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It is a good idea to rent in a well reviewed apartment complex while you look for a house especially in the lower price range. You can find tranquil areas in almost all zip codes but it will require visiting at different times and also talking with the neighbors. There are no (affordable) zip codes, including small towns, where everyone is peaceful. Mayberry doesn't exist any more.
It does seem like Knoxville has better options for low/middle class living but I suspect you will find better career networking in Chattanooga because of the focus on the gigabit economy.
This part of East Tennessee is in a red zone according to EPA. That means there is a higher chance of having radon in the homes here. I have been testing for radon in the Knoxville area for 25 years. Yes there are some parts that are fairly high (above the action level of 4.0 pico curies per liter). However, its easily corrected with a mitigation system installed in the house. Its not a reason to avoid a house.
I'm sure the next question will be what areas are high, and what areas are low. Its really impossible to determine without testing. A house that has very high levels can be next door to another that has very low readings. Radon is a naturally occurring gas that comes from the ground. Undersurface rocks, etc can divert the gas as it makes it way to the surface. Geologic conditions can have a huge affect.
I am glad to know there is a way to fix the issue here and it is not a death sentence if you do end up renting a house with Radon issue. I am not sure TN laws, but woudl a landlord have to disclose if the house tests high for Radon? I suppose I would have to pay for my own Radon testing if I rent a place and if it is an apartment, condo, duplex, etc and there is high Radon levels what could I do to fix the issue if I am just renting someone else's property that may even be shared with other tenants?
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Originally Posted by Barking Spider
Back to your rents. You can find low rents no matter where you go, but there is usually a reason. In downtown Knoxville you might find rents in the $700 range, but there are also places renting for 2 - 3 times that amount too. Searching on the internet for a place to live without a knowledge of the City is very risky. Something that may look good on a computer screen, may not be so good in person. Or you may not feel safe once you see where the place is located.
So, $700 would put me in the slums of Knoxville? I mean even in Denver I could find some cheap, crappy ghetto place for $700/mo, so if the prices are the same as Denver, yet wages are much lower, it doesn't make Knoxville a very economical place to live. I was thinking that Knoxville's cost of living was much less than Denver or Nashville. If my budget is $800/mo will I be stuck in some pretty sketchy ghetto housing or living next to sketchy people who may have a meth lab in their basement? Growing up in Oregon I have lived in such sketchy trashy places where neighbors are dealing drugs or drug addicts. You have these situations in both cities and rural areas in Oregon and Washington. My goal is to avoid that. If I have to pay $1500/mo to live in a safe area, well I am sure even in Nashville I could find a place in a decent area for that price. I am paying $1600/mo for a decent 1000sq ft condo in a nice part of Denver metro. I find it hard to believe Knoxville will have similar prices to Denver.
As I said I will be taking major paycut and making sacrifices for the next two years to try to start my own online software business. I will also try to get a telecommute job to increase my income, but that will take me over a year, since I have study for interviews which are pretty rigorous. I was hoping I could find at least a place that is over 800 sq ft for like $700 or $800/mo. I really don't know the suburbs, but I would want to avoid living in sketchy towns full of tweakers like where I lived in Lacey, Washington. Trying to avoid places like Lakewood, Lacey, Shelton, Centralia that have high amounts meth and opioid addiction rates and lots of property crime. The amount of drug addicts and sketchy people where I lived in the Puget Sound was outrageous. Not to mention all the mentally ill people and huge homeless colonies in Olympia, Tacoma and Seattle. I also hear in Knoxville area there is a lot of violent crime, but I am hoping that is isolated to certain neighborhoods of the city that I would want to avoid. This is similar to me not wanting to live in South Tacoma which has the most gang activity in all of Pacific Northwest (although it has been getting better over the years).
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Originally Posted by Barking Spider
All of the places you mentions are potentially good places to live. However, every one of them also have areas that are not exactly the greatest. You do realize that Farragut is not really a small town. Its just a community within Knox County. You would have a hard time determining when you enter Farragut driving down Kingston Pike. Maryville and Alcoa adjoin each other as well, and are very close. Seymour is kind of by itself south of Knoxville, and Sevierville.....well if you like crowds and traffic.....
Would I be priced out of a nice place in any of these cities if my budget is $700 to $800/mo? Like, could I Find a 900 sq ft duplex in Maryville or Alcoa that is in a decent community, for example?
For a small affordable house, I'd look south of downtown, just across the Tennessee River. I don't think you'd fit in / like Marysville.
From both cities you'd be 45 minutes plus from most deep forest hikes.
Neither town is Charlotte but you'll probably find more in common than different. Probably more rain. A little less warm in summer but similar or possibly worse humidity.
You can find small places to live in the $700 - 800 range. However, your choices will be really limited in some areas, because the rents are much higher there. Downtown Knoxville loft rents will be much higher. As you move further away from downtown, then rents will likely be lower, but some areas near downtown are somewhat sketchy.
You will just have to drive around and see what fits your needs and budget.
Hard to believe any place could be more muggy than Charlotte, NC.. Many 100F and high 90F days (the last year I was there) and monsoon rains daily. It truly was like being in a hot sauna. I was in Africa half a year and it was pretty close, but I found Charlotte was even hotter. Although I didn't have much A/C in Africa, so you really, really feel that heat and humidity. But, whatever, I hope I could find a place that has a central A/C system. Those are unheard of in the Pacific Northwest even in areas where it gets over 100F, but I noticed they are much more common when I was in the South.
I really have no desire to even live in downtown Knoxville, even if I had the money. I'm now 40 and my days of partying and needing to be within walking distance to bars so I could binge drink are long over. I am a very moderate drinker. So, I have no problem driving into town for entertainment. I prefer living in a quieter, relaxed and even don't mind a family environment. I live in soccer mom suburbia right now in the outer Littleton area of Denver. I'm probably one of the only guys who is not married/widowed in this entire place I live. It is rare for me to see any single guy like myself in the suburbs. I will say where I live is utterly boring and wouldn't hang out here, but it is nice enough to live. I would go into the city for socializing. So, I wouldn't mind that type of environment living in Knoxville area.
I guess I just want to live in a place that is quiet and not have to worry about methheads breaking into my house or being hit by a stray bullet in a gang drive-by shooting.
I'm totally ok with living in a smaller place, although would prefer space around me if I could get that. I am going to be dumping all my stuff, except bare necessities into a storage place in Denver before I move away. I need to do everything as cheap as possible.
Is it possible to find a condo/duplex in the outer suburbs of West Knoxville, like Farragut, for around $800/mo? If there is a list of towns I should be specifically looking at I would appreciate to know. There are lots of small towns in Tennessee I notice. Each seems to have its own distinct identity and can vary a lot in safety and economic status. In Washington state, it is kind of funny, but almost every town in the South Puget Sound is a dump, high crime and poor. East of Puget Sound is all upscale and extremely wealthy. North Puget Sound is also dumpy, but not quite as bad as the South Puget Sound. Most of Washington state is pretty sketchy. Denver is also kind of weird with its neighborhoods. Good and bad are mixed up all over, but in general, the closer to the mountains the nicer it is.
In East Tennessee, I really have no idea of the demographics and it doesn't seem like anything is cut and dry in one area or not. Although, it appears that West Knoxville I assuming is a more upscale part of the city? I notice that is where the Whole Foods is located and that usually indicates being in a more high end neighborhood.
You might be able to find a place in West Knoxville for $800 if you spend time looking. Honestly I don't know what a lot of places rent for. I do know what I rent my places out for, and its higher than $800. They are in Karns / Cedar Bluff area. There are a lot of apartments and condos in the area, so you can probably find something within or close to your budget.
BY the way, downtown Knoxville is a lot more than bars. Its a very cool downtown.
Hard to believe any place could be more muggy than Charlotte, NC.. Many 100F and high 90F days (the last year I was there) and monsoon rains daily. It truly was like being in a hot sauna. I was in Africa half a year and it was pretty close, but I found Charlotte was even hotter. Although I didn't have much A/C in Africa, so you really, really feel that heat and humidity. But, whatever, I hope I could find a place that has a central A/C system. Those are unheard of in the Pacific Northwest even in areas where it gets over 100F, but I noticed they are much more common when I was in the South.
I really have no desire to even live in downtown Knoxville, even if I had the money. I'm now 40 and my days of partying and needing to be within walking distance to bars so I could binge drink are long over. I am a very moderate drinker. So, I have no problem driving into town for entertainment. I prefer living in a quieter, relaxed and even don't mind a family environment. I live in soccer mom suburbia right now in the outer Littleton area of Denver. I'm probably one of the only guys who is not married/widowed in this entire place I live. It is rare for me to see any single guy like myself in the suburbs. I will say where I live is utterly boring and wouldn't hang out here, but it is nice enough to live. I would go into the city for socializing. So, I wouldn't mind that type of environment living in Knoxville area.
I guess I just want to live in a place that is quiet and not have to worry about methheads breaking into my house or being hit by a stray bullet in a gang drive-by shooting.
I'm totally ok with living in a smaller place, although would prefer space around me if I could get that. I am going to be dumping all my stuff, except bare necessities into a storage place in Denver before I move away. I need to do everything as cheap as possible.
Is it possible to find a condo/duplex in the outer suburbs of West Knoxville, like Farragut, for around $800/mo? If there is a list of towns I should be specifically looking at I would appreciate to know. There are lots of small towns in Tennessee I notice. Each seems to have its own distinct identity and can vary a lot in safety and economic status. In Washington state, it is kind of funny, but almost every town in the South Puget Sound is a dump, high crime and poor. East of Puget Sound is all upscale and extremely wealthy. North Puget Sound is also dumpy, but not quite as bad as the South Puget Sound. Most of Washington state is pretty sketchy. Denver is also kind of weird with its neighborhoods. Good and bad are mixed up all over, but in general, the closer to the mountains the nicer it is.
In East Tennessee, I really have no idea of the demographics and it doesn't seem like anything is cut and dry in one area or not. Although, it appears that West Knoxville I assuming is a more upscale part of the city? I notice that is where the Whole Foods is located and that usually indicates being in a more high end neighborhood.
Pretty much any decent apartment or house in the region will have central AC. I doubt Knoxville is as hot as Charlotte. I was in Raleigh and Charlotte a couple of times each last summer, and both seemed far hotter than Johnson City, and seemed worse than where I was in Tampa two years ago in September.
Farragut is going to be mostly SFHs. This is on the other side of the interstate from the Whole Foods. There's quite a bit in that area (YMCA, lots of shopping, awesome used book store (McKay's), etc.) and the budget should work. The area is perfectly fine.
If you're working from home, you can choose some areas outside of Knoxville but within a half-hour drive. The closer you are to the mountains, the nicer the views (and some trails in the Smokies are paved for an easy walk.
Rentals might be harder to find in these areas, but homes are quite affordable. Check out Seymour, Mascot, Oak Ridge, (though a bit further from Knoxville), and east outskirts of Maryville. The crime you're likely to see is more vandalism and small theft than anything serious.
(FYI: Barking Spider is correct. Radon is more common in this area than other areas but it's more of a concern where there is a basement -gas collets and has an easier path into the home. Slabs don't usually give the gas an easy path and crawl spaces with vents are not often a problem. A Radon test is a good idea and remember that heavy rains can cause a falsely high reading.)
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