Knoxville and surrounding area is a nice location. It's in easy driving distance of the Smokies. I think Knoxville is safe. I guess any city has some areas that are "rougher" than others, but I would feel completely safe walking along just about any street in this area. Just east of Knoxville, where I have a farm, I think there are still places where people don't even worry much about locking up when they leave (I'm not one of them).

In this economy, I'm not sure anywhere is going to have an overage of available jobs. My feeling is that Knoxville is probably average or slightly better so far as jobs go. There are a few larger businesses starting up here, so with a little legwork, something should be available. You might want to visit the area you want to move to before you actually move. Maybe get a phonebook and pick out places that might employ people in your field. On your visit, go by some of those places and chat with employees or management. Maybe someone else has more ideas about how to find jobs. I haven't done that well myself. LOL

Another thing you might consider, if you plan on staying somewhere for a while, is growing conditions. Knoxville has some areas with very good soil and some areas where it's solid rock or clay. Most of my farm has really good soil, but just a little ways down the road is very rocky. Climate in Knoxville is usually great for many types of plants. We did have a severe drought last year which seems to still be with us even now, but usually, conditions are pretty good. As you know, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, but, when it rains, the grass is pretty green around here.

You know where I would like to live if I was going to pull up roots and leave Nashville? Chattanooga. It is so nice up there. We have some family there we see at Thanksgiving, and also visit once or twice a year to attend a dog show. It just seems so quiet and laid back...it reminds me of what Nashville once was like.

I will never forget, last year we were in a motel room on Saturday night watching local television. The big news story that night - and they spent all night "teasing" this story - was that a business owner had put up a sandwich board (signage) on a city street and there was a question of whether they had a permit for that or not. HAHA! On a Saturday night, this was the top story. No murders, no burglaries, no hijackings, no escaped criminals. Just a sandwich board.

I told my husband, if that is the worst thing that happened in Chattanooga today, I want to move here! :D

Nashville crime rate (total violent crime rate is 2.51 times the national average):
http://www.cityrating.com/citycrime.asp?city=Nashville&state=TN

Chattanooga crime rate (total violent crime rate is 2.11 times the national average):
http://www.cityrating.com/citycrime.asp?city=Chattanooga&state=TN

Knoxville crime rate (total violent crime rate is only 1.62 times the national average):
http://www.cityrating.com/citycrime.asp?city=Knoxville&state=TN

Income stats from the 2000 Census:

Nashville: The median income for a household in the city was $39,797, and the median income for a family was $49,317. Males had a median income of $33,844 versus $27,770 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,069. About 10.0% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.1% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over. 4.6% of the civilian labor force is unemployed.

Chattanooga: The median income for a household in the city was $32,006, and the median income for a family was $41,318. Males had a median income of $31,375 versus $23,267 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,689. About 14.0% of families and 17.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.0% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.

Knoxville: The median income for a household in the city is $27,492, and the median income for a family is $37,708. Males had a median income of $29,070 versus $22,593 for females. The per capita income for the city is $18,171. About 14.4% of families and 20.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.1% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.