Alaska to Tennessee (Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga: fit in, for sale, real estate market)

[kyliesmomma2]

My husband and I are looking into moving to eastern Tennessee and are looking for any feedback people are willing to give. We are obviously looking for information on the important things; job and real estate market, school systems, communities, weather, etc. We have lived in North Pole, Alaska our entire lives (not born here, but lived here since we were very young) and are tired of the -40 degree winters. We currently only get about four months of decent weather, the rest is either cold/snow or rain. Don't get me wrong, we LOVE Alaska. This will always be home, but we are ready for a change. We have heard great things about Tennessee; four seasons, warm weather, beautiful scenery (probably as close as we'll get to AK), etc. However, we obviously want to make a informative decision. Here's what we'd like to know:


1. Job Market: I am in accounting and my husband is in the construction industry. Here in Fairbanks (where we currently work) you can pretty much find a job without much effort. Top paying jobs take a little more effort (obviously), but we both have never been without a job for more than a couple weeks. We don't want to relocate to a place where finding a job is next to impossible. I'm not saying that we aren't up for the challenge, we just don't want to give up living in an area where finding a job is a huge challenge.
2. Real Estate Market: I don't think we could possibly relocate to a place where the housing market is even comparable to Fairbanks. The housing market is so high up here right now and it is still climbing. In the next couple of years our Air Force Base is acquiring a new squadron that will bring hundreds of families to the area making it an even better time to sell. Here it is hit or miss with the homes for sale. You can find decent homes for decent prices, but they go VERY fast. We have homes that were built in the '70's basically falling apart that are going for $300k+. It's crazy. Any information on the best time to buy, where to buy, where not to buy, etc. would be helpful.
3. Communities: We live in a small town that is in the outskirts of Fairbanks. Fairbanks currently has about 32,000 people, but if you include all the surrounding smaller towns that number jumps to 100,000. We are looking to find a place that is similar to size. Knoxville seems too big for us, but we need to be able to find jobs. Are there any smaller towns near Knoxville where jobs are still plentiful? We definitely are looking for the same type of community, where it's big enough to have all the amenities, but still have the small town feeling. Towns we have been looking at living were Maryville, Johnson City, Sevierville, Chattanooga, and even possibly Asheville, North Carolina.
4. School Districts: The schools in our area are not doing well. The graduation rate is dropping, schools are filled with drugs and our school district has no money to help the matter. Our schools are faced with huge budget cuts every year and our performing arts departments are all being cut slowly by surely. It's pretty sad and so we are definitely looking for a better school system. We've got one going into 6th grade and one going into kindergarten this coming year.
5. Weather: One of the biggest reasons we are looking to move is getting away from the cold. However, we also don't want to trade one bad thing for another. Weather is very important to us. What it is like in the summer? Are there really four seasons? What is it like in the winters? I've heard the humidity isn't so bad in the higher elevations (one of the reasons we were looking into Eastern TN).
6. People: Alaska definitely attracts a different kind of people. We do have a lot of military families that bring diversity, but for the native people, we all tend to keep to ourselves. We all have pretty tight knit groups and if you've grown up here, you pretty much know everybody in some way. However, people here are pretty accepting and pretty much anything goes without much reservation. What are the people like in this area? Are they accepting of outsiders? My husband and I are really "laid back" and don't fit in with people that require a certain type of religion, judgment, political party, etc. We are homebodies but also really enjoy getting out with friends and family. We want to meet new people that are down to earth and simply looking to enjoy life. I like the fact that I can put my hair up in a pony tail, wear pretty much whatever I feel like wearing, and go grocery shopping without gaining too much attention. We vacationed in Newport Beach California this past summer and the culture was VERY different there, which was to be expected. However, I don't want to feel judged if I'm not all done up wearing stilettos running my weekly errands!


Please add any information you feel might be helpful! Thanks!!

[llsmith42]

Sounds like the Tri-cities area would fit most of your needs, but the job market there is not optimal. I would also suggest the areas west of knoxville, cookeville, or crossville.

[danielj72]

Wow talk about culture shock lol. Not sure where to start, so well go with the big one, the weather. Yes we have a four seasons climate. A hot humid summer, a warm humid fall, a cool damp winter and a warm pleasant spring. We do have a very nice climate here but I worry that if you have lived in Fairbanks AK all your life that there is no way for you to be prepared for what our weather is like. Even our winter will likely seem warm to you. Some winter days here are over 70 degrees (average Jan high though is 49) In the summer we can be 90 plus for weeks, and really the hot time of year goes from May until early October, so its going to seem very long to you.


Jobs and economy, well our economy is average, not the best in the country but far from the worst. I have no idea what your economy is like so I cannot compare it. Housing market?? Its growing and prices are on the rise but you can find a very nice house for a lot less than 300k still.

The communities you listed are spread out all over East Tennessee. I think where you end up will likely be determined by employment opportunities. Most of the towns you listed are good communities


Will you like Tennessee?? Come here for a few weeks this summer and find out. It is very pretty here, you will likely find it to be very warm, very green and lush compared to where you live. However our mountains are NOTHING like yours. I love the Smokies but there is no way to compare them with something like the Brooks Range. People here are very friendly so yes they are welcoming to newcomers. I bet you would get a lot of curiosity from people coming from Fairbanks Alaska. Not many people here have any experience with that part of America.

[DubbleT]

OP, use the search, look for a poster named jabogitlu, maybe browse through some of his posts or send him a direct message. He's from the tri-cities area, has some experience of Knoxville and Memphis and is currently living in Alaska. I'd think he'd be a good person to give you a comparison.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by DubbleT

OP, use the search, look for a poster named jabogitlu, maybe browse through some of his posts or send him a direct message. He's from the tri-cities area, has some experience of Knoxville and Memphis and is currently living in Alaska. I'd think he'd be a good person to give you a comparison.

First person I thought of. I'd tell you that I'd let him know, but I'll probably forget. He will definitely be around soon, though.

[kyliesmomma2]

Thanks for the feedback!! I'm looking forward to hearing more 😊 My family and I will be visiting the area in late May next year. We'll be spending a week in Gatlinburg and haven't quite decided where to spend the other week. Want to visit as many places as possible but still have time to relax and enjoy ourselves! Any advice on where to go for fun would be appreciated as well!!

[danielj72]

Originally Posted by kyliesmomma2

Thanks for the feedback!! I'm looking forward to hearing more 😊 My family and I will be visiting the area in late May next year. We'll be spending a week in Gatlinburg and haven't quite decided where to spend the other week. Want to visit as many places as possible but still have time to relax and enjoy ourselves! Any advice on where to go for fun would be appreciated as well!!

Gatlinburg is a fun place and I am sure you'll enjoy it but it is a major tourist town and will not give you much of a sense of what its like to live here. If you have a second week maybe you want to consider spending it visiting the towns you said you were looking at as possibilities to live in.

[kyliesmomma2]

Yeah, we figured Gatlinburg was a tourist trap. We have to stay for a week there as we have a time share there, but do plan on spending another week venturing off to one or two of the towns we could see ourselves actually living. My family is from Arkansas and we visit as much as possible, so we are familiar with the weather (somewhat). It's been a while since I've been there in the hot of the summer, but I think I can deal with a couple months of hot weather compared to seven months of cold winters! Looking forward to seeing the state and seeing if we like it!

[weisgarber1]

Originally Posted by danielj72

Wow talk about culture shock lol. Not sure where to start, so well go with the big one, the weather. Yes we have a four seasons climate. A hot humid summer, a warm humid fall,

Actually, autumn is the driest season (dry as in humidity levels) of the year, at least the first part of it is.......rather than being warm and humid (in a normal autumn), it is warmwith lower humidities, many times with stretches even into the twenty per cent range (and I have seen it even lower, into the teens).

[danielj72]

Originally Posted by weisgarber1

Actually, autumn is the driest season (dry as in humidity levels) of the year, at least the first part of it is.......rather than being warm and humid (in a normal autumn), it is warmwith lower humidities, many times with stretches even into the twenty per cent range (and I have seen it even lower, into the teens).

I guess I was talking about September and early October being warm and humid. You are right though humidity drops in mid to late October, but it remains warm and pleasant in a normal year. Fall is a great time of year here no doubt.