Maryville 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 parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Blount County, Tennessee Blount County is a County (United States), county located in the East Tennessee Grand Divisions of Tennessee, Grand Division of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 135,280. The count ...

. Its population was 31,907 at the 2020 census.

History

The

Great Indian Warpath The Great Indian Warpath (GIW)—also known as the Great Indian War and Trading Path, or the Seneca Trail—was part of the network of trails in eastern North America developed and used by Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans w ...

(which was used to build the route US-411) was long used by the

indigenous peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

of the area. A

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

village known as "Elajay" was situated at the confluence of Ellejoy Creek (named after the village) and the Little River. Its site was near the modern Heritage High School. Ensign

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 ...

passed through the village in 1762 while returning from his expedition to the Overhill villages to the west. He reported that it had been abandoned. Fort-craig-maryville-tennessee

In 1785, Revolutionary War veteran John Craig built a wooden palisade enclosing cabins at what is known as Fort Craig (or Craig's Station) in present-day Maryville. Such stations were built throughout the

frontier A frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary. Australia The term "frontier" was frequently used in colonial Australia in the meaning of country that borders the unknown or uncivilised, th ...

to defend settlers against attacks from the Cherokee. For example, "on April 11, 1793, when settlers believed Indian attacks were imminent, 280 men, women, and children gathered in small huts at John Craig's station on Nine Mile Creek." Craig donated next to his fort for the founding of a new town. Incorporated as a city on July 11, 1795, the settlement was named in honor of Mary Grainger Blount, wife of the territorial governor William Blount. Blount County was named after him. The family of

Sam Houston Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two indi ...

moved to Maryville from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

in 1808, when Houston was 15. His older brothers put him to work as a clerk in a store they established in town, but he ran away. Houston lived for a few years with the Cherokee at Hiwassee Island, on the

Hiwassee River The Hiwassee River is a river in the states of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. It originates from a spring on the north slope of Rocky Mountain (Georgia), Rocky Mountain in Towns County, Georgia, Towns County in n ...

, where he became fluent in their language and appreciative of their culture. After his return to Maryville about 1811, Houston started a one-room schoolhouse. He signed up for the army during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

and rose rapidly in rank, beginning his military and political career. The schoolhouse still stands just off US-411 near the community of Wildwood. Sam-houston-school-maryville

Maryville was a center of

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...

activity throughout the early 19th-century; it was generated mostly by the

Society of Friends Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

, which had a relatively large presence in Blount County. They were supported by anti-slavery advocates such as Isaac L. Anderson, the founder of

Maryville College Maryville College is a Private college, 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 colleg ...

. When Tennessee voted on the Ordinance of

Secession Secession is the formal withdrawal of a group from a Polity, political entity. The process begins once a group proclaims an act of secession (such as a declaration of independence). A secession attempt might be violent or peaceful, but the goal i ...

in 1861, only 19 percent of Blount Countians voted in favor of seceding from the Union. Although staunchly pro-Union throughout the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, Maryville was not liberated by federal troops until May 1864. In August of that year, a Confederate

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

raid, under the command of General

Joseph Wheeler Joseph "Fighting Joe" Wheeler (September 10, 1836 – January 25, 1906) was a military commander and politician of the Confederate States of America. He was a cavalry general in the Confederate States Army in the 1860s during the American Civil ...

, attacked the courthouse where the Union troops had taken shelter. To try to dislodge the federal soldiers, Confederates set fire to several buildings, including a store where the city's records were being kept. Polly Tool, an

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

slave, rescued most of the records. She was honored by a statue in the Blount County courthouse. In the

Reconstruction Era The Reconstruction era was a period in History of the United States, US history that followed the American Civil War (1861-65) and was dominated by the legal, social, and political challenges of the Abolitionism in the United States, abol ...

Maryville became a hub of Radical Republican activity for East Tennessee. Its local Union League provided a lively forum for political discussion, and the Freedmen's Normal Institute was established on the present-day site of Maryville High School. The city elected William Bennett Scott Sr., the country's second African-American mayor, in 1869. Maryville is home to one of 24 Alcoa Care-free Homes built in the United States in 1957–1958. In the 1970s, after several department stores and other retailers moved from the downtown area to Alcoa's Midland shopping center, the city spent $10 million on a renewal project called "Now Town". Traffic was re-routed, facades were placed on old buildings,

slum A slum is a highly populated Urban area, urban residential area consisting of densely packed housing units of weak build quality and often associated with poverty. The infrastructure in slums is often deteriorated or incomplete, and they are p ...

s were cleared, and the Bicentennial Greenbelt Park was created. The project failed to attract business back to the downtown locations; instead retailers moved to the new Foothills Mall a few years later. The downtown area remained in decline until the 2000s, when the city agreed to reverse many of the "Now Town" changes. U.S. Senator

Lamar Alexander Andrew Lamar Alexander Jr. (born July 3, 1940) is an American politician and attorney who served as a United States senator from Tennessee from 2003 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he also was the 45th governor of Tennessee from 1 ...

was born in Maryville in 1940. Alexander served as

Governor of Tennessee The governor of Tennessee is the head of government of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Tennessee Military Department, military forces. The governor is the only official in the Government of Tenne ...

from 1979 to 1987 and

Secretary of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

(1991–1993) under President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

. He ran unsuccessful campaigns for president in 1996 and 2000, both times announcing his candidacy for the Republican Party from his hometown of Maryville. In 2002, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, succeeding

Fred Thompson Freddie Dalton Thompson (August 19, 1942 – November 1, 2015) was an American politician, attorney, lobbyist, columnist, actor, and radio personality. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as a Unite ...

. On July 2, 2015, a

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of trac ...

freight train carrying hazardous materials went off of its tracks. Over 5,000 citizens were displaced from their homes within a two-mile (three kilometer) radius.

Geography

Maryville is located in north-central Blount County in the foothills of 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 Ridg ...

. Chilhowee Mountain, the outermost ridge of the Western Smokies, rises prominently to the south. Chilhowee's eastern flank— known locally as "The Three Sisters"— is visible from almost anywhere in the city, and dominates the southern horizon along US-321 between Maryville and Walland. Maryville is bordered on the north by Maryville's twin city,

Alcoa Alcoa Corporation (an acronym for "Aluminum Company of America") is an American industrial corporation. It is the world's eighth-largest producer of aluminum. Alcoa conducts operations in 10 countries. Alcoa is a major producer of primary alu ...

. A number of small suburbs— including Wildwood, Ellejoy, and Clover Hill— surround Maryville to the east and west. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Major streets

* Broadway, the main street of the downtown area, is an alignment of U.S. Route 411 and partly of U.S. Route 129. It continues to Sevierville to the east and Monroe County to the west. * Lamar Alexander Parkway, an alignment of U.S. Route 321, continues to Lenoir City to the west and Townsend and the

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in the southeastern United States, southeast, with parts in North Carolina and Tennessee. The park straddles the ridgeline o ...

to the east. * Maryville-Alcoa Bypass, an alignment of U.S. Route 129 and part of the primary route between Maryville and Knoxville * Montvale Road ( State Route 336) * Morganton Road, which runs parallel to US 411, connects Maryville to Greenback and the old Morganton area to west. * Cusick Street crosses Broadway at the center of the downtown area. It extends north through Alcoa toward

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

. * Washington Street, an alignment of State Route 35, defines the eastern limit of the downtown area and extends through Alcoa as Hall Road.

Parks

* Maryville Alcoa Greenway * Bicentennial Greenbelt Park * Amerine Park * Everett Park * John Sevier Park * Pearson Springs Park * Sandy Springs Park * Jarvis Park

Climate

Average temperatures in July range from 69 degrees low to 87 degrees high. Average temperatures in January range from 29 degrees low to 46 degrees high. Most of the year is very pleasant with mild temperatures.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 31,907 people, 10,719 households, and 7,132 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 27,465 people, 10,712 households, and 7,028 families. The population density was . There were 11,679 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 3.2%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

, 0.3% Native American, 1.55% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.53% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 3.2% of the population. There were 10,712 households, out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 29.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.00. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 20 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $46,394, and the median income for a family was $61,227. Males had a median income of $31,478 versus $20,418 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $23,579. About 9.0% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 12.3% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Top employers

According to Maryville's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the area were:

Education

City

Maryville City Schools operates public schools. * Coulter Grove Intermediate School * Foothills Elementary School * John Sevier Elementary School * Maryville High School * Montgomery Ridge Intermediate School * Maryville Junior High School (formerly Maryville Middle School) * Sam Houston Elementary School

Private or parochial

* Maryville Christian School * Apostolic Christian Academy * Clayton Bradley Academy

Maryville College

Maryville is home to

, a private four-year liberal arts college. It was founded in 1819 by

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

minister Isaac L. Anderson for the purpose of furthering education and enlightenment and whose mission was to do good on the largest possible scale. The college is one of the fifty oldest colleges in the United States and the twelfth oldest institution in the South.Maryville College website
Retrieved: September 4, 2011. It is associated with the

Presbyterian Church (USA) The Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PCUSA, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination in the Religion in the United States, United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States too. Its th ...

. It enrolls about 1,103 students. Maryville College's mascot is the Scots. The sports teams compete in

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is the lowest division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that do not offer athletic scholarships to student- ...

athletics in the

USA South Athletic Conference The USA South Athletic Conference (formerly the Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference or the Dixie Conference) is an intercollegiate athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member schools are located in North Carolin ...

and formerly the Great South Athletic Conference.

Other colleges

Satellite campus A satellite campus, branch campus or regional campus is a campus of a university or college that is physically at a distance from the original university or college area. This branch campus may be located in a different city, state, or country, ...

of Pellissippi State Community College

Weekend programs

The East Tennessee Japanese School (イーストテネシー補習授業校 ''Īsuto Teneshī Hoshū Jugyō Kō''), a weekend Japanese education program, holds its classes at

.補習授業校リスト

. Consulate General of Japan in Nashville. Retrieved on February 15, 2015. "（2）イーストテネシー補習授業校 ( East Tennessee Japanese School ) 学校所在地 c/o Maryville College 502 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804"

Notable people

* Charles McCallon Alexander, nineteenth century gospel singer *

, former

U.S. senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

from

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

; former Governor of Tennessee, Secretary of Education and Republican presidential candidate * Isaac L. Anderson, founder of

* Candace Barley, youngest player to compete on the US national rugby team and play in international match, and holds the title of most-capped U20 player in the country. * Albert Brigance, author and special education resource specialist * Charles W. Cansler, educator and civil rights advocate *

Shane Claiborne Shane Claiborne (born July 11, 1975) is an American evangelical Christian and founder, an author and organizational leader. He is one of the founders of the non-profit organization, The Simple Way, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, cofounder of t ...

* Randall Cobb, NFL football player (born in Maryville, but played high school football at Alcoa) * Mike Cross, musician * Edwin Cunningham, US Consul General in Shanghai (1920-1935) * Mark Doty, poet and memoirist * David L. Eubanks, Christian preacher and president of Johnson Bible College *

Phillip Fulmer Phillip Edward Fulmer Sr. (born September 1, 1950) is a former American football player, coach, and athletic director at the University of Tennessee. He served as head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers football team from 1992 to 2008, compiling ...

, former

Tennessee Volunteers football The Tennessee Volunteers football program (variously called "Vols," "UT" and "Big Orange") represents the University of Tennessee (UT). The Vols have played football for 132 seasons, starting in 1891; their combined record of 870–415–53 ( ...

coach (1992–2008) * Guy Garman, scuba diver *

Jack Greene Jack Henry Greene (January 7, 1930 – March 14, 2013) was an American country musician. Nicknamed the "Jolly Greene Giant" due to his height and deep voice, Greene was a long time member of the Grand Ole Opry. A three-time Grammy Award nominee ...

, country music singer, famous for his #1 hit " There Goes My Everything". * George Washington Harris, humorist; lived near what is now Wildwood, c. 1839–1843 *

, Texas revolutionary, politician and governor of Tennessee and Texas; lived in Maryville intermittently c. 1808—1813 * Lee Humphrey, college basketball player * Melanie Hutsell, television and movie actress * Roy Kramer, former commissioner of the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

* Annie Law (died 1889), conchologist * Jackie Lee, country music singer * Mike Matzek, All-American gymnast * Wayne McClure, American football player * William Bennett Scott Sr. *

Doc Severinsen Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen (born July 7, 1927) is an American retired jazz trumpeter who led the NBC Orchestra on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''. Early life Severinsen was born in Arlington, Oregon, to Minnie Mae (1897–1998) ...

, trumpeterSteve Wildsmith,
Doc Severinsen, 'Murvul' boy: Former 'Tonight Show' bandleader now calls Blount County home
" ''The Daily Times'', April 10, 2013. Retrieved: May 8, 2021. * Danny Spradlin, American football player

References

External links

Official website

Maryville City Schools

City charter
{{authority control Cities in Tennessee Cities in Blount County, Tennessee County seats in Tennessee Knoxville metropolitan area History of Tennessee Populated places established in 1785