Living in Tennesse

[Nephromaniac]

Hey there SDN folks... I was looking for any input on living in Knoxville that you all may have; good areas, places to avoid, etc. I know I've stumbled upon a few tid bits about it before, but can't seem to find the threads for the life of me. Also, if anyone has dealt with, or considered, buying a house for vet school instead of renting, I'd love to hear about it! Thanks!

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[dyachei]

There are some places that are nicer than others. West Knoxville, for instance, is considered the nicer area. The only issue with west Knoxville is that traffic can get bad in the mornings and it is further from school than some places. The only place I would absolutely avoid is the Fort - they tend to have a higher crime rate than the rest of Knoxville. We constantly get emails about it in our school accounts. I live in south Knoxville, which some people will tell you to avoid. Its not really all that bad and the prices are much better for more room (I also have pets so that limited me to certain apartments). As long as you are a little careful, south Knoxville is fine.

I am renting because buying a house seems a little risky to me. Its a lot of money to not have access to and I am not convinced I would be able to sell past graduation. But if you feel confident about being able to do that, houses (and condos) are not that expensive here. Utilities are also fairly cheap due to the TVA.

 

[Klhughes]

Before I moved down here the area that I was told to avoid was East Knoxville. There are some parts of it that are okay but I would generally stay away from it... much of it is the low income neighborhoods (Lonsdale is one you'll see listed... don't live there). I completely agree about the Fort. It is mostly the undergrad students that live there and maybe its because they aren't smart about what they are doing (walking around alone at night just isn't a good idea no matter where you live) but there is always something happening down there.
I live in North Knoxville just outside of Fountain City. The area overall isn't bad. I'm just not a fan of my apartment complex and will be moving when my lease is up. There are a ton of apartment complexes along Inskip Rd (thats where mine is) and most of them are pretty nice.
I never heard anything bad about South Knoxville before I moved down here but some areas of it are nicer than others but I think you can usually pick those out based on price and pictures.
I think a lot of our classmates live in West Knoxville. Its more of in the heart of the city but traffic does really suck and they haven't finished the smart fix 40 project yet (hopefully they will before you guys get down here... its supposed to end in June) so part of the main highway through town is closed. The apartments in west knoxville seem to be a little more expensive than other areas but they also tend to be nicer.
We do have a few people in our class that bought houses so that they didn't have to rent while in school. I wish that I had that opportunity when I moved because I think it would have saved me a lot in the end. They both intend on selling when they move but they also have the option of renting it out to other vet students if they can't sell it when they graduate. They can also have whatever pets they want without getting in trouble with their landlord. Housing prices are pretty cheap down here, esp. now with the way the housing market has been. There are tons of places for sale. It seems like every street I drive by has a for sale sign on it.

 

[critterfixer]

I am out northwest of Knoxville in the Powell community. I love it here! I am 13 minutes from school (even in the WORST construction traffic, not more than about 22 minutes) and I have easy access to plenty of restaurants and shopping. I can be in either west Knox or east Knox for malls within 15 minutes, and I don't have to deal with the traffic of living in west.

You will definitely get a lot more for your money if you don't live in west Knox. I highly recommend Powell as an area to look. I bought a house, and right now we've lost money, but so has everyone in the country. I think it will still have been a good move. You can scoop up some pretty sweet deals looking at foreclosures right now, too. But you could think about renting for 6 months to be sure you've have a chance to evaluate the areas and know where you want to be.

 

[Nephromaniac]

Thanks so much for your quick replies guys! I don't know what I'd do if I hadn't found SDN! Also, for those of you starting with me this fall, anyone make any definite decisions about where they are staying yet?

 

[Kat0303]

I live in North Knoxville (near St. Mary's Hospital and Fulton High School), on the outskirts of the Historic District. My area is made up of a lot of little 2/3 bedroom rental houses. The neighborhood isn't necessarily unsafe, but it's not one of the finest areas around. Mainly it is just a lower/middle income, older neighborhood. With that said, I do recommend this area, because it is cheap and easy to find a good old rental house. My husband and I rent a 2 bedroom 1000 sq ft. house with a basement and a big fenced in back yard for $650 a month. Also, I never have any problems with traffic (with the exception of road work over the last few weeks but that's supposed to end soon) and it takes me about 6-7 minutes to get to school.

Also, there are also a lot of beautiful huge old houses a few minutes away from my house in "Old North Knoxville" (The Historic District) which is a very cozy area (we always take walks over in that area. It is so close but seems so far away since the houses are significantly bigger and fancier with tree lined streets)

Like the other said, I was also told when I started not to get anywhere near the Fort and also to avoid East Knoxville, which I agree with after living in Knoxville for a year.

 

[katryn]

Another decent option if you want to live "on campus" is a place called shelbourne towers. It's nestled inbetween some of the dorms on volunteer drive about 2 minutes walk from the vet school. It's not the greatest place in the world (radiator heating, window a/c units, a little bit of recalcitrant mold smell) but over all it's not a bad place to live and the rent is definitely good considering that it's all inclusive (rent=rent, water, electricity, and internet). The only things you have to pay for are cable tv and a phone line if you want them. I liked it for the year I lived there.

 

[Nephromaniac]

Thanks Kat, I hadn't seen them anywhere. Do you happen to know if they have a website or if there is anywhere I could find info about them?

 

[katryn]

About the best option is to call or stop by. I'm pretty sure they're listed in the phone book. Or if you're already in the area, take a right out of the vetschool parking lot onto Joe Johnson(away from neyland drive) and its on a road to the left just past the andy holt apartment hall(UT Dorm). Turn left on that road and it's a U shaped building on your right. The office door is on the outside of the building at the front.

 

[mbliss23]

I have a question...when did you all make your housing arrangements? I have been doing a little looking casually, but I feel a little vague about when I should start making serious inquiries. How much harder does it get to find housing if you wait until mid-summer? Right now just from the looking I have been doing it seems like there is a fair amount available, but I'm wondering how worried I should be about whether that will change in the next couple of months. When do most students start leases?

Also, anyone know anything about the open house this weekend? I was thinking of going since my parents didn't come with me to my interview and I thought it might be nice for them to see where I'm going to spend the next 4 yrs of my life, haha. Are there tours, or is it more just stop in and show yourself around?

 

[dyachei]

I made my housing arrangements mid summer and didn't have a problem, but the earlier you start, the more choices you will have if things open up.

As for the open house, you're definitely welcome to come. It's meant for the general public but you get to see parts of the hospital and the school.

 

[pressmom]

I live in West Knoxville south of Kingston Pike and don't really have a traffic problem. I never take the Interstate to school, though. The traffic on Cedar Bluff can be a nightmare. Generally if you want to live in West Knoxville, live off of Westland (which is where I do), Northshore, or Middlebrook Pike. These have convenient non-interstate ways to get to school. I have traveled all these roads at rush hour and they really aren't bad. I live about 15 minutes away. I feel really safe in my community and have heard of no violent or property crimes in my immediate community. I walk my dogs alone at 9:30-10:00 at night by myself and feel fine. (When I take them out later, I talk on the phone to someone to be safe.) As far as safety in West Knoxville, there have been some issues at the apartments off Papermill Road between Liberty and I-40. There are at least 3-4 complexes I can think of off the top of my head in that area, which I would probably avoid.

As far as buying, when I was thinking about doing that, I was looking in the Fountain City area because it is cheaper to buy up north. I have a friend who owns a house off Tillery Rd and the neighborhood is full of nice starter homes.

As far as buying in West Knoxville, there are some more garden homey duplexy new places off Middlebrook Pike. I have been in one owned by a student. They are single story with a garage and usually 2 bedrooms and baths. There are also some townhouse communities in that area. The one I've been in is 3 bedroom, 2 bath. These communities vary as to wether you own the building or the building and the land (which determines whether you can fence). There are also several communities like these in North Knox.

Good luck finding something!

 

[pressmom]

As far as when to look, I looked in June. Many of the apartments I looked at in west Knox knew then what would be available because they require 2 months notice. Some in north Knox didn't know because they only require 1 month notices. Just FYI.

 

[heartthrob]

Hey there SDN folks... I was looking for any input on living in Knoxville that you all may have; good areas, places to avoid, etc. I know I've stumbled upon a few tid bits about it before, but can't seem to find the threads for the life of me. Also, if anyone has dealt with, or considered, buying a house for vet school instead of renting, I'd love to hear about it! Thanks!

I lived in Knoxville for twelve years and I'm going back there after four years in Alabama. I absolutely love Knoxville and I think it's a beautiful town. As far as areas to avoid, you just want to keep away from areas close to projects and steer clear of anywhere close to Magnolia Avenue. West and North is your best bet. To avoid gridlock on the interstate, either buy a book of maps or Google maps and learn the backroads. It's not hard to learn your way around there. If you don't mind making a commute, Powell, Clinton, and Lenoir City are all good, maybe even Oak Ridge. That's a bit of a drive though. Farragut is the nicest part of town but also the most expensive. Safety in Knoxville is just a matter of common sense, like anywhere else. Good luck and congrats on your acceptance to vet school!

 

[shemari]

I live in the fort Sanders area, in the commons at knoxville apartments. Its furnished and close to the school (takes me 5 minutes or less to get there) but it is really loud on the weekends.

Definitely try to find a living arrangement as early as you can. I signed my lease in July and it was one of the few available in the Fort Sanders area.

A few people in our class are roommates, and I think they may have decided to live together after looking for roommates on facebook, etc.

Can't wait to meet all of you!!