Lonsdale

The Lonsdale neighborhood was named for the parents of William Ragsdale, Lonas and Dale Ragsdale. It is encompassed by Interstate 75, Interstate 640, and Interstate 275 South as well as Western Avenue and Beaumont Avenue. It is also bordered by Heiskell Avenue on the north and Texas Avenue to the west. The homes within this neighborhood are influenced in the Victorian and Craftsman style. Each street has been named after either Union states or Civil War generals.

This inner center neighborhood has a commitment from the City of Knoxville to be revitalized in hopes of providing a new framework as a sort of catalyst for the Lonsdale neighborhood. The hopes is that the neighborhood will reach new creative approaches in renovation of the properties in the area and future developments. Many of the homes within this small inner city community are in need of rehabilitation. Currently, there are no buffers between neighborhoods and the existing industrial uses as commercial activity is limited.

The majority of the Lonsdale neighborhood consists of many blighting influences where buildings have become dilapidated, obsolescence, overcrowded, faulty design, lack of light or ventilation, sanitary facilities, deleterious land use, obsolete layout, and other factors that have been detrimental to the safety, health, morals, and welfare of the community as a whole. Many of the buildings and homes here have been determined to be unsafe or unhealthy for the people who either live or work there due to building code violations, deterioration, serious exterior maintenance, or defective construction and design.

With these renovations the Lonsdale neighborhood does have hope for the future. There is a mixture of individuals here in this area that call this neighborhood home, but the majority are older couples. This neighborhood does suffer from a high crime rate and has had to deal with serious drug trafficking issues in the past. Lonsdale Elementary School is rated very highly among parents and has made vast improvements in recent years for their student body.

Lonsdale is a neighborhood that is definitely centrally located. It is almost completely encompassed by Interstates 640, 75, and 275 and then Western and Beaumont avenues. The area isn't busy all the time, but can be at times with all of the major roads around. The homes can be a bit run down, but some of them have had owners really take care and fix them up. Lonsdale is just a short drive to downtown and U.T. campus, shopping and great dining. Right outside the neighborhood is Sharps Ridge Memorial Park and inside the neighborhood is Lonsdale Park. Lonsdale Park recently underwent a renovation. There are picnic tables, a basketball court, 3 playgrounds, shelters, and open space. The renovation actually put Lonsdale Elementary, Lonsdale Park and Lonsdale Recreation Center all on the same block. Very convenient for parents, now their children can play at the park at recess and after school without having to cross a road. The Recreation Center has an after school program that runs until 5:30 which is great for parents. The Recreation Center offers a gymnasium, indoor and outdoor basketball,a playground, a softball field, and soccer field. With houses being affordable and with so many family friendly amenities, Lonsdale is a great neighborhood for families.

Lonsdale is another Knoxville neighborhood that is going through vast renovation. The inhabitants of this area are mostly older retirees, or couples seeking to own their first homes. The new homeowners, in want of a better area have started to fix this area up. It begins with the neighborhood spirit and cascades through every faucet of life. The neighborhood is located off of I 75, I 640, and I 275. It offers close proximity to food, shopping and UT campus. A lot of single students can band together to own a house and fix it up. Or college sweethearts can settle down in their first home while focusing on their goals.

This area is very affordable, with some of the cheapest housing markets in Knoxville. The unfortunate downside to this is that some homes are close to one hundred years old and have not been renovated. Another downside is the cluster of major roads that can make traffic a problem. Lastly, the school systems in this area are not the best in knoxville. Overall, this area has a lot of potential to be a happy home for many years. It has close proximity to anything you could need, and some lovely neighbors.