While the greater Knoxville area is well-known as the home of the University of Tennessee’s largest campus and the famous UT Vols football team, the city’s urban core has much to offer in the historic Downtown district. Many Tennesseans compare Nashville and Knoxville when weighing their options for homeownership in one of the state’s three major cities. While Knoxville has long been overlooked, recent years have seen residents opting for more down-to-earth urban experiences with smaller price tags in this East Tennessee city.

Knoxville is a historic, beautiful city with a major college campus in the area that keeps the cultural heart of the town beating strong. Downtown is a favorite among residents looking to invest in urban property in a city with ample greenspace and a major national park within an hour’s drive. Meanwhile, the culinary culture just keeps getting better, and restorative efforts make this historic urban core more appealing with every passing year.

Here’s what it’s like living in Downtown Knoxville.

Read More: What It’s Like Living in Knoxville

Culture, Food, and Drink

The gilded box office of the Tennessee Theater under the awning in Knoxville
The Tennessee Theater is a Knoxville cultural icon.

As more homebuyers opt for smaller cities like Knoxville, so too comes a wave of thriving local businesses. Residents can find any type of cuisine or cocktail within the boundaries of the city’s picturesque downtown.

For a modern take on comfort food, there’s Cafe 4. For a mezcal marg, look no further than Chivo Taqueria, and when the time comes to hit a rooftop bar, Radius comes in clutch. Then there’s the most important component of any urban environment: the super-hip and chic artisanal coffee spot. K Brew has that covered with single-origin roasts and homemade bagels. 

When it comes to non-food-related activities, locals love the historic Bijou Theater which has hosted acts like The Ramones, Dave Matthews Band, and even Dolly Parton. The Downtown Greenway offers everything from cycling and running to paddle boarding and skateboarding.

Getting Around

A group of people walk across a pedestrian bridge in Knoxville
Even as the city expands, Knoxville remains very walkable.

Transportation is understandably a major concern for Knoxvillians as their city expands, and nowhere is this more true than in the city’s Downtown. With an overall walk score of 30, Knoxville is typically a city where residents will need a car, but that doesn't mean local leadership isn’t working to improve the transportation situation. Furthermore, Downtown Knoxville specifically boasts a walk score of 92 and a bike score of 74, a much stronger showing than the rest of the city. 

The city has KAT, a public transit system, and they recently launched a scooter initiative to make short commutes easier on urban residents. The urban core has ample free parking on nights and weekends, so it’s an easy transition for suburban visitors coming in for a dinner party or weekend stay. 

It’s also worth noting that compared to Nashville, the next major city in the state, Knoxville’s traffic congestion is minuscule. TomTom estimates that Knoxvillians lose between 5-10 minutes to traffic on either side of their daily commutes while Nashvillians will lose 15-20 minutes each way.

The Real Estate Situation

A riverfront condominium building in Knoxville
Knoxville offers some impressive riverfront properties.

While Knoxville isn’t exactly known as an urban utopia, that doesn’t mean the city lacks in luxury urban living. Structures like Historic Riverhouse, The Holston, Gay Street Condominiums, and The Tennessean rival the coolest riverfront, urban residences in cities like Austin and Nashville, just on a more affordable scale. 

With a median sale price in the low $400s, Knoxville is extremely competitive compared to other cities. There are options on the lower end of the price range, and to be sure, the city still offers the million-dollar penthouses, an iconic marker of urban opulence.

The Great Outdoors

A sweeping shot of Gatlinburg as it sits in a valley between the Smoky Mountains in the background
Nearby Gatlinburg is a favorite getaway for Knoxville locals.

When it comes to outdoor opportunity and greenspace, no other city in the region can compete with Knoxville. No matter how densely buried within the city residents may be, they are also always a stone’s throw from one of the most beautiful national parks in the country. More visitors travel to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park than any other on an annual basis, and it’s not hard to understand why. Locals also love escaping to nearby Gatlinburg and Big South Fork for camping, watersports, and hiking adventures. If that’s not appealing enough, it’s worth mentioning that Dollywood is less than an hour’s drive away—53 minutes to be exact.