This week Neighborhood of the Week heads to the north side of town to revisit a neighborhood that’s steeped in history: Old North Knoxville.

Old North Knoxville is a historic neighborhood just north of downtown and 4th & Gill. Built from the 1880s to the 1940s, the neighborhood is roughly bounded by Central Street and Woodland Avenue to the west of Broadway, and Cecil Avenue, Sixth Avenue, and Glenwood Avenue to the east of Broadway.

Like 4th & Gill and Island Home, Old North Knoxville was originally one of Knoxville’s streetcar suburbs. From the Old North Knoxville, Inc. website:

Old North Knoxville was developed as a streetcar suburb between the 1880′s and the 1940′s. Streetcar suburbs had a strong pedestrian orientation. Most people walked to their homes from the street car stop. The automobile did not have a major influence on Knoxville until the 1920′s, so there are few driveways or garages in the neighborhood. Some carriage houses remain behind the oldest houses, but most people did not own a horse and carriage. They depended on the streetcars for transportation and used the neighborhood sidewalks to reach the streetcar lines.

North Knoxville was incorporated on January 16, 1889. Larger than the current Old North Knoxville neighborhood (several original subdivisions make up the current Old North Knoxville Historic District), it was a desirable residential area and grew rapidly. North Knoxville provided a water supply, improved streets, fire protection, a city hall, and a school for approximately 100 students. Electric lights were installed in 1899 and a city sewer system was planned but not built due to annexation in 1897.

Architecturally, Old North Knoxville is very diverse:

Late 19th century styles found in the neighborhood include: Queen Anne, Queen Anne Cottage, Eastlake, Shotgun, and Folk Victorian. Early 20th century architecture include: Craftsman and Bungalow, Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, Dutch Colonial Revival, Neoclassical, American Four Square, Minimal Traditional, and French Eclectic.

The neighborhood was made a historic district in 1922 and restoration and renovations have been ongoing since that time. Old North Knoxville, Inc. and Knox Heritage have both worked to save homes in the district which would otherwise have been demolished.

Geographically, Old North Knoxville is very convenient to downtown and UT and is easily accessible via I-40, I-275, and I-640.

If you want a home in a historic neighborhood with lots of sidewalks and trees, a strong sense of community and a commitment to preservation, Old North Knoxville might be just what you’re looking for.

Here’s Old North Knoxville by the numbers -

Old North Knoxville*

Current On-Market Listings - 14
Average Asking Price: $167,029
Median Asking Price: $137,450
Most Expensive: $379,000 (5 BR, 3.5 BA, 3600 sq ft built in 1899)
Least Expensive: $54,900 (4 BR, 2 BA, 1700+ sq ft fixer upper built in 1910)

Middle of the Road: $169,900 (2 BR, 1 BA, 1500+ sq ft built in 1910)

Current Pending Sales -1
Asking Price: $87,500
Details: 3 BR, 1 BA 1600 sq ft built in 1899

Closed Sales – 2nd Quarter 2010 – 3
Average Asking Price – $150,633
Average Sales Price – $123,500
Median Sales Price – $137,000
Average Sq Ft – 2206
Average Days on Market – 92

Closed Sales – 2nd Quarter 2009 – 2
Average Asking Price – $202,450
Average Sales Price – $196,000
Median Sales Price – NA
Average Sq Ft – 2363
Average Days on Market – 181

*Data taken from KAARMLS on 07/26/10 does not include adjacent subdivisions, condos, PUDS, or multi-family units.

As always, if you want any more information about any of these properties just give me a shout.

If you would like to receive a full list of properties for sale in this neighborhood, or if you would like to be notified of new listings, send me an email with either “Current Old North Knoxville Listings” or “New North Knoxville Listings” in the subject line and I’ll take care of the rest. No spam or sales pitches, I super pinkie-swear promise.

I’m always on the lookout for places to highlight in Neighborhood of the Week, so let me know if there’s a community you’d like to see featured here sometime soon.

Author: Suzy

Hard working Knoxville real estate agent by day. Intrepid Knoxville real estate blogger by night.

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