Deep industrial vibe when driving through Knoxville on I-40 (Chattanooga: apartments, lofts)

[Bouje2]

I'm from columbia and happened to drive through Knoxville yesterday on I-40. Apart from attending a UT game in 2005, I haven't spent time in Knoxville. I think it's kinda cool though how deeply industrial it feels from the interstate. You don't get that vibe from columbia when driving through 26 to charleston since 26 goes around the city. So does 20. To be honest, there really is no vibe when going "through columbia" on the interstates, so it made it interesting seeing the difference in Knoxville. Is Knoxville still a deeply industrial city? Even when you go to downtown columbia via I-126, it's just a different vibe. But it's kinda neat how 40 seems at least on the surface to go straight through the middle of the city.

[MetropolitanTN]

I always liked the scenery driving on 40 through Knoxville too.

[Barking Spider]

I have not thought of Knoxville as being an industrial city, but I can see how one might think that driving on I-40 thru downtown. There are not many housing developments right next to the interstate, so you won't see a lot of houses close by. You do see the backside of a lot of stores, etc, especially from Papermill all the way to Campbell Station Road.

[creeksitter]

Knoxville does have a lot of industry, both downtown and in the industrial parks. Historically it has also been a warehousing/distribution center. Still is. Some of the industrial and warehouse buildings near downtown have been or are being repurposed as lofts and retail.

[hiknapster]

The first time I drove through, I was really looking at other areas to live. The drive through on the highway did not impress me. Bear in mind that this was 2005 and the landscape of the city core has drastically changed. Even the highway changed. It is a much nicer view than it was back then.

I wanted to move to Chattanooga, back then, but couldn't find decent employment and ended up in Knoxville. I'm very glad that I did.

However, I don't think there are a lot of manufacturing jobs. The area is, indeed, a big distribution center. But I think that the partnership with UT and Oak Ridge National Laboratory is more of the focus now, among other things. We don't really make a lot of things in this country, anymore. However, a lot of those buildings still stand, throughout this nation. The good news is that in Knoxville, a lot of the buildings are being turned into condos, apartments, retail, restaurants and other innovative businesses. It's kind of staggering how much has changed in ten years, or even in the past five.