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Real Estate & Homes in Knoxville - Tennessee - Knoxville, Tennessee homes and communities Knoxville
Background The third-largest city in Tennessee after Memphis and Nashville, Knoxville is nestled in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains on the Tennessee River. A parochial, Southern city, the local obsession is the University of Tennessee Volunteers football team. Knoxville is an outdoorsy city with a very low cost of living steeped in the Appalachian culture. History The Tennessee Valley was the hunting grounds of the local Cherokee Indians before a settler named James White made a home there in 1786; the small settlement, which would later become Knoxville, consisted of a fort and a small cluster of cabins. Taking the city’s name from Henry Knox, who served as Secretary of War under George Washington, territorial Governor William Blount founded Knoxville in 1791. It immediately served a six-year term as capital of the Southwest Territory, during which time it hosted a constitutional convention to establish Tennessee as a state. Knoxville became the first capital of Tennessee after statehood was achieved in 1797; it served until 1815 when the capital was moved to Murfreesboro. The city’s position at the headwaters of the Tennessee River, along with its many railroad connections, allowed Knoxville to become a key-distributing center in the early nineteenth century. When the Civil War erupted, it also made Knoxville a target during the Civil War as both sides fought for possession. Knoxville was the site of key conflicts, including a two-week siege by Union troops under General James Longstreet. The siege failed after the Battle of Fort Sanders. After the war ended, Knoxville took advantage of abundant local natural resources, namely lumber, coal and marble, to rebuild its postwar economy. This revitalization was such a success that Knoxville became an important city during the Depression both as a gateway to Smoky Mountains National Park, which used a great deal of WPA labor, and as headquarters of the Tennessee Valley Authority. In 1982, Knoxville enjoyed world prominence as the host of a World’s Fair, which drew 11 million visitors. The Sunsphere, a golden globe-topped tower that was constructed for the Fair, still stands today. Fast Facts City population: 173,890 Community Knoxville is a friendly city that boasts breathtaking views of the surrounding Great Smoky Mountains. It’s small enough to minimize traffic and long drive times but large enough to offer some significant attractions and cultural opportunities. The city always scores very high in lists of “livable” cities of its size; in fact, one such survey listed Knoxville as the most livable city of under 1 million people. Downtown Knoxville, however, is not as developed as the central neighborhoods of larger cities; Knoxville is in the process of renovating and revitalizing some of their languishing downtown real estate to attract new, young residents to the area. A key neighborhood in Knoxville is the University area, which is known as either Fort Sanders or Maplehurst; the neighborhood could be desirable or not depending on one’s feelings about a saturation of undergraduates. The most expensive part of town, West Knoxville, is located just west of the campus. Its homes are lavish, but the traffic is known to be bad. Other western neighborhoods, such as Farragut and Cedar Bluff, are more family-oriented and home prices are more reasonable. Among the outlying suburbs, Maryville to the east is known for excellent schools, while Seymour has more of a small-town, insular atmosphere. Alternatively, local residents recommend Oak Ridge, a reasonably priced suburb with good schools and picturesque scenery. This exurb has a strong white-collar atmosphere, since a great many of its residents are employed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Attractions Knoxville has invested considerable effort (and is continuing to do so) into making its central areas pleasant and attractive. Local residents have high praise for Volunteer’s Landing, a one-mile landscaped riverfront walkway featuring shopping and restaurants. Also to be found at the riverfront are the Tennessee Riverboat Company, which offers scenic tours of the river, and the Three Rivers Rambler Railroad, which takes passengers on a 90-minute trip through the Smoky Mountains countryside. Also located in central Knoxville is the World’s Fair Park, home of the Sunsphere, and a popular summertime stop with its many fountains. The downtown Market Square district sits on the site of the original city market area, founded in 1854, and has been revitalized to include shops and residences. The square frequently plays hosts to outdoor concerts and festivals. The Knoxville Zoo, known for its preservation and breeding programs, features more than 800 animals in natural habitats. The Zoo is especially known for its rare Red Pandas; more of these animals have been born at the Knoxville Zoo than any other zoo in the western hemisphere, an achievement for which the Zoo has been recognized by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Housed at Chilhowee Park, the East Tennessee Discovery Center provides further educational fun with a planetarium and interactive exhibits on biology and physics. Knoxville celebrates its local history with a small army of historic sites and museums including Blount Mansion, the East Tennessee History Center, the Farragut Folk life Museum, and the Marble Springs State Historic Site. Arts & Culture Knoxville supports both the visual and performing arts. Situated in World’s Fair Park, the Knoxville Museum of Art is a four-gallery institution featuring contemporary art; the Wolffe Gallery showcases over 100 athletic sculptures by artist R. Tait McKenzie. The local performing arts scene includes a symphony orchestra, the regional Appalachian Ballet Company, theater company The Actor’s Co-Op, a Broadway musical production company, its own City Ballet, the East Tennessee Concert Band, a sizable opera company and a children’s dance ensemble. There are a number of performing arts venues in town including the Knoxville Civic Auditorium, the Tennessee Theatre, and the Black Box Theatre. Education One of Knoxville’s key distinguishing features, and an important part of its community and cultural identity, is that it is home to the main campus of the University of Tennessee, the state’s flagship public university. The Knoxville campus has an enrollment of nearly 30,000 students, 20,000 of whom are undergraduates. The University is famous for, among other things, the “Body Farm,” the Forensic Anthropology Research Facility, at which scientists use real cadavers to research decay and decomposition patterns to aid in criminal investigations. UT is also known for having produced superstar Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning. Other post-secondary institutions in the Knoxville area include Knoxville College, a historically black college, Maryville College, a small Presbyterian liberal arts college of 1000 undergraduates and the twelfth oldest institution in the south, Johnson Bible College, and Roane State Community College. Sports & Recreation The biggest game in town, of course, is the UT Volunteers, who are supported by the citizens of Knoxville with a fervor bordering on obsession. They play in the Southeastern Conference’s Eastern Division. Neyland Stadium, home to the Volunteer football team, seats over 100,000 and is one of the largest facilities of its kind. In addition, both the men and women’s UT basketball teams are very popular; they play in Thompson-Boling Arena, which is the largest arena ever built specifically for basketball. For the outdoor enthusiast, the Smoky Mountains environs of Knoxville present many opportunities for hiking, fishing, and water sports. Ijams Nature Center is a 160-acre park with outdoor concert facilities, canoe rentals, tours and hiking. Nearby state parks such as Big South Fork and Great Smoky Mountains National Park provide many hiking, climbing and picnicking opportunities. Festivals Knoxville hosts a surprising number of festivals and fairs for a city of its size, beginning in March with the James Agee Celebration, a month-long series of exhibitions, theatrical productions, films, concerts and lectures culminating in James Agee week, honoring the late poet, journalist, novelist and screenwriter. Overlapping the Agee celebration is the Dogwood Arts Festival, a seventeen-day series of events throughout Knox County including art shows, craft fairs, live music, garden trails and food. Summertime brings the free concert series Sundown in the City, held in downtown Market Square Mall. Knoxville celebrates their African-American and African-Appalachian heritage with the Kuumba Festival (“kuumba” means creativity in Swahili), featuring visual and performing arts, food and storytelling. The Knoxville Opera hosts the only Rossini festival in the western hemisphere, a weeklong, family-friendly event held in downtown Knoxville celebrating opera and Italian culture. Tennessee’s important role in the New Deal and the Manhattan Project (headquartered in nearby Oak Ridge) is honored during the Tennessee Valley Homecoming, a fun and educational fair held in Market Square. The summer winds down with Boomsday, a rather nontraditional fireworks display held on Labor Day, and as the weather turns cooler another free concert series, Autumn on the Square, presents national and local artists in the Market Square Mall. As the year comes to a close, Knoxville celebrates Christmas with a series of events including a candlelight tour of the city’s 18th century homes, productions of “The Nutcracker,” and a Fantasy of Trees event. Dining Knoxville residents have high praise for the city’s culinary offerings, but their highest lauds are reserved for hometown favorite Calhoun’s, a local chain known for its ribs and BBQ. There are several locations in town; the favorite is Calhoun’s on the River, for its unique atmosphere and scenic view of the Tennessee River. For southern charm, Baker-Peters Jazz Club offers nouveau American cuisine from their historic location in the Baker-Peters mansion, accompanied by smooth live jazz music. For fine dining, Chesapeake’s specializes in fresh seafood in its historic location near downtown; both of the locations of family-owned Copper Cellar restaurants are also recommended. For historic charm, Patrick Sullivan’s can’t be beat. Founded in 1888, the restaurant is housed in an Old City saloon. One of the more unique eateries in town is King Tut’s Grill, a Middle Eastern restaurant with terrific food but an even more famous owner, Mo, who gives his guest’s dinner and a show. Another local tradition is the Pizza Palace, an old-fashioned drive-in pizza restaurant. Economy The economic climate in Knoxville is strong; three large, non-industrial employers form its largest employee base: the University of Tennessee, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In addition, the area is home to a number of customer service centers and medium sized distribution operations. The city is known as a good location for business. The median income in Knoxville is $27,492 for a household and $37,708 for a family. These figures may seem unusually low for a city not dependent on manufacturing, but they take on a different perspective when one considers that the cost of living index is whopping twelve points below the national average.
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