I think it’s a good place to raise a family. It’s a decent size, so you have all the amenities, but it isn’t too big.

As for the suburbs, they are certainly plentiful. I dislike them as a matter of course, especially since Knoxville has so many great, historic neighborhoods. However, the suburbs are nice, especially on the west side, which is where the better schools are.

I think it’s clean but I am not sure what qualifies. It isn’t Hartford, to be sure; but it isn’t Houston either.

I’m going to check your goals for clues, but of all your cities, it seems to me you might be happier in Knoxville. I’ve visited Knoxville—one of those times it was during our honeymoon. But I don’t know enough about the city to feel I’m giving you a definitive answer. You also have to understand there are different standards of clean. So I need to know more about you to help answer the question to the best of my ability.

I would definitely suggest Knoxville as a good place to raise a family. I’ve lived here all of my life and loved it.

As zdwyatt said, it’s a good size and has all the conveniences you’ll need. The suburbs are nice, especially if you’re planning on moving to the Powell area or West Knoxville (both of which I highly recommend).

It’s also certainly family friendly. The schools are great and there are lots of things and places for all ages. As stated, I especially recommend West Knoxville.

Knoxville is a very family friendly place. It’s big enough to have most of what you want and small enough to not have all the problems of a big city.

Schools are decent- not the best, not the worst. I would definitely call them above-average for the South though!

Once you leave Knox County, you enter an entirely different world- the boonies, BFE, rural paradise…..and that’s where I grew up so I’m not just talking smack :). If you’re talking suburbs within Knox Co- Farragut, Powell, they are nice. Your drive will be bad though and there are nice neighborhoods within city limits as well.

It’s actually a DIRTY city- one of the top ten least clean cities according to a lot of polls. I’ve certainly seen much worse- Pitt, NYC to name a few- that don’t make that list though. A lot of it has to do with per capita numbers.

Housing prices are really reasonable there. If I could find a job making comparable money, we would certainly consider making a move back there.

I feel as if I’m going against popular opinion here, but …

you have to remember that K’ville IS a college town, and TN fans are definitely “fanatical” about their sports and their “Vols.” On autumn weekends, traffic is more of a parking lot than an interstate. I consider the area rather dirty and congested. Even though there are some beautiful areas out in the surrounding mountains, the city and adjoining suburbs would not be in my top-ten of places to choose to live.

I think it is a good place to raise a family. Overall, people tend to be nice and even the worst traffic I’ve ever seen in Knoxville (and I lived there for 13 years) pales in comparison to some of the traffic I see here in Boston.

It’s a fairly clean city, though the air quality is surprisingly poor. And you have to be willing to deal with the heat and humidity that any Southern city would have.

The schools vary widely: the Farragut and Oak Ridge school systems, which are actually to the west of Knoxville, are quite good. The schools in the city itself are about average. I actually went to a private school, the Webb School of Knoxville, which was quite good by practically any standard but the price and admissions are sometimes prohibitive. The housing is probably cheap enough that moving to a “good” school district probably wouldn’t be too much of a problem.

The restaurants and nightlife are getting better. If you go downtown, you can actually find a decent orchestra, a decent ballet, and good restaurants but a lot of Knoxvillians don’t take advantage of them. It’s not New York, but you and your kids won’t be starving for cultural opportunities.

Also, I dunno about your politics, but Knoxville is a relatively conservative city outside of the University area. My friends who have stayed in Knoxville tend to be evangelical Protestants who vote Republican and the Republicans control local politics. Depending on your definition of “family friendly,” that might be a pro or con.