Bicentennial Greenbelt Park is a public park located in downtown

Maryville, Tennessee Maryville is a city in and the county seat of Blount County, Tennessee, and is a suburb of Knoxville. Its population was 31,907 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area and a short distance from popular tourist desti ...

History

Bicentennial Park was an

urban renewal Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...

project of the City of Maryville during the period leading up to the

US Bicentennial The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to historical events leading up to the creation of the United States of America as an independent republic. It was a central event ...

in 1976. The intent was to redevelop an area that had been home to light industrial activity and heavy pollution into a green space with walkways, picnic tables and an exercise course. The heavily polluted

Pistol Creek Pistol Creek is a tributary of the Little River, located entirely within Blount County, Tennessee. Features Pistol Creek arises from several springs in the Carpenter's Campground section of Blount County, flowing first northeast, then northwest ...

was a key factor in the determination by the City to redevelop the area. The Bicentennial Park was built utilizing local funds and Federal

Community Development Block Grant The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), one of the longest-running programs of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, funds local community development activities with the stated goal of providing affordable housing, anti-po ...

funds. Bicentennial Park was dedicated on July 4, 1976. The development of Bicentennial Park changed the complexion and character of the entire area. The initial walkways became the nexus of the

Maryville Alcoa Greenway The Maryville Alcoa Greenway is a cooperative effort by the two cities and Blount County, Tennessee to connect existing parks with a paved foot and cycle path. History The city of Maryville initially developed its Bicentennial Greenbelt Park by ...

and the park itself became known locally as the Greenbelt. Between the period 1976 and 2007, the area surrounding Bicentennial Park began to grow and rejuvenate, with residential, commercial and public service development occurring at a slow but steady pace. Not long after completion,

Canada geese The Canada goose (''Branta canadensis''), or Canadian goose, is a large wild goose with a black head and neck, white cheeks, white under its chin, and a brown body. It is native to the arctic and temperate regions of North America, and it is o ...

stopped at Bicentennial Park on migration, and a small flock has remained at Bicentennial Park since that time. In 1996, the City Maryville celebrated its 200th Anniversary with the dedication of two monuments in the Bicentennial Park (Greenbelt). In 1999, the first phase of the Maryville Alcoa Greenway was completed which included all of the former walkways in Bicentennial Park. In 2002, the Blount County Library was opened, bordering Bicentennial Park. In 2007, a bridge was built across Bicentennial Park from downtown Maryville to the Blount County Library.

References

* * {{Coord, 35.75784, -83.97165, type:landmark_region:US-TN, display=title Parks in Tennessee Maryville, Tennessee Protected areas of Blount County, Tennessee