Moving to Knoxville in 2014 (Maryville, Farragut: fit in, rentals, houses)

[Tuts]

Hello,
My family and I will be moving to Knoxville from the DC area in 2014 and are trying to decide where to live. My wife's sister's family lives in West Knoxville, but even though we have a 7 yr-old-boy and a 5-yr-old girl, we are not really a "suburb" family and want to live in an older (1960's or older houses) neighborhood. Our initial thoughts were to live in Maryville because it had a downtown, lots of parks, and good schools, but I think we want to live in Knoxville proper. I can work out of my home so it doesn't matter where we live. In looking at some of the strings, Fountain City appears to be a good fit, though there may be others because I don't know which areas have a small downtown strip of shops, nearby schools, and parks and bike paths. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by Tuts

Hello,
My family and I will be moving to Knoxville from the DC area in 2014 and are trying to decide where to live. My wife's sister's family lives in West Knoxville, but even though we have a 7 yr-old-boy and a 5-yr-old girl, we are not really a "suburb" family and want to live in an older (1960's or older houses) neighborhood. Our initial thoughts were to live in Maryville because it had a downtown, lots of parks, and good schools, but I think we want to live in Knoxville proper. I can work out of my home so it doesn't matter where we live. In looking at some of the strings, Fountain City appears to be a good fit, though there may be others because I don't know which areas have a small downtown strip of shops, nearby schools, and parks and bike paths. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

Sounds like Bearden would be a great fit. Other places that come to mind are Rocky Hill and West Knoxville. Yes, West Knoxville. There are plenty of homes that are from the 60s and older.

[creeksitter]

Fountain city has a great little cluster of amenities with a park, library, arts center and small but quaint shopping district. But only a limited number of homes are walkable due to a lack of sidewalks.

Bearden (forest hills) has the best shopping and is on the greenway system but the park is tiny.

Powell is an old very small town that grew into a big suburb that is worth investigating. There are a few blocks of very cute older houses.

IMO The best locale for schools/walkability is Village Green subdivision in Farragut. You could practically live there without a car though I doubt anyone does. It has the suburban vibe though - houses from the 70s.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by creeksitter

Bearden (forest hills) has the best shopping and is on the greenway system but the park is tiny.

There is also nearby Lakeshore and Sequoyah Parks. The greenways are amazing and so are the schools!

[creeksitter]

Would you walk to Lakeshore or Sequoyah parks from Forest hills?

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by creeksitter

Would you walk to Lakeshore or Sequoyah parks from Forest hills?

A) He doesn't say he must be able to walk to the park.

B) You can't walk to the Fountain City park from most homes and rentals in that community. In fact, lack of sidewalks is a real issue in the South. In most areas living near nice parks is about the best you can hope for.

Now that I think about it, there is a very charming park in North Knoxville, near the Emoriland/Fairmont area. Lots of older homes as well.

[Tuts]

Thanks for providing comments so quickly! We would prefer a walkable neighborhood where we can walk or ride bikes to a "downtown area," parks, schools, restaurants, etc. When you say "greenways," you mean walking/biking paths, right? Living near a path which would take us to different parts of the city would be fantastic!

We have a couple of years until we move, so I'm looking forward to exploring the different areas you all suggest. Being active duty in the military for the past 12 years, we've not had a lot of warning about when or to where we would be moving. That really constrains the ability to find the right fit in a city . . . you just hope to be lucky. We plan on being in Knoxville for a decade or longer, so we want to ensure we aren't simply counting on luck in finding the right home.

Thanks again for your help!

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by Tuts

Thanks for providing comments so quickly! We would prefer a walkable neighborhood where we can walk or ride bikes to a "downtown area," parks, schools, restaurants, etc. When you say "greenways," you mean walking/biking paths, right? Living near a path which would take us to different parts of the city would be fantastic!

We have a couple of years until we move, so I'm looking forward to exploring the different areas you all suggest. Being active duty in the military for the past 12 years, we've not had a lot of warning about when or to where we would be moving. That really constrains the ability to find the right fit in a city . . . you just hope to be lucky. We plan on being in Knoxville for a decade or longer, so we want to ensure we aren't simply counting on luck in finding the right home.

Thanks again for your help!

This might give you a good start.

City of Knoxville Parks, Greenways, Golf Courses and Rec Centers Map

As you can see, the Bearden and Sequoyah greenway areas can get you right to the downtown area!

http://www.cityofknoxville.org/greenways/neyland.asp

Check out the Fourth and Gill, Old North Knoxville, North Hills and Emoriland/Fairmont areas for starters.

Other possibilities are Lincoln Park, Bearden and Fountain City. I think there are some walkable areas in South Knoxville but Creeksitter would be the one to tell you about that.

One thing you didn't mention was your budget...

[creeksitter]

You might provide a link to the school rating site.

[Tuts]

For a price range, we are looking for something under $300K. Where we are currently living, Annapolis, MD, that would get you a parking spot. That's a big reason we want to move. I imagine you can get a pretty nice place for that in the Knoxville area.
Thanks!