Oh, did I mention SEC sports ? Univ Tenn football, basketball and Lady Vols for the women. Atlanta braves and Tenn Titans plus Predators for Hocky Buffs. what’s more to ask for? As a native New Englander, I just don”t tell people I’m from the North and we all get along fine.
Neyland Stadium is a n amazing, almost frightening, thing to see. UT is in a long-term war with U. Michigan for the largest seating capacity -- whenever one stadium takes the lead, the other one adds another tier. A lot of folks drive motor homes to Knoxville for game weekend, because there aren't enough hotel rooms in town to accommodate the fans. I'm not sure there are enough hotel rooms in the country.
The Strip on game day is something to behold. Orange as far as the eye can see. If you're not dressed in head-to-toe orange, people look at you like you're a potential terrorist. I'm not a stranger to SEC zealotry -- I grew up in Georgia -- but UT takes it to a whole 'nother level.
As a native New Englander, I just don”t tell people I’m from the North and we all get along fine.
It's a college town, so they're used to folks from all over.
This is as good a place as any to clarify the distinction between Yankees and Damnyankees -- Yankees are folks from the North who move south. Damnyankees are folks from the North who move to the South and try to change it, to make it more like the places they fled.
Another category, thick on the ground in middle and eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina, are the halfbacks -- Yankees who retired to Florida, didn't like it, and moved halfway back. Tennessee towns like Sweetwater, Telico Plains and Cleveland are seeing a boom in housing construction because retirees can get a big house on a big lot for cheap. They don't care about the big-city nightlife, and the grandkids will come visit no matter where they are.