Knoxville, Tennessee
Overall Score 6.5/10
Kelsey Gerhardt|
What’s it like to live in Knoxville, TN?
Sitting on the banks of the Tennessee River, Knoxville is home to the University of Tennessee. But this city is more than just a college town. It's a multicultural community that embraces an array of pastimes.
Downtown Knoxville is full of interesting shops like the independent Union Ave Books and the old-time Mast General Store, as well as the popular Market Square. Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, both within a 90-minute drive of the city, are beautiful places to go for a hike, as is Ijams Nature Center, which is closer to downtown.
But shopping, sports and natural beauty aren't the only reasons to move here. Affordability is another major incentive. The cost of buying a home in Knoxville is less than it is in many other major metro areas around the country. Residents also enjoy the added benefit of proximity to major highways that connect Knoxville to places like Nashville, Atlanta and Chattanooga.
See all the best places to live in Tennessee.
What is there to do in Knoxville, TN?
One of the most beneficial things about Knoxville is that the area offers the amenities of life in a bigger town, but residents are never too far away from peace and quiet, be it a farm or the rolling foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains.
The community comes together for a variety of festivals throughout the year, including Knoxville Brewfest, Big Ears Festival, the East Tennessee History Fair and the Dogwood Arts Festival.
Knoxville comes alive in the fall for Volunteers football at Neyland Stadium on the University of Tennessee campus. Other things to do include Zoo Knoxville, visiting the Sunsphere and its observation deck at World's Fair Park, taking a trip through the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame and taking boat cruises on the Tennessee River.
What’s the cost of living in Knoxville, TN?
Residents enjoy a cost of living that's lower than the national average, which is reflected in reasonable housing, utility and transportation costs. The average cost of a home and the average monthly rent are well below those of many other large metro areas.
Best Local Services in Knoxville:
Knoxville offers a better value than similarly sized metro areas when you compare housing costs to median household income.
Housing Costs 2022
- National Average
- $383,883
- Knoxville, TN
- $360,500
Housing Costs Over Time
Data sourced from Zillow median home sale price data series. Additional data provided by the Austin Board of Realtors, Houston Association of Realtors, Intermountain MLS, Omaha Area Board of Realtors, San Antonio Board of Realtors, and the Salt Lake Board of Realtors. Due to differences within the data source, home prices are not comparable across metro areas.
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What’s the weather like in Knoxville, TN?
Residents of Knoxville enjoy all four seasons. Since Knoxville doesn't experience much snow, you should expect traffic to slow and shops to close with just a few inches of snow on the ground.
Average Seasonal Temperature (°F)
- WINTER
- 40.5°
- FALL
- 60.2°
- SPRING
- 58.8°
- SUMMER
- 77.1°
Average Seasonal Rainfall (in)
- WINTER
- 4.5"
- FALL
- 4"
- SPRING
- 4.5"
- SUMMER
- 5.1"
Data sourced from the National Climatic Data Center.
Monthly High and Low Temperature (°F)
Data sourced from the National Climatic Data Center.
What's the best way to get around Knoxville, TN?
Driving a personal vehicle is the best way to get around the metro area, but Knoxville Area Transit, or KAT, is another reliable option. KAT has buses and trolleys that travel throughout the city. Meanwhile, the area's young, eco-friendly population has helped make transportation via bicycle commonplace.
A tangle of highways threads through Knoxville, which makes traveling out of town for work or pleasure accessible. Nashville is 180 miles west of Knoxville on I-40, while Atlanta is 214 miles south on I-75. Greyhound has a bus station right off I-40 near downtown, and McGhee Tyson Airport, located 12 miles south of downtown, provides domestic flights and is serviced by Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines and United Airlines.
Driving a personal vehicle is the best way to get around the metro area, but Knoxville Area Transit, or KAT, is another reliable option. KAT has buses and trolleys that travel throughout the city. Meanwhile, the area's young, eco-friendly population has helped make transportation via bicycle commonplace.
A tangle of highways threads through Knoxville, which makes traveling out of town for work or pleasure accessible. Nashville is 180 miles west of Knoxville on I-40, while Atlanta is 214 miles south on I-75. Greyhound has a bus station right off I-40 near downtown, and McGhee Tyson Airport, located 12 miles south of downtown, provides domestic flights and is serviced by Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines and United Airlines.
Commuting in Knoxville, TN
- Average Commute Time
- 24.1 minutes
2.7 minutes less than national average.
81.8%
4.2%
2.5%
0.5%
Driving
Public Transit
Walking
Bicycling
Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey.
Who lives in Knoxville, TN?
Knoxville's population is fairly young, which is due in part to the large number of college students, as well as a high number of young families.
The metro area's population has grown more diverse over the years, with a variety of communities influencing Knoxville's culture and being celebrated with festivals, including the Knox Asian Festival, the Carribean Jerk Festival and the HoLa Festival.
Church and religion play a big part in the South, and Knoxville is no exception. The city has a number of Baptist, United Methodist, Catholic and nondenominational churches.
Age Distribution
Marital Status Breakdown
About the same number of single people in Knoxville as national average.
Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey.
Marital Status Breakdown
About the same number of single people in Knoxville as national average.
Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey.