Oak Ridge

[danielj72]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

Knoxville isn't a "city slicker" kind of a place, even downtown. The city center resembles a large town and the people make it feel that way as well.

I guess it is a matter of perspective. Danielj, didn't you say you never heard of a calzone, before? I'm just teasing, but I am also making a point about people's past experiences and how they view things. (Please don't take offense.)

On the other hand, folks like LauraC worked in a big city - I think - and in retirement, want nothing to do with any cities, even if Knoxville resembles more of a big town. I think she'd be very surprised if she visited downtown Knoxville, but it is her retirement, may she enjoy it any way she pleases!

This is a forum and we all bring our very unique perspectives. Some people think it's unbearably hot and humid in the summer in East Tennessee, others find it a welcome break from places like Florida, Louisiana, Savannah, etc.

Frankly, I'm a very small town gal, hailing from a town of 14,000. But I've lived in other places. But if I lived in Oak Ridge and wanted to go to a good restaurant that wasn't a chain (not that there aren't some in OR, but not many), or wanted to attend one of the numerous festivals held in Knoxville, or a concert or event at Thompson-Boling Arena, the Tennessee Theater, the Bijou, First Friday events, concerts, plays, games, public exhibits and lectures at the University of Tennessee, living in Oak Ridge would be a huge hassle to me.

Gas is always a consideration.

I'll say that I first lived in far north Knox County, almost to the Anderson County line. It was a 19-minute drive to downtown, so very doable, but even that got old after awhile.

If I had the choice of moving back there, or to Oak Ridge, though, I'd probably choose the latter. There are a lot of professional people in OR, along with some very nice locals. They give the place a nice vibe, and there are things to do there. As I mentioned before, the community center is wonderful, complete with an indoor pool. When Oak Ridge ceased being the secret city, the federal government paid back its residents by giving them great amenities such as the center.

And the high school is the best in the area. That's saying something because there are a lot of very, very good schools in Knoxville, but Oak Ridge consistently stands above them. Just don't move to the Clinton area if you have kids. The schools are not in that range.

One other important point. The Oak Ridge Mall has been a real issue. The mayor recently said, "the current mall property is a black hole in the middle of our city that we have been trying to fill for the last 20 years." The town has been promising that it would be redenveloped for many years, but it just may come to pass in the near future. The groundbreaking and demo of the mall will happen at the end of next month. Belk and JC Penney will stay, supposedly another anchor store has agreed to come in, a hotel will be constructed, and I've heard that some residential units are possible.

I haven't heard a projected date for completion, although those are almost never adhered to, anyway.

Bottom line is, go where you can find a job. If it is in OR, by all means, check it out. Or West Knoxville, Karns, Powell, etc. But if it is in downtown Knoxville, I would not want to move to OR.

People come on here and say they don't mind a long commute. When I was a transplant, I thought the same thing. I was looking at a commute of 35 minutes to one hour, depending on the where I chose to live. A local told me that people around here try to live close to where they work, play, worship, have interests. She was right and I'm glad I followed her advice. It will make a difference with neighbors, co-workers, activities after work. People are very friendly here and interact a lot.

Hopefully, this gives you some food for thought.

No offense taken, as I am a product of my experiences just like everyone else. The reason I don't mind driving a half hour to get to Knoxville is because I have always been in more rural areas and am used to it. I met someone once who was from Rhode Island and they never traveled more than a few miles from where they lived. A person like that will have a whole different way of thinking about a half hour drive. I also get why some folks want to live in the city or even downtown. We all have our preferences. Where you work is the big one, commuting everyday is expensive. I was just trying to make the point that weekend shopping trips from OR to Turkey creek or even downtown are not really a big deal from OR.