Knoxville, Alcoa, Maryville - which do you like better

I second Darin and Shawn- I've lived in all three, and it depends on your personal preference. If you prefer the quiet small town feel and want to be closer to the mountains, Maryville is a good option- it also has an excellent school system and is about 25-30 minutes from Knoxville. Alcoa probably doesn't have many houses in that range, but it also has good schools & is right next to Maryville. If you'd like a waterfront house, you could probably find good ones for that price in west Knoxville and Louisville. And if you prefer the convenience of a bigger city (shopping, performances, museums, etc.), west Knoxville and the Farragut area have that plus an excellent school system. As Darin mentioned, there are also historic houses near the central part of the city, and the Sequoyah Hills neighborhood is also where a lot of people tend to buy higher end houses. If you like downtown living, there are probably some large apartments you can buy that are right in the middle of everything in the Gay St. or Market Square area.