited parent issued diploma so accreditation issues weren't on my radar in deciding a CRS.

 

I didn't really compare this issue, but it was on my radar screen: how and when and which kind of high school credits can count in 8th grade.

 

My reasons were mostly that it felt the closest to what I was already doing and offered the fewest hoops to jump through to keep me legal and let me do it how I had been doing it for 9 years now. I can be stubborn like that. :lol:

 

 

-crystal

[My3Boys]

This is very true! Most of our friends are not from here, or they are from here but have lived out of the area for a while. This is a family oriented area, which results in people sticking just with their family. People tend to be friendly but will not invite you to their home, or come to yours. It is a real issue with school and in church.

 

This is true. We have found most to be friendly, but won't "make friends". We lived in S. Fla for 20 years before moving to TN. We had a ton of friends, a very full social calender, kids had lots of friends and activities, then....nothing. It's been hard.

[My3Boys]

Oh, I hadn't thought about that.

 

We are registered with Knoxville Christian this year. If you would like more support and sports options it's a good way to go. Home Life is great, but if you want certain things like an accredited diploma, or sports you can't obtain that through them.

 

We were registered with Knoxville Christian last year. We switched to CAK this year, mostly because we used to go there (although this was the Christian school were we had the bad experiences with middle son), and if we decide to put ds15 in school next year we will probably put him there, although I really, really don't want to do that!