A New Yorker's perspective on Knoxville
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9/29/2010
I relocated to Knoxville in 2004. I was born and raised in Queens, and lived on Long Island for 20 years, so here goes.
The bad things about Knoxville:
-Only two seasons, summer and winter.
-Classic small-town inferiority complex.
-Horrible air quality due to the heavy truck traffic on I-40/75.
-TN Sales tax at a whopping 9.5%.
-Knoxville is practically owned and operated by the Univ. of Tennessee, AND the Haslam /Pilot Corporation.
-Other than Mexican or BBQ, the food is marginal at best.
-Most Knoxvillians have a blinding, almost cult-like devotion to UT football.
-No one comes out in the summer because it is too hot/humid not to sweat through your clothes in under 10 minutes.
-Minorities are seen, but not heard in Knoxville.
-One party rule - Republican
-Come here already married, because I hear the singles scene is terrible.
-Downtown is basically two or three streets about a half-mile wide.
-Dollywood is way over-rated!
Now the good stuff:
-No state income tax in TN.
-Government is MUCH less intrusive on your personal freedom here.
-Health care is excellent
-Lots of lovely lakes throughout the area, good boating and fishing.
-One party rule - Republican (good or bad depends on your views I guess, lol)
-Traffic is non-existant for the most part, compared to NY
-Real estate market a lot less volatile than other large cities.
-Malls everywhere if you like to shop.
-Things like car insurance, registration fees, licenses and such are half-price from NY.
-Very cost-effective place to live.
In conclusion, the good-ole boy mentality is alive and well here. I have found not all, but many Knoxvillians to be suspicious of 'Yankees'. They are polite to you, but you can sense the lack of trust/deep-seated fear they feel towards you. This needs to be balanced against the many nice people who are living in the present and no longer rehashing the Civil War.
Ned | Knoxville, TN