Redwing

Knoxville is just up the road from where I live, and I would echo what fromthemanorborn has said. Rockford is in his back yard. You can get furnished accomodation, but you're looking at least $800/mo for anything halfway decent. You can also try the Knoxville News Sentinel, the local paper, I think it is knoxnews.com. An alternative would be to rent a place unfurnished, and get what you need from yard sales or used furniture stores. But, I think your HR dept in Rockford should be giving you some pointers. As someone else has said, you need to read the previous links to see what help and support your company should be giving, and how much. Make sure you have all your bases covered before you commit, and good luck.

Brit In TN

Hello mate,
a Brummie here, been living in Knoxville for about 20 years. Firstly, let me reiterate that public transport barely exists here. You HAVE to have a car. You need to negotiate that fact with your company.
Based on where you will be working it would be a good idea to look in Maryville or Alcoa areas for accom. There are plenty of bars/restaurants in those areas to keep you entertained through the week. Knoxville proper (especially Market Square area, West Knoxville and Old City) is about a 45 min drive from Maryville and Alcoa and easy to get to of a weekend for a night out, driving or taxi though.
Have a look at metropulse.com to get an idea of the live music, bars and restaurants around Knoxville.
Local newspaper is Knoxville News Sentinel (knoxnews.com). You should be able to find some info there.
Feel free to send me a message with any questions.
Best of luck with it all.

lyonsden1193

I live in Memphis but have a step daughter in Knoxville. She agrees with most of what is stated on other posts. At least $800 -900 for semi decent place to live. You REALLY do need a car!!! public transport virtually doesn't exist in TN and in the places it does ... you probably won't want to use it.

lyonsden1193

http://www.rentals.com/Tennessee/Knoxville/

try this site ...if nothing else it will give you ideas about rents.. also the gentleman from Birmingham who has lived there for 20 yrs can probably help you on which areas to go to and which to avoid.

SheffieldGuy

Thanks to everyone so far for your help - I am taking it all on board

Please keep any useful info coming!

andy1

Craigslist might be worth a gander , roomshare , cheap apts , and usually not as fussy with credit checks etc . Might get a cheap car to .

SheffieldGuy

Thanks for all the help - clearly you're telling me I need a car!! Does anyone know any local long term car rental companies? I know they're more expensive but I just won't have the capital in the short term to outright buy one.

Thanks

Britishbees

Welcome to BE. I understand the difficulties of not being able to afford a car. When we were in the process of beginning our move from the UK to Arizona the transportation issue was a problem for us. Now, some people might agree with this and some might not but what we did in the end was to lease a brand new car. We had to put down some money upfront (in the grand scheme of things it was not a huge amount) and we pay a monthly amount to the leasing company. Some might argue this is expensive and that at the end of the leasing period you don't own it. With leasing, all the maintenance is taken care of and breakdown service included so we don't have any worries on that score. You will find that you are limited in mileage for the lease period but we felt the mileage was fine for us for a couple of years until we can afford to buy a car ourselves. If you are prepared to take on a monthly payment for a car then this could be a possible solution. If you want to know more then I am sure my OH would be happy to explain. It has worked out well for us. This is just my opinion and experience.

Good luck with your move.

Brit In TN

Have you discussed the need for transport with the company that you work for?
I'm just curious how much help you are receiving from employers that are requiring you to move overseas to work.

Bob

Problem with a lease, it doesn't do anything to build up a credit history that a car loan would...plus it's really easy to blow through the allowed mileage and the overage can be really expensive, 30c a mile kind of deal and when you return the car you've got to return it in mint condition so if you live in any busy area where a slight scuff of the bumper is likely, it'll be expensive end of lease hassle.

Britishbees

I understand what you are saying Bob. But for us it was the only option to be able to have a decent vehicle to begin with. We are building our credit in other ways so are not concerned about that. The mileage is actually working out well for us and eventually we will get a second hand car for putting heavy mileage on. It is a chance you take on the condition of the car at the end and we do our best to look after it. For some people, such as ourselves we do not have the cash flow to just go and purchase a vehicle on arrival so I understand the OP's concerns. For us it works and we are happy with it. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion though. If we had had the cash flow then we would have purchased something.

Brit In TN

There are dozens of 'buy here/pay here' second hand car dealers in Knoxville. You will be able to get a reasonable used car (nothing too spectacular) for as little as $50 - $100 a month payment. It will serve as a functional runaround until you get settled and are then able to part exchange it for something better.(If you so desire.)
A bigger problem initially will be registering it. You will need to make sure you have the correct visa and/or a US social security number.
Is your company giving you any information and assistance with this move?
When do you move?

utrachel29

I agree that you should check on craigslist. You can pretty easily find a place to live there (especially cheap houses that you could rent for around $700. You can also find cheap but nice furnishings for said house and probably a car too! I'm a student and live in Knoxville. So, let me know if you need help finding things or just a tour guide to the good bars around town!

erinj

The downtown area of Knoxville has some great townhouses that you can rent and has recently been redone. Knoxville is a friendly town welcoming people from within the U.S. and outside of the country. I came across this resource for people who are relocating to Knoxville