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Knoxville, Tennessee
| Knoxville is a
city of nearly 200,000 people and is located in western
Tennessee. It is the third-largest city in the
state, behind Nashville and Memphis, and it is home to
the University of Tennessee. The city got its
start in the 1700s, and in its early years, it was the
site of numerous skirmishes with local Native American
tribes. It later became a way station for
travelers heading West, and during the Civil War, it was
a hotbed of Confederate activity. Over the years
Knoxville has had a number of nicknames, including the
Marble City, thanks to nearby quarries, and it was for a
while known as the Underwear Capital of the World
because of the large number of textile mills located
here.
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Today Knoxville is a very conservative city and receives
mixed reviews. Since the 1980s, it has worked to
revitalize itself, and in recent years, a regional
history museum, the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame and
a arts annex have come to town. The
city is just 30 minutes from the Smokey Mountains, and
with the Tennessee River flowing through it,
riverfront parks and restaurants are in good supply.
The cost of living in Knoxville is 15% below the
national average, and the median home price is $135,000,
also below the national median. The
median household income is below the national average,
and the city has a poverty rate above the national
average. Of the population, 32% is age 45 or better.
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arts scene in Knoxville has improved over the years, and
it has a good music culture. It is home to numerous jazz
and blues clubs, as well as an opera and a symphony.
Festivals are many and include the Dogwood Arts
Festival, the Rossini Festival and Autumn on the
Square. There is a zoo, a museum of
art and a botanic gardens.
KAT is the local public transit and operates buses,
trolleys and a paratransit service.
Knoxville has six hospitals, three of which are
award-winning. One, the University of Tennessee
Medical Center, is a Level I Adult Trauma Center,
accredited by the Joint Commission, and it accepts
Medicaid and Medicare patients. It is fair to say
that medical care in Knoxville is quite good.
Ethnically diverse, Knoxville city sits in a humid sub
tropical climate, although its slight elevation of 900
feet above sea level helps keep it cooler than some
surrounding areas. Still, summer temperatures
reach the high 80s, and humidity is high. Winter
temperatures are in the 30s and 40s. The sun
shines 205 days of the year, and on the comfort index, a
combination of temperature and humidity, Knoxville comes
in below the national average ( it rains 4 to 5 inches
per month).
This Tennessee city has a lot going for it, including
very good medical facilities and an affordable cost of
living, but several factors weigh against these
positives. One is the high poverty rate. Two
is that Knoxville has very bad air quality. And
three, the city has a crime rate well above the national
average. For these reasons, Knoxville may not be
the best place to retire.
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