Apartments for Rent in Knoxville, TN

Snug in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, Knoxville is a charming city with fantastic views. Known as the "Cradle of Country Music," Knoxville was first settled in 1786. It was the smallest city to ever host the World's Fair in 1982, and it is home to the University of Tennessee. When residents aren't cheering on the Tennessee Volunteers, they are hiking through Great Smoky Mountains National Park, strolling through Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum, exploring Knoxville Zoo, and admiring artwork at the Knoxville Museum of Art. Knoxville is a college town, with UT sitting along a bend in the Tennessee River in the heart of Downtown, and you'll find many Knoxville rentals near the UT campus. But the city's draw reaches more than just college students with its 112 miles of hiking and biking trails, a terrific downtown shopping district with popular spots like Historic Old City and Market Square, and terrific events that celebrate the city's country music roots. Knoxville is known as a "maker city," and you'll find many unique, handmade treasures crafted by the city's resident artists, photographers, and crafters.

If you are looking to rent in Knoxville, it is renowned for its very low cost of living. You'll really be able to make your dollar stretch -- nearly everything, from housing to health care, is substantially less expensive than the national average. You'll typically save most on rent: Knoxville's costs for renting a place to live are famously low, with the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment around $1,200 as of 2023. Transportation is also a lot cheaper than in other places, so you'll be able to afford a car to navigate Knoxville's steep, mountainous streets.

If you're moving to Knoxville, you'll be impressed by the economic prosperity here. Knoxville has been undergoing a steady increase in development and commerce since the 1982 World's Fair, and it weathered the Great Recession very well. Even though the World's Fair was over 40 years ago, it's left an indelible mark on the city, with several structures (like the city's famous Sunsphere) dating from the Fair. The University of Tennessee is another major employer for people living in Knoxville.

Get ready for some Southern hospitality. People moving to Knoxville find this quintessentially Appalachian city warm, welcoming, and slow-paced compared to life on the coasts. Living in Knoxville, for many residents, means taking pride in the city's beauty -- both natural and manmade. The city serves as a gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains, which overshadow Knoxville and provide beautiful, panoramic views. Architecture buffs should rejoice: Knoxville has over 100 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, and its lengthy history means these buildings come from a variety of eras and styles.

If you're looking to rent in Knoxville, you may already know it's a great place to work. The unemployment rate is well below the national average, and projected job growth is excellent. Income here is substantially below the national average, but residents benefit from a low cost of living, with housing costs significantly lower than the national average. Just over a quarter of people living in Knoxville find their calling in sales, office, and administrative support roles, while 11.7 percent work in business, management, and finance. Major companies based out of Knoxville include Pilot Flying J and the Cooking Channel, while Magnavox has shifted its operations elsewhere.

Perhaps the best-known institution of higher learning in Knoxville is the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, a four-year research institution that employs many of the city's residents. UT is well-loved for its Volunteers (Vols) sports team, and football is a huge draw. There are also several smaller colleges in the region, including Knoxville College, a private four-year school; Tusculum University, a four-year institution with a scenic campus and a sterling athletics program; and Crown College, a fundamentalist Baptist school. In addition to the Vols, fans come out to cheer the Knoxville Ice Bears hockey team at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum.

Perhaps the most visible and iconic tourist attraction for people moving to Knoxville is the Sunsphere. Built in 1982 for the World's Fair, it has an observation deck, along with a lounge and bar inside. The only other structure still standing from the Fair is the nearby Tennessee Amphitheater, an open-air structure that still hosts major musical acts across various genres. Art fans living in Knoxville should be sure to check out the Knoxville Museum of Art, which keeps a small permanent collection while also showcasing an ever-changing assortment of works from some of Eastern Tennessee's top talents.