Knoxville is a city in and the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of
Knox County in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
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 ...
.
As of the
2020 United States census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the
East Tennessee Grand Division and the state's third largest city after
Nashville and
Memphis
Memphis most commonly refers to:
* Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt
* Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city
Memphis may also refer to:
Places United States
* Memphis, Alabama
* Memphis, Florida
* Memphis, Indiana
* Memp ...
.
[U.S. Census Bureau]
2010 Census Interactive Population Search
. Retrieved: December 20, 2011. Knoxville is the principal city of the
Knoxville Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 869,046 in 2019.
First settled in 1786, Knoxville was the first capital of Tennessee. The city struggled with geographic isolation throughout the early 19th century. The
arrival of the railroad in 1855 led to an economic boom.
The city was bitterly
divided over the secession issue during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
and was occupied alternately by
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
and
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
armies, culminating in the
Battle of Fort Sanders
The Battle of Fort Sanders was the crucial engagement of the Knoxville Campaign of the American Civil War, fought in Knoxville, Tennessee, on November 29, 1863. Assaults by Confederate Lt. Gen. James Longstreet failed to break through the ...
in 1863.
Following the war, Knoxville grew rapidly as a major
wholesaling
Wholesaling or distributing is the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers; to industrial, commercial, institutional or other professional business users; or to other wholesalers (wholesale businesses) and related subordinated services. In ...
and manufacturing center. The city's economy stagnated after
the 1920s as the
manufacturing sector collapsed, the
downtown area declined and city leaders became entrenched in highly partisan political fights.
Hosting the
1982 World's Fair helped reinvigorate the city,
and
revitalization initiatives by city leaders and private developers have had major successes in spurring growth in the city, especially the
downtown area.
Knoxville is the home of the flagship campus of the
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...
, whose sports teams, the
Tennessee Volunteers
The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Collegi ...
, are popular in the surrounding area. Knoxville is also home to the headquarters of the
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolin ...
, the
Tennessee Supreme Court
The Tennessee Supreme Court is the ultimate judicial tribunal of the state of Tennessee. Roger A. Page is the Chief Justice.
Unlike other states, in which the state attorney general is directly elected or appointed by the governor or state leg ...
's courthouse for
East Tennessee, and the corporate headquarters of several national and regional companies. As one of the largest cities in the
Appalachian region, Knoxville has positioned itself in recent years as a repository of
Appalachian culture
Appalachia () is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York State to northern Alabama and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Newfoundland and Labrador, Can ...
and is one of the gateways to the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an American national park in the southeastern United States, with parts in North Carolina and Tennessee. The park straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, w ...
.
History
Early history
The first people to form substantial settlements in what is now Knoxville were indigenous people who arrived during the
Woodland period ().
[Fletcher Jolly III, "40KN37: An Early Woodland Habitation Site in Knox County, Tennessee", ''Tennessee Archaeologist'' 31, nos. 1–2 (1976), 51.] One of the oldest artificial structures in Knoxville is a
burial mound
Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...
constructed during the early
Mississippian culture period (). The earthwork mound has been preserved, but the campus of the University of Tennessee developed around it.
Other prehistoric sites include an Early Woodland habitation area at the confluence of the Tennessee River and Knob Creek (near the Knox–Blount county line),
and
Dallas phase The Dallas phase (c. 1300–1600 CE) is an archaeological phase, within the Mississippian III period, in the South Appalachian Geologic province in North America.Sullivan and Prezzano 281
Geography
Dallas peoples moved into what is now southwest ...
Mississippian villages at Post Oak Island (also along the river near the Knox–Blount line), and at
Bussell Island (at the mouth of the
Little Tennessee River
The Little Tennessee River is a tributary of the Tennessee River that flows through the Blue Ridge Mountains from Georgia, into North Carolina, and then into Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. It drains portions of three national ...
near Lenoir City).
By the 18th century, the
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...
, an
Iroquoian language
The Iroquoian languages are a language family of indigenous peoples of North America. They are known for their general lack of labial consonants. The Iroquoian languages are polysynthetic and head-marking.
As of 2020, all surviving Iroquoian ...
people, had become the dominant tribe in the East Tennessee region; they are believed to have migrated centuries before from the Great Lakes area. They were consistently at war with the
Creek (who spoke
Muskogee) and
Shawnee
The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...
(who spoke Central
Algonquian). The Cherokee people called the Knoxville area ''kuwanda'talun'yi'', which means "Mulberry Place". Most Cherokee habitation in the area was concentrated in what the American colonists called the
Overhill settlements along the
Little Tennessee River
The Little Tennessee River is a tributary of the Tennessee River that flows through the Blue Ridge Mountains from Georgia, into North Carolina, and then into Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. It drains portions of three national ...
, southwest of Knoxville.
The first white traders and explorers were recorded as arriving in the Tennessee Valley in the late 17th century. There is significant evidence that Spanish explorer
Hernando de Soto visited Bussell Island in 1540. The first major recorded Euro-American presence in the Knoxville area was the
Timberlake Expedition
The Timberlake Expedition was an excursion into the Overhill Cherokee lands west of the Appalachian Mountains, which took place in 1761 following the Anglo-Cherokee War. Its purpose was to renew and solidify friendship between Colonial Americans ...
, which passed through the confluence of the Holston and French Broad into the Tennessee River in December 1761.
Henry Timberlake
Henry Timberlake (1730 or 1735 – September 30, 1765) was a colonial Anglo-American officer, journalist, and cartographer. He was born in the Colony of Virginia and died in England. He is best known for his work as an emissary from the Briti ...
, an Anglo-American emissary from the
Thirteen Colonies
The Thirteen Colonies, also known as the Thirteen British Colonies, the Thirteen American Colonies, or later as the United Colonies, were a group of British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America. Founded in the 17th and 18th cent ...
to the Overhill settlements along the Little Tennessee River, recalled being pleased by the deep waters of the Tennessee after his party had struggled down the relatively shallow Holston for several weeks.
Settlement
![James White's Fort 20](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/James_White%27s_Fort_20.jpg)
The end of the
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...
and confusion brought about by the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...
led to a drastic increase in Euro-American settlement west of the Appalachians. By the 1780s, white settlers were already established in the Holston and French Broad valleys. The U.S. Congress ordered all illegal settlers out of the valley in 1785, but with little success. As settlers continued to trickle into Cherokee lands, tensions between the settlers and the Cherokee rose steadily.
In 1786,
James White, a
Revolutionary War officer, and his friend James Connor built
White's Fort near the mouth of First Creek, on land White had purchased three years earlier.
[Kim, ''The Sevierville Hill Site'', 9.] In 1790, White's son-in-law,
Charles McClung
Charles McClung (May 13, 1761 – August 9, 1835) was an American pioneer, politician, and surveyor best known for drawing up the original plat of Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1791. While Knoxville has since expanded to many times its original s ...
—who had arrived from Pennsylvania the previous year—surveyed White's holdings between First Creek and Second Creek for the establishment of a town. McClung drew up 64 lots. The waterfront was set aside for a town common. Two lots were set aside for a church and graveyard (First Presbyterian Church, founded 1792). Four lots were set aside for a school. That school was eventually chartered as Blount College and it served as the starting point for the
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...
, which uses Blount College's founding date of 1794, as its own. Also in 1790, President
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
appointed North Carolina surveyor
William Blount
William Blount (March 26, 1749March 21, 1800) was an American Founding Father, statesman, farmer and land speculator who signed the United States Constitution. He was a member of the North Carolina delegation at the Constitutional Convention o ...
governor of the newly created
Territory South of the River Ohio.
![Holstontreaty](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Holstontreaty.JPG)
One of Blount's first tasks was to meet with the Cherokee and establish territorial boundaries and resolve the issue of illegal settlers. This he accomplished almost immediately with the
Treaty of Holston
The Treaty of Holston (or Treaty of the Holston) was a treaty between the United States government and the Cherokee signed on July 2, 1791, and proclaimed on February 7, 1792. It was negotiated and signed by William Blount, governor of the South ...
, which was negotiated and signed at White's Fort in 1791. Blount originally wanted to place the territorial capital at the confluence 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 ...
and Tennessee River (now
Kingston), but when the Cherokee refused to cede this land, Blount chose White's Fort, which McClung had surveyed the previous year. Blount named the new capital Knoxville after Revolutionary War general and Secretary of War
Henry Knox
Henry Knox (July 25, 1750 – October 25, 1806), a Founding Father of the United States, was a senior general of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, serving as chief of artillery in most of Washington's campaigns. Following the ...
, who at the time was Blount's immediate superior.
Problems immediately arose from the Holston Treaty. Blount believed that he had "purchased" much of what is now East Tennessee when the treaty was signed in 1791. However, the terms of the treaty came under dispute, culminating in continued violence on both sides. When the government invited Cherokee chief
Hanging Maw
Hanging Maw, or ''Uskwa'li-gu'ta'' in Cherokee, was the leading chief of the Overhill Cherokee from 1788 to 1794. They were located in present-day southeastern Tennessee. He became chief following the death of Old Tassel, and the abandonment of ...
for negotiations in 1793, Knoxville settlers attacked the Cherokee against orders, killing the chief's wife. Peace was renegotiated in 1794.
Antebellum era
![Craighead-Jackson House 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Craighead-Jackson_House_01.jpg)
Knoxville served as capital of the
Southwest Territory
The Territory South of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Southwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1790, until June 1, 1796, when it was admitted to the United States a ...
and as capital of Tennessee (admitted as a state in 1796) until 1817,
when the capital was moved to
Murfreesboro
Murfreesboro is a city in and county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 152,769 according to the 2020 census, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010. Murfreesboro is located in the Nashville metropol ...
. Early Knoxville has been described as an "alternately quiet and rowdy river town".
Early issues of the ''
Knoxville Gazette
The ''Knoxville Gazette'' was the first newspaper published in the U.S. state of Tennessee and the third published west of the Appalachian Mountains. Established by George Roulstone (1767–1804) at the urging of Southwest Territory governor W ...
''—the first newspaper published in Tennessee—are filled with accounts of murder, theft, and hostile Cherokee attacks. Abishai Thomas, a friend of William Blount, visited Knoxville in 1794 and wrote that, while he was impressed by the town's modern frame buildings, the town had "seven taverns" and no church.
Knoxville initially thrived as a way station for travelers and migrants heading west. Its location at the confluence of three major rivers in the Tennessee Valley brought
flatboat
A flatboat (or broadhorn) was a rectangular flat-bottomed boat with square ends used to transport freight and passengers on inland waterways in the United States. The flatboat could be any size, but essentially it was a large, sturdy tub with a ...
and later
steamboat traffic to its waterfront in the first half of the 19th century, and Knoxville quickly developed into a regional merchandising center. Local agricultural products—especially tobacco, corn, and whiskey—were traded for cotton, which was grown in the
Deep South.
The population of Knoxville more than doubled in the 1850s with the arrival of the
East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad
The East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad Company was incorporated under special act of Tennessee on February 19, 1836 as the Hiwassee Rail Road Company.Interstate Commerce Commission. ''Southern Ry. Co.'', Volume 37, Interstate Commerce Commission ...
in 1855.
'
Among the most prominent citizens of Knoxville during the Antebellum years was James White's son,
Hugh Lawson White
Hugh Lawson White (October 30, 1773April 10, 1840) was a prominent American politician during the first third of the 19th century. After filling in several posts particularly in Tennessee's judiciary and state legislature since 1801, thereunder ...
(1773–1840). White first served as a judge and state senator, before being nominated by the state legislature to replace
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...
in the U.S. Senate in 1825. In 1836, White ran unsuccessfully for president, representing the Whig Party.
American Civil War
![Charles-douglas-shooting-1862](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Charles-douglas-shooting-1862.jpg)
Anti-slavery and anti-secession sentiment ran high in East Tennessee in the years leading up to the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
.
William "Parson" Brownlow, the radical publisher of the
Knoxville Whig, was one of the region's leading anti-secessionists (although he strongly defended the practice of slavery). Blount County, just south of Knoxville, had developed into a center of abolitionist activity, due in part to its relatively large
Quaker faction and the anti-slavery president of
Maryville College
Maryville College is a private liberal arts college in Maryville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1819 by Presbyterian minister Isaac L. Anderson for the purpose of furthering education and enlightenment into the West. The college is one of the ...
, Isaac Anderson. The
Greater Warner Tabernacle AME Zion Church, Knoxville The Greater Warner Tabernacle AME Zion Church is a historic church congregation presently located in a building at 3800 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in Knoxville, Tennessee. It was reportedly a station on the Underground Railroad. It is part of th ...
was reportedly a station on the
underground railroad
The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...
.
Business interests, however, guided largely by Knoxville's trade connections with cotton-growing centers to the south, contributed to the development of a strong pro-secession movement within the city. The city's pro-secessionists included among their ranks Dr.
J. G. M. Ramsey
James Gettys McGready Ramsey (March 25, 1797 – April 11, 1884) was an American historian, physician, planter, slave owner, and businessman, active primarily in East Tennessee during the nineteenth century. Ramsey is perhaps best known for h ...
, a prominent historian whose father had built the
Ramsey House in 1797.
Thus, while East Tennessee and greater Knox County voted decisively against secession in 1861, the city of Knoxville favored secession by a 2-1 margin. In late May 1861, just before the secession vote, delegates of the
East Tennessee Convention met at Temperance Hall in Knoxville in hopes of keeping Tennessee in the
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
. After Tennessee voted to secede in June, the convention met in
Greeneville and attempted to create a separate Union-aligned state in East Tennessee.
![SiegeofKnoxville](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/SiegeofKnoxville.jpg)
In July 1861, after Tennessee had joined the
Confederacy, General
Felix Zollicoffer
Felix Kirk Zollicoffer (May 19, 1812 – January 19, 1862) was an American newspaperman, slave owner, politician, and soldier. A three-term United States Congressman from Tennessee, an officer in the United States Army, and a Confederate brigad ...
arrived in Knoxville as commander of the District of East Tennessee. While initially lenient toward the city's Union sympathizers, Zollicoffer instituted
martial law
Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory.
Use
Marti ...
in November, after pro-Union guerrillas
burned seven of the city's bridges. The command of the district passed briefly to
George Crittenden
George Bibb Crittenden (March 20, 1812 – November 27, 1880) was a career United States Army officer who served in the Black Hawk War, the Army of the Republic of Texas, and the Mexican–American War, and later resigned his commission to serv ...
and then to
Kirby Smith
General Edmund Kirby Smith (May 16, 1824March 28, 1893) was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded the Trans-Mississippi Department (comprising Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, western Louisiana, Arizona Territory and the Indi ...
, who launched an
unsuccessful invasion of Kentucky in August 1862. In early 1863, General
Simon Buckner
Simon Bolivar Buckner ( ; April 1, 1823 – January 8, 1914) was an American soldier, Confederate combatant, and politician. He fought in the United States Army in the Mexican–American War. He later fought in the Confederate States Army ...
took command of Confederate forces in Knoxville. Anticipating a Union invasion, Buckner fortified Fort Loudon (in West Knoxville, not to be confused with the
colonial fort to the southwest) and began constructing earthworks throughout the city. However, the approach of stronger Union forces under
Ambrose Burnside
Ambrose Everett Burnside (May 23, 1824 – September 13, 1881) was an American army officer and politician who became a senior Union general in the Civil War and three times Governor of Rhode Island, as well as being a successful inventor ...
in the summer of 1863 forced Buckner to evacuate Knoxville before the earthworks were completed.
Burnside arrived in early September 1863, beginning the
Knoxville Campaign. Like the Confederates, he immediately began fortifying the city. The Union forces rebuilt Fort Loudon and erected 12 other forts and batteries flanked by entrenchments around the city. Burnside moved a pontoon bridge upstream from
Loudon, allowing Union forces to cross the river and build a series of forts along the heights of South Knoxville, including Fort Stanley and Fort Dickerson.
As Burnside was fortifying Knoxville, a Confederate army under
Braxton Bragg
Braxton Bragg (March 22, 1817 – September 27, 1876) was an American army officer during the Second Seminole War and Mexican–American War and Confederate general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, serving in the Western ...
defeated Union forces under
William S. Rosecrans
William Starke Rosecrans (September 6, 1819March 11, 1898) was an American inventor, coal-oil company executive, diplomat, politician, and U.S. Army officer. He gained fame for his role as a Union general during the American Civil War. He was ...
at the
Battle of Chickamauga
The Battle of Chickamauga, fought on September 19–20, 1863, between U.S. and Confederate forces in the American Civil War, marked the end of a Union offensive, the Chickamauga Campaign, in southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia. I ...
(near the Tennessee-Georgia line) and laid siege to
Chattanooga. On November 3, 1863, the Confederates sent General
James Longstreet to attack Burnside at Knoxville and prevent him from reinforcing the Union at Chattanooga. Longstreet wanted to attack the city from the south, but lacking the necessary pontoon bridges, he was forced to cross the river further downstream at Loudon (November 14) and march against the city's heavily fortified western section. On November 15, General
Joseph Wheeler
Joseph "Fighting Joe" Wheeler (September 10, 1836 – January 25, 1906) was an American military commander and politician. He was a cavalry general in the Confederate States Army in the 1860s during the American Civil War, and then a general in ...
unsuccessfully attempted to dislodge Union forces in the heights of South Knoxville, and the following day Longstreet failed to cut off retreating Union forces at the
Battle of Campbell's Station
The Battle of Campbell's Station (November 16, 1863) saw Confederate forces under Lieutenant General James Longstreet attack Union troops led by Major General Ambrose Burnside at Campbell's Station (now Farragut), Knox County, Tennessee, dur ...
(now
Farragut). On November 18, Union General
William P. Sanders was mortally wounded while conducting delaying maneuvers west of Knoxville, and Fort Loudon was renamed Fort Sanders in his honor. On November 29, following a two-week siege, the Confederates
attacked Fort Sanders, but failed after a fierce 20-minute engagement. On December 4, after word of the Confederate
defeat at Chattanooga reached Longstreet, he broke his siege of Knoxville and went into winter quarters at
Russellville. He rejoined the
Army of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most oft ...
the following spring. The Union victory in the Knoxville Campaign and at Chattanooga put much of East Tennessee under Union control for the rest of the war.
Reconstruction and the Industrial Age
![Knoxville-republic-quarry](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Knoxville-republic-quarry.jpg)
After the war, northern investors such as brothers Joseph and David Richards helped Knoxville recover relatively quickly. The Richards brothers convinced 104
Welsh immigrant families to migrate from the
Welsh Tract in
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
to work in a rolling mill then co-owned by Thomas Walker. These Welsh families settled in an area now known as
Mechanicsville.
[The Old Atkin Street Church and Knoxville's Welsh Community]
. Originally published in the ''Knoxville Journal and Tribune''. Retrieved: 7 September 2010. The Richards brothers also co-founded the Knoxville Iron Works beside the
L&N Railroad
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad , commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.
Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of the ...
, also employing Welsh workers. Later, the site was used as the grounds for the
1982 World's Fair.
![Knoxville-knitting-works-1910](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Knoxville-knitting-works-1910.jpg)
Other companies that sprang up during this period were Knoxville Woolen Mills, Dixie Cement, and Woodruff's Furniture. Between 1880 and 1887, 97 factories were established in Knoxville, most of them specializing in textiles, food products, and iron products.
[William Bruce Wheeler, "Knoxville, Tennessee". ''The Encyclopedia of Appalachia'' (Knoxville, Tenn.: University of Tennessee Press, 2006), 375.] By the 1890s, Knoxville was home to more than 50 wholesaling houses, making it the third largest wholesaling center by volume in the South.
[ The Candoro Marble Works, established in the community of Vestal in 1914, became the nation's foremost producer of pink marble and one of the nation's largest marble importers. In 1896, Knoxville celebrated its achievements by creating its own flag. The Flag of Knoxville, Tennessee represents the city's progressive growth due to agriculture and industry.
In 1869, Thomas Humes, a Union sympathizer and president of East Tennessee University, secured federal post-war damage reimbursement and state-designated ]Morrill Act
The Morrill Land-Grant Acts are United States statutes that allowed for the creation of land-grant colleges in U.S. states using the proceeds from sales of federally-owned land, often obtained from indigenous tribes through treaty, cession, or s ...
funding to expand the college, which had been occupied by both armies during the war. Charles Dabney, who became president of the university in 1887, overhauled the faculty and established a law school in an attempt to modernize the scope of the university. In 1879, the state changed its name to the University of Tennessee, at the request of the trustees, who hoped to secure more funding from the Tennessee state legislature.[Milton Klein,]
University of Tennessee
". ''The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, 2002. Retrieved: February 28, 2008.''
The post-war manufacturing boom brought thousands of immigrants to the city. The population of Knoxville grew from around 5,000 in 1860 to 32,637 in 1900. West Knoxville was annexed in 1897, and over 5,000 new homes were built between 1895 and 1904.[W. Bruce Wheeler,]
Knoxville
". ''The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture'', 2002. Retrieved: February 28, 2008.
In 1901, train robber Kid Curry
Harvey Alexander Logan (1867 – June 17, 1904), also known as Kid Curry, was an American outlaw and gunman who rode with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid's infamous Wild Bunch gang during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Despite being ...
(whose real name was Harvey Logan), a member of Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch
The Wild Bunch, also known as the Doolin–Dalton Gang, or the Oklahombres, were a gang of American outlaws based in the Indian Territory in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were active in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma Terr ...
was captured after shooting two deputies on Knoxville's Central Avenue. He escaped from the Knoxville Jail and rode away on a horse stolen from the sheriff.
The Progressive Era and the Great Depression
Knoxville hosted the Appalachian Exposition in 1910 and 1911 and the National Conservation Exposition
The National Conservation Exposition was an exposition held in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, between September 1, 1913 and November 1, 1913. The exposition celebrated the cause of bringing national attention to conservation activities, espe ...
in 1913. The latter is sometimes credited with giving rise to the movement to create a national park in the Great Smoky Mountains, some south of Knoxville.[Jack Neely, "Knoxville, Tennessee". ''The Encyclopedia of Appalachia'' (Knoxville, Tenn.: University of Tennessee Press, 2006), 654.] Around this time, a number of affluent Knoxvillians began purchasing summer cottages in Elkmont and began to pursue the park idea more vigorously. They were led by Knoxville businessman Colonel David C. Chapman
David Carpenter Chapman (August 9, 1876 – July 26, 1944) was an American soldier, politician, and business leader from Knoxville, Tennessee who led the effort to establish the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the 1920s and 1930s. Mou ...
, who, as head of the Great Smoky Mountains Park Commission, was largely responsible for raising the funds for the purchase of the property that became the core of the park. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an American national park in the southeastern United States, with parts in North Carolina and Tennessee. The park straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, w ...
opened in 1933.
Knoxville's reliance on a manufacturing economy left it particularly vulnerable to the effects of the Great Depression. The Tennessee Valley also suffered from frequent flooding, and millions of acres of farmland had been ruined by soil erosion. To control flooding and improve the economy in the Tennessee Valley, the federal government created the Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolin ...
in 1933. Beginning with Norris Dam
Norris Dam is a hydroelectric and flood control structure located on the Clinch River in Anderson County and Campbell County, Tennessee, United States. The dam was the first major project for the Tennessee Valley Authority, which had been create ...
, TVA constructed a series of hydroelectric and other power plants throughout the valley over the next few decades, bringing flood control, jobs, and electricity to the region.[W. Bruce Wheeler,]
Tennessee Valley Authority
". ''The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture'', 2002. Retrieved: February 28, 2008. The Federal Works Projects Administration
The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...
, which also arrived in the 1930s, helped build McGhee-Tyson Airport
McGhee Tyson Airport is a public/military airport 12 miles south of Knoxville,. Federal Aviation Administration. effective November 15, 2012. in Alcoa, Blount County, Tennessee, United States. It is named for United States Navy pilot Charles Mc ...
and expand Neyland Stadium
Neyland Stadium ( ), is a sports stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. It serves primarily as the home of the Tennessee Volunteers football team, but is also used to host large conventions and has been a site for several National Foot ...
. TVA's headquarters, which consists of two twin high rises built in the 1970s, were among Knoxville's first modern high-rise buildings.
In 1947, John Gunther
John Gunther (August 30, 1901 – May 29, 1970) was an American journalist and writer.
His success came primarily by a series of popular sociopolitical works, known as the "Inside" books (1936–1972), including the best-selling ''Insid ...
dubbed Knoxville the "ugliest city" in America in his best-selling book '' Inside U.S.A.'' Gunther's description jolted the city into enacting a series of beautification measures that helped improve the appearance of the Downtown area.
1982 World's Fair and 20th century
Knoxville's textile and manufacturing industries largely fell victim to foreign competition in the 1950s and 1960s, and after the establishment of the Interstate Highway system in the 1960s, the railroad—which had been largely responsible for Knoxville's industrial growth—began to decline. The rise of suburban shopping malls in the 1970s drew retail revenues away from Knoxville's downtown area. While government jobs and economic diversification prevented widespread unemployment in Knoxville, the city sought to recover the massive loss of revenue by attempting to annex neighboring communities. Knoxville would successfully annex the communities of Bearden and Fountain City, which were Knoxville's biggest suburbs prior to their annexations in 1962. Knoxville officials would attempt the annexation of the neighboring Farragut-Concord
Concord may refer to:
Meaning "agreement"
* Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony)
* Harmony, in music
* Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...
community in West Knox County, but would fail following the incorporation of Farragut in 1980. These annexation attempts often turned combative, and several attempts to consolidate Knoxville and Knox County into a metro government failed, while school boards and the planning commissions would merge on July 1, 1987.[
]
With further annexation attempts stalling, Knoxville initiated several projects aimed at boosting revenue in its downtown area. The 1982 World's Fair—the most successful of these projects, with eleven million visitors—became one of the most popular expositions in U.S. history. The fair's energy theme was selected due to Knoxville being the headquarters of the Tennessee Valley Authority and for the city's proximity to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is a U.S. multiprogram science and technology national laboratory sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and administered, managed, and operated by UT–Battelle as a federally funded research an ...
. The Sunsphere
The Sunsphere located in World’s Fair Park in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, is a high hexagonal steel truss structure, topped with a gold-colored glass sphere that served as the symbol of the 1982 World's Fair.
Design
Designed by the Knox ...
, a steel truss structure topped with a gold-colored glass sphere, was built for the fair and remains one of Knoxville's most prominent structures, along with the adjacent Tennessee Amphitheater
The Tennessee Amphitheater, also known as the World's Fair Park Amphitheater, is an open-air amphitheater located in the 1982 World's Fair Park in Knoxville, Tennessee.
History
The Tennessee Amphitheater was built for 1982 World's Fair and was d ...
which underwent a renovation that was completed in 2008.
During the 1980s and into the 1990s, the city would see one of its largest expansions of its city limits, with a reported 26 square miles of " shoestring annexation" under the administration of Mayor Victor Ashe
The name Victor or Viktor may refer to:
* Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname
Arts and entertainment
Film
* ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film
* ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...
. Ashe's efforts would be controversial, largely consisting of annexation of interstate right-of-ways, highway-oriented commercial clusters, and residential subdivisions to increase tax revenue for the city. Residents would voice opposition, citing claims of urban sprawl
Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...
and government overreach.
21st century and economic renaissance
With the dawn of the 21st century, Knoxville's downtown has been developing, with the opening of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame honors those who have contributed to the sport of women's basketball. The Hall of Fame opened in 1999 in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. It is the only facility of its kind dedicated to all levels of women's ba ...
and the Knoxville Convention Center, the redevelopment of Market Square, a new visitors center, a regional history museum, a Regal Cinemas
Regal Cinemas (also Regal Entertainment Group) is an American movie theater chain headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. A division of Cineworld, Regal operates the second-largest theater circuit in the United States, with over 7,200 screens i ...
theater, several restaurants and bars, and many new and redeveloped condominiums. Since 2000, Knoxville has successfully brought business back to the downtown area. The arts in particular have begun to flourish; there are multiple venues for outdoor concerts, and Gay Street hosts a new arts annex and gallery surrounded by many studios and new businesses as well. The Bijou
Bijou is a French word meaning ''jewel'', often loosely applied to buildings to mean small and elegant. It may also refer to:
Buildings
* Bijou Palace, also known as the Al-Gawhara Palace, a palace in Cairo, Egypt
* Bijou Theatre (Manhattan), two ...
and Tennessee Theatres underwent renovation, providing an initiative for the city and its developers to re-purpose the old downtown.
Development has also expanded across the Tennessee River on the South Knoxville waterfront. In 2006, the City of Knoxville adopted the South Waterfront Vision Plan, a long-term improvement project to revitalize the 750 acre waterfront fronting three miles of shoreline on the Tennessee River. The project's primary focus is the commercial and residential development over a 20-year timeline. The former Knoxville Baptist Hospital, located on the waterfront, was demolished in 2016 to make for mixed-use project called One Riverwalk. The development consisted of three office buildings, including a new headquarters for Regal Entertainment Group
Regal Cinemas (also Regal Entertainment Group) is an American movie theater chain headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. A division of Cineworld, Regal operates the second-largest theater circuit in the United States, with over 7,200 screens i ...
, a hotel, student housing, and 300 multi-family residential units.
In June 2020, the Knoxville City Council announced the investment of over $5.5million dollars in federal and local funds towards the development of a business park
A business park or office park is a designated area of land in which many office buildings are grouped together. These types of developments are often located in suburban areas where land and building costs are more affordable, and are typicall ...
along the Interstate 275 corridor in North Knoxville. The project was first proposed by a study prepared Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission in 2007.
In August 2020, UT President and Tennessee Smokies
The Tennessee Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Kodak, Tennessee, a suburb of Knoxville. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They play at Smokies Stadium, directly off ...
owner Randy Boyd announced plans of a mixed-use
Mixed-use is a kind of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to som ...
baseball stadium
A ballpark, or baseball park, is a type of sports venue where baseball is played. The playing field is divided into the infield, an area whose dimensions are rigidly defined, and the outfield, where dimensions can vary widely from place to pla ...
complex in the Old City neighborhood of Knoxville.
Geography
Topography
According to the United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 5.42%, is water. Elevations range from just over along the riverfront to just over on various hilltops in West Knoxville, with the downtown area resting at just over . High points include Sharp's Ridge
Sharp's Ridge is a steep ridge in Knoxville, Tennessee, north of the city's downtown. A area of the ridge is maintained as Sharp's Ridge Memorial Park, a city park dedicated to the honor of the area's war veterans. The ridge also is the site o ...
in North Knoxville at and Brown Mountain in South Knoxville at . House Mountain, the highest point in Knox County at , is located east of the city near Mascot
A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...
.
Knoxville is situated in the Great Appalachian Valley
The Great Appalachian Valley, also called The Great Valley or Great Valley Region, is one of the major landform features of eastern North America. It is a gigantic trough—a chain of valley lowlands—and the central feature of the Appalachian M ...
(known locally as the Tennessee Valley), about halfway between the Great Smoky Mountains
The Great Smoky Mountains (, ''Equa Dutsusdu Dodalv'') are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, and form part of the Blue Ridge ...
to the east and the Cumberland Plateau to the west. The Great Valley is part of a sub-range of the Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...
known as 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 ...
, which is characterized by long, narrow ridges, flanked by broad valleys. Prominent Ridge-and-Valley structures in the Knoxville area include Sharp's Ridge and Beaver Ridge in the northern part of the city, Brown Mountain in South Knoxville, parts of Bays Mountain
Bays Mountain is a ridge of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, located in eastern Tennessee. It runs southwest to northeast, from just south of Knoxville to Kingsport.
Its southern segment is relatively low in elevation (up to about ). In som ...
just south of the city, and parts of McAnnally Ridge in the northeastern part of the city.
The Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other name ...
, which slices through the downtown area, is formed in southeastern Knoxville at the confluence of the Holston River
The Holston River is a river that flows from Kingsport, Tennessee, to Knoxville, Tennessee. Along with its three major forks (North Fork, Middle Fork and South Fork), it comprises a major river system that drains much of northeastern Tennessee, ...
, which flows southwest from Virginia, and the French Broad River
The French Broad River is a river in the U.S. states of North Carolina and Tennessee. It flows from near the town of Rosman in Transylvania County, North Carolina, into Tennessee, where its confluence with the Holston River at Knoxville form ...
, which flows west from North Carolina. The section of the Tennessee River that passes through Knoxville is part of Fort Loudoun Lake, an artificial reservoir created by TVA's Fort Loudoun Dam
Fort Loudoun Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River in Loudon County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The dam is operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), which built the dam in the early 1940s as part of a unif ...
about downstream in Lenoir City. Notable tributaries of the Tennessee in Knoxville include First Creek and Second Creek, which flow through the downtown area, Third Creek, which flows west of U.T., and Sinking Creek, Ten Mile Creek, and Turkey Creek, which drain West Knoxville.
Climate
Knoxville falls in the humid subtropical climate (Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
: ''Cfa''). Summers are hot and humid, with the daily average temperature in July at , and an average of 36 days per year with temperatures reaching .[NOAA](_blank)
, Mean Number of Days With Maximum Temperature 90 Degrees F or Higher. Winters are generally much cooler and less stable, with occasional small amounts of snow. January has a daily average temperature of , although in most years there is at least one day (average 5.3) where the high remains at or below freezing. The record high for Knoxville is on June 30 and July 1, 2012, while the record low is on January 21, 1985. Annual precipitation averages just under , and normal seasonal snowfall is . Usually no snow occurs outside of January and February. The one-day record for snowfall is , which occurred on February 13, 1960.
Metropolitan Area
Knoxville is the central city in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area, an Office of Management and Budget (OMB)-designated metropolitan statistical area (MSA) that covers Knox, Anderson
Anderson or Andersson may refer to:
Companies
* Anderson (Carriage), a company that manufactured automobiles from 1907 to 1910
* Anderson Electric, an early 20th-century electric car
* Anderson Greenwood, an industrial manufacturer
* Anderson ...
, Blount, Campbell, Grainger Grainger may refer to:
Places
*Grainger, Alberta, a locality in Canada
*Grainger County, Tennessee, a county located in Tennessee, United States
*Grainger Falls, a waterfall in Chalky Inland, Fiordland, New Zealand
*Grainger Market, a covered mark ...
, Loudon, Morgan, Roane and Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
counties. MSAs consist of a core urban center and the outlying communities and rural areas with which it maintains close economic ties. They are not administrative divisions, and should not be confused with a consolidated city-county government, which Knoxville and Knox County is absent of.
The Knoxville Metropolitan area includes unincorporated communities such as Halls Crossroads, Powell, Karns, Corryton, Concord
Concord may refer to:
Meaning "agreement"
* Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony)
* Harmony, in music
* Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...
, and Mascot
A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...
, which are located in Knox County outside of Knoxville's city limits. Along with Knoxville, major municipalities in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area include Alcoa, Blaine, Maryville, Lenoir City, Loudon, Farragut, Oak Ridge, Rutledge, Clinton, Bean Station, and Maynardville. As of 2012, the population of the Knoxville Metropolitan Area was 837,571.[Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas]
, U.S. Census Bureau
Additionally, the Knoxville MSA is the chief component of the larger OMB-designated 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' ...
-Sevierville
Sevierville ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Sevier County, Tennessee, located in eastern Tennessee. The population was 17,889 at the 2020 United States Census.
History
Native Americans of the Woodland period were among the first human ...
- La Follette TN Combined Statistical Area
Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and the territory of Puerto Ric ...
(CSA). The CSA also includes the Morristown Metropolitan Statistical Area
In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...
( Hamblen, Grainger Grainger may refer to:
Places
*Grainger, Alberta, a locality in Canada
*Grainger County, Tennessee, a county located in Tennessee, United States
*Grainger Falls, a waterfall in Chalky Inland, Fiordland, New Zealand
*Grainger Market, a covered mark ...
, and Jefferson Jefferson may refer to:
Names
* Jefferson (surname)
* Jefferson (given name)
People
* Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States
* Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...
counties) and the Sevierville
Sevierville ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Sevier County, Tennessee, located in eastern Tennessee. The population was 17,889 at the 2020 United States Census.
History
Native Americans of the Woodland period were among the first human ...
( Sevier County), La Follette ( Campbell County), Harriman ( Roane County), and Newport ( Cocke County) Micropolitan Statistical Areas. Municipalities in the CSA, but not the Knoxville MSA, include Morristown, Rutledge, Dandridge, Jefferson City
Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, is the capital of Missouri, United States. It had a population of 43,228 at the 2020 census, ranking as the 15th most populous city in the state. It is also the county seat of Cole County and the principa ...
, Sevierville, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge
Pigeon Forge is a mountain resort city in Sevier County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 6,343. Situated just 5 miles (8 km) north of Great Smoky Mountains National Pa ...
, LaFollette, Jacksboro, Harriman, Kingston, Rockwood, and Newport. The combined population of the CSA as of the 2000 Census was 935,659. Its estimated 2008 population was 1,041,955.[
]Georgia Tech
The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...
researchers have mapped the Knoxville Metropolitan area as one of the 18 'Major Cities' in the Piedmont Atlantic Megaregion.
Cityscape
Architecture
Knoxville's two tallest buildings are the 27-story First Tennessee Plaza and the 24-story Riverview Tower, both on Gay Street. Other prominent high-rises include the Tower at Morgan Hill (21 stories), the Andrew Johnson Building
The Andrew Johnson Building is a high-rise building in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. Completed in 1929 as the Andrew Johnson Hotel, at , it was Knoxville's tallest building for nearly a half-century.Ronald Childress, National Regi ...
(18), the Knoxville Hilton (18), the General Building
The General Building, also called the Tennessee General Building or the First Bank Building, is an office high-rise located in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. Constructed in 1925, the 14-story building is the only high-rise designed ...
(15), the Holston (14), the TVA Towers (12), and Sterchi Lofts (12). The city's most iconic structure is arguably the Sunsphere
The Sunsphere located in World’s Fair Park in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, is a high hexagonal steel truss structure, topped with a gold-colored glass sphere that served as the symbol of the 1982 World's Fair.
Design
Designed by the Knox ...
, a steel truss tower built for the 1982 World's Fair and, with the Tennessee Amphitheater
The Tennessee Amphitheater, also known as the World's Fair Park Amphitheater, is an open-air amphitheater located in the 1982 World's Fair Park in Knoxville, Tennessee.
History
The Tennessee Amphitheater was built for 1982 World's Fair and was d ...
, one of only two structures that remain from that World's Fair.
The downtown area contains a mixture of architectural styles from various periods, ranging from the hewn-log James White House (1786) to the modern Knoxville Museum of Art
The Knoxville Museum of Art (KMA), is an art museum in Knoxville, Tennessee. It specializes in historical and contemporary art pieces from the East Tennessee region. According to its mission statement, the museum "celebrates the art and artists ...
(1990). Styles represented include Greek Revival
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but a ...
( Old City Hall), Victorian (Hotel St. Oliver and Sullivan's Saloon), Gothic ( Church Street Methodist Church and Ayres Hall
Ayres Hall is a central iconic and historic landmark building at the University of Tennessee (UT) in Knoxville, Tennessee.
The building was designed by Miller, Fullenwider and Dowling of Chicago, and completed in 1921. It is named for Brown Ayres ...
), Neoclassical (First Baptist Church), and Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
( Knoxville Post Office). Gay Street, Market Square, and Jackson Avenue contain numerous examples of late-19th and early-20th century commercial architecture.
Residential architecture tends to reflect the city's development over two centuries. Blount Mansion
The Blount Mansion, also known as William Blount Mansion, located at 200 West Hill Avenue in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, was the home of the only territorial governor of the Southwest Territory, William Blount (1749–1800). Blount, a Fou ...
(1791), in the oldest part of the city, is designed in a vernacular Georgian
Georgian may refer to:
Common meanings
* Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country)
** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group
** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians
**Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
style. "Streetcar suburbs" such as Fourth and Gill
Fourth and Gill is a neighborhood in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, located north of the city's downtown area. Initially developed in the late nineteenth century as a residential area for Knoxville's growing middle and professional classes, ...
, Parkridge, and Fort Sanders, developed in the late 19th century with the advent of trolleys, tend to contain large concentrations of Victorian and Bungalow/ Craftsman-style houses popular during this period. Early automobile suburbs, such as Lindbergh Forest and Sequoyah Hills, contain late-1920s and 1930s styles such as Tudor Revival
Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...
, English Cottage, and Mission Revival. Neighborhoods developed after World War II typically consist of Ranch-style houses.
Knoxville is home to the nation's largest concentration of homes designed by noted Victorian residential architect George Franklin Barber
George Franklin Barber (July 31, 1854 – February 17, 1915) was an American architect known for the house designs he marketed worldwide through mail-order catalogs. Barber was one of the most successful residential architects of the late Vi ...
, who lived in the city. Other notable local architects include members of the Baumann family, Charles I. Barber (son of George), R. F. Graf, and more recently, Bruce McCarty. Nationally renowned architects with works still standing in the city include Alfred B. Mullett
Alfred Bult Mullett (April 7, 1834 – October 20, 1890) was a British-American architect who served from 1866 to 1874 as Supervising Architect, head of the agency of the United States Treasury Department that designed federal government build ...
( Greystone), John Russell Pope
John Russell Pope (April 24, 1874 – August 27, 1937) was an American architect whose firm is widely known for designing major public buildings, including the National Archives and Records Administration building (completed in 1935), the Jeff ...
(H.L. Dulin House), and Edward Larrabee Barnes
Edward Larrabee Barnes (April 22, 1915 – September 22, 2004) was an American architect. His work was characterized by the "fusing fModernism with vernacular architecture and understated design." Barnes was best known for his adherence to st ...
(Knoxville Museum of Art).
Neighborhoods
Knoxville is roughly divided into the Downtown area and sections based on the four cardinal directions: North Knoxville, South Knoxville, East Knoxville East Knoxville is the section of Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, that lies east of the city's Downtown Knoxville, downtown area. It is concentrated along Magnolia Avenue (U.S. Route 70 in Tennessee, US-70/U.S. Route 11, US-11), Martin Luther King, Jr., ...
, and West Knoxville West Knoxville is a section of Knoxville, Tennessee, US. It west of the city's Downtown Knoxville, downtown area. It stretches from Sequoyah Hills, Tennessee, Sequoyah Hills on the east to the city's border with Farragut, Tennessee, Farragut on the ...
. Downtown Knoxville traditionally consists of the area bounded by the river on the south, First Creek on the east, Second Creek on the west, and the railroad tracks on the north, though the definition has expanded to include the U.T. campus and Fort Sanders neighborhood, and several neighborhoods along or just off Broadway south of Sharp's Ridge ("Downtown North"). While primarily home to the city's central business district and municipal offices, the Old City and Gay Street are mixed residential and commercial areas.
South Knoxville consists of the parts of the city located south of the river,[City of Knoxville]
Parks
. Retrieved: January 7, 2012. and includes the neighborhoods of Vestal, Lindbergh Forest, Island Home Park
Island Home Park is a neighborhood in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, located in the southeastern part of the city along the Tennessee River. Developed as a streetcar suburb in the early 1900s, the neighborhood retains most of its original ho ...
, Colonial Hills, and Old Sevier. This area contains major commercial corridors along Chapman Highway and Alcoa Highway.
West Knoxville generally consists of the areas west of U.T., and includes the suburban neighborhoods of Sequoyah Hills, West Hills, Bearden, Cumberland Estates, Westmoreland, Suburban Hills, Cedar Bluff, Rocky Hill, and Ebenezer. This area, concentrated largely around Kingston Pike, is home to thriving retail centers such as West Town Mall
West Town Mall is a shopping mall located in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. Opened in August 1972, this one-level mall is located in the western portion of Knoxville in the West Hills community. West Town Mall is located along Interstates 40/ ...
and Turkey Creek.
East Knoxville consists of the areas east of First Creek and the James White Parkway and includes the neighborhoods of Parkridge, Burlington, Morningside, and Five Points. This area, concentrated along Magnolia Avenue, is home to Chilhowee Park
Chilhowee Park is a public park, fairgrounds and exhibition venue in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, located off Magnolia Avenue in East Knoxville. Developed in the late 19th century, the park is home to the Tennessee Valley Fair and hosts se ...
and Zoo Knoxville
Zoo Knoxville, formerly known as the ''Knoxville Zoo'' or ''Knoxville Zoological Gardens'', is a zoo located just east of downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, near exit 392 off Interstate 40. The zoo is home to about 1,200 animals and w ...
.
North Knoxville consists of the areas north of Sharp's Ridge, namely the Fountain City and Inskip-Norwood areas. This area's major commercial corridor is located along Broadway.
List of notable neighborhoods
* Bearden
* Cedar Bluff
* Chilhowee Park
Chilhowee Park is a public park, fairgrounds and exhibition venue in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, located off Magnolia Avenue in East Knoxville. Developed in the late 19th century, the park is home to the Tennessee Valley Fair and hosts se ...
* Colonial Village
Colonial Village is an area in northwest Washington, D.C., built in 1931 with 80 residences. The homes are reproductions of colonial buildings, such as the Moore House, where General Charles Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown.''Historical Dic ...
* Cumberland Estates
* Downtown
* Emory Place
* Fort Sanders
* Fountain City
** Oakland (former)
* Fourth & Gill
* Island Home Park
Island Home Park is a neighborhood in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, located in the southeastern part of the city along the Tennessee River. Developed as a streetcar suburb in the early 1900s, the neighborhood retains most of its original ho ...
* Lindbergh Forest
* Lonsdale
* Mechanicsville
* North Hills
* Oakwood-Lincoln Park
* Old City
* Old North Knoxville
Old North Knoxville is a neighborhood in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, located just north of the city's downtown area. Initially established as the town of North Knoxville in 1889, the area was a prominent suburb for Knoxville's upper mid ...
* Parkridge
* Rocky Hill
* Sequoyah Hills
* South Knoxville
* West Hills
Important suburbs
* Alcoa
* Blaine
* Clinton
* Concord
Concord may refer to:
Meaning "agreement"
* Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony)
* Harmony, in music
* Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...
* Corryton
* Dandridge
* Farragut
* Halls Crossroads
* Hardin Valley
* Heiskell
* Karns
* Lenoir City
* Louisville
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border.
...
* Maryville
* Mascot
A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...
* Maynardville
* Oak Ridge
* Powell
* Sevierville
Sevierville ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Sevier County, Tennessee, located in eastern Tennessee. The population was 17,889 at the 2020 United States Census.
History
Native Americans of the Woodland period were among the first human ...
* Seymour
* Strawberry Plains
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, there were 190,740 people, 83,492 households, and 40,405 families residing in the city.
2010 census
As of the census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2010, the population of Knoxville was 178,874, a 2.9% increase from 2000.[U.S. Census Bureau]
QuickFacts sheet for Knoxville (city), Tennessee
. Retrieved: December 20, 2011. The median age was 32.7, with 19.1% of the population under the age of 18, and 12.6% over the age of 65. The population was 48% male and 52% female. The population density was 1,815 persons per square mile.
The racial and ethnic composition of the city was 76.1% white
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 17.1% black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...
, 0.4% Native American, 1.6% Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, and 0.2% Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
. Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 4.6% of the population. People reporting more than one race formed 2.5% of the population.
Data collected by the Census from 2005 to 2009 reported 83,151 households in Knoxville, with an average of 2.07 persons per household. The home ownership rate was 51%, and 74.7% of residents had been living in the same house for more than one year. The median household income was $32,609, and the per capita income was $21,528. High school graduates were 83.8% of persons 25 and older, and 28.3% had earned a bachelor's degree or higher. The city's poverty rate was 25%, compared with 16.1% in Tennessee and 15.1% nationwide.
According to the opinion of the Economic Research Institute in a 2006 study, Knoxville was identified as the most affordable U.S. city for new college graduates, based on the ratio of typical salary to cost of living. In 2014, ''Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
'' ranked Knoxville one of the top five most affordable cities in the United States.
Crime
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...
Uniform Crime Reports
The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program compiles official data on crime in the United States, published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). UCR is "a nationwide, cooperative statistical effort of nearly 18,000 city, university and co ...
for Knoxville for 2017:
Economy
After the arrival of the railroads in the 1850s, Knoxville grew to become a major wholesaling and manufacturing center. Following the collapse of the city's textile industry in the 1950s, Knoxville's economy grew more diversified. In 2011, 15.9% of the Knoxville Metropolitan Statistical Area's (MSA) work force was employed by government entities, while 14.1% were employed in the professional service sector, 14% worked in education or health care, 12.7% were employed in the retail sector, 10.5% worked in leisure and hospitality, and 8.9% worked in the manufacturing sector. The region had an unemployment rate of 7.9% in 2011.
In the 2010 ACCRA Cost of Living Index
The Cost of Living Index (COLI), formerly the ''ACCRA Cost of Living Index'' is a measure of living cost differences among urban areas in the United States compiled by the Council for Community and Economic Research. First published in 1968, t ...
, Knoxville was rated 89.6 (the national average was 100). Kiplinger
Kiplinger ( ) is an American publisher of business forecasts and personal finance advice which is a subsidiary of Future plc.
Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc., was a closely held company managed for more than nine decades by three generations ...
ranked Knoxville at No. 5 in its list of ''Best Value Cities 2011'' citing "college sports, the Smoky Mountains and an entrepreneurial spirit". In April 2008, ''Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
'' magazine named Knoxville among the Top 10 Metropolitan Hotspots in the United States, and within Forbes's Top5 for Business & Careers, just behind cities like New York and Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
.
In 2007, there were over 19,000 registered businesses in Knoxville. The city's businesses are served by the 2,100-member Knoxville Area Chamber Partnership. The Knoxville Chamber is one of six partners in the Knoxville-Oak Ridge Innovation Valley, which promotes economic development in Knox and surrounding counties.
Major corporations
The Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolin ...
(TVA), the nation's largest public power provider, is a federally owned corporation headquartered in Knoxville. TVA reported $10.5billion in revenue in 2021 and employs over 12,000 region-wide.
The largest company based in Knoxville is privately held Pilot Flying J
Pilot Travel Centers LLC, doing business as Pilot Flying J, is a North American chain of truck stops in the United States and Canada. The company is based in Knoxville, Tennessee, where Pilot Corporation, the majority owner, is based. The compan ...
, the nation's largest truck stop chain and sixth largest private company, which reported over $29.23billion in revenue in 2012. Knoxville is also home to the nation's fourth largest wholesale grocer, The H. T. Hackney Company
The H. T. Hackney Company is an American wholesale grocery distribution firm headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1891, the company has grown over the years to become one of the largest grocery wholesalers in the nation, with operati ...
, which reported $3.8billion in revenue in 2012, and one of the nation's largest digital-centric advertising firms, Tombras Group
Tombras is a full service advertising agency founded in 1946.
With annual billings of $270 million, Tombras is one of the top 25 largest independent national advertising agencies. Tombras is headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee with offices in ...
, which reported $80million in revenue in 2011. Other notable privately held companies based in the city include Bush Brothers, Sea Ray
Sea Ray Boats is an American manufacturer that produces recreational motorboats. It currently operates as part of the Brunswick Boat Group, a division of Brunswick Corporation.
History
It was founded in 1959 by Zach Ray as an independent company ...
(and its parent company, Brunswick Boat Group
The Brunswick Boat Group, headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, is the largest maker of pleasure boats in the world. The company's net sales were US$1.7 billion in 2008, and US$1.0 billion in 2012. The Boat Group makes Sea Ray, Ba ...
), Thermocopy, Petro's Chili & Chips
Petro's Chili & Chips is a small fast-food chain based in Knoxville, Tennessee, with several locations in Knoxville and other parts of East Tennessee.
History
Petro's got its start at the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville. Joe and Carol Schoentr ...
, EdFinancial, 21st Mortgage and AC Entertainment. Also based in Knoxville are movie theater chain Regal Cinemas
Regal Cinemas (also Regal Entertainment Group) is an American movie theater chain headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. A division of Cineworld, Regal operates the second-largest theater circuit in the United States, with over 7,200 screens i ...
,[Knoxville-Area Public Companies Ranked According to Revenue]
, Knoxville Book of Lists (''Knoxville News Sentinel''), 2012. Retrieved: January 14, 2012. major operations of Discovery, Inc.
Discovery, Inc. was an American multinational mass media factual television conglomerate based in New York City. Established in 1985, the company operated a group of factual and lifestyle television brands, such as the namesake Discovery Channel ...
(which acquired Scripps Networks Interactive), and health care-staffing firm TeamHealth.
Major companies located within the Knoxville MSA include Clayton Homes and Ruby Tuesday (both in Maryville), and DeRoyal
DeRoyal Industries is a vertically integrated manufacturer and marketer of health care products. It is a privately held company with headquarters in Powell, Tennessee and manufacturing facilities in the U.S. states of Tennessee, Florida, Georgia ...
and Weigel's
Weigel's is a convenience store chain store, chain based in Powell, Tennessee with 68 locations in the East Tennessee region. They also own and operate Broadacre Dairy Inc, which processes milk, tea, juices, and eggnog for their convenience store ...
(both in Powell).
Real estate
As of 2011, the median price for a home in the Knoxville MSA was $140,900, compared with $173,300 nationally.[Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission]
Facts & Figures 2011
. Retrieved: January 14, 2012. The average apartment rental was $658 per month. In March 2009, CNN ranked Knoxville as the 59th city in the top 100 US metro areas in terms of real estate price depreciation.
The Knoxville area is home to 596 office buildings which contain over 21million square feet of office space. As of 2010, the average rental rate per square foot was $14.79. The city's largest office building in terms of office space is the City-County Building, which has over 537,000 square feet of office space. The First Tennessee Plaza and the Riverview Tower were the largest privately owned office buildings, with 469,672 square feet and 367,000 square feet, respectively.
Knoxville's largest industrial park is the Forks of the River Industrial Park in southeastern Knoxville. Other major industrial and business parks include the EastBridge Industrial Park and Midway Business Park in eastern Knox County and the WestBridge Industrial Park in western Knox County.
Finance
The largest bank operating in Knoxville in terms of local deposits is Memphis-based First Tennessee, with $2.6billion in local deposits, representing about 16% of Knoxville's banking market. It is followed by Charlotte-based Truist Financial
Truist Financial Corporation is an American bank holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company was formed in December 2019 as the result of the merger of BB&T (Branch Banking and Trust Company) and SunTrust Banks. Its ...
($2.5billion), Birmingham-based Regions Bank
Regions Financial Corporation is a bank holding company headquartered in the Regions Center (Birmingham), Regions Center in Birmingham, Alabama. The company provides retail banking and commercial banking, trust, stockbrokerage, and mortgage se ...
($1.9billion), and locally headquartered Home Federal Bank of Tennessee ($1.6billion).[Knoxville Area Banks Ranked According to Local Deposits]
, Knoxville Book of Lists (''Knoxville News Sentinel''), 2012. Retrieved: January 11, 2012. Other banks with significant operations in the city include Bank of America
The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank ...
, First Bank (based in Lexington, Tennessee), and locally owned Clayton Bank and Trust.
Major brokerage firms with offices in Knoxville include Edward Jones, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is an American multinational financial services corporation specializing in retail brokerage. It is the wealth & asset management division of Morgan Stanley.
On January 13, 2009, Morgan Stanley and Citigroup an ...
, Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with corporate headquarters in San Francisco, California; operational headquarters in Manhattan; and managerial offices throughout the United States and intern ...
, and Merrill Lynch. As of 2011, Knox County's largest mortgage lender (by dollar volume) was Wells Fargo with over $300million (13% of the local market), followed by Mortgage Investors Group, SunTrust, Regions, and Home Federal. Knoxville's largest accounting firm as of 2012 is Pershing Yoakley & Associates, with 49 local CPAs, followed by Coulter & Justus (44), and Pugh CPA's(43).
Manufacturing
Over 700 manufacturing establishments are scattered throughout the Knoxville area. Sea Ray Boats is the city's largest manufacturer, employing 760 at its southeast Knoxville complex in 2009.[Knoxville-Oak Ridge Innovation Valley, ww.knoxvillechamber.com/pdf/demographics/MajorManufacturers.doc Top 50 Major Manufacturers in the Knoxville Area—2009 Retrieved: January 14, 2012.] The city is home to several automobile parts operations, including ARC Automotive (air bag actuators) and a Key Safety Systems plant (seat belts and other restraints). Other major manufacturing operations include a Melaleaca plant (personal care products), a Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...
bottling plant, and a Gerdau Ameristeel plant that produces steel rebar. Aircraft manufacturer Cirrus
Cirrus may refer to:
Science
*Cirrus (biology), any of various thin, thread-like structures on the body of an animal
*Cirrus (botany), a tendril
* Infrared cirrus, in astronomy, filamentary structures seen in infrared light
*Cirrus cloud, a typ ...
also has its main customer delivery center based in Knoxville, that deals with aircraft maintenance & repair, flight training, and design personalization. Major manufacturing operations in the Knoxville MSA are conducted at the Y-12 plant in Oak Ridge, the DENSO plant and the Clayton Homes manufacturing center (both in Maryville), and the ALCOA plants in Alcoa.
Retail
The Knoxville area is home to 182 shopping centers and factory outlets, and over 2,400 retail establishments. One regional mall (West Town Mall
West Town Mall is a shopping mall located in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. Opened in August 1972, this one-level mall is located in the western portion of Knoxville in the West Hills community. West Town Mall is located along Interstates 40/ ...
) is located within the city, and two others ( Foothills Mall in Maryville and Oak Ridge City Center
Main Street Oak Ridge, formerly known as ''Oak Ridge City Center'' and ''Oak Ridge Mall'', is a mixed-use development in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Oak Ridge, Tennessee. It was formerly constructed as a large indoor shopping mall.
History
The site cur ...
in Oak Ridge) are located within the Knoxville MSA. Knoxville retailers reported $6.47billion in sales in 2007, with just over $35,000 of retail sales per capita.
Knoxville's primary retail corridor is located along Kingston Pike in West Knoxville. This area is home to West Town Mall, the 358-acre Turkey Creek complex (half is in Knoxville and half is Farragut), and over 30 shopping centers. Downtown Knoxville contains a number of specialty shops, clubs, and dining areas, mostly concentrated in the Old City, Market Square, and along Gay Street. Other significant retail areas are located along Cumberland Avenue on the U.T. campus (mostly restaurants), Broadway in the vicinity of Fountain City, and Chapman Highway in South Knoxville.
Technology and research
The University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...
is classified by the Carnegie Commission as a university with "very high research activity", conducting more than $300million in externally funded research annually.[About UT-Battelle]
. Retrieved: January 14, 2012. U.T.-connected research centers with multimillion-dollar National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...
grants include the Appalachian Collaborative Center for Learning, Assessment and Instruction in Mathematics, the National Institute for Computational Sciences
The National Institute for Computational Sciences (NICS) is funded by the National Science Foundation and managed by the University of Tennessee. NICS was home to Kraken, the most powerful computer in the world managed by academia. The NICS petas ...
, the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis
The National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis is a research institute focused on the science of mathematics and biology, located on the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, campus. Known by its acronym NIMBioS (pronounced NIM-bu ...
, and the Center for Ultra-wide-area Resilient Electric Energy Transmission Networks (CURENT). U.T. and the nearby Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is a U.S. multiprogram science and technology national laboratory sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and administered, managed, and operated by UT–Battelle as a federally funded research an ...
jointly conduct numerous research projects and co-manage the National Transportation Research Center ''For the sigma N-transcription factor activator protein in prokaryotes, see NtrC''
The National Transportation Research Center (NTRC) is an institution, located in Knoxville, Tennessee, that conducts research and development aimed at increasing th ...
.
The Tennessee Technology Corridor stretches across between West Knoxville and Oak Ridge. The Corridor is home to 13 research and development firms employing nearly 2,000.
Culture
Knoxville is home to a rich arts community and has many festivals throughout the year. Its contributions to old-time, bluegrass and country music are numerous, from Flatt & Scruggs
Flatt and Scruggs were an American bluegrass duo. Singer and guitarist Lester Flatt and banjo player Earl Scruggs, both of whom had been members of Bill Monroe's band, the Bluegrass Boys, from 1945 to 1948, formed the duo in 1948. Flatt and Sc ...
and Homer & Jethro to the Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 193 ...
.
The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra
The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra is a professional orchestra in Knoxville, Tennessee.
The orchestra was established in 1935 and is the oldest continuing orchestra in the southeastern United States.Roy C. BrewerSymphony Orchestras ''Tennessee Enc ...
(KSO), established in 1935, is the oldest continuing orchestra in the southeast. The KSO maintains a core of full-time professional musicians, and performs at more than 200 events per year. Its traditional venues include the Tennessee Theatre, the Bijou Theatre, and the Civic Auditorium, though it also performs at a number of non-traditional venues.
The Knoxville Opera The Knoxville Opera is an American opera company based in Knoxville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1978 as the Knoxville Civic Opera by Edward Zambara, who served as Artistic Director until 1981. The company changed its name and became an entirely p ...
performs a season of opera every year, accompanied by a chorus. Knoxville was the location of Sergei Rachmaninoff's final concert in 1943, performed at Alumni Memorial Auditorium at the University of Tennessee.
Knoxville's underground music scene is rooted with the promotion by AC Entertainment founder Ashley Capps around 1979. AC Entertainment, a local entertainment group, sought to expand the city's scene. In the 1990s, noted alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
critic Ann Powers, author of ''Weird Like Us: My Bohemian America'', referred to the city as "Austin without the hype". Knoxville is also home to a vibrant punk rock scene, having emerged from venues in the Old City district, specifically the Mill & Mine and Pilot Light venues. Its underground music scene in punk and hardcore
Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to:
Arts and media Film
* ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film
* ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott
* ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...
grew as early as 1979. Such punk and hardcore bands included UXB, the STDs, and Koro. Spurred by Capps, Knoxville hosts the Big Ears music festival since 2009. The festival, dubbed the "most ambitious avant-garde
The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...
festival in America in more than a decade" in a 2014 ''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' article, hosts musicians ranging from the aforementioned punk rock to chamber pop
Chamber pop (or Chamber rock; also called baroque pop and sometimes conflated with orchestral pop or symphonic pop) is a music genre that combines rock music with the intricate use of strings, horns, piano, and vocal harmonies, and other compo ...
.[Weingarten, Christopher. "Big Ears 2014 Celebrates Steve Reich Via Punk, Drone, Jazz, Radiohead."](_blank)
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
. March 31, 2014: C1
The city also hosts numerous art festivals, including the 17-day Dogwood Arts Festival
The Dogwood Arts Festival is an annual event in Knoxville, Tennessee, sponsored by Dogwood Arts, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote and celebrate regional art, culture, and natural beauty. The event is held in April and ...
in April, which features art shows, crafts fairs, food and live music. Also in April is the Rossini Festival, which celebrates opera and Italian culture. June's Kuumba (meaning creativity in Swahili) Festival commemorates the region's African American heritage and showcases visual arts, folk arts, dance, games, music, storytelling, theater, and food.
Appearances in popular culture
Knoxville has appeared in music, literature and television. Film director Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...
was born in Knoxville, and the city and East Tennessee are frequently mentioned in his films, such as in the 1994 film ''Pulp Fiction
''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, who conceived it with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Vin ...
'', in which Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series ''Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and appeared in over a hundred films, gaining recognition as an action hero a ...
' character (and the watch given to him by Christopher Walken's character) is from Knoxville.
A number of films and television programs were filmed in the city, such as the 1999 film ''October Sky
''October Sky'' is a 1999 American biographical drama film directed by Joe Johnston and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, Chris Owen, and Laura Dern. The screenplay by Lewis Colick, based on the memoir of the same name, tells the true ...
'', the 2000 film '' Road Trip'' at the University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...
campus, ''Box of Moonlight
''Box of Moonlight'' is a 1996 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Tom DiCillo and starring John Turturro, Sam Rockwell, Lisa Blount and Catherine Keener.
Synopsis
Al Fountain is a methodic and somewhat neurotic engineer. On ...
'', starring John Turturro and Sam Rockwell, scenes from the 2004 film ''The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things
''The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things'' is a 2004 drama film co-written and directed by Asia Argento and starring Argento, Jimmy Bennett, Dylan Sprouse and Cole Sprouse (with Bennett and the Sprouse brothers sharing the role as Jeremiah). T ...
'', ''Woman In Hiding'', a 1949 film noir starring actress Ida Lupino
Ida Lupino (4 February 1918Recorded in ''Births Mar 1918'' Camberwell Vol. 1d, p. 1019 (Free BMD). Transcribed as "Lupine" in the official births index – 3 August 1995) was an English-American actress, singer, director, writer, and producer. T ...
, and the 2017 film, ''The Last Movie Star
''The Last Movie Star'' is a 2017 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Adam Rifkin. The film stars Burt Reynolds, Ariel Winter, Clark Duke, Ellar Coltrane and Chevy Chase.
The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Fest ...
'', which was one of the last films to star Burt Reynolds.
In literature, author Cormac McCarthy
Cormac McCarthy (born Charles Joseph McCarthy Jr., July 20, 1933) is an American writer who has written twelve novels, two plays, five screenplays and three short stories, spanning the Western and post-apocalyptic genres. He is known for his gr ...
is from Knoxville, and several of his books feature the city, such as " Suttree", a 1979 semi-autobiographical novel. James Agee also lived in the city, and his 1957 posthumous autobiographical novel ''A Death in the Family
''A Death in the Family'' is an autobiographical novel by author James Agee, set in Knoxville, Tennessee. He began writing it in 1948, but it was not quite complete when he died in 1955 (with reputedly many portions having been written in the hom ...
'' provides a portrait of life in Knoxville, while also wrestling with the death of Agee's father in a car accident, and the impact this had on his family.
Mark Twain wrote about a gunfight in downtown Knoxville
Downtown Knoxville is the downtown area of Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. It contains the city's central business district and primary city and county municipal offices. It is also home to several retail establishments, residential buildi ...
involving Joseph Mabry Jr., owner of the city's antebellum Mabry-Hazen House in '' Life on the Mississippi'' from 1883. Several other books take place in fictionalized versions of the city, such as the 1915 Anne W. Armstrong
Anne Wetzell Armstrong (September 20, 1872 – March 17, 1958) was an American novelist and businesswoman, active primarily in the first half of the 20th century. She is best known for her novel, ''This Day and Time'', an account of life in a ...
novel, ''The Seas of God'', and David Madden's 1974 novel, ''Bijou'', is set in a fictional city known as "Cherokee", based on Knoxville.[The Mighty Metro Pulse Collection of Awesome Knoxville Lists]
, ''Metro Pulse'', June 23, 2010. Accessed at the Internet Archive, October 1, 2015.
The first part of James Herman Robinson
James Herman Robinson (January 24, 1907 – November 6, 1972) was an African-American clergyman and humanitarian, best known as the founder of Operation Crossroads Africa (OCA), a cross-cultural exchange program considered a forerunner of the ...
's 1950 autobiography, ''The Road Without Turning'', takes place in Knoxville, and "The Man in the Overstuffed Chair", a 1985 short story by playwright Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thr ...
, gives a brief description of the death of Williams' father, Cornelius, at a Knoxville hospital, and his subsequent burial at Old Gray Cemetery
Old Gray Cemetery is the second-oldest cemetery in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. Established in 1850, the cemetery contains the graves of some of Knoxville's most influential citizens, ranging from politicians and soldiers, to artists an ...
.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Peter Taylor Peter Taylor may refer to:
Arts
* Peter Taylor (writer) (1917–1994), American author, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
* Peter Taylor (film editor) (1922–1997), English film editor, winner of an Academy Award for Film Editing
Politi ...
's last novel in 1994, ''In the Tennessee Country'', refers to a "Knoxville cemetery" where the main character's grandfather (a fictitious politician) is buried. This may refer to Old Gray Cemetery, where Taylor's own grandfather, Governor Robert Love Taylor
Robert Love "Bob" Taylor (July 31, 1850March 31, 1912) was an American politician, writer, and lecturer. A member of the Democratic Party, he served three terms as the 24th governor of Tennessee, from 1887 to 1891, and again from 1897 to 1899, a ...
, was originally buried in 1912.
Swiss travel writer Annemarie Schwarzenbach
Annemarie Minna Renée Schwarzenbach (23 May 1908 – 15 November 1942) was a Swiss writer, journalist and photographer. Her bisexual mother brought her up in a masculine style, and her androgynous image suited the bohemian Berlin society of the ...
visited Knoxville in the 1930s, and wrote an essay about the city, "Auf der Schattenseite von Knoxville", which was published in the December 1937 edition of the Swiss magazine, ''National Zeitung
The ''National-Zeitung'' (NZ, ''National Newspaper'') was a weekly, extreme right newspaper, published by Gerhard Frey, who also founded the far right Deutsche Volksunion (German People's Union) as an association in 1971, turning it into a politi ...
''.
A number of songs and music compositions are about or feature Knoxville as well. "The Knoxville Girl
"The Knoxville Girl" is an Appalachian murder ballad.
Origins
It is derived from the 19th-century Irish ballad "The Wexford Girl", itself derived from the earlier English ballad "The Bloody Miller or Hanged I Shall Be" ( Roud 263, Laws P35) abo ...
", first recorded in 1924, is traditional Appalachian ballad. Classical composer Samuel Barber
Samuel Osmond Barber II (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American composer, pianist, conductor, baritone, and music educator, and one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century. The music critic Donal Henahan said, "Proba ...
's " Knoxville: Summer of 1915" from 1947 is a voice & orchestra piece based on 1938 short prose by James Agee. Dire Straits guitarist Mark Knopfler
Mark Freuder Knopfler (born 12 August 1949) is a British singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Born in Scotland and raised in England, he was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits. He pursued a s ...
recorded a song entitled "Daddy's Gone to Knoxville" on his 2002 solo album, ''The Ragpicker's Dream'', "The Ballad of Thunder Road
"The Ballad of Thunder Road" is a song performed and co-written by actor Robert Mitchum in 1958, with music by composer Jack Marshall. It was the theme song of the movie '' Thunder Road''. The song made the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 twice, in 1958 an ...
" by Robert Mitchum
Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He rose to prominence with an Academy Award nomination for the Best Supporting Actor for ''The Story of G.I. Joe'' (1945), followed by his starring in ...
references Knoxville's Bearden community, and other musicians such as Steve Earle, Ronnie Milsap, and Hank Williams, Jr.
Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of southern rock, blues, and country. He is the son of ...
have mentioned the city in lyrics. Hank Williams, Hank Jr.'s father, spent his last day alive in Knoxville as well. Country singer Kenny Chesney
Kenneth Arnold Chesney (born March 26, 1968) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has recorded more than 20 albums and has produced more than 40 Top 10 singles on the US ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs and Country ...
is from Knoxville.
A number of early country music songs were recorded in Knoxville as the "St. James Sessions" in 1930, such as "Satan is Busy In Knoxville" by Leola Manning.
Events
The Knoxville Christmas in the City event runs for eight weeks of events at locations throughout the city including the Singing Christmas Tree
A Singing Christmas Tree, sometimes called a Living Christmas Tree, is an artificial Christmas tree filled with singers used as part of nativity plays.
Constructed of steel, the tree is actually a cone (geometry), conical circular sector where b ...
and ice skating on the Holidays on Ice skating rink.
* Asian Festival
* Big Ears Festival
The Big Ears Festival is an annual music festival in Knoxville, Tennessee, created and produced by AC Entertainment.
History
The festival was founded in 2009 by Ashley Capps, founder of AC Entertainment. The festival was originally organized b ...
* Boo At The Zoo
* Boomsday
Boomsday was an annual fireworks celebration that took place on Labor Day weekend in Knoxville, Tennessee. It was the largest Labor Day firework show in the United States, and was considered a top attraction in the region. The event was held on ...
(discontinued)
* Brewfest
* Concerts on the Square
* Dogwood Arts Festival
The Dogwood Arts Festival is an annual event in Knoxville, Tennessee, sponsored by Dogwood Arts, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote and celebrate regional art, culture, and natural beauty. The event is held in April and ...
* Fantasy of Trees
* Festival on the Fourth
* First Friday ArtWalk
* Greek Fest
* HoLa Festival
* International Biscuit Festival
* Knox Food Fest
* Knoxville Hardcore Fest
* Knoxville Horror Film Festival
* Knoxville Marathon
The Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon is an annual marathon foot-race run in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, established in 2005. A prize fund of $10,000 is distributed between the top finishers in the marathon and half marathon.
History
The r ...
* Knoxville Powerboat Classic
* Market Square Farmers' Market
* NSRA Street Rod Nationals South
* Pride Fest
* Rhythm & Blooms Festival
* Rossini Festival
* Tennessee Valley Fair
* Vestival
* Volapalooza
Sites of interest
* Beck Cultural Exchange Center
* Bijou Theatre
* Bleak House
''Bleak House'' is a novel by Charles Dickens, first published as a 20-episode serial between March 1852 and September 1853. The novel has many characters and several sub-plots, and is told partly by the novel's heroine, Esther Summerson, and ...
* William Blount Mansion
The Blount Mansion, also known as William Blount Mansion, located at 200 West Hill Avenue in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, was the home of the only territorial governor of the Southwest Territory, William Blount (1749–1800). Blount, a Fou ...
* Fountain City Art Center
* Candoro Marble Works
The Candoro Marble Works was a marble cutting and polishing facility located in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. Established as a subsidiary of the John J. Craig Company in 1914, the facility's marble products were used in the construction of ...
* Civic Coliseum
* Fort Dickerson
* Haley Heritage Square
* Ijams Nature Center
* James White's Fort
James White's Fort, also known as White's Fort, was an 18th-century settlement that became Knoxville, Tennessee, in the United States. The name also refers to the fort, itself.
The settlement of White's Fort began in 1786 by James White, a mil ...
* Knoxville Botanical Gardens and Arboretum
* Knoxville Convention Center
* Knoxville Greenways
* Knoxville Museum of Art
The Knoxville Museum of Art (KMA), is an art museum in Knoxville, Tennessee. It specializes in historical and contemporary art pieces from the East Tennessee region. According to its mission statement, the museum "celebrates the art and artists ...
* Knoxville Police Museum
* Zoo Knoxville
Zoo Knoxville, formerly known as the ''Knoxville Zoo'' or ''Knoxville Zoological Gardens'', is a zoo located just east of downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, near exit 392 off Interstate 40. The zoo is home to about 1,200 animals and w ...
* Mabry-Hazen House
* Marble Springs
* Market Square
* Frank H. McClung Museum
* Museum of East Tennessee History
The East Tennessee Historical Society (ETHS), headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study of East Tennessee history, the preservation of historically significant artifacts, and educatin ...
* National Register of Historic Places, Knox County, Tennessee
__NOTOC__
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Knox County, Tennessee.
This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Knox County, Tennesse ...
* Old City
* Ramsey House
* Sunsphere
The Sunsphere located in World’s Fair Park in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, is a high hexagonal steel truss structure, topped with a gold-colored glass sphere that served as the symbol of the 1982 World's Fair.
Design
Designed by the Knox ...
* Tennessee Amphitheater
The Tennessee Amphitheater, also known as the World's Fair Park Amphitheater, is an open-air amphitheater located in the 1982 World's Fair Park in Knoxville, Tennessee.
History
The Tennessee Amphitheater was built for 1982 World's Fair and was d ...
* Tennessee River Boat
* Tennessee Theatre
* Three Rivers Rambler Train Ride
* Volunteer Landing
Volunteer Landing is a public park and riverwalk along the Tennessee River in Knoxville, Tennessee. It is below the Gay Street Bridge.
History
The location of the park is the site of the Treaty of Holston. In 1988, a 50-member waterfront tas ...
* Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame honors those who have contributed to the sport of women's basketball. The Hall of Fame opened in 1999 in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. It is the only facility of its kind dedicated to all levels of women's ba ...
* World's Fair Park
World's Fair Park is a public park in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. The park sits on the former fairgrounds of the 1982 World's Fair hosted in Knoxville. Today, the park is home to the Sunsphere and the Tennessee Amphitheater, the two remaining ...
* Knoxville's Urban Wilderness
Media
The '' Knoxville News Sentinel'' is the local daily newspaper in Knoxville, with a daily circulation of 97,844 and a Sunday circulation of 124,225, as of 2011. The city is home to several weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly publications.
As of 2011, the Knoxville television market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television and radio station offerings, and may also incl ...
was the 61st-largest in the U.S. with 527,790 homes, according to Nielsen Market Research.[Norma Polovitz Nickerson and Jake Jorgenson]
Designated Market Areas: Using Zip Codes As a Marketing Tool
. University of Montana Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research, April 2011. Retrieved: January 26, 2012. The largest local television station is NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
affiliate WBIR-TV
WBIR-TV (channel 10) is a television station in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with NBC. Owned by Tegna Inc., the station maintains studios on Bill Williams Avenue in Knoxville's Belle Morris section, and its transmitter is lo ...
, with 28,305 viewing households, followed by ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
affiliate WATE-TV
WATE-TV (channel 6) is a television station in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by Nexstar Media Group. The station's studios are located in the Greystone mansion on North Broadway/ SR 33/ SR 71/ US 441, and i ...
(23,559), CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
affiliate WVLT-TV
WVLT-TV (channel 8) is a television station in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with CBS and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Gray Television alongside Crossville, Tennessee, Crossville-licensed The CW, CW affiliate WBXX-TV (channel ...
(20,052), Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
affiliate WTNZ (10,319), and CW affiliate WBXX-TV
WBXX-TV (channel 20) is a television station licensed to Crossville, Tennessee, United States, serving the Knoxville area as an affiliate of The CW. It is owned by Gray Television alongside dual CBS/MyNetworkTV affiliate WVLT-TV (channel 8). B ...
(5,415). Other local stations include WKNX-TV
WKNX-TV (channel 7) is an independent television station in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. It is owned by Lockwood Broadcast Group alongside Fox affiliate WTNZ (channel 43). Both stations share studios on Executive Park Drive (along I-75 ...
(Ind.), WVLR
WVLR (channel 48) is a religious television station licensed to Tazewell, Tennessee, United States, serving the Knoxville area as an owned-and-operated station of the Christian Television Network (CTN). The station's studios are located on Kyker ...
( CTN) and WPXK (Ion
An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge.
The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by conve ...
). East Tennessee PBS
WETP-TV (channel 2) is a non-commercial educational television station licensed to Sneedville, Tennessee, United States. It is simulcast full-time over satellite station WKOP-TV (channel 15) in Knoxville. Both are member stations of PBS and jo ...
operates Knoxville's Public Broadcasting Service station at WKOP 17.
Discovery, Inc.
Discovery, Inc. was an American multinational mass media factual television conglomerate based in New York City. Established in 1985, the company operated a group of factual and lifestyle television brands, such as the namesake Discovery Channel ...
operates the former Scripps Networks Interactive cable television
Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with bro ...
networks from Knoxville, including HGTV, Magnolia Network
Magnolia Network is an American basic cable network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and Chip and Joanna Gaines. It broadcasts personality-based lifestyle programs related to topics such as home construction, renovation, and cuisine.
The channe ...
, Food Network
Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (which holds a 69% ownership stake of the network) and Nexstar Media Group ...
and Cooking Channel
Cooking Channel is an American basic cable channel owned by Food Network, a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (69%) and Nexstar Media Group (31%). The channel is a spin-off of Food Network, broadcasting ...
. Jewelry Television
Jewelry Television is an American television network specializing in the sale of jewelry for both men and women. On-air and online, the network is mainly branded by its jtv initials in lower-case letters. It has an estimated reach of more than ...
, a home shopping channel, is also based in the city, and several companies that provide production services to the ex-SNI networks also maintain Knoxville operations.
According to Arbitron's 2011 Radio Market Rankings, Knoxville had the nation's 72nd largest radio market, with 684,700 households. In 2010, Country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
station WIVK
WIVK-FM (107.7 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station in Knoxville, Tennessee. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and broadcasts a country music radio format known as "WIVK The Frog Station." The studios and offices are on Old Kingston Pike i ...
(107.7 FM) had the market's highest AQH share AQH Share is a statistic that measures broadcast radio listenership. Definition
AQH is an abbreviation for Average Quarter-Hour Persons (AQH Persons), defined by Arbitron (now referred to as Nielsen Audio) as the average number of persons listeni ...
at 16.3, followed by adult contemporary station WJXB (97.5 FM) at 10.1, and news/talk station WCYQ
WCYQ (100.3 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and serving the Knoxville metropolitan area and East Tennessee. The station is owned by SummitMedia and broadcasts a country music radio format, calling itself ...
(100.3 FM) at 8.3. Other stations include Rock music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...
stations WIMZ
WIMZ-FM (103.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Knoxville, Tennessee, serving East Tennessee. It is owned by Midwest Communications and broadcasts a classic rock radio format. The studios and offices are on Sharps Ridge Memorial Park Drive ...
(103.5 FM) and WNFZ
WNFZ (94.3 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Powell, Tennessee, and serving the Knoxville metropolitan area. WNFZ is owned by Midwest Communications. It airs an adult hits radio format, subscribing to the nationally syndicated ...
(94.3), Rhythmic Top 40
The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, and previously named Rhythmic Songs, Rhythmic Top 40 and CHR/Rhythmic) is an airplay chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine.
The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on ...
station WKHT
WKHT (104.5 FM) is a Rhythmic Top 40 station based in Knoxville, Tennessee. The SummitMedia outlet broadcasts with an ERP of 1.4 kW.
History
This station signed on as WQBB-FM, airing the same programming as adult standards WQBB. Later ...
(104.5 FM), contemporary hit station WWST
WWST (102.1 FM, "Star 102.1") is a radio station licensed to Sevierville, Tennessee, and serving the Knoxville market. The station is owned by SummitMedia. The station is a Top 40 (CHR) station that broadcasts with 15,000 watts of power and is ...
(102.1 FM), and National Public Radio
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
station WUOT
WUOT (91.9 FM) is the National Public Radio member station in Knoxville, Tennessee. Owned by the University of Tennessee, it airs a mix of news, classical music and jazz, along with programming from NPR, American Public Media and Public Radio I ...
(91.9 FM). The University of Tennessee radio station operates under WUTK (90.3 FM).
Sports
The University of Tennessee's athletics programs, nicknamed the "Volunteers
Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...
", or "the Vols", are immensely popular in Knoxville and the surrounding region. Neyland Stadium
Neyland Stadium ( ), is a sports stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. It serves primarily as the home of the Tennessee Volunteers football team, but is also used to host large conventions and has been a site for several National Foot ...
, where the Vols' football team plays, is one of the largest stadiums in the world, and Thompson–Boling Arena
Thompson–Boling Arena is a multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The arena opened in 1987. It is home to the Tennessee Volunteers (men) and Lady Vols (women) basketball teams. Since 2008, it h ...
, home of the men's and women's basketball teams, is one of the nation's largest indoor basketball arenas. The telephone area code for Knox County and eight adjacent counties is 865 (VOL). Knoxville is also the home of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame honors those who have contributed to the sport of women's basketball. The Hall of Fame opened in 1999 in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. It is the only facility of its kind dedicated to all levels of women's ba ...
, almost entirely thanks to the success of Pat Summitt and the University of Tennessee women's basketball team.
Professional sports teams located in Knoxville include
* Knoxville Ice Bears
The Knoxville Ice Bears are a professional ice hockey team. The team competes in the Southern Professional Hockey League. They play their home games at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Ice Bears have made the playoff ...
( Southern Professional Hockey League)
* Tennessee Smokies
The Tennessee Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Kodak, Tennessee, a suburb of Knoxville. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They play at Smokies Stadium, directly off ...
( Southern League, Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs)
* One Knoxville SC
One Knoxville Sporting Club is an American soccer team based in Knoxville, Tennessee that competes in USL League One, the third tier of the United States soccer league system.
History
USL League Two
The club was initially unveiled as Knox Pro ...
(USL League One
USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019. The Division III league is operated by United Soccer League, the same group that operates the Division II USL Championshi ...
)
In 2019, the Knoxville Force
Emerald Force Soccer Club, formerly known and nicknamed as the Knoxville Force, was an American soccer club based in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 2010, the senior team was part of the Southeast Conference within the South Regi ...
a National Premier Soccer League
The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's soccer league. The NPSL is a semi-professional league, comprising some teams that have paid players and some that are entirely amateur. The league is officially affiliated to the Uni ...
and Lady Force, an NWPSL Soccer League in the Southeast Division were shuttered.
Government
Knoxville is governed by a mayor and nine-member City Council. It uses the strong-mayor form of the mayor-council system. The council consists of six members from single-member districts
A single-member district is an electoral district represented by a single officeholder. It contrasts with a multi-member district, which is represented by multiple officeholders. Single-member districts are also sometimes called single-winner vo ...
and three members elected at-large for the entire city. The council chooses from among its members the vice mayor (currently Gwen McKenzie), the Beer Board chairperson (currently Andrew Roberto), and a representative to the Knoxville Transportation Authority (currently Amelia Parker). The City Council meets every other Tuesday at 7:00p.m. in the Main Assembly Room of the City County Building.
The current mayor is Indya Kincannon
Indya Kincannon (born March 30, 1971) is an American politician who serves as the 69th Mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee since 2019. She won the 2019 mayoral election with more than 52% of the runoff vote over opponent Eddie Mannis. She is Knoxville' ...
, who was sworn in as the city's second female mayor on December 21, 2019, replacing the first female mayor of the city, Madeline Rogero
Madeline Anne Rogero () (born July 26, 1952) is an American politician who served as the 68th mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee, elected in 2011. She was the first woman to hold the office and the first woman to be elected mayor in any of the Big Fo ...
, who was elected in 2011. Interim mayor Daniel Brown, the first African American to hold the office, was appointed in January 2011 following the resignation of Bill Haslam
William Edward Haslam (; born August 23, 1958) is an American billionaire businessman and politician who served as the 49th governor of Tennessee from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Haslam previously served as the 67th mayor of ...
, who was elected Governor of Tennessee. Other recent mayors include Haslam's predecessor, Victor Ashe
The name Victor or Viktor may refer to:
* Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname
Arts and entertainment
Film
* ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film
* ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...
(1987−2003), Kyle Testerman
Kyle Copenhaver Testerman (December 27, 1934 – April 11, 2015) was mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee from 1972 to 1975, and again from 1984 to 1987. Testerman was a Republican.
First term
Testerman was a Knoxville lawyer and businessman and a mem ...
(1972−1975, 1984−1987), and Randy Tyree
Randell "Randy" Tyree (born 1940) is a Tennessee politician who served as mayor of Knoxville from 1976 to 1983 and was the Democratic candidate for Governor in 1982.
Biography
Tyree was born in Carthage, Tennessee, in 1940. He received a bachel ...
(1976−1983).
The Knoxville Fire Department (KFD) provides Class2 ISO
ISO is the most common abbreviation for the International Organization for Standardization.
ISO or Iso may also refer to: Business and finance
* Iso (supermarket), a chain of Danish supermarkets incorporated into the SuperBest chain in 2007
* Iso ...
service inside the city limits. The fire department operates 19 stations with 308 uniformed personnel. KFD provides firefighting, first responder EMS response, vehicle extrication and HazMat response within the city limits.
The Knoxville Police Department serves the citizens of Knoxville with 378 officers and a total of 530 employees.
911 ambulance service inside Knoxville is provided by AMR Ambulance under contract with Knox County.
Knoxville is home to the Tennessee Supreme Court
The Tennessee Supreme Court is the ultimate judicial tribunal of the state of Tennessee. Roger A. Page is the Chief Justice.
Unlike other states, in which the state attorney general is directly elected or appointed by the governor or state leg ...
's courthouse for East Tennessee.
City Council
Knoxville is governed by a mayor and a nine-member City Council, six of which represent from single-member districts and three members are elected at-large. Council members are elected through a nonpartisan, district-wide primary in which top two vote-getters advance to a city-wide runoff election in November. Council members are elected to serve a four-year term that is eligible for reelection once.
List of mayors
Not to be confused with the Mayor of Knox County
Education
Knoxville is home to the main campus of the University of Tennessee (UTK), which has operated in the city since the 1790s. As of 2011, UTK had an enrollment of over 27,000 and endowments of over $300million.[East Tennessee Colleges and Universities]
, Knoxville Book of Lists (''Knoxville News Sentinel''), 2012. Retrieved: January 15, 2012. The school employs over 1,300 instructional faculty, and offers more than 300 degree programs.
Pellissippi State Community College
Pellissippi State Community College (Pellissippi State) is a public community college based in Knox and Blount counties in Tennessee. It is operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. The college's main campus is located in west Knox County. T ...
is a two-year school governed by the Tennessee Board of Regents
The Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR or The College System of Tennessee) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is one of two public university systems, the other being the University of Tennessee system. It was autho ...
that offers transfer
Transfer may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Transfer'' (2010 film), a German science-fiction movie directed by Damir Lukacevic and starring Zana Marjanović
* ''Transfer'' (1966 film), a short film
* ''Transfer'' (journal), in management studies
...
programs, two-year degrees, and certificate programs. Its main campus is located off Pellissippi Parkway
The Pellissippi Parkway is a major highway in Knox and Blount counties in the Knoxville metropolitan area in Tennessee that extends from State Route 62 at Solway to SR 33 in Alcoa. It provides access to the cities of Oak Ridg ...
in western Knox County. As of 2011, the school had a system-wide enrollment of over 11,000 students,
Johnson University (formerly Johnson Bible College) is a Bible college
A Bible college, sometimes referred to as a Bible institute or theological institute, is an evangelical Christian or Restoration Movement Christian institution of higher education which prepares students for Christian ministry with theological ed ...
affiliated with the Christian churches and churches of Christ
The group of churches known as the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ is a fellowship of congregations within the Restoration Movement (also known as the Stone-Campbell Movement and the Reformation of the 19th Century) that have no forma ...
. As of 2012, the school had an enrollment of 845. Johnson traditionally specializes in training preachers and ministers, but also offers degrees in counseling, teaching, music, and nonprofit management.
South College
South College is a private for-profit college with its main campus in Knoxville, Tennessee. It offers more than 80 programs and concentrations, including certificate, associate, bachelor's, master's, educational specialist, and doctoral programs ...
(formerly Knoxville Business College) is a for-profit school
For-profit education (also known as the education services industry or proprietary education) refers to educational institutions operated by private, profit-seeking businesses. For-profit education is common in many parts of the world, making u ...
located in West Knoxville that offers undergraduate and graduate programs in business, health care, criminal justice, and legal fields. The school had an enrollment of 717 as of 2010.
Knoxville College
Knoxville College is a historically black liberal arts college in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, which was founded in 1875 by the United Presbyterian Church of North America. It is a United Negro College Fund member school.
A slow peri ...
was a historically black college
Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. M ...
that began operating in Knoxville in the 1870s. The school offered a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Studies and an Associate of Arts degree. Knoxville College had an enrollment of about 100 students as of 2010 and closed permanently in 2015.
Institutions with branch campuses in Knoxville include Carson-Newman University, King University
King University is a private Presbyterian-affiliated university in Bristol, Tennessee. Founded in 1867, King is independently governed with covenant affiliations to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC).
H ...
, Lincoln Memorial University
Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) is a private university in Harrogate, Tennessee. LMU's campus borders on Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. As of fall 2019, it had 1,975 undergraduate and 2,892 graduate and professional students.
LMU ...
(namely, the Duncan School of Law), National College of Business & Technology, Roane State Community College
Roane State logo
Roane State Community College is a public community college in eastern Tennessee with its main campus in Harriman. It was authorized by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1969, along with two other community colleges, and operat ...
, Strayer University, Tennessee Wesleyan University
Tennessee Wesleyan University (TWU) is a private Methodist university in Athens, Tennessee. It was founded in 1857 and is affiliated with the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church. It maintains a branch campus in Knoxville, where ...
, and Tusculum College
Tusculum University is a private Presbyterian university with its main campus in Tusculum, Tennessee. It is Tennessee's first university and the 28th-oldest operating college in the United States.
In addition to its main campus, the institution ...
. Virginia College
Virginia College was a private for-profit college located primarily in the southeastern United States. It offered classes, certificates, diplomas, and degrees related to specific professions such as health sciences, information technology, busines ...
offers career programs in Knoxville. Huntington University of Health Sciences Huntington University of Health Sciences, formerly known as the American Academy of Nutrition and Huntington College of Health Sciences, is a for-profit school, for-profit higher education institution based in Knoxville, Tennessee that offers progra ...
, which offers distance courses in nutrition and health, has its offices in Knoxville.
Primary and secondary education
Public schools in Knoxville are part of the 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 ...
system, which oversees 89 schools (50 elementary, 14 middle, 14 high, and 11 adult centers) serving over 56,000 students. This system includes five magnet school
In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities (usually school boards) as school ...
s and a STEM academy. Knox County high schools had a graduation rate of 86.6%, as of 2011. The average classroom ratio is 14 students per teacher.
Knox County is home to over 50 private and parochial schools, the largest of which include the Christian Academy of Knoxville
Christian Academy of Knoxville (CAK) is a private, non-denominational Christian school located in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Athletics
The Warriors compete in TSSAA class A-AA athletics, and class 3A football. Athletic programs include football, bas ...
, the Webb School of Knoxville
Webb School of Knoxville is a private coeducational day school in Knoxville, Tennessee, enrolling students from pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade. It was founded in 1955 by Robert Webb (1919–2005), grandson of Webb School of Bell Buckle found ...
, Knoxville Catholic High School
Knoxville Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Knoxville, Tennessee. It is located within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Knoxville.
History
Knoxville Catholic High School, originally located on East Magnolia Avenue, reg ...
, Grace Christian Academy, Cedar Springs Weekday School, and Sacred Heart Cathedral School.
Libraries
The Knox County Public Library system consists of the Lawson McGhee Library
The Lawson McGhee Library is the main library of Knox County Public Library in Knoxville, Tennessee
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 po ...
, located downtown, and 17 branch libraries, overseeing a collection of over 1.3million volumes.
Infrastructure
Health
Knox County's hospital system contains over 2,600 licensed beds in seven general use hospitals and one children's hospital. The city's largest hospital as of 2011 was the University of Tennessee Medical Center, which had 581 beds, followed by Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center (541), Parkwest Medical Center (462), and Physicians Regional (370). The city's largest ambulatory surgery center was the Parkwest Surgery Center, which employed 58 physicians and 35 nurses, followed by the Fort Sanders West Outpatient Surgery Center and the St. Mary's Ambulatory Surgery Center South.
2021 County Health Rankings places Knox county at 13th out the 95 counties. Life expectancy was 76.3 years. Health behaviors noted: 19% smokers vs state average of 21%, 29% of the population is obese vs 33% for the state, excessive drinking is 19% vs 17%, drug overdoses 52 per 100,000 with the state at 28 overdoses per 100,000.
In the 2010s, Knoxville's air quality continued to greatly improve over that of past decades according to the American Lung Association's State of the Air 2017.
Utilities
The Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB) provides electricity, water, and wastewater management to Knoxville residents and businesses. KUB's service area covers 688 square miles and includes over 5,200 miles of power lines providing electricity to over 196,000 customers.[KUB—Electricity]
, KUB website. Retrieved: January 24, 2012. The average electric bill was just over $96 per month.[Knoxville-Area Utilities]
, Knoxville Book of Lists (''Knoxville News Sentinel''), 2012. Retrieved: January 24, 2012. KUB purchases its electricity from the Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolin ...
.
Transportation
Highways
The two principal interstate highways serving Knoxville are Interstate 40
Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...
, which connects the city to Asheville
Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous ci ...
(directly) and Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
(via I-81
Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Isla ...
) to the east and Nashville to the west, and Interstate 75
Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from St ...
, which connects the city to Chattanooga to the south and Lexington to the north. The two interstates merge about west of Downtown Knoxville near Dixie Lee Junction and diverge as they approach the Downtown area, with I-40 continuing on through the Downtown area and I-75 turning north. Interstate 640
Interstate 640 (I-640) is an east–west auxiliary Interstate Highway in Knoxville, Tennessee. It serves as a bypass for I-40 around Downtown Knoxville and is also an alternative route for traffic passing between I-40 and I-75. All trucks ...
provides a bypass for I-40 travelers, and Interstate 275 provides a faster connection to I-75 for Downtown travelers headed north. A spur route of I-40, Interstate 140 (Pellissippi Parkway), connects West Knoxville with McGhee Tyson Airport
McGhee Tyson Airport is a public/military airport 12 miles south of Knoxville,. Federal Aviation Administration. effective November 15, 2012. in Alcoa, Blount County, Tennessee, United States. It is named for United States Navy pilot Charles Mc ...
and Maryville.
Prior to its reconstruction for the 1982 World's Fair tourism traffic, the interchange of I-75 (now I-275) and I-40 was known as "Malfunction Junction", because its consistent state of traffic jammed throughout daily.
Knoxville's busiest road is a stretch of U.S. Route 129
U.S. Route 129 (US 129) is an auxiliary route of US 29, which it intersects in Athens, Georgia. US 129 currently runs for from an intersection with US 19/ US 27 ALT/ US 98 in Chiefland, Florida, to an interchang ...
known as Alcoa Highway, which connects the Downtown area with McGhee Tyson Airport and Maryville. A merged stretch of US-70 and US-11 enters the city from the east along Magnolia Avenue, winds its way through the Downtown area, crosses the U.T. campus along Cumberland Avenue ("The Strip"), and proceeds through West Knoxville along Kingston Pike
Kingston Pike is a highway in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, that connects Downtown Knoxville with West Knoxville, Farragut, and other communities in the western part of the county. The road follows a merged stretch of U.S. Route 1 ...
. US-11 splits into US-11E and 11W in Downtown, with the former connecting Knoxville to Jefferson City
Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, is the capital of Missouri, United States. It had a population of 43,228 at the 2020 census, ranking as the 15th most populous city in the state. It is also the county seat of Cole County and the principa ...
and Morristown, and the latter with Rutledge and Bean Station. US-441, which connects Knoxville to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, passes along Broadway in North Knoxville, Henley Street in the Downtown area, and Chapman Highway in South Knoxville. US-25W, which enters from the east concurrent with US-70, connects Knoxville with Clinton.[
]
State Route 158 (SR 158) loops around the Downtown area from Kingston Pike just west of UT's campus, southward and eastward along Neyland Drive and the riverfront, and northward along the James White Parkway before terminating at I-40. SR 62 (Western Avenue, Oak Ridge Highway), connects Downtown Knoxville with Oak Ridge to the west. SR 168, known as Governor John Sevier Highway, runs along the eastern and southern periphery of the city. SR 162 (Pellissippi Parkway) connects West Knoxville with Oak Ridge. SR 331 (Tazewell Pike) connects the Fountain City area to rural northeast Knox County. SR 332 (Northshore Drive) connects West Knoxville and Concord
Concord may refer to:
Meaning "agreement"
* Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony)
* Harmony, in music
* Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...
. SR 33 (Maryville Pike, Maynardville Pike) traverses much of South Knoxville southward, and connects to the suburbs of Halls Crossroads and Maynardville northward.[
Four vehicle bridges connect Downtown Knoxville with South Knoxville, namely the South Knoxville Bridge (James White Parkway), the ]Gay Street Bridge
The Gay Street Bridge is a vehicle bridge that crosses the Tennessee River in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. Completed in 1898, the bridgeMartha Carver, ''Tennessee's Survey Report for Historic Highway Bridges: Pre-1946 Masonry Arch, Timbe ...
( Gay Street), the Henley Street Bridge
The Henley Bridge, sometimes referred to as Henley Street Bridge, is a vehicle bridge that crosses the Tennessee River in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. Completed in 1931, the bridgeMartha Carver, ''Tennessee's Survey Report for Historic H ...
, or Henley Bridge (Henley Street), and the J. E. "Buck" Karnes Bridge (Alcoa Highway). Two railroad bridges, located between the Henley Street Bridge and Buck Karnes Bridge, serve the CSX and Northfolk Southern railroads. Smaller bridges radiating out from the downtown area include the Western Avenue Viaduct and Clinch Avenue Viaduct, the Robert Booker Bridge (Summit Hill Drive), the Hill Avenue Viaduct, and the Gay Street Viaduct.[
]
Mass transit
Public transportation is provided by Knoxville Area Transit (KAT), which operates over 80 buses, road trolleys, and paratransit
Paratransit is the term used in North America, also known by other names such as community transport ( UK) for transportation services that supplement fixed-route mass transit by providing individualized rides without fixed routes or timetables. ...
vehicles, and transports more than 3.6million passengers per year. Regular routes connect the Downtown area, U.T., and most residential areas with major shopping centers throughout the city. KAT operates using city, state, and federal funds, and passenger fares, and is managed by Veolia Transport
Veolia Transport (formerly Connex and CGEA Transport) was the international transport services division of the French-based multinational company Veolia until the 2011 merger that gave rise to Veolia Transdev. Veolia Transport traded under the ...
.
Airports
Knoxville and the surrounding area is served by McGhee Tyson Airport
McGhee Tyson Airport is a public/military airport 12 miles south of Knoxville,. Federal Aviation Administration. effective November 15, 2012. in Alcoa, Blount County, Tennessee, United States. It is named for United States Navy pilot Charles Mc ...
( IATA:TYS), a airport equipped with twin runways. The airport is located south of Knoxville in Alcoa, but is owned by the non-profit Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority (MKAA). McGhee Tyson offers eight major airlines serving 19 non-stop destinations, and averages 120 arrivals and departures per day. The airport includes the Air Cargo Complex, which serves FedEx, UPS, and Airborne Express. The McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base
McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base is a joint military facility located at McGhee Tyson Airport. It is located approximately 10 miles (16 km) south of the central business district of Knoxville, near Alcoa, in Blount County, Tennessee, ...
, located adjacent to the civilian airport, is home to the Tennessee National Guard
The Tennessee Military Department is a department within the Executive Branch of Tennessee State Government with four major components. The Tennessee Army National Guard and the Tennessee Air National Guard constitute the National Guard in Tenne ...
's 134th Air Refueling Wing.
The MKAA also owns the Downtown Island Airport, a general aviation
General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...
facility located on Dickinson's Island in southeast Knoxville. This airport is equipped with a runway, and averages about 225 operations per day. Over 100 aircraft, mostly single-engine planes, are based at the airport.
Railroads
Rail freight in Knoxville is handled by two Class I railroad
In the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, st ...
s, CSX
CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...
and Norfolk Southern
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31, ...
, and one shortline, the Knoxville and Holston River Railroad
The Knoxville and Holston River Railroad operates over within Knoxville and Marbledale, Tennessee. This short line railroad was created in 1998 and is currently owned by Gulf and Ohio Railways. The railroad also hosts a tourist train run by Gulf ...
. Railroads account for about 12% of the Knoxville area's outbound freight and 16% of the area's inbound freight.[Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization]
2005–2030 Knoxville Regional Long Range Transportation Plan Update
, 2007, pp. 51-53. Retrieved: December 31, 2011. The city has two major rail terminals: the Burkhart Enterprises terminal at the Forks of the River Industrial Park just east of the city, and the TransFlo facility adjacent to the U.T. campus. Knoxville's two old passenger stations, the Southern Terminal and the L&N Station, now serve non-railroad functions.
Norfolk Southern, which controls about of tracks in the Knoxville area, averages 35 freight trains through the city per day, and operates a major classification yard
A classification yard (American and Canadian English (Canadian National Railway use)), marshalling yard ( British, Hong Kong, Indian, Australian, and Canadian English (Canadian Pacific Railway use)) or shunting yard (Central Europe) is a railway ...
, the John Sevier Yard, just east of the city. The company uses a small rail yard near the I-40/I-275 interchange in Downtown Knoxville for a staging area. The Norfolk Southern system includes spur lines to the coal fields around Middlesboro, Kentucky
Middlesboro ()Rennick, Robert. ''Kentucky Place Names'', University Press of Kentucky (Lexington), 1987p. 196 Accessed 26 August 2013. is a home rule-class city in Bell County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 10,334 at the 2010 U.S ...
, and the ALCOA plants in Blount County.
CSX controls about of tracks in the Knoxville area, much of which is located along an important north–south line between Cincinnati and Louisville to the north and Chattanooga and Atlanta to the south. Minor switching operations for CSX occur at the TransFlo facility near the U.T. campus. The CSX system includes spur lines to TVA's Bull Run Fossil Plant
Bull Run Fossil Plant, commonly known as Bull Run Steam Plant, is a 889 megawatt ( MW), coal-fired electric generating station owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). The plant is the only coal fired power plant ever construc ...
and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is a U.S. multiprogram science and technology national laboratory sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and administered, managed, and operated by UT–Battelle as a federally funded research an ...
in Anderson County, and the ALCOA plants in Blount County.
The Knoxville and Holston River Railroad (KXHR) is a subsidiary of Gulf and Ohio Railways
Gulf & Ohio Railways is a holding company for four different short-line railroads in the Southern United States, as well as a tourist-oriented passenger train, and locomotive leasing and repair service through Knoxville Locomotive Works. Gulf & ...
, a shortline holding company headquartered at the James Park House
The James Park House is a historic house located at 422 West Cumberland Avenue in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. The house's foundation was built by Governor John Sevier in the 1790s, and the house itself was built by Knoxville merchant an ...
in Downtown Knoxville. The KXHR operates a line between the Burkhart terminal at Forks of the River and the Coster Yard in North Knoxville, where the freight is transferred to CSX and Norfolk Southern lines or transloaded onto trucks. The KXHR also manages the Knoxville Locomotive Works Located in Knoxville, Tennessee, Knoxville Locomotive Works is an affiliate of Gulf & Ohio Railways. Since its establishment in 1998, Knoxville Locomotive Works (KLW) has repowered, refurbished, remanufactured, and/or upgraded over 400 locomotives ...
at the Coster Yard, and operates the '' Three Rivers Rambler'', a tourist train that runs along the riverfront.
Historic passenger service
Until the mid-20th century three railroads and their stations operated regular trains, serving points north, east, south and west: the Louisville and Nashville Railroad's L&N Station (last train operating there, 1968), the Smoky Mountain Railroad
The Smoky Mountain Railroad was a standard gauge class-III shortline that operated from Knoxville, Tennessee, to Sevierville, Tennessee, from 1909 until 1961.
History
The railroad was established by Knoxville contractor William J. Oliver, and ...
's station and the Southern Railway's Southern Terminal (last train operating there, 1970).
River transport
Knoxville is an international port connected via navigable channels to the nation's inland waterways and the Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...
. The city's waterfront lies just under 700 river miles from the Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...
(via the 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 ...
and Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
rivers), and just under 900 river miles from Mobile, Alabama, on the Gulf of Mexico (via the Tennessee River and Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway). TVA maintains a minimum channel on the entirety of the Tennessee River. The minimum size of locks on Tennessee River and Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway dams is by .Tennessee-Tombigbee Water—Tenn-Tom Quickfacts
. Retrieved: January 1, 2012.
Most commercial shipping on the Tennessee River is provided by barge
Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels ...
s, which deliver on average half a million tons of cargo to Knoxville per year, mostly asphalt
Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term ...
, road salt, and steel and coke.[Rebecca Ferrar,]
Rollin' On the River
", Knoxville ''News Sentinel'', August 22, 2004. Retrieved: January 1, 2012. Burkhart Enterprises operates the city's most active public barge terminal at its Forks of the River facility, handling approximately 350,000 tons of barge cargo per year. Knoxville Barge and Chattanooga-based Serodino, Inc., provide barge shipping services to and from the city.
Recreational craft that frequent the river include small johnboats, fishing boats and yachts. Boat slips and a marina are located at Volunteer Landing in the Downtown area. The VOL Navy, a flotilla of several dozen boats, swarms the river during weeks when the U.T. football team plays at Neyland Stadium. Cruise lines operating in the city include the ''Volunteer Princess'', a luxury yacht, and the ''Star of Knoxville'', a paddlewheel riverboat.
Sister cities
Knoxville has seven sister cities
A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties.
While there are early examples of inter ...
as designated by Sister Cities International
Sister Cities International (SCI) is a nonprofit organization, nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between communities in the United States and those in other countries, particularly through the establish ...
:
* Yesan
Yesan () is a county in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. Famous people from Yesan include independence fighter Yoon Bong-Gil.
Sudeoksa, a head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, is located on the southern slopes of Deoksung ...
, Republic of Korea
* Chełm
Chełm (; uk, Холм, Kholm; german: Cholm; yi, כעלם, Khelm) is a city in southeastern Poland with 60,231 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is located to the south-east of Lublin, north of Zamość and south of Biała Podlaska, some ...
, Lublin Voivodeship
The Lublin Voivodeship, also known as the Lublin Province ( Polish: ''województwo lubelskie'' ), is a voivodeship (province) of Poland, located in southeastern part of the country. It was created on January 1, 1999, out of the former Lublin, C ...
, Poland
* Chengdu
Chengdu (, ; simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), alternatively romanized as Chengtu, is a sub-provincial city which serves as the capital of the Chinese pro ...
, Sichuan
Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...
, People's Republic of China
* Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung City (Mandarin Chinese: ; Wade–Giles: ''Kao¹-hsiung²;'' Pinyin: ''Gāoxióng'') is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsi ...
, Republic of China
* Larissa, Greece
* Muroran
is a city and port located in Iburi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Iburi Subprefecture. As of February 29, 2012, the city has an estimated population of 93,716, with 47,868 households and a population density of . The ...
, Hokkaido
is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel.
The lar ...
, Japan
* Neuquen, Argentina
See also
*
* List of people from Knoxville, Tennessee
The following is a list of notable people who have lived in Knoxville, Tennessee. For University of Tennessee students and alumni not otherwise associated with Knoxville, see List of University of Tennessee people.
Art and architecture
* Char ...
Notes
References
Further reading
* Barber, John W., and Howe, Henry. ''All the Western States and Territories...'' (Cincinnati, Ohio: Howe's Subscription Book Concern, 1867). pp.631–632.
* Carey, Ruth. "Change Comes to Knoxville", in ''These Are Our Voices: The Story of Oak Ridge 1942–1970'', edited by James Overholt, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, 1987.
* Deaderick, Lucile, ed. ''Heart of the Valley—A History of Knoxville, Tennessee'' Knoxville: East Tennessee Historical Society
The East Tennessee Historical Society (ETHS), headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study of East Tennessee history, the preservation of historically significant artifacts, and educating ...
, 1976.
* Jennifer Long; "Government Job Creation Programs-Lessons from the 1930s and 1940s" ''Journal of Economic Issues'' . Volume: 33. Issue: 4. 1999. pp 903+, a case study of Knoxville.
* Isenhour, Judith Clayton. ''Knoxville, A Pictorial History.'' (Donning Company, 1978, 1980).
*
* McDonald, Michael, and Bruce Wheeler. ''Knoxville, Tennessee: Continuity and Change in an Appalachian City'' University of Tennessee Press, 1983. the standard academic history
* McKenzie, Robert Tracy. ''Lincolnites and Rebels: A Divided Town in the American Civil War'' (2009) on Knoxvill
excerpt and text search
* ''The Future of Knoxville's Past: Historic and Architectural Resources in Knoxville, Tennessee.'' (Knoxville Historic Zoning Commission, October 2006).
* Rothrock, Mary U., editor. ''The French Broad-Holston Country: A History of Knox County, Tennessee.'' (Knox County Historical Committee; East Tennessee Historical Society, 1946).
* Temple, Oliver P. ''East Tennessee and the Civil War'' (1899) 588p
online edition
* Wheeler, Bruce. "Knoxville, Tennessee: A Mountain City in the New South" (University of Tennessee Press, 2005).
External links
Official website
Knoxville Tourism and Sports Corporation
*
City charter
Convention and Visitors Bureau
{{Authority control
Cities in Tennessee
County seats in Tennessee
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 ...
Cities in Knoxville metropolitan area
East Tennessee
History of voting rights in the United States
Populated places established in 1786
Cities in Knox County, Tennessee
State of Franklin
Tennessee populated places on the Tennessee River
Tennessee populated places on the French Broad River
Populated places on the Underground Railroad
1791 establishments in the Southwest Territory