01 · the cities
Knoxville
Knoxville is the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains (the most-visited national park in the country, 30 minutes east), the University of Tennessee's Vol energy, and the gold-roofed Sunsphere left over from the 1982 World's Fair. Market Square downtown is brick, patios, and a Saturday farmers market that takes over the whole space. The food and bar scene has come into its own. The mountains do the heavy lifting.
full dispatch→Gainesville
Gainesville is the University of Florida, the Gators, and a college town with serious natural assets: 30+ named springs within an hour's drive, including Ginnie, Devil's Den, and Ichetucknee for tubing. The food scene is solid and cheap (it's still a college town), and downtown's grown up with breweries and music venues. Surrounded by oak forests and prairie. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers got their start here.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$1,731/mo
$1,645/mo
$86/mo less than Knoxville (5%)
Median home price
Median home price
$364k
$317k
$47k less than Knoxville
State income tax
State income tax
0%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$6,602/mo
$6,688/mo
Gainesville has $86/mo more gross after rent at $100k
Gross left after rent reflects state income tax but not federal, based on $100k salary. Enter your salary to find your ideal city.
03 · the weather
Pleasant days/yr
Pleasant days/yr
189 days
206 days
17 more than Knoxville
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
3 days
17 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
9 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Gainesville has 14 more days above 95°F each year than Knoxville. Knoxville drops below 20°F on 9 more days per year than Gainesville.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
69 / 100
63 / 100
6.0 pts behind Knoxville
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
17 routes
5 routes
12 fewer direct routes than Knoxville
Metro size
Metro size
947k metro
350k metro
Knoxville has 14.0x more events per month than Gainesville.
the verdict
3
Knoxville
categories won
5
Gainesville
categories won
Gainesville wins on money and weather. Knoxville has the edge on lifestyle.
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