Knoxville; tri-cities questions (Memphis, Johnson City, Bristol: apartments, rentals, violent crime)

[lilJohn5]

Hi,fairly new here. Looking at TN as possible relocation. Lately looking at Eastern TN,Knoxville and Tri-City area, mostly Johnson City. I will rent a small place, but the information on these cities is conflicting. According to the most recent statistics they both have a fairly good vacancy rate, yet I see very few small apartments advertised on the various websites. Also the rents are much higher than the latest statistics and show for those cities. Can anyone living there or recently from there tell me why this is so? Why so few apartments on CL or other sites and why are rents in Knoxville only much higher than statistics for that City? Same is true for Johnson City.

[Ted Bear]

Jophnson City has experienced explosive housing growth in the past couple of years. One can point to a number of reasons for this.

Regardless, as many houses and apartments as they build, there still don't seem to be enough, Prices go UP to accommodate the demand.

IF you can be patient, do so. Just like in 2011/12 when the bottom fell out after the Nation had already experienced a collapse, the same will happen here. Sadly.

[lilJohn5]

Yes I am seeing that now. The funny thing is that J.C. occupies 3 counties. In one, as I recall Washington Cty, the vacancy rate is much higher. In another it is almost zero.

If you know of any websites or sources that might list apt. vacancies, please share. Thanks for your replies.

[Serious Conversation]

The entire area is in the midst of a housing shortage, but the problem is most acute in Johnson City. Even before COVID, many apartments and rentals didn't make it on to major sites of rent.com or apartments.com.

I would begin with Facebook marketplace and craigslist.

[Beretta]

As crazy as it sounds, good old fashioned driving around works in this area as you can expect some For Rent signs to be posted at the property itself. For some areas that is all that is needed for advertising.

[oldpops]

Hello All! First want to say thanks to all here who offered advice on my questions on Tennessee the last time I posted (about a year ago). Back then we had pretty much decided that once we get out of Commie-fornia, that we would probably move to either middle or eastern Tennessee. Being a temperature-sensitive senior, I was concerned about the heat/humidity and the number and quality of hospitals & medical facilities, as well as crime. Our adult kids were more concerned about jobs and home prices/rental costs & crime. The info & advice I received was that the Knoxville area had better job opportunities & healthcare facilities but crime was high in some parts. Also advised that the humidity was not as bad in the TRI-Cities area, but that the healthcare wasn't very good and neither was the job opportunities. However crime was generally lower than the Knoxville area.

Is that still the case? When my wife and children took a recon trip to the Knoxville Tennessee area last year they didn't think the humidity was that bad, however they were told it wasn't as bad then as it usually is? Some people said that the humidity and heat is as bad as Florida, which I find hard to believe. Is that true?? And is the humidity/heat noticeably different/better in the tri-cities area then in the Knoxville area?

My wife and kids have said the Knoxville/Farragut/Maryville areas are their preference, but I am tending more towards the tri-cities area. So, is the humidity the same in Florida as in Tennessee, or only in some spots and what are they? Is the healthcare/hospitals in the tri-cities area any better or still a 3 on a scale of 5? Are their any real decent paying jobs in the tri-cities areas? Or would the Knoxville area be better? How is crime? I was told that if Memphis wasn't part of Tennessee, that the volunteer state would be one of the safest places in the country. is that true? And is crime in the Knoxville areas and tri-cities areas mostly drugs and drug related property crime?

If anyone here has any questions about southern California I would be glad to answer them, although my advice is to stay away. We have forest fires regularly, a drought all the time now, and rolling black-outs are normal. Crime is off the charts thanks to no cash bail. The state just mandated no new gasoline cars by 2035 and outlawed gas power tools by 2024. A beautiful state with the best weather has been turned into a 3rd work hell-hole. Aside from all the problems, as conservative Christians, we are definitely NOT wanted here in commie-fornia! So, we're trying to decide what is the best part of Tennessee for us to move to, and then get there! . Thanks in advance to all who offer info and advice!

[shinestx]

Maryville

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by oldpops

Hello All! First want to say thanks to all here who offered advice on my questions on Tennessee the last time I posted (about a year ago). Back then we had pretty much decided that once we get out of Commie-fornia, that we would probably move to either middle or eastern Tennessee. Being a temperature-sensitive senior, I was concerned about the heat/humidity and the number and quality of hospitals & medical facilities, as well as crime. Our adult kids were more concerned about jobs and home prices/rental costs & crime. The info & advice I received was that the Knoxville area had better job opportunities & healthcare facilities but crime was high in some parts. Also advised that the humidity was not as bad in the TRI-Cities area, but that the healthcare wasn't very good and neither was the job opportunities. However crime was generally lower than the Knoxville area.

Is that still the case? When my wife and children took a recon trip to the Knoxville Tennessee area last year they didn't think the humidity was that bad, however they were told it wasn't as bad then as it usually is? Some people said that the humidity and heat is as bad as Florida, which I find hard to believe. Is that true?? And is the humidity/heat noticeably different/better in the tri-cities area then in the Knoxville area?

My wife and kids have said the Knoxville/Farragut/Maryville areas are their preference, but I am tending more towards the tri-cities area. So, is the humidity the same in Florida as in Tennessee, or only in some spots and what are they? Is the healthcare/hospitals in the tri-cities area any better or still a 3 on a scale of 5? Are their any real decent paying jobs in the tri-cities areas? Or would the Knoxville area be better? How is crime? I was told that if Memphis wasn't part of Tennessee, that the volunteer state would be one of the safest places in the country. is that true? And is crime in the Knoxville areas and tri-cities areas mostly drugs and drug related property crime?

If anyone here has any questions about southern California I would be glad to answer them, although my advice is to stay away. We have forest fires regularly, a drought all the time now, and rolling black-outs are normal. Crime is off the charts thanks to no cash bail. The state just mandated no new gasoline cars by 2035 and outlawed gas power tools by 2024. A beautiful state with the best weather has been turned into a 3rd work hell-hole. Aside from all the problems, as conservative Christians, we are definitely NOT wanted here in commie-fornia! So, we're trying to decide what is the best part of Tennessee for us to move to, and then get there! . Thanks in advance to all who offer info and advice!

Knoxville definitely has more in the way of jobs and much better healthcare. I worked in the Tri-Cities healthcare industry for years. Basic care is fine, but if I had anything complicated going on, I'd definitely be going to Knoxville for UT Medical Center. Also, the job market is just much healthier than the Tri-Cities - other than Eastman Chemical Company, Ballad Health/VA related healthcare jobs, and ETSU, there aren't many big employers in the region.

I would say crime may be a bit higher in Knoxville overall, but that's largely going to be depend on your immediate neighborhood.

No, TN is not going to be among the safest states in the country, even if Memphis is removed. While overall crime in east TN is well above national averages, it is mostly drug/domestic related, and contained among people generally known to each other. Random violent crime is rare.

I live in Bristol, but moved back here for a job. I work remotely now, and have been tossing around the idea of either moving to Knoxville or western NC. To me, anything you can get in the Tri-Cities you can also get in Knoxville (plenty of rural areas around Knoxville for those that want it), while also not being as far from the conveniences of a larger metro. From Bristol, anything of consequence is 90 minutes away.

[oldpops]

Thanks "serious conversation" for the info. We're slowly being strangled to death here in California, and have finally accepted it won't get any better here (unless GOD himself intervenes) so we're looking to get out. I am curious though, why would you move to western NC? is it any better than east Tennessee? We sort of ruled out NC because of the taxes and the politics but if there is something we missed that might make a difference, we might reconsider that area. Not being from your area we obviously can't know all the details but I would be interested if you wanted to share. Thanks

[Igor Blevin]

Last week, I saw a Knoxville paper that read "99% of Knoxville apartments are full".

Knoxville’s rental occupancy rate shoots to 98.6%; what that means for renters.

https://www.wate.com/news/knoxvilles...s-for-renters/


I am unsure if that low vacancy extends to single family homes or not. It is a tough time to find a rental in Knoxville right now. Of course, you could have good luck or good timing if you are persistent.

The question is, will it get any easier. If I had to guess, I would say people are moving here faster than inventory is coming onto the market, so probably the sooner you try, the better odds of finding something. At some people, there may just not be units available for people to move to much of Knoxville.