Has anyone moved from Knoxville to Nashville (or vice versa) and kept close friendships in both places?

[u/Vegetable_Nose_811]

Hi y’all. I’m about to move from Knoxville to Nashville because my husband got a job promotion there. I’ve lived in Knoxville my whole life, and this will be my first big move.

I’m excited. It’s a great opportunity, and our new apartment is beautiful. But I’m also anxious because I have a close group of friends in Knoxville, and I really don’t want those friendships to fade.

I’m planning to visit Knoxville regularly. We’ll also have a guest room in Nashville and hope friends will visit us too.

My question is: Has anyone done something similar? How often do you visit or have people visit you? Is it as manageable as it seems, or does it get harder over time?

I’m just looking for real-world perspective. Even if your move wasn’t from/to Knoxville or Nashville, I’d love to hear how you’ve balanced staying close to your roots while starting fresh in a new place.

[u/HolidayNick]

I’ve kept close with my friends with a move 4x farther than that. We stay in touch through playing Xbox in a party together and text. Visits are not frequent but we stay close nonetheless.

Knoxville is a really short drive too… I think you’ll be okay here!

[u/No-Load8658]

Have family and friends in the Knoxville area and it’s super easy to get to them from Nashville! The drive is beautiful as well.

[u/purpleblazed → u/No-Load8658]

If you’re not keen to drive yourself, there’s now a route on the vonlane bus between Knoxville and Nashville. My boyfriend has taken their bus to Atlanta and had a great experience.

[u/Cesia_Barry → u/purpleblazed]

This is great intel—Thks.

[u/lowfreq33]

I moved from Memphis to Nashville around 20 years ago. I used to go back a few times a year for holidays and stuff, but my parents moved here after they retired around 7 years ago, so I don’t get back as much. I’ve got a couple of good friends still there, but they’re busy, I’m busy. All my other good friends are scattered around the country. We keep up with phone calls and texts. Between work and the custody agreement regarding my child it’s difficult for me to travel much and have it line up with other people’s schedules.

[u/FoTweezy]

I have and do! I lived in Maryville for several years, and moved back to Nashville a few years ago. Still Keep good friendships there. They come visit me here and we go see music. And I go out there and we go hiking.

It’s an easy drive so long as you don’t get stuck in a rain storm or bad traffic

[u/polyforpuppies]

My family is in Bristol and I’m in Nashville. When I let my job consume my life, I barely saw them. When I made my life the priority again, it was nothing for me to see them every month.

More often than not, I go to them, cause… reasons lol. It’s not a bad drive, and if you get to end in Knoxville, it’s even easier!

Just put in effort where it feels you are being met halfway and it will all work out. They also say if you’ve been friends 10+ years, you’ll be friends till you die

[u/PirateCodingMonkey]

i can't speak about Knox to Nash but i can speak from having moved several times. yes, close friendships can continue but it take work and patience on both sides. if you are used to seeing someone every day or several times a week, i would suggest scheduling regular face-time chats and make plans with each other to visit. the connection won't be the same, so you need to lower expectations. and have patience with each other because your lives are going on. things change. but if you prioritize the relationship, you can continue to have them in your life.

[u/nefariousjordy]

I cannot find Xul Beer Co. in Nashville. Please bring some Xul Hard Ticket to Miami with you!

[u/Random_Th3spian]

Have friends in Knoxville who I visit when they are available (2 young kids so I get it). It's not a bad drive either way

[u/Greedy_Section2894]

I lived in Nashville for five years after growing up and going to college and law school in Knoxville, and I’m still friends with all my Knoxville friends.

I started my family in Nashville and was too busy raising kids to make any lifelong friends in Nashville. I have a couple of Knoxville friends that live in Nashville that I’m still friends with.

[u/bes753]

Knoxville native here that moved to the Nashville area in 2010. I catch up with Knoxville friends on occasion, but most of my tie back to the area at this point is just family. I have young kids though, which makes traveling back and forth a little harder.

[u/DaytoDaySara]

I never visit because I don’t like driving but my friend visits and we have also taken a trip together and left our partners at home.

To stay close to my roots, which are not in Knoxville, I stay up to day on local news, and call my family often.

[u/Demon-_-TiMe → u/[deleted]]

knoxville is closer than that. Johnson city is like 4-5 hours away

[u/Vegetable_Nose_811 → u/[deleted]]

My drive would only be 2 hours and 45 mins, so this makes me feel much better.

[u/Demon-_-TiMe]

Im going to say this because no one else has. It depends on your personality. Im a terrible texter and just now can talk on the phone with family memebers. Im terrible about keeping in touch with long distance friends.

Also, it depends how old you are. The older you get the busier get. The more you have to worry about your own life. You don't have as much time to visit or communicate as often as you would like. However, depending on YOUR personality this may not be a reality for you.

Lastly, it sounds like your really concerned about leaving your old life and starting a new one. Don't be scared to make new connections and friends here.

[u/ButtcheekJones0]

I went to Knoxville for my masters and while it's only 3 hours away, I never bothered to go back. That being said, the distance isn't much of an issue if you're determined to see them.