Knoxville named among best places to retire by Forbes

In a list curated by Forbes of more than 800 American cities, Knoxville has been named among the top 25 best places to retire in 2022.

Forbes compared everything from taxes, healthcare, air quality, housing costs, crime rates, natural hazard risks and climate change to rank the places, according to its website, calling Knoxville a “vibrant college town” and “navigable river city of 193,000 in scenic eastern Tennessee.” Knoxville first appeared on the list of top retirement spots last year.

The “pros” for retirees listed by Forbes regarding Knoxville include its median home price ($308K), abundant doctors per capita, good air quality, comfortable climate and a strong economy; as well as no state income tax or estate tax. The cost of living in Knoxville is listed at 15% below the national average.

Among the “cons” of retiring in Knoxville on its list, Forbes says there is a serious crime rate for Knoxville that is above the national average.

Neighboring mountain city just over the Smokies, Asheville, N.C. fell off of Forbes list for Best Places to Retire from last year due to “steep home prices.” Forbes followed this up with: “That’s because this list aims to highlight places that provide high quality of retirement living at an affordable price.”

“The current inflationary pressure on retiree’s budgets makes its list of the best places to retire particularly timely,” Forbes wrote.

A little more about Knoxville

Knoxville, Tenn. was founded in 1791 and incorporated in 1815. The city is the county seat for Knox County, Tenn. and was named for Henry Knox, who was an American military officer who served in the American Revolution under George Washington. Knox, although he didn’t set foot in Knoxville on record, was also formally responsible for America’s relations with the Native American populations.

Currently, Knoxville’s population is 190,740 according to the 2020 U.S. Census.

Source: WATE, by Melanie Vásquez Russell

The East Tennessee Economic Development Agency markets and recruits business for the 15 counties in the greater Knoxville-Oak Ridge region of East Tennessee. Visit www.eteda.org

 

Published May 13, 2022