Retirement in Knoxville?

[sluggermatt15]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Following this thread with interest and hoping some of you could comment on your experience with the town of Alcoa.

I don't know too much about Alcoa. One of my coworkers lives in Maryville. He really likes it. It's quiet, out in the country. If that scene is what you're looking for.

[Igor Blevin]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Following this thread with interest and hoping some of you could comment on your experience with the town of Alcoa.

Maryville and Alcoa abut each other and act as one contiguous geographic city. It is not like Seymour, which is separate and distinct from Maryville. Downtown Maryville and downtown Alcoa are brief minutes apart. Heck, you can bike between them. We are talking 45 minute walk.

Alcoa is smaller, less populated, dumpier, less educated, and more crime ridden than Maryville. Marginally, not massively. We are not talking huge difference, except for the crime rate as shown by City Data.

Alcoa is just the poor step-sister to Maryville. You don't see realtors say, "Move to Alcoa". As an extension of Maryville, there are some good stores and restaurants to visit in Alcoa if you live in Maryville.

Unless you just had to have a short commute to a job at the airport or some such thing, I can't see why anybody would choose Alcoa over Maryville but that is my bias and some people may disagree I guess. From Alcoa, you are 5 minutes closer to Knoxville, if that matters.

There are some stores and retaurants I use in Alcoa FWIW.

I am not a huge fan of either, but I would take Maryville over Alcoa all day. Much better selection of neighborhoods to live. Maryville would be nicer if Alcoa wasn't their at all IMHO.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by Adamson865

An IG friend of mine who's an East TN native (he's even in some group in which you have to prove you're descended from East TN pioneers) told me just yesterday that in his opinion, Knoxville "is a deeply conservative city that cosplays as a progressive one."

That's true of the south as a whole. And that includes Knoxville.

[Riley.]

Speakinawhich......

are there any (bicycle) rail trails in the Knoxville area? or dedicated bike trails?
I seriously have to get out of the northeast and I love TN. The one drawback I see is accessiblity to such things as hiking and biking (on trails). I'm not averse to driving somewhere, but it didn't seem like things were 'close' like they are here. I can drive 8 miles to a rail trail that will take me nearly all the way across the state. Maybe I have not explored enough. But we'll be back in the fall. Maybe I need to spread out my investigatin' outside upper East - but not far. That's the area I favor. Johnson City?

[DubbleT]

Originally Posted by Riley.

Speakinawhich......

are there any (bicycle) rail trails in the Knoxville area? or dedicated bike trails?
I seriously have to get out of the northeast and I love TN. The one drawback I see is accessiblity to such things as hiking and biking (on trails). I'm not averse to driving somewhere, but it didn't seem like things were 'close' like they are here. I can drive 8 miles to a rail trail that will take me nearly all the way across the state. Maybe I have not explored enough. But we'll be back in the fall. Maybe I need to spread out my investigatin' outside upper East - but not far. That's the area I favor. Johnson City?

https://www.johnsoncitytn.org/reside...rail/index.php

https://vacreepertrail.com/

[creeksitter]

Look up Knoxville Urban wilderness and haw ridge park (oak ridge) for maps of mountain bike trails. Then you can look at greenways for paved trails. You'll find them in Knoxville and Maryville.

[sluggermatt15]

There are definitely trails in E TN. Gatlinburg and the Smokey Mtn Park has a bunch of them.

There are trails in Oak Ridge, too, near Melton Lake. You can also check out the UT Arboretum in Oak Ridge, it is quite magnificent in the spring.

[Riley.]

Thank you all !!! I am late getting back to this. Appreciate the recommendations.

[Beretta]

This thread veered all over the place.