Where are the best places to live in East Tennessee?

I currently live south of Nashville but want to move closer to the mountains. I would like to find a nice, clean, crime free community that would be a great place for a toddler to grow up. I work in healthcare so I would need to be able to find jobs in that area as well. Can anyone recommend any places? I have always wanted to live out that way.

Public Comments

1. I lived in Tennessee 5 years before I came to Taiwan. All of Tn is beautiful. . For all around beauty and fun, Knoxville in the east is best. Lots of young people and more job opps that the other two.
2. chatt is nice clean and fun with good jobs knox is ok if you like the UT thing severville is good as well
3. It's been a while since I've lived in Tennessee, but the Greeneville area is really nice. I spent some time there when I got out of the Army and went to school at Tusculum College just out of Greeneville. At the first sign of snow, I left for Florida, my home. I met a nice girl there and had a ball exploring the surrounding area. We'd drive up Bald Mountain or out Paint Creek for swimming. We even drove to Cosby, TN where they put on a festival for a plant called a ramp. It was kind of like an onion. We really went to see Tennessee Ernie Ford who was the big entertainer there, every year. It was just across the mountain to Asheville, NC and Maggie Valley. Sometimes we would just drive to Newport, TN to get a coke. The roads were typical mountain roads, fun to drive fast on. East was Johnson City & Bristol and the site of one of NASCARS first short tracks. We went there and saw Fireball Roberts win the first Bristol 500. Entertainment was Brenda Lee. Having just come back from over two years overseas, that was fun. CB radio was the big thing then, everyone thought he or she was like a HAM radio operator. I met an awful lot of nice people that way, even a guy from Rogersville, TN named Little Sam. He would brag he made the best corn liquior, no sugar added. That stuff smelled like it would remove paint. Eastern Tennessee would be a nice place to live considering everyone is so nice. Have fun
4. All of East Tennessee is beautiful, but here are some of my favs: Dandridge (Jefferson County) - on Douglas Lake Harrogate (Claiborne County) - upper East Tennessee, borders Kentucky and Virginia Townsend (Blount County) - this town borders the Great Smoky Mountain National Park Good luck in your search
5. All around Knoxville, but perhaps not in it. It's crowded, and traffic's getting worse everytime I go back home to visit my folks. Check out Maryville or Oak Ridge. Good schools, growing communitys, great proximity to the mountains. You should be OK finding a healthcare job down there, as well. I'm not sure what you do (doctor? insurance? nurse?) but there are plenty of hospitols and healthcare agencies in the area. If you do decide on Knoxville, I'd avoid Farragut. Nice area. And I worked for their Parks and Rec for a few years during college. But it's got an attitude. I've always liked the Cedar Bluff area, but it is getting crowded.
6. not sure i lived in west tn the majority of my life and the area i lived in was super small but was a beautiful place. i think the gatlinburg area is beautiful and would be a nice place to live.
7. Chattanooga is the best city!
8. I live in a small town, Rogersville. It is in the mountains and a wonderful place for children to grow up. Also, there are several opportunities for employment within your field. Good luck.