We might move to West Knoxville

[Nightjock]

Currently we live on Long Island, but my wife is looking at a huge job offer in Tennessee. I'm a little nervous if this all shakes out. I have never lived outside red state New York in my 45 years on the planet.
Can anyone tell me if my family (and our car with the "impeach bush" bumper sticker) might like Tn?
We have a 5 year old girl named Chelsea (named after the Clintons wonderful daughter) and a 3 year old boy named Owen. Thanks.

[DinahMoeHum]

1. Well, Knoxville is a university town, and places like that traditionally

are more liberal than other places in a state.

I don't know about the "Impeach Bush" bumpersticker; I don't know enough of the political climate there; but I'll bet if you sported a UT sports sticker (football or basketball) alongside it, you should get along with the locals well enough.

Extra credit if you can sing "Rocky Top" !! :evilgrin:

http://www.utk.edu/athletics/tn_songs.shtml

"...Rocky Top, you'll always be
Ho-o-o-me sweet home to me.
Good ole rocky TOP !!!
Rocky Top Tennessee..."

:bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce:

[SharonAnn]

2. West Knoxville is pretty Republican but there is an active Democrat party.

I live 15 miles west of West Knoxville and have found the political environment to be a challenge.

Negatives:
1. The area is very Christian fundamentalist
2. Politically it's very conservative, John Duncan (R) is our Congressional Rep.
3. Summers are long and hot by Northern standards
4. Rather provincial environment and attitude but improving slowly
5. Outside the professional class, pretty low education levels and educational standards
6. Limited job opportunities compared to many areas of the country
7. Still run (at the top) by a few families, see Victor Ashe as example (former Mayor, Yale friend of *)

Positives:
1. 4 season weather without harsh winters
2. Enough interesting people that I can survive
3. A major university so there is access to some culture and higher-learning
4. Affordable housing, really nice homes for much less $$$
5. Lots of people at work here to grow the Democratic Party
6. Absolutely beautiful scenery
7. Close to the Smoky Mountains and Cherokee national Forest
8. Lots of outside activities available.

PM me if I can help.

[southerncrone]

3. Quite conservative area, Repub stronghold for generations back.

You will definitely have culture shock. It's still VERY backward compared to NY. May get the cold shoulder from some because you are a "Yankee", be prepared to hear "you have an accent". LOL

Welcome to TN. :hi:
It is a very beautiful state & it has very friendly people.

If this job of your wife's would allow, you would find Nashville much more progressive. ;)

[dk2]

4. Good luck, moved to TN from Tx

TN is a major adjustment. Best of luck. ( the food will be completely different - pack all of your favorite foods)

[Batch667]

5. Moving to K-town

Hey,
Something that you might consider is instead of living in west knoxville, is to look at North or East Knox or close to downtown.
West Knoxville is basically strip-malls and subdivisions strungs out along highway 40/75. West Knox and outside the city
limits are very republican, while downtown and north knox are fairly liberal by TN standards. In my neighborhood of
"4th and Gill" your bumper sticker wouldn't stand out at all.
Knoxville is basically a small town with a medium-sized university. Downtown has a fair number of things going on,
especially in the summer, from free concerts every thursday night (http://www.sundowninthecity.com) to art galleries
(most of which participate in the "first fridays" event -held on the first friday of each month), and throughout the summer there is usually a
street fair/fest each weekend. We have two free entertainment papers each week - the more mainstream/conservative Metropulse
(http://www.metropulse.com) and the liberal Knoxville Voice (http://www.knoxvoice.com/). Check out the calender sections
for an idea of your entertainment options. The local newspaper however, the Knoxville news Sentinal is total right-wing crap.
Anyway, its not so bad, though it will be a culture shock, it was for mw when I moved here in 94 from SF. If I can help, don't hesitate to ask.

Batch

[Flirtus]

7. Great comment - you're right about West Town

And, you could add, the less time spent driving in the traffic past West Town Mall the better!

The other commenters mention the food problem, it's hard to find specialty groceries throughout the mid-South. I was in Chapel Hill lately, absolutely delighted with the grocery stores there. Maybe we'll catch up with them Tarheels!

Although, my sister lives in "North" Knoxvegas, and she's agin the lottery, agin helping po people who otta get a job, and, lucklily, doesn't vote in national elections 'cause she's agin voting for (dare I say) Yankees. I love reminding her that we're carpetbagger stock (from after The War).

Edited to say "WELCOME to DU!"

[NashVegas]

6. Knoxville Has Some Literary Outposts

At least there's that.

It's not all bad. I'm originally from the Albany area and once the culture shock was past, I love Tennessee. There are some assholes here, but there are assholes everywhere. There are also a lot of good people, and strong communities.

[Sheltiemama]

8. Knox County

I live in North Knox County. I urge you to look for housing in other parts of the county. West Knoxville is the most expensive housing market. You can get a lot more for your money in the other parts of the county. North Knoxville, especially the Fountain City area, has a lot of Democrats. And the Fourth and Gill area is so cool, with a lot of beautifully restored houses. If you like loft living, you might look at the downtown area, which is close to UT. Most people here are Republicans, though. You have to take the bad with the good.

[ktowntennesseedem]

9. Good luck on the move, Nightjock. West Knox County here.

Lived in Knoxville most of my life, and now in the west end because my wife and I both work on this end of town. West Knox is a bit pricier than the surrounding areas, but it should still be considerably cheaper than where you now live. And you will be closer to many more shops and restaurants on this end of town (although traffic can sometimes be a nightmare because everyone else in Knoxville is trying to get to those same shops and restaurants!)

The "W the President" stickers far outweigh any anti-bush sentiments, and once you get to meet any of those "W" fans in your neighborhood or at work you'll discover they tend to be blissfully ignorant about any possible negatives of their beloved president (Fox News loyalists). And this is the buckle of the bible belt, so there are plenty of conservative, far-right churches and parishioners to go around. But, there are still plenty of moderate Dems around, too, and even a handful of liberals and progressives! And those "W" stickers are either wearing off or being taken off many of the cars. These days your impeachment bumper sticker would be in the minority, but your impeachment sentiment would not be nearly as lonely. It's a major college town, so there's still plenty of culture to be found. I just hope you and your wife look good in orange!

But to top it all off, you've got the mountains all around you. It only takes an hour or so to escape to one of the most beautiful spots in the country, and even in town you can easily see the mountains in the distance beckoning you. If I were the only liberal in the state it would be worth it to live near those mountains.

Best of luck on the potential move! :hi: