dannyw1975

The Oakwood region of North Knoxville does have several appealing aspects, but overall it's nothing special.

First of all, the area features mostly historic homes which are over 100 years old, which is extremely common throughout all of North Knoxville. However, these houses specifically are smaller, more compact, and have small front and back yards. They're extremely popular among the 20-something crowd, as are all the other areas of North Knoxville.

There is a great deal of home rental in Oakwood, like the surrounding areas, but people of all ages and backgrounds also own homes in the area. For the most part, this neighborhood has remained the same for years, with no growth and generally no adjustment whatsoever.

One of the most appealing parts of the neighborhood is that most of the houses have decent-sized front porches. In many cases, these porches as well as the small front lawns are often decorated, making it stand out a bit more than the neighboring areas.

It's clear that this neighborhood hasn't changed much in decades, considering it still has the friendly front porch vibe.

It's adjacent to Broadway Ave. which provides the necessary stops, like Kroger, restaurants, and gas stations, and it's only a 5-10 minute drive to the downtown area. It's close to the interstate, but getting there is somewhat of a chore given the poorly-laid-out roads of the area.

Mechanicsville has waned and waxed over the years, once being a prominent neighborhood in the Knoxville area, then losing a lot of its popularity for crime reasons. But the tax credit offer for buying homes resulted in many younger people purchasing their homes in the Mechanicsville area, as the area is also expanding to the North towards Beaumont.

The area is very centrally located, with easy access to the interstate. It sits just north of major Knoxville roads like Middlebrook Pike and Kingston Pike. The entire area is on a sloping hill that somewhat overlooks the rest of the city.

It's just west of downtown and just north of campus, making it about as central of a location as you can get in Knoxville.

In the past, many houses in Mechanicsville (which aren't as old as many of the homes in the Knoxville area, but for the most part haven't been built in the recent past) had been foreclosed upon, and many of them have even been auctioned off recently. With many young people buying their first homes in 2009 and 2010 in order to get the tax credit, Mechanicsville served up many good deals which these people took advantage of.

Many of the homes need work, but they've been selling quite well for at least a year. Furthermore, the area is expanding northward, with new houses being built regularly.

Towards the south side there are some college-student dominated apartment complexes, some of which have been around for decades and have a historical vibe.

Over the next year or two, Mechanicsville will likely increase in popularity.

The Morningside area of Knoxville is generally seen as a sub-par neighborhood. Upon entering it, there are a number of run-down, bleak-looking apartment complexes which serve as uninviting.

The area is, however, a decent location. It's practically downtown, yet not quite, so the property values are lower. In fact, in many cases, they are very low.

But Morningside still sits close enough to downtown to be a very convenient area. It also has easy interstate access and is just south of a popular golf course.

Living near the downtown area is increasing in popularity, though, so Morningside might pick up over the next few years, but it would require a great deal of renovation and the construction of several new properties. As it is, it's more enticing to live in the nearby South Knoxville neighborhood, or even up into Fourth and Gill or other North Knoxville neighborhoods, as you would still have the proximity to downtown but would have better-kept property.

The Marble City area features plenty of decent, older homes as well as apartment complexes, but isn't anything all that exciting.

Many of the houses are 50+ years old, with some being over 100 years old. They're typically smaller homes with yards.

However, the Marble City area isn't particularly inviting. First of all, the age of the homes and apartment complexes isn't quite endearing like it is in other regions. It makes the quality of the homes seem questionable.

The apartment complexes are usually populated by college students, given the neighborhood's proximity to the campus, but it lies in an inconvenient area. There is highway access to the north and access to the busy Kingston Pike/Cumberland Ave. to the South, but the neighborhood is tucked a bit too far in to be truly convenient to either road. So traveling to campus can still be a chore.

Furthermore, many students choose this area because of the low rent, but also complain that the quality of the apartment lacks.

The region is generally an eyesore, and several miles west there are comparable apartment complexes and houses for the same price that look nicer and have easier access to restaurants, grocery stores, and gas stations.

The Old Sevier area of South Knoxville, much like South Knoxville itself, is underrated.

First of all, the area sits right against the Tennessee River, providing a great view of it as well as the back side of downtown. It's only about a mile from downtown, as well, making the location extremely convenient.

The neighborhood is immediately east once you cross over the bridge entering into South Knoxville, but it's not quite as far as Island Home. But much like Island Home, it has plenty of nice quality, small houses for affordable prices.

The area isn't heavy on one demographic over another. There are families and plenty of young professionals who own their homes. There isn't much to speak of as far as apartment complexes, and the houses mostly aren't in subdivisions, just on one long, windy road. But the area is well kept and in an extremely convenient location.

The neighborhood is surrounded by large rolling hills as well providing great scenery, and it's only minutes from Ijams Nature Center-- one of the most beautiful areas of town.

It would be a great location for any young homeowner or small family. Many properties are available for rent, as well, from private landlords.

The West View area of Knoxville doesn't really feature anything worth bragging about.

The area is a melting pot, with a variety of properties ranging from older, one-story, one-bedroom houses to newer properties in subdivisions to apartment complexes.

The general area-- west of campus, north of Middlebrook Pike-- doesn't attract many people. For the most part, these properties have been around for decades and are owned, not rented. There are apartment complexes, but unlike other areas of town they aren't heavily college-student based because the area isn't exactly convenient to the UT area.

However, in many ways, West View is in the center of the city. And the neighborhood gives easy access to I-75, meaning you can get just about anywhere else in the city relatively quickly. Because it's more off the beaten path, it's a quiter area, but there's less of a common denominator. It's not necessarily family-dominated, couples-dominated, or overrun with the younger crowd.

There's nothing run down or unattractive about the area (for the most part, though like any neighborhood it has some rough patches, mostly towards the north edge) and the property values are decent. There's just nothing that stands out.

The Lincoln Park area, much like the surrounding areas of North Knoxville, features a number of older, traditional-style homes. However, it's also a slightly more modernized area than, say, the Fourth and Gill neighborhood.

The main perk of the Lincoln Park area is its access to Sharp's Ridge-- a beautiful rolling hill which has a public park and an amazing view of the Knoxville area. Properties along this ridge are often far more expensive than the surrounding area.

However, Lincoln Park remains a reasonably priced area. The houses are typically one story or small two stories, many of which have been built in the past few years or decades. But similar to the rest of North Knoxville, there are still a large number of older homes.

Lincoln Park seems to be more family-dominated than the rest of the North Knoxville suburb. It has easy access to the Beaumont neighborhood (also more family-oriented, and has a school) as well as Broadway Ave. which provides several necessary stops, like grocery stores and restaurants and gas stations.

Lincoln Park is one of the better-kept areas of North Knoxville.

For years, the Edgewood area has been under construction. It's adjacent to the already-run-down, already-confusing-set-up of the Fourth and Gill neighborhood, but just recently Edgewood seems to be sticking out.

It's a similar concept to the surrounding North Knoxville area, with many older-style homes, but as of recently there are also more modern homes in the area. It's biggest selling feature, however, has to be the nearby public park which is superior to the other parks in the area.

Furthermore, Edgewood is more secluded. The Fourth and Gill neighborhood still feels like it's just off a busy road (which it is) but Edgewood feels more like an actual neighborhood.

And given the low cost of living in the area, the Edgewood properties are generally a good deal. Given the high population of the younger (20s and 30s) crowd in the area, the Edgewood neighborhood might serve as a decent place for young couples or young professionals to buy a home, which is more common than renting (unlike the surrounding areas).

Although most of North Knoxville isn't in the best shape, Edgewood is starting to show some promise.

The College Hill area is pretty self-explainitory.

The neighborhood sits in between the University of Tennessee and several community colleges, so it's pretty overrun by college students. However, it's not a particularly popular place for UT students. Or I should say that it's not as coveted as many other student-housing locations.

The location is, however, quite ideal. It has easy access to the Interstate, Broadway, Middlebrook Pike, Western Avenue, and is only a short drive from Kingston Pike, the University of Tennessee campus, and the Fort Sanders area.

In many ways, it's the ideal location for a young person living in Knoxville.

There are several apartment complexes which have been around for years, and unlike the other areas of town catering to college students, this area has remained generally the same, with the same few complexes.

It's close to the Beaumont neighborhood, which is a completely different vibe and demographic than College Hill, though I've never seen any signs that suggest there's a clash between these neighboring areas.

It's not a bad place, but you can find more for your money elsewhere.

The Burlington area, sitting in the northeastern side of Knoxville, isn't one of the better areas of town.

The houses are old and run down, and it's well-known that many of the neighborhoods and streets nearby aren't ideal or safe locations. The property value is low and many people often have times selling their houses in this area.

It's located next to I40, providing easy access to the rest of the city, although the neighborhood sits far away from many of the major local points, meaning it's still a 15+ minute drive to anywhere. It's farther away from the downtown area than the rest of the North Knoxville neighborhoods.

The area is close to the Knoxville zoo and does have some easy access to chain fast food restaurants and whatnot, but generally speaking it doesn't have very much to offer. And everyone I've known who lived there has wanted to leave quickly, and many have had a difficult time putting their house on the market.

Like the other smaller areas of the North Knoxville region, Belle Morris doesn't particularly stand out in any way.

Just north of Fourth and Gill, the area does feature more modern homes than the aforementioned neighborhood, but many are still up to 50 years old. However, the Belle Morris region does feature homes with decent-sized yards.

The houses themselves are nothing to brag about, style-wise. However, the area is slightly less run down then the rest of the North Knoxville area.

Bordered on the north side by a large rolling hill, the Belle Morris area does provide easy access to a very scenic view of the city of Knoxville.

Like many of the other North Knoxville neighborhoods, Belle Morris is heavy on renters and not homeowners, bringing in many of the 20 and 30-something crowd. It has easy access to a Kroger and a small shopping center, as well as the busy Broadway Ave., but overall is nothing special, although the rent is often cheap and the properties nice enough.

The Beaumont area is one of Knoxville's nicer-looking suburbs, with mostly historic houses. Sitting towards the north side of Knoxville, although technically not really part of the North Knoxville area, Beaumont still features several of the same aspects its neighbors (Historic Old North Knoxville, Fourth and Gill) do.

However, the Beaumont area isn't heavily college-student or 20-something based, like those other two areas. Many people own their older, Victorian-style homes in this area instead of renting. Although there are apartment complexes, the majority of the area consists of homes.

There are schools in the area and it's adjacent to the busy Broadway Avenue. It's mostly a family-oriented area, with many families owning properties for decades upon decades.

The neighborhood is smaller than the adjacent North Knoxville areas, as well. Although it's a pleasant area that's in a more remote location, there's nothing that particularly jumps out about the Beaumont area.

The Forest Heights area of Knoxville, sitting just off Sutherland Avenue, is a far better location than many people realize.

In between campus and the Bearden area, Forest Heights manages to give you the best of both worlds. There's easy access to downtown via Sutherland Avenue and the interstate conjunction on the north end of the road, but you're also located adjacent to the slower-paced Bearden area, with restaurants, grocery stores, and even easy access to the mall.

I have lived in this area in the past and loved every second of it. It's just as beautiful as other areas of Knoxville but it's off-the-beaten-path enough to be enjoyable and still feel like a neighborhood.

It's within walking distance to the Kingston Pike restaurants and stores, and it's also very close to the Greenway walking trail which leads through a scenic forest setting to the campus area of town.

Forest Heights and the surrounding areas are highly underrated.

Vestal is a small portion of the South Knoxville area, sitting in between the busy Chapman Highway, the Tennessee River, and Alcoa.
For the most part, Vestal consists of tiny, run-down houses. There are a few tiny, locally-owned businesses (like mechanics and restaurants) in small buildings, but for the most part the entire area is small houses.
Most of the homes are fixer-uppers and have low property value. Yards are rare and extremely small in the case they do exist.
Vestal sits just south of the river and right next to Chapman Highway, so its location is ideal in many ways. It’s only a short drive to the downtown area, and several back roads take you to highways leading to all of Knoxville’s major interstates.
There isn’t much as far as grocery stores, gas stations, or so on in the area, but a short trip to Chapman Highway leads to all those establishments.
Vestal isn’t exactly something to write home about.

The University of Tennessee area lies in the center of the city of Knoxville, surrounded by the downtown area and bordered by the Tennessee River.
The campus sits on a beautiful hilly area with a variety of trees and wildlife surrounding it. The area is surrounded by the river on two sides (the south and west side) and certain locations provide great views of the River and the mountains surrounding it.
Because of the hilly landscape, roads running through the campus area are laid out in a confusing manner, with many one-way streets and many main roads running curvy paths. Because there’s a large student body, most weekdays (even during the summer) it’s difficult to travel through the area via car, but the campus is mostly self-contained and the large, busy Cumberland Avenue sits to the north running through the city’s more important areas, leading to downtown and to the beginning of the west Knoxville area.
Any residences in the area are apartment complexes or dorms, with houses on the other side of Cumberland Avenue in the Fort Sanders area.
The UTPD patrol the campus area regularly, 24-hours a day.
Adjacent to the campus area are a number of restaurants, shops, and bars popular not just among the college crowd, serving as a decent stopping point for people living or working in any area of the city.

South Knoxville is an underrated area of the city. Sitting just south of the Tennessee River, the area isn’t far from the downtown area, making it an ideal location for many.
The homes run the gamut, depending on what neighborhood you’re in. Many homes are 30-50 years old, if not older. For the most part, properties are smaller, with one or two bedroom houses that are usually one story. However, in South Knoxville, many of the homes have large back yards.
The area is large and consists of many sub-parts like Vestal, Island Home, and Alcoa. Many long and winding roads lead from one section to the other, but it’s easy to get lost in the twisty-turny landscape.
The highest concentration of homes exist in the northern area of South Knoxville, and as you travel south towards Seymour the housing areas spread out significantly, with larger lots and more space in between homes. Because of the hilly landscape, many properties in this more sparse area of town are secluded.
The area features several major grocery stores and gas stations, as well as other small stores and restaurants.
It’s generally accepted that the houses in South Knoxville are reasonably priced.

Sequoyah Hills is one of the most scenic areas in the already very scenic city, sitting on the edge of the Tennessee river. Located towards the center of the city, just west of the campus area and a few miles west from the downtown area, Sequoyah Hills has some of the largest properties in town.
Unlike most of Knoxville, especially towards the center of the city, the homes are large and new. They almost all feature large yards as well.
It’s clear that many homes are custom-designed, as they feature unique set ups and the neighborhood doesn’t adhere to any one theme or style. Sitting well off of the busy Kingston Pike, the roads through Sequoyah Hills are well laid out and make for easy traffic flow.
The center of the area features a lengthy public part nestled against the river. Visitors of the park don’t interfere with the traffic flow of the area or make it feel over-congested.
Perhaps the most appealing aspect of Sequoyah Hills is its view of the river with rolling hills in the background, making these properties quite costly. As mentioned, most feature yards and many feature decks as well.
Most of the area isn’t gated or otherwise secluded, but remains a safe and quiet area occupied mostly by families or older couples. There are a few apartment complexes tucked back towards Kingston Pike, away from the river, which are occupied heavily by the younger crowd, but still aren’t popular places for the 20-something crowd to live.

The Old North Knoxville area, frequently known as Historic Old North Knoxville (or “HONK”), has more character than many of the Knoxville neighborhoods.
The area consists significantly of older, Victorian-style homes which have been converted into apartments. These apartments appear to be large, multi-story homes from the street with large back yards. Generally, these have been remodeled into one-bedroom apartments, or to studio apartments, with the back yard area serving as a parking lot.
But there are still plenty of houses, usually smaller and one-story. The area is heavily populated by the 20-30 year-old crowd. As a result, renting is popular in this area, and typically speaking the rates of the area are reasonable or even cheap.
HONK sits next to Broadway Avenue, which serves as the area’s main shopping area with grocery stores, restaurants, and gas stations.
But generally speaking, much of the Old North Knoxville area seems run down, including the shops on Broadway Avenue. It’s an older area of town and it seems it hasn’t been kept up very well.

Knoxville’s Old City region manages to bring in well-educated tourists while still being a local favorite. It’s apparent upon first glance the area is aptly-named, with several old-style saloons sitting on the main intersection of Central Ave. With several bars and restaurants, the area is a compact-version of a downtown area.
Above many of these businesses are small apartments, usually occupied by people in their 20s. The entire area is not only a college student favorite, but a favorite among young professionals as well.
The Old City is just northeast of the downtown area, also sitting east of the North Knoxville and Fourth and Gill neighborhoods.
With large, formerly-prominent businesses recently going out of business, foot traffic in the Old City has decreased. But like many of the other areas in Knoxville, the Old City peaks during the school year when students are back in town.
There isn’t much lodging in the Old City area, but the popular, long-standing Sterchi apartment complex sits in between the Old City and Downtown Knoxville. These loft apartments are among the pricier rooms for rent in Knoxville and occupied by at least half college students. Some people working in the downtown area choose to live in this urban setting, as well.

North Knoxville sits a few miles north of the downtown area with Broadway Avenue serving as the main road running through the area.
The area is divided into several smaller segments, including Historic Old North Knoxville, Fourth and Gill, and Fountain City, sitting just south of the suburb of Powell.
North Knoxville has many older homes, as seen in the Fourth and Gill neighborhood. For the most part, the area doesn’t seem to have been kept up well, with the buildings and businesses off of Broadway serving as an eyesore.
Many of the old, Victorian houses of the area have been converted into apartments, popular among the 20-something crowd. In any area south of Powell and north of downtown, there are a lack of homeowners, as most people rent properties at a relatively cheap rate.
But depending on the area, the homes are occasionally medium-to-large, some with back yards or decks.
Broadway avenue dissects the area into two halves, with grocery stores, restaurants, and other necessary stops. Veering off of Broadway into any given neighborhood is bound to make you lose your sense of direction, as the surrounding areas are poorly laid out with confusing road set ups.
North Knoxville is generally seen as being worth the low expenses.

The Lyons View area of Knoxville features some of the area’s nicest homes and views. Located near the Bearden Area but slightly south, the neighborhood unofficially branches into the well-known West Knoxville region.
Lyons View is surrounded by rolling hills and is off the beaten path, to a certain extent, skewing from busy Kingston Pike and Northshore Dr. The properties are mostly houses, which easily span 50 years. Some are older but well-kept whereas many properties are very new and have large lots.
Some of the city’s nicest apartment complexes are in the Lyons View area, as well. Unlike the majority of Knoxville apartments, these (which are mostly condos as well) aren’t populated heavily by college students or young professionals, as the property value of the area is higher than many Knoxville neighborhoods.
Lyons View doesn’t have a view of the river directly, but isn’t far from the Sequoyah Hills area and public park.
The area is more secluded, without many major businesses, restaurants, or grocery stores. However, with easy access to both Kingston Pike and Northshore Dr., it’s also not far from any of these establishments.

The Island Home area is a real gem of South Knoxville. The area is extremely scenic, between a hilly landscape, flourishing trees and plants, and of course the access to the beautiful Ijams Park—one of the highlights of the city of Knoxville.
The homes are medium-small and all look similarly laid out. Plenty of houses in the area have small lawns as well as small decks.
The area’s access to the South Knoxville shopping center is ideal as well, but it’s off the busy Chapman Highway quite a bit so it still feels like a suburban area, despite only being a couple miles south of the Tennessee River. The area sits just east of Chapman Highway.
All the homes are well-kept and there are a few small subdivisions in the area, though many of the houses sit on major roads.
Island Home provides easy access to the downtown area, but it lacks Interstate accessibility, making a commute to any other areas of the city somewhat lengthy. On the other hand, heading South down Chapman Highway leads to Seymour County and eventually to the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area in Sevier County. Furthermore, getting to Maryville is easier, as well.

The historic Fourth and Gill neighborhood sits just to the east of Knoxvilles Broadway Ave. The neighborhood is located in North Knoxville, adjacent to Historic Old North Knoxville (HONK).
The houses are mostly older, Victorian-style homes that have been converted into apartments. There are plenty of houses not adjusted into an apartment setting, as well. And the size ranges from smaller, one-bedroom homes to large, multi-story homes.
The homes in the area are older, being at least 50+ years old and often predating that as well, which is a large part of its charm. The area seems to be populated mostly by 20-something renters, not by many homeowners. Its well-known throughout Knoxville that rent for these properties is relatively cheap, bringing in a lot of the younger crowd.
Broadway Ave. provides the Fourth and Gill area with easy access to shopping, groceries, and other necessities. Although theres a highway on the east side of the area, its often under construction, as is much of the area, which often looks run down.
The North Knoxville area is also laid out poorly, with roads changing name at random and running at strange angles. The easiest way to get to a major interstate takes quite some time, making a trip to other regions of the city difficult.
However, the area is only a 5-10 minute drive into the heart of downtown Knoxville.

The Fort Sanders area, referred to by many as simply “the fort,” is the most highly-populated college student area in the city.
A plethora of houses and apartment complexes scatter throughout the (roughly) 12-block by 6-block grid. The homes are older, dating back 40+ years, whereas many new apartment complexes pop up on a regular basis as a result of the college crowd.
Although non-college students live in the Fort Sanders area, the entire region is generally one big college student party. Loud noises pour through the streets all hours of the night. There are parties thrown for any given reason (and sometimes for no reason) all over the fort, with students wandering back and forth for most of the evening.
This type of behavior is generally accepted in the area, and although it’s heavily patrolled by the UTPD and the KPD, it’s rare that anyone requests that this raucous behavior come to an end. The other college students generally accept this.
There are apartment complexes that have been around for decades and ones that pop up or change administration every year or two. It’s most common that houses are rented by 3-4 (or more) college students.
Since the houses are older, it’s typical that utilities bills are much higher than the city average because they suffer from poor insulation as well as other small problems.
The area is certainly not for families, even though a small percentage of the neighborhood is populated by young families.

Downtown Knoxville has had several face lifts over the years, and is currently in the process of another one.
In the past few years, new apartment buildings have popped up (or are in the process of popping up) and condo rental has increased, with several small condo areas becoming more prominent. Since the inclusion of a large movie theater in the area, as well as the continued-thriving of Market Square, living in downtown Knoxville has become more prominent.
For years there have been rumors of a grocery store opening up downtown, which has been a major deterrent for people on-the-fence about relocating to the area. With many restaurants and bars in the area, as well as the majority of the city’s major businesses having a headquarters downtown, generally speaking the area is sufficiently self-contained (except the lack of grocery store).
As in any downtown area, the cost of living is slightly higher than the rest of the city, but all things considered the Knoxville downtown is far cheaper than the downtown areas of other cities.
Unlike other downtown areas, Knoxville’s downtown is relatively small and easily conquered on foot. There are ample parking garages and parking spaces which are often cheap, but traveling by car isn’t necessary within the area.
Downtown is located only a few miles from the South Knoxville, North Knoxville, and campus areas, with easy access to the city’s major interstates.