Karns is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

in northwest Knox County,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, United States, about northwest of the center of

Knoxville Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state's ...

. The population of the CDP was 3,536 at the 2020 census.

History

The community was formerly called Beaver Ridge. However, in 1913 when the first

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

building was erected in Karns, the school was named in honor of Professor Thomas Conner Karns (1845–1911), the first Superintendent of Public Instruction for Knox County. Later, in the 1950s, the community voted to officially change its name from Beaver Ridge/Byington to Karns.

Geography

Karns is located in the Beaver Creek Valley between Beaver Ridge and Copper Ridge, both of which are elongate ridges typical of the

Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, also called the Ridge and Valley Province or the Valley and Ridge Appalachians, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division and are also a belt within the Appalachian Mountains extending ...

. The center of the community is located at (35.982, -84.114). Elevation ranges from about 960 to above sea level. Beaver Creek, a tributary of the

Clinch River The Clinch River is a river that flows southwest for more than through the Great Appalachian Valley in the U.S. states of Virginia and Tennessee, gathering various tributaries, including the Powell River, before joining the Tennessee River in Ki ...

, flows through the community.

Demographics

Economy

Karns has grown from primarily a farming area to a community with a population of over 19,000. Mixed among the remaining farms and pastures are subdivisions, small businesses, schools, and light industry. Industries in the community include Unitrac Railroad Materials, a manufacturer of railroad components. The Karns schools are part of

Knox County Schools Knox County Schools is the school district that operates all public schools in Knox County, Tennessee. History Before the 1987–1988 school year, the city of Knoxville and Knox County operated separate school districts. In that year the two ...

, and including

Karns High School Karns High School is a public high school in the Karns community of Knox County, Tennessee administered by the Knox County Schools public school district. A growing population in western Knox County established in 1913; prior to this time, stud ...

, enroll over 3,700 students from Karns, Ball Camp, Hardin Valley, and Solway. Most people commute to work outside of the community.

Education

Karns is the site of several public schools operated by

. Public elementary schools in the area are Karns Elementary School, Ball Camp Elementary School, Amherst Elementary School, and Hardin Valley Elementary School. Three middle schools, Karns Middle School, Hardin Valley Middle School, and Northwest Middle School include grades 6, 7, and 8. The community's long-time high school is

. A new high school,

Hardin Valley Academy Hardin Valley Academy, located at 11345 Hardin Valley Road, is a Knox County high school that was founded in 2008. The school is split into four academies: Liberal Arts, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), Health Sciences, ...

, opened in 2008 to reduce pressure on Karns, Farragut, and Bearden High Schools due to growth in the student population in western Knox County. In addition, it is the site of Grace Christian Academy, a K-12 private school operated as a ministry of Grace

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

Church.

Public services

Karns is the site of a Knox County public library branch, a branch

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

, and the Karns Community Club building. The Karns Fire Department serves a area of western Knox County from four fire stations located in Karns, Ball Camp, Hardin Valley, and Solway.Karns Fire Department website
/ref> Karns Fire Department provides fire suppression, emergency medical first responder services, public assists, and rescue services on a subscription-based service. Ambulance services are primarily provided by American Medical Response (AMR), per contract with Knox County. The Knox County Sheriff's Department is responsible for law enforcement services.

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Knox County, Tennessee Unincorporated communities in Tennessee Knoxville metropolitan area