Knoxville, Tennessee

Knoxville
City
Skyline of Downtown Knoxville The Tennessee Amphitheater Market Square Commercial Historic District The Sunsphereat the World's Fair Park Clock tower on Gay Street A statue in the Old Gray Cemetery Ayres Hallat UT Knoxville Neyland Stadium
Flag Seal Logo
Nickname(s): Marble City, [1]Heart of the Valley, [2]Queen City of the Mountains, [3]K-Town, [4]Scruffy City, [5]Gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains, [6]Knox Vegas. [7]
Location of Knoxville in Knox County, Tennessee.
Knoxville Location in the United States Show map of Tennessee Knoxville Knoxville (the United States) Show map of the United States Knoxville Knoxville (North America) Show map of North America
Coordinates:35°57′42″N83°55′24″W / 35.9617°N 83.9232°W /35.9617; -83.9232
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
County	Knox
Settled	1786
Founded	1791
Incorporated	1815
Founded by	James White
Named for	Henry Knox
Government [9] [10]
• Type	Mayor–council
•Mayor	Indya Kincannon(D)[a]
• City Council	Council Members Tommy Smith (1st Dist.; also Vice Mayor) Andrew Roberto (2nd Dist.) Seema Singh (3rd Dist.) Lauren Rider (4th Dist.) Charles Thomas (5th Dist.) Gwen McKenzie (6th Dist.) Lynn Fugate (at-large seat A) Debbie Helsley (at-large seat B) Amelia Parker (at-large seat C)
Area [11]
•City	104.25 sq mi (270.01 km2)
• Land	98.73 sq mi (255.72 km2)
• Water	5.52 sq mi (14.30 km2) 5.4%
Elevation [12]	886 ft (270 m)
Population ( 2020) [13]
•City	190,740
• Rank	US:135th TN:3rd
• Density	1,931.90/sq mi (745.91/km2)
•Urban	597,257 (US:72nd)
• Urban density	1,382.8/sq mi (533.9/km2)
•Metro	868,546 (US:64th)
•CSA	1,096,961 (US:50th)
Demonym	Knoxvillian
Time zone	UTC−5(EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4(EDT)
Zip code	37901-37902, 37909, 37912, 37914-37920-37924, 37927-37934, 37938-37940, 37950, 37995-37998
Area code	865
FIPScode[14]	47-40000
GNISfeature ID	1648562[12]
Website	www.knoxvilletn.gov

Knoxvilleis a city in and thecounty seatofKnox County, Tennessee, United States.^[15]As of the2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740,^[16]making it the largest city in theEast TennesseeGrand Divisionand the state'sthird-most-populous cityafterNashvilleandMemphis.^[17]It is the principal city of theKnoxville metropolitan area, which had a population of 879,773 in 2020.^[18]

First settled in 1786, Knoxville was the first capital of Tennessee. The city struggled with geographic isolation throughout the early 19th century; thearrival of the railroadin 1855 led to an economic boom.^[19]The city was bitterlydivided over the issue of secessionduring theAmerican Civil Warand was occupied alternately byConfederateandUnionarmies, culminating in theBattle of Fort Sandersin 1863.^[19]Following the war, Knoxville grew rapidly as a major wholesaling and manufacturing center. The city's economy stagnated after the 1920s as themanufacturing sector collapsed, thedowntown area declinedand city leaders became entrenched in highly partisan political fights.^[19]Hosting the1982 World's Fairhelped reinvigorate the city,^[19]andrevitalization initiativesby city leaders and private developers have had major successes in spurring growth in the city, especially the downtown area.^[20]

Knoxville is the home of the flagship campus of theUniversity of Tennessee, whose sports teams, theTennessee Volunteers, are popular in the surrounding area. Knoxville is also home to the headquarters of theTennessee Valley Authority, theTennessee Supreme Court's courthouse for East Tennessee, and the corporate headquarters of several national and regional companies. As one of the largest cities in theAppalachianregion, Knoxville has positioned itself in recent years as a repository of Appalachian culture and is one of the gateways to theGreat Smoky Mountains National Park.^[21][22]

The first people to form substantial settlements in what is now Knoxville were indigenous people who arrived during theWoodland period(c.1000 B.C. to 1000 A.D.).^[23]One of the oldest artificial structures in Knoxville is aburial moundconstructed during the earlyMississippian cultureperiod (c.1000–1400 A.D.). The earthwork mound has been preserved, but the campus of the University of Tennessee developed around it.^[24]

Other prehistoric sites include an Early Woodland habitation area at the confluence of the Tennessee River and Knob Creek (near theKnox–Blountcounty line),^[23]andDallas phaseMississippian villages at Post Oak Island (also along the river near the Knox–Blount line),^[25]and atBussell Island(at the mouth of theLittle Tennessee RivernearLenoir City).^[26]

By the 18th century, theCherokee, anIroquoian languagepeople, had become the dominant tribe in the East Tennessee region; they are believed to have migrated centuries before from theGreat Lakes region. They were frequently at war with theCreekandShawnee.^[27][28]The Cherokee people called the Knoxville areakuwanda'talun'yi, which means "mulberry place".^[29]Most Cherokee habitation in the area was concentrated in what the American colonists called theOverhill settlementsalong theLittle Tennessee River, southwest of Knoxville.

The first white traders and explorers were recorded as arriving in theTennessee Valleyin the late 17th century. There is significant evidence that Spanish explorerHernando de Sotovisited Bussell Island in 1540.^[30]The first major recorded Euro-American presence in the Knoxville area was theTimberlake Expedition, which passed through the confluence of theHolstonandFrench Broadinto the Tennessee River in December 1761.Henry Timberlake, an Anglo-American emissary from theThirteen Coloniesto the Overhill settlements, recalled being pleased by the deep waters of the Tennessee after his party had struggled down the relatively shallow Holston for several weeks.^[31]

The end of theFrench and Indian Warand confusion brought about by theAmerican Revolutionled to a drastic increase in Euro-American settlement west of theAppalachian Mountains.^[32]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.^[33]

In 1786,James White, aRevolutionary Warofficer, and his friend James Connor builtWhite's Fortnear the mouth of First Creek, on land White had purchased three years earlier.^[34]In 1790, White's son-in-law,Charles McClung—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 sixty-four 0.5-acre (0.20 ha) 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 theUniversity of Tennessee, which uses Blount College's founding date of 1794 as its own.

In 1790, PresidentGeorge Washingtonappointed North Carolina surveyorWilliam Blountgovernor of the newly createdTerritory South of the River Ohio. One of Blount's first tasks was to meet with the Cherokee and establish territorial boundaries and resolve the issue of illegal settlers.^[35]This he accomplished almost immediately with theTreaty of Holston, which was negotiated and signed at White's Fort in 1791. Blount originally wanted to place the territorial capital at the confluence of theClinch Riverand Tennessee River (nowKingston), but when the Cherokee refused to cede this land, Blount chose White's Fort. Blount named the new capital Knoxville after Revolutionary War General and Secretary of WarHenry Knox, who at the time was Blount's immediate superior.^[36]

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 ongoing violence on both sides. When the government invited Cherokee chiefHanging Mawfor negotiations in 1793, Knoxville settlers attacked the Cherokee against orders, killing the chief's wife. Peace was renegotiated in 1794.^[37]

Knoxville served as capital of the Southwest Territory and as capital of Tennessee (admitted as a state in 1796) until 1817,^[34]when the capital was moved toMurfreesboro. Early Knoxville has been described as an "alternately quiet and rowdy river town".^[19]Early issues of theKnoxville Gazette—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.^[38]

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 broughtflatboatand latersteamboattraffic 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 theDeep South.^[34]The population of Knoxville more than doubled in the 1850s with the arrival of theEast Tennessee and Georgia Railroadin 1855.^[19]

Among the most prominent citizens of Knoxville during the Antebellum years was James White's son,Hugh Lawson White(1773–1840). White first served as a judge and state senator, before being nominated by the state legislature to replaceAndrew Jacksonin the U.S. Senate in 1825. In 1836, White ran unsuccessfully for president, representing theWhig Party.^[39]

Anti-slavery and anti-secession sentiment ran high in East Tennessee in the years leading up to the Civil War.William "Parson" Brownlow, the radical publisher of theKnoxville Whig, was one of the region's leading anti-secessionists (although he strongly defended the practice of slavery).^[40]Blount County, just south of Knoxville, had developed into a center of abolitionist activity, due in part to its relatively largeQuakerfaction and the anti-slavery president ofMaryville College, Isaac Anderson.^[41]TheGreater Warner Tabernacle AME Zion Churchwas reportedly a station on theUnderground Railroad.^[42]

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 ranksJ. G. M. Ramsey, a prominent historian whose father had built theRamsey Housein 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 theEast Tennessee Conventionmet at Temperance Hall in Knoxville in hopes of keeping Tennessee in theUnion. After Tennessee voted to secede in June, the convention met inGreenevilleand attempted to create a separate Union-aligned state in East Tennessee.^[43][44]

In July 1861, after Tennessee had joined theConfederacy, GeneralFelix Zollicofferarrived in Knoxville as commander of the District of East Tennessee. While initially lenient toward the city's Union sympathizers, Zollicoffer institutedmartial lawin November, after pro-Union guerrillasburned seven of the city's bridges. The command of the district passed briefly toGeorge Crittendenand then toKirby Smith, who launched anunsuccessful invasion of Kentuckyin August 1862. In early 1863, GeneralSimon Bucknertook command of Confederate forces in Knoxville. Anticipating a Union invasion, Buckner fortified Fort Loudon (in West Knoxville, not to be confused with thecolonial fortto the southwest) and began constructing earthworks throughout the city. However, the approach of stronger Union forces underAmbrose Burnsidein the summer of 1863 forced Buckner to evacuate Knoxville before the earthworks were completed.^[45]

Burnside arrived in early September 1863, beginning theKnoxville 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 fromLoudon, allowing Union forces to cross the river and to build a series of forts along the heights of south Knoxville, including Fort Stanley and Fort Dickerson.^[46]

As Burnside was fortifying Knoxville, a Confederate army underBraxton Braggdefeated Union forces underWilliam Rosecransat theBattle of Chickamauga(near the Tennessee-Georgia line) and laid siege toChattanooga. On November 3, 1863, the Confederates sent GeneralJames Longstreetto 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 on November 14 and march against the city's heavily fortified western section. On November 15, GeneralJoseph Wheelerunsuccessfully attempted to dislodge Union forces in the heights of south Knoxville, and the following day Longstreet failed to cut off retreating Union forces at theBattle of Campbell's Station(nowFarragut).

On November 18, Union GeneralWilliam P. Sanderswas mortally wounded while conducting delaying maneuvers west of Knoxville, and Fort Loudon was renamed Fort Sanders in his honor. On November 29, following atwo-week siege, the Confederatesattacked Fort Sandersbut failed after a fierce 20-minute engagement. On December 4, after word of the Confederatedefeat at Chattanoogareached Longstreet, he broke his siege of Knoxville.^[47]The Union victories in the Knoxville campaign and at Chattanooga put much of East Tennessee under Union control for the rest of the war.

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 theWelsh TractinPennsylvaniato work in a rolling mill. These Welsh families settled in an area now known asMechanicsville.^[48]The Richards brothers also co-founded the Knoxville Iron Works beside theL&N Railroad, also employing Welsh workers. Later, the site was used as the grounds for the1982 World's Fair.^[49]

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.^[50]By the 1890s, Knoxville was home to more than 50 wholesaling houses, making it the third largest wholesaling center by volume in the South.^[50]TheCandoro Marble Works, established in the community of Vestal in 1914, became the nation's foremost producer ofpink marbleand one of the nation's largest marble importers.^[51]In 1896, Knoxville celebrated its achievements by creating its own flag.^[52]TheFlag of Knoxville, Tennesseerepresents the city's progressive growth due to agriculture and industry.^[53]

In 1869, Thomas Humes, a Union sympathizer and president of East Tennessee University, secured federal post-war damage reimbursement and state-designatedMorrill Actfunding 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.^[54]

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.^[19]In 1901, train robberKid Curry(whose real name was Harvey Logan), a member ofButch Cassidy'sWild Bunchwas 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.^[55]

Knoxville hosted the Appalachian Exposition in 1910 and 1911 and theNational Conservation Expositionin 1913. The latter is sometimes credited with giving rise to the movement to create anational parkin the Great Smoky Mountains, some 20 miles (32 km) south of Knoxville.^[56]Around this time, several affluent Knoxvillians began purchasing summer cottages inElkmontand began to pursue the park idea more vigorously. They were led by Knoxville businessman ColonelDavid C. Chapman, 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. TheGreat Smoky Mountains National Parkopened in 1933.^[57]

Knoxville's reliance on a manufacturing economy left it particularly vulnerable to the effects of theGreat 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 theTennessee Valley Authority(TVA) in 1933. Beginning withNorris Dam, TVA constructed a series ofhydroelectric damsand other power plants throughout the valley over the next few decades, bringing flood control, jobs, and electricity to the region.^[58]The FederalWorks Projects Administration, which also arrived in the 1930s, helped buildMcGhee Tyson Airportand expandNeyland Stadium.^[19]TVA's headquarters, which consists of twin high rises built in the 1970s, were among Knoxville's first modern high-rise buildings.

In 1947,John Guntherdubbed Knoxville the "ugliest city" in America in his best-selling bookInside 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.^[56]

Knoxville's textile and manufacturing industries largely fell victim to foreign competition in the 1950s and 1960s, and after the establishment of theInterstate Highway Systemin 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 annexed the communities ofBeardenandFountain City, which were Knoxville's largestsuburbs, in 1962.^[59]Knoxville officials attempted the annexation of the neighboringFarragut-Concordcommunity in western Knox County, but the city failed following theincorporationof Farragut in 1980.^[60]These annexation attempts often turned combative, and several attempts toconsolidateKnoxville and Knox County into a metro government failed, while school boards and the planning commissions would merge on July 1, 1987.^[19]

With further annexation attempts stalling, Knoxville initiated several projects aimed at boosting revenue in its downtown area. The1982 World's Fair—the most successful of these projects, with eleven million visitors—became one of the most popular expositions in U.S. history.^[61]TheRubik's Cubemade its debut at this event.^[62]The fair's energy theme was selected because Knoxville was home to TVA's headquarters and for its proximity toOak Ridge National Laboratory. TheSunsphere, a 266-foot (81 m) steel truss structure topped with a gold-colored glass sphere, was built for the fair and remains one of Knoxville's most prominent structures,^[63]along with the adjacentTennessee Amphitheater.

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 MayorVictor Ashe. Ashe's efforts were controversial, largely consisting of annexation of interstateright-of-ways, highway-oriented commercial clusters, and residential subdivisions to increase tax revenue for the city. Residents voiced opposition, citing claims ofurban sprawland government overreach.^[64]

Knoxville's downtown has been developing, with the opening of theWomen's Basketball Hall of Fameand theKnoxville Convention Center,the redevelopment of Market Square, a new visitors center, aregional history museum, aRegal Cinemastheater, 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. TheBijouandTennessee Theatresunderwent renovation, providing an initiative for the city and its developers to re-purpose the old downtown.^[65]

Development has also expanded across the Tennessee River on the South Knoxville waterfront. In 2006, the city 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.^[66]The project's primary focus is the commercial and residential development over a 20-year timeline.^[66]Knoxville Baptist Hospital, located on the waterfront, was demolished in 2016 to make room for a mixed-use project called One Riverwalk.^[67]The development consisted of three office buildings, including a headquarters forRegal Entertainment Group, a hotel, student housing, and 300 multi-family residential units.^[67]

In June 2020, the Knoxville City Council announced the investment of over $5.5million in federal and local funds towards the development of a business park along theInterstate 275corridor inNorth Knoxville.^[68]The project was first proposed by a study prepared Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission in 2007.^[69]In August 2020, UT President andTennessee SmokiesownerRandy Boydannounced plans of amixed-usebaseball stadiumcomplex in theOld Cityneighborhood.^[70]

According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 104.2 square miles (269.8 km²), of which 98.5 square miles (255.2 km²) is land and 5.6 square miles (14.6 km²), or 5.42%, is water.^[71]Elevations range from just over 800 feet (240 m) along the riverfront to just over 1,000 feet (300 m) on various hilltops in West Knoxville,^[72][73]with the downtown area setting at just over 900 feet (270 m).^[74]High points includeSharp's Ridgein North Knoxville at 1,391 feet (424 m) and Brown Mountain in South Knoxville at 1,260 feet (380 m).^[75][76]

Knoxville is situated in theGreat Appalachian Valley(known locally as the Tennessee Valley), about halfway between theGreat Smoky Mountainsto the east and theCumberland Plateauto the west. The Great Valley is part of a sub-range of theAppalachian Mountainsknown as theRidge-and-Valley Appalachians, 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 ofBays Mountainjust south of the city, and parts of McAnnally Ridge in the northeastern part of the city.

TheTennessee River, which passes through the downtown area, is formed in southeastern Knoxville at the confluence of theHolston River, which flows southwest from Virginia, and theFrench Broad River, 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'sFort Loudoun Damabout 30 miles (48 km) downstream inLenoir 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.

Knoxville falls in thehumid subtropical climate(Köppen:Cfa) zone. Summers are hot and humid, with the daily average temperature in July at 78.4 °F (25.8 °C), and an average of 36 days per year with temperatures reaching 90 °F (32 °C).^[77]Winters are generally much cooler and less stable, with occasional small amounts of snow. January has a daily average temperature of 38.2 °F (3.4 °C), with an average of 5 days^[78]where the high remains at or below freezing.^[b]The record high for Knoxville is 105 °F (41 °C) onJune 30 and July 1, 2012,^[79]while the record low is −24 °F (−31 °C) onJanuary 21, 1985.^[80]Annual precipitation averages just under 52 in (1,320 mm), and normal seasonal snowfall is 4.6 in (12 cm). The one-day record for snowfall is 17.5 in (44 cm), which occurred on February 13, 1960.^[81][c]

Knoxville is the central city in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area, anOffice of Management and Budget(OMB) designatedmetropolitan statistical area(MSA) that covers Knox,Anderson,Blount,Campbell,Grainger,Loudon,Morgan,RoaneandUnioncounties.^[84]Researchers have mapped the Knoxville Metropolitan area as one of the 18 major cities in thePiedmont Atlantic megaregion.^[85]

The Knoxville Metropolitan area includes unincorporated communities such asHalls Crossroads,Powell,Karns,Corryton,Concord, andMascot, which are located in Knox County outside of Knoxville's city limits. Along with Knoxville, municipalities in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area includeAlcoa,Blaine,Maryville,Lenoir City,Loudon,Farragut,Oak Ridge,Rutledge,Clinton,Bean Station, andMaynardville. As of 2012, the population of the Knoxville Metropolitan Area was 837,571.^[84]

The Knoxville MSA is the chief component of the larger OMB-designated Knoxville-Sevierville-La FolletteCombined Statistical Area(CSA). The CSA also includes theMorristownMetropolitan Statistical Area(Hamblen,Grainger, andJeffersoncounties) and the Sevierville (Sevier County), La Follette (Campbell County),Harriman(Roane County), andNewport(Cocke County)micropolitan statistical areas. Municipalities in the CSA but not the Knoxville MSA, include Morristown, Rutledge,Dandridge,Jefferson City, Sevierville,Gatlinburg,Pigeon Forge, 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.^[84]

Knoxville is roughly divided into theDowntown areaand sections based on the four cardinal directions:North Knoxville,South Knoxville,East Knoxville, andWest Knoxville. 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,^[86]and several neighborhoods along or just off Broadway south of Sharp's Ridge ("Downtown North").^[87]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^[86]and includes the neighborhoods of Vestal, Lindbergh Forest,Island Home Park, Colonial Hills, and Old Sevier. This area contains major commercial corridors along Chapman Highway andAlcoa Highway.

West Knoxville generally consists of the areas west of U.T.^[86]and includes the suburban neighborhoods ofSequoyah 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 asWest Town MallandTurkey Creek.

East Knoxville consists of the areas east of First Creek and the James White Parkway^[86]and includes the neighborhoods of Parkridge, Burlington, Morningside, and Five Points. This area, concentrated along Magnolia Avenue, is home toChilhowee ParkandZoo Knoxville.

North Knoxville consists of the areas north of Sharp's Ridge,^[86]namely the Fountain City and Inskip-Norwood areas. This area's major commercial corridor is located along Broadway.

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1850	2,076		—
1870	8,682		—
1880	9,693		11.6%
1890	22,535		132.5%
1900	32,637		44.8%
1910	36,346		11.4%
1920	77,818		114.1%
1930	105,802		36.0%
1940	111,580		5.5%
1950	124,769		11.8%
1960	111,827		−10.4%
1970	174,587		56.1%
1980	175,045		0.3%
1990	165,121		−5.7%
2000	173,890		5.3%
2010	178,874		2.9%
2020	190,740		6.6%
2023 (est.)	198,162		3.9%
Sources:[88][13]

Historical racial composition	1970[89]	1990[89]	2000[90]	2010[90]	2018 est.[91]
White	87.0%	82.7%	79.9%	76.1%	76.1%
Black	12.7%	15.8%	16.0%	17.1%	17.0%
Asian	0.2%	1.0%	1.5%	1.7%	1.8%
Native	0.1%	0.2%	0.3%	0.4%	0.4%
Native HawaiianandotherPacific Islander	–	–	0.0%	0.2%	0.1%
Other race	0.1%	0.2%	0.7%	2.2%	1.5%
Two or more races	–	–	1.6%	2.5%	3.1%

Knoxville, Tennessee – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000[92]	Pop 2010[93]	Pop 2020[94]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
Whitealone (NH)	137,336	132,641	130,036	78.98%	74.15%	68.17%
Black or African Americanalone (NH)	28,015	30,257	30,123	16.11%	16.92%	15.79%
Native AmericanorAlaska Nativealone (NH)	504	496	547	0.29%	0.28%	0.29%
Asianalone (NH)	2,516	2,875	4,323	1.45%	1.61%	2.27%
Pacific Islanderalone (NH)	45	198	105	0.03%	0.11%	0.06%
Other racealone (NH)	276	315	830	0.16%	0.18%	0.44%
Mixed race or Multiracial(NH)	2,447	3,886	9,616	1.41%	2.17%	5.04%
Hispanic or Latino(any race)	2,751	8,206	15,160	1.58%	4.59%	7.95%
Total	173,890	178,874	190,740	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the2020 United States census, there were 190,740 people, 83,492 households, and 40,405 families residing in the city.

As of thecensusof 2010, the population of Knoxville was 178,874, a 2.9% increase from 2000.^[95]The median age was 32.7,^[96]with 19.1% of the population under the age of 18, and 12.6% over the age of 65.^[95]The population was 48% male and 52% female. The population density was 1,815 persons per square mile.^[95]

The racial and ethnic composition of the city was 76.1%white, 17.1%black, 0.4%Native American, 1.6%Asian, and 0.2%Pacific Islander.^[95]HispanicorLatinoof any race were 4.6% of the population.^[95]People reporting more than one race formed 2.5% of the population.^[95]

Data collected by the Census from 2005 to 2009 reported 83,151 households in Knoxville, with an average of 2.07 persons per household.^[95]The home ownership rate was 51%, and 74.7% of residents had been living in the same house for more than one year.^[95]The median household income was $32,609, and the per capita income was $21,528.^[95]High school graduates were 83.8% of persons 25 and older, and 28.3% had earned a bachelor's degree or higher.^[95]The city's poverty rate was 25%, compared with 16.1% in Tennessee and 15.1% nationwide.^[95][97]

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.^[98]

FBIUniform Crime Reportsfor Knoxville for 2017:^[99]

	City of Knoxville only	KnoxvilleMSA	Rate per 100,000 Inhabitants
Violent Crime	1,676	3,852	440.1
Murder & Nonnegligent Manslaughter	33	60	6.9
Rape	145	311	35.5
Robbery	371	528	60.3
Aggravated Assault	1,127	2,953	337.4
Property Crime	10,211	22,730	2,596.9
Burglary	1,665	4,387	501.2
Larceny/Theft	7,510	15,953	1,822.6
Motor Vehicle Theft	1,036	2,390	273.1

This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (November 2023)

In 2011, 15.9% of the Knoxville 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.^[100]The region had an unemployment rate of 7.9% in 2011.^[100]In the 2010ACCRA Cost of Living Indexwas rated 89.6 (the national average was 100).^[100]In 2007, there were over 19,000 registered businesses in Knoxville.^[95]The city's businesses are served by the 2,100-member Knoxville Area Chamber Partnership.^[100]The Knoxville Chamber is one of six partners in the Knoxville-Oak Ridge Innovation Valley, which promotes economic development in Knox and surrounding counties.^[101]

The TVA, the nation's largest public power provider,^[102]reported $10.5billion in revenue in 2021^[103]and employs over 12,000 region-wide.^[104]The largest company based in Knoxville is privately heldPilot Flying J, the nation's largest truck stop chain and sixth-largest private company, which reported over $29.23billion in revenue in 2012.^[105]Knoxville is home to the nation's fourth-largest wholesale grocer, theH. T. Hackney Company, which reported $3.8billion (~$4.9 billion in 2023) in revenue in 2012,^[106]and one of the nation's largest digital-centric advertising firms,Tombras Group, which reported $80million in revenue in 2011.^[107][108]

Other notable privately held companies based in the city includeBush Brothers,Sea Ray(and its parent companyBrunswick Boat Group),Thermocopy,Petro's Chili & Chips,EdFinancial,Kurgo,21st MortgageandAC Entertainment. Also based in Knoxville are movie theater chainRegal Cinemas,^[109][110]and health care-staffing firmTeamHealth.^[109]

The Knoxville area is home to 596 office buildings which contain over 21million square feet of office space.^[100]The city's largest office building in terms of office space is theCity-County Building, which has over 537,000 square feet of office space. The First Tennessee Plaza and theRiverview Towerwere the largest privately owned office buildings, with 469,672 square feet and 367,000 square feet, respectively.^[111]Knoxville's largest industrial park is the 1,460-acre (590 ha) Forks of the River Industrial Park in southeastern Knoxville.^[112]Other major industrial and business parks include the 800-acre (320 ha) EastBridge Industrial Park and Midway Business Park in eastern Knox County and the 271-acre (110 ha) WestBridge Industrial Park in western Knox County.

The largest bank operating in Knoxville in terms of local deposits is Memphis-basedFirst Horizon Bank, with $2.6billion (~$3.41 billion in 2023) in local deposits, representing about 16% of Knoxville's banking market.^[113]It is followed by Charlotte-basedTruist Financial($2.5billion), Birmingham-basedRegions Bank($1.9billion), and locally headquartered Home Federal Bank of Tennessee ($1.6billion).^[113]Other banks with significant operations in the city includeBank of America, First Bank (based inLexington, Tennessee), and locally owned Clayton Bank and Trust. Major brokerage firms with offices in Knoxville includeEdward Jones,Morgan Stanley Smith Barney,Wells Fargo, andMerrill Lynch.^[114]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.^[115]Knoxville's largest accounting firm as of 2012 is Pershing Yoakley & Associates, with 49 localCPAs, followed by Coulter & Justus (44), and Pugh CPA's(43).^[116]

Over 700 manufacturing establishments are scattered throughout the Knoxville area.^[100]Sea Ray Boats is the city's largest manufacturer, employing 760 at its southeast Knoxville complex in 2009.^[117]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).^[117]Other major manufacturing operations include a Melaleaca plant (personal care products), aCoca-Colabottling plant, and aGerdau Ameristeelplant that produces steel rebar. Aircraft manufacturerCirrusalso 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.^[118]

The Knoxville area is home to 182 shopping centers and factory outlets, and over 2,400 retail establishments.^[100]One regional mall (West Town Mall) is located within the city, and two others (Foothills Mallin Maryville andOak Ridge City Centerin 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.^[95]

Knoxville's primary retail corridor is located along Kingston Pike in West Knoxville. This area is home to West Town Mall, the 358-acreTurkey Creek complex(half is in Knoxville and half isFarragut), and over 30 shopping centers.^[119]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.

TheUniversity of Tennesseeis classified by the Carnegie Commission as a university with "very high research activity", conducting more than $300million in externally funded research annually.^[120]U.T.-connected research centers with multimillion-dollarNational Science Foundationgrants include the Appalachian Collaborative Center for Learning, Assessment and Instruction in Mathematics, theNational Institute for Computational Sciences, theNational Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, and the Center for Ultra-wide-area Resilient Electric Energy Transmission Networks (CURENT).^[121][122]U.T. and the nearbyOak Ridge National Laboratoryjointly conduct numerous research projects and co-manage theNational Transportation Research Center.^[120]

The Tennessee Technology Corridor stretches across 7,000 acres (2,800 ha) between West Knoxville and Oak Ridge. The Corridor is home to 13research and developmentfirms employing nearly 2,000.^[123]

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, fromFlatt and ScruggsandHomer and JethrotoThe Everly Brothers.

TheKnoxville Symphony Orchestra(KSO), established in 1935, is the oldest continuing orchestra in the southeast.^[124]The KSO maintains a core of full-time professional musicians and performs at more than 200 events per year. Its traditional venues include theTennessee Theatre, theBijou Theatre, and the Civic Auditorium, though it also performs at several non-traditional venues. TheKnoxville Operaperforms a season of opera every year, accompanied by a chorus.^[125]Knoxville was the location ofSergei Rachmaninoff's final concert in 1943, performed at Alumni Memorial Auditorium at the University of Tennessee.^[126]

Knoxville's underground music scene is rooted with the promotion byAC Entertainmentaround 1979.^[127]AC Entertainment, a local entertainment group, sought to expand the city's scene.^[128]In the 1990s, notedalternative rockcritic Ann Powers referred to the city as "Austinwithout the hype".^[129][130]Knoxville is home to a vibrantpunk rockscene, having emerged from venues in the Old City district, specifically the Mill & Mine and Pilot Light venues.^[131]Such punk and hardcore bands include UXB, the STDs, and Koro.^{[132][133][134]}Knoxville hosts theBig Earsmusic festivalsince 2009. The festival, dubbed the "most ambitiousavant-gardefestival in America in more than a decade" in a 2014Rolling Stonearticle, hosts musicians ranging from punk rock tochamber pop.^[135]

The city also hosts numerous art festivals, including the 17-dayDogwood Arts Festivalin 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 inSwahili) Festival commemorates the region's African American heritage and showcases visual arts, folk arts, dance, games, music, storytelling, theater, and food.

Knoxville's two tallest buildings are the 27-story First Tennessee Plaza and the 24-story Riverview Tower, both on Gay Street.^[136]Other prominent high-rises include the Tower at Morgan Hill,^[137]theAndrew Johnson Building,^[138]the Knoxville Hilton, theGeneral Building,The Holston, the TVA Towers,^[139]and Sterchi Lofts. The most iconic structure is arguably theSunsphere, a 266-foot (81 m) steel truss tower built for the 1982 World's Fair;^[140]it and theTennessee Amphitheaterare the only two structures that remain from that World's Fair.^[141]

The downtown area contains a mixture of architectural styles from various periods, ranging from the hewn-log James White House (1786) to the modernKnoxville Museum of Art(1990). Styles represented includeGreek Revival(Old City Hall),Victorian(Hotel St. Oliver and Sullivan's Saloon),Gothic(Church Street Methodist ChurchandAyres Hall),Neoclassical(First Baptist Church), andArt Deco(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.William Blount Mansion(1791), in the oldest part of the city, is designed in a vernacularGeorgianstyle. "Streetcar suburbs" such asFourth and Gill,Parkridge, andFort Sanders, developed in the late 19th century with the advent oftrolleys, tend to contain large concentrations of Victorian andbungalow/Craftsman-style houses popular during this period. Early automobile suburbs, such asLindbergh Forestand Sequoyah Hills, contain late-1920s and 1930s styles such asTudor Revival, English Cottage, andMission Revival. Neighborhoods developed after World War II typically consist ofRanch-style houses.

Knoxville is home to the nation's largest concentration of homes designed by noted Victorian residential architectGeorge Franklin Barber, who lived in the city.^[142]Other notable local architects include members of theBaumann 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 includeAlfred B. Mullett(Greystone),John Russell Pope(H.L. Dulin House), andEdward Larrabee Barnes(Knoxville Museum of Art).

The Knoxville Christmas in the City event runs for eight weeks of events at locations throughout the city including theSinging Christmas Treeand ice skating on the Holidays on Ice skating rink.^[143][144]

The Knox County Public Library system consists of theLawson McGhee Library, located downtown, and 17 branch libraries, overseeing a collection of over 1.3million volumes.^[100]

The University of Tennessee's athletics programs, nicknamed the "Volunteers", or "the Vols", are immensely popular.Neyland Stadium, where the Vols' football team plays, is one of the largest stadiums in the world seating 101,915,^[168]andThompson–Boling Arena, 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 theWomen's Basketball Hall of Fame, almost entirely thanks to the success ofPat Summittand theUniversity of Tennessee women's basketball team.

Professional sports teams located in Knoxville include:

Team	Sport	League	Venue (Capacity)
Knoxville Ice Bears	Hockey	SPHL	Knoxville Civic Coliseum(6,500)
Tennessee Smokies	Baseball	Southern League(Double A)	Smokies Stadium(6,412)
One Knoxville SC	Soccer	USL League One	Regal Stadium(3,000)

Knoxville is governed by a mayor and nine-member City Council. It uses the strong-mayor form of themayor-council system.^[169]The council consists of six members fromsingle-member districtsand three members electedat-largefor the entire city. The council chooses from among its members the vice mayor (currently Tommy Smith), the Beer Board chairperson (currently Lauren Rider), and a representative to the Knoxville Transportation Authority (currently Debbie Helsley).^[170]The City Council meets every other Tuesday at 7:00p.m. in the Main Assembly Room of theCity County Building.^[171]

The current mayor isIndya Kincannon, 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, who was elected in 2011. Interim mayorDaniel Brown, the first African American to hold the office, was appointed in January 2011 following the resignation ofBill Haslam, who was elected Governor of Tennessee. Other recent mayors include Haslam's predecessor,Victor Ashe(1987−2003),Kyle Testerman(1972−1975, 1984−1987), andRandy Tyree(1976−1983).

TheKnoxville Fire Department(KFD) provides Class2ISOservice inside the city limits. The fire department operates 19 stations with 308 uniformed personnel.^[172]KFD provides firefighting, first responder EMS response, vehicle extrication and HazMat response within the city limits.

TheKnoxville Police Departmentserves the citizens of Knoxville with 378 officers and a total of 530 employees.^[173]

911 ambulance service inside Knoxville is provided by AMR Ambulance under contract with Knox County.^[174]

Knoxville is home to theTennessee Supreme Court's courthouse forEast Tennessee.

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.^[175]

List of City Council Members

District	Member	Took Office
1	Tommy Smith	2020
2	Andrew Roberto	2017
3	Seema Singh	2017
4	Lauren Rider	2017
5	Charles Thomas	2019
6	Gwen McKenzie	2017
At-large A	Lynne Fugate	2019
At-large B	Debbie Helsley	2023
At-large C	Amelia Parker	2019

Not to be confused with theMayor of Knox County

Mayors of Knoxville, Tennessee

Thomas Emmerson, 1816-1817[176] James Park, 1818–1821 William C. Mynatt, 1822–1823, 1827, 1835–1836 James Park, 1824–1826 Joseph Churchill Strong, 1828–1831 Donald McIntosh, 1832–1833 Solomon D. Jacobs, 1834–1835 Frederick Steidinger Heiskell, 1835 James King, 1837 William Baine Alexander Ramsey, 1838–1839 Samuel Bell, 1840–1841, 1844–1845 Gideon Morgan Hazen, 1842 Matthew Moore Gaines, 1843 Joseph Lewis King, 1846 Samuel B. Boyd, 1847–1851 George McNutt White, 1852–1853 James C. Luttrell, 1854, 1859–1867 William Graham Swan, 1855–1856 James Harvey Cowan, 1856, 1858 Thomas J. Powell, 1857 Samuel Davies Carrick White, 1857 Albert Morgan Piper, 1858 Charles James McClung, 1858 Joseph Jaques, 1858, 1878 James M. White, 1858 Marcus DeLafayette Bearden, 1868–1869 John Somers Van Gilder, 1870–1872 William Rule, 1873, 1898–1899 Peter Staub, 1874–1875, 1881–1882 Daniel A. Carpenter, 1876–1877 Samuel Bell Luttrell, 1879 Hardy Bryan Branner, 1880 Reuben S. Payne, 1882 William Clark Fulcher, 1883–1884 James Churchwell Luttrell, III, 1885–1887 Martin Condon, 1888–1889 Peter Kern, 1890–1891 M. E. Thompson, 1892–1895 Samuel Gordon Heiskell, 1896–1897, 1900–1901, 1906–1907, 1910–1915 Joseph Tedford McTeer, 1902–1903 John Paul Murphy, 1904 William H. Gass, 1904–1905 John McMillan Brooks, 1908–1909 Sam E. Hill, 1912 John Edgar McMillan, 1916–1919 Ernest Wesley Neal, 1920–1923 Benjamin A. Morton, 1924–1927 James Alexander Fowler, 1928–1929 James A. Trent, 1930–1931 John T. O'Connor, 1932–1935 James W. Elmore, 1936–1937 Walter W. Mynatt, 1938–1939 Frederick Leland "Fred" Allen, 1940–1941 Fred R. Stair, 1942–1943 Erastus Eugene Patton, 1944–1945 Cas Walker, 1946 and 1959 Edward L. Chavannes, 1946–1947 James W. Elmore, Jr., 1948–1951 George Roby Dempster, 1952–1955 Jack W. Dance, 1956–1959 John J. Duncan, 1959–1964 Robert L. Crossley, 1964 Leonard Reid Rogers, 1965–1971 Kyle Testerman, 1972–1975, 1984–1987 Randy Tyree, 1976–1983 Victor Ashe, 1988–2003 Bill Haslam, 2003–2011 Daniel Brown, 2011, first African-American mayor Madeline Rogero, 2011–2019 Indya Kincannon, 2019–

Knoxville is home to themain 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.^[177]The school employs over 1,300 instructional faculty, and offers more than 300 degree programs.^[178]

Pellissippi State Community Collegeis a two-year school governed by theTennessee Board of Regentsthat offerstransferprograms, two-year degrees, and certificate programs. Its main campus is located offPellissippi Parkwayin western Knox County. As of 2011, the school had a system-wide enrollment of over 11,000 students.^[179]

Johnson University(formerly Johnson Bible College) is aBible collegeaffiliated with theChristian churches and churches of Christ. 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.^[180]

South College(formerly Knoxville Business College) is afor-profit schoollocated 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.^[181]

Knoxville Collegewas ahistorically black collegethat 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.^[182]

Institutions withbranch campusesin Knoxville includeCarson-Newman University,King University,Lincoln Memorial University(namely, the Duncan School of Law),National College of Business & Technology,Roane State Community College,Strayer University,Tennessee Wesleyan University, andTusculum University.Virginia Collegeoffers career programs in Knoxville.^[183]Huntington University of Health Sciences, which offersdistance coursesin nutrition and health, has its offices in Knoxville.

Public schools in Knoxville are part of theKnox County Schoolssystem, which oversees 89 schools (50 elementary, 14 middle, 14 high, and 11 adult centers) serving over 56,000 students. This system includes fivemagnet schoolsand aSTEMacademy.^[100]Knox County high schools had a graduation rate of 86.6%, as of 2011.^[184]The average classroom ratio is 14 students per teacher.^[100]

Knox County is home to over 50 private and parochial schools,^[100]the largest of which include theChristian Academy of Knoxville, theWebb School of Knoxville,Knoxville Catholic High School, Grace Christian Academy, Cedar Springs Weekday School, and Sacred Heart Cathedral School.^[185]

TheKnoxville News Sentinelis the local daily newspaper in Knoxville, with a daily circulation of 97,844 and a Sunday circulation of 124,225, as of 2011.^[100]

The Knoxville Focusis a community news publication.^{[186][187][188][189][190][191][192][193][194][195][196][197][198]}

The city is home to several weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly publications.^{[citation needed]}

As of 2011, the Knoxvilletelevision marketwas the 61st largest in the U.S. with 527,790 homes, according to Nielsen Market Research.^[199]The largest local television station isNBCaffiliateWBIR-TV, with 28,305 viewing households, followed byABCaffiliateWATE-TV(23,559),CBSaffiliateWVLT-TV(20,052),FoxaffiliateWTNZ(10,319), andCWaffiliateWBXX-TV(5,415).^[200]Other local stations includeWKNX-TV(Ind.),WVLR(CTN) andWPXK(Ion).East Tennessee PBSoperates Knoxville'sPublic Broadcasting Servicestation at WKOP 17.

Discovery, Inc.operates the formerScripps Networks Interactivecable televisionnetworks from Knoxville, includingHGTV,Magnolia Network,Food NetworkandCooking Channel.^[201]Jewelry Television, 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 toArbitron's 2011 Radio Market Rankings, Knoxville had the nation's 72nd-largest radio market, with 684,700 households.^[202]In 2010,country musicstationWIVK(107.7 FM) had the market's highestAQH shareat 16.3, followed by adult contemporary stationWJXB(97.5 FM) at 10.1, and news/talk stationWCYQ(100.3 FM) at 8.3.^[203]Other stations includeRock musicstationsWIMZ(103.5 FM) andWNFZ(94.3),Rhythmic Top 40stationWKHT(104.5 FM),contemporary hitstationWWST(102.1 FM), andNational Public RadiostationWUOT(91.9 FM). The University of Tennessee radio station operates underWUTK(90.3 FM).

A number of films and television programs were filmed in the city, such as the 1999 filmOctober Sky,^[204]the 2000 filmRoad Tripat theUniversity of Tennesseecampus,^[205]Box of Moonlight, starring John Turturro and Sam Rockwell,^[206]scenes from the 2004 filmThe Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things,^[207][208]Woman In Hiding, a 1949film noirstarring actressIda Lupino,^[209]and the 2017 film,The Last Movie Star, which was one of the last films to starBurt Reynolds.^[210]

Knox County's hospital system contains over 2,600 licensed beds in seven general use hospitals and one children's hospital.^[100]The city's largest hospital as of 2011 was theUniversity of Tennessee Medical Center, which had 581 beds, followed byFort Sanders Regional Medical Center(541), Parkwest Medical Center (462), and Physicians Regional (370).^[211]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.^[212]

2021 County Health Rankings places Knox county at 13th out the 95 counties. Life expectancy was 76.3 years. Health behaviors noted: 19% smokers versus 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.^[213]

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.^[214][215]

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.^[216]The average electric bill was just over $96 per month.^[217]KUB purchases its electricity from theTennessee Valley Authority.^[216]

The two principal interstate highways serving Knoxville areInterstate 40, which connects the city toAsheville(directly) andBristol(viaI-81) to the east andNashvilleto the west, andInterstate 75, which connects the city toChattanoogato the south andLexingtonto the north. The two interstates merge about 20 miles (32 km) west of Downtown Knoxville nearDixie Lee Junctionand diverge as they approach the Downtown area, with I-40 continuing on through the Downtown area and I-75 turning north.Interstate 640provides abypassfor I-40 travelers, andInterstate 275provides a faster connection to I-75 for Downtown travelers headed north. A spur route of I-40,Interstate 140(Pellissippi Parkway), connects West Knoxville withMcGhee Tyson Airportand Maryville.^[218]

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.^[219]

Knoxville's busiest road is a stretch ofU.S. Route 129known as Alcoa Highway, which connects the Downtown area with McGhee Tyson Airport and Maryville.^[220]A merged stretch ofUS-70andUS-11enters 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 alongKingston Pike. US-11 splits intoUS-11Eand11Win Downtown, with the former connecting Knoxville toJefferson CityandMorristown, and the latter withRutledgeandBean 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 withClinton.^[218]

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 withOak Ridgeto 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 theFountain Cityarea to rural northeast Knox County.SR 332(Northshore Drive) connects West Knoxville andConcord.SR 33(Maryville Pike, Maynardville Pike) traverses much of South Knoxville southward, and connects to the suburbs ofHalls CrossroadsandMaynardvillenorthward.^[218]

Four vehicle bridges connect Downtown Knoxville with South Knoxville, namely the South Knoxville Bridge (James White Parkway), theGay Street Bridge(Gay Street), theHenley Street Bridge, 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.^[218]

Public transportation is provided byKnoxville Area Transit(KAT), which operates over 80 buses,road trolleys, andparatransitvehicles, 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 byVeolia Transport.^[221]

Knoxville and the surrounding area is served byMcGhee Tyson Airport(IATA:TYS), a 2,250-acre (910 ha) airport equipped with two runways, one a 10,000-foot (3,000 m) runway, and the other a 9,000-foot (2,700 m) runway. The airport is located 10 miles south of Knoxville inAlcoa, but is owned by the non-profit Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority (MKAA).^[222][223]McGhee Tyson offers eight major airlines serving 19 non-stop destinations, and averages 120 arrivals and departures per day. The airport includes the 21-acre (8.5 ha) Air Cargo Complex, which serves FedEx, UPS, and Airborne Express. TheMcGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base, located adjacent to the civilian airport, is home to theTennessee National Guard's134th Air Refueling Wing.^[224]

The MKAA also owns theDowntown Island Airport, a 200-acre (81 ha)general aviationfacility located on Dickinson's Island in southeast Knoxville. This airport is equipped with a 3,500-foot (1,100 m) runway, and averages about 225 operations per day. Over 100 aircraft, mostly single-engine planes, are based at the airport.^[225]

Rail freight in Knoxville is handled by twoClass I railroads,CSXandNorfolk Southern, and oneshortline, theKnoxville and Holston River Railroad. Railroads account for about 12% of the Knoxville area's outbound freight and 16% of the area's inbound freight.^[226]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.^[226]Knoxville's two old passenger stations, theSouthern Terminaland theL&N Station, now serve non-railroad functions.

Norfolk Southern, which controls about 210 miles (340 km) of tracks in the Knoxville area,^[226]averages 35 freight trains through the city per day,^[227]and operates a majorclassification yard, 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.^[226]The Norfolk Southern system includes spur lines to the coal fields aroundMiddlesboro, Kentucky, and the ALCOA plants in Blount County.^[226]

CSX controls about 76 miles (122 km) 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.^[226]Minor switching operations for CSX occur at the TransFlo facility near the U.T. campus.^[226]The CSX system includes spur lines to TVA'sBull Run Fossil Plantand theOak Ridge National Laboratoryin Anderson County, and the ALCOA plants in Blount County.^[226]

The Knoxville and Holston River Railroad (KXHR) is a subsidiary ofGulf and Ohio Railways, a shortline holding company headquartered at theJames Park Housein Downtown Knoxville. The KXHR operates a 19-mile (31 km) 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 ortransloadedonto trucks.^[226]The KXHR also manages theKnoxville Locomotive Worksat the Coster Yard, and operates theThree Rivers Rambler, a tourist train that runs along the riverfront.^[228]

Until the mid-20th century three railroads and their stations operated regular trains, serving points north, east, south and west: theLouisville and Nashville Railroad'sL&N Station(last train operating there, 1968), theSmoky Mountain Railroad's station and theSouthern Railway'sSouthern Terminal(last train operating there, 1970).

Knoxville is an international port connected via navigable channels to the nation's inland waterways and theGulf of Mexico. The city's waterfront lies just under 700 river miles from theMississippi River(via theTennesseeandOhiorivers),^[229]and just under 900 river miles fromMobile, Alabama, on the Gulf of Mexico (via the Tennessee River andTennessee-Tombigbee Waterway).^[230]TVA maintains a minimum 9-foot (2.7 m) channel on the entirety of the Tennessee River. The minimum size of locks on Tennessee River and Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway dams is 600 feet (180 m) by 110 feet (34 m).^[231]

Most commercial shipping on the Tennessee River is provided bybarges, which deliver on average half a million tons of cargo to Knoxville per year, mostlyasphalt, road salt, and steel andcoke.^[232]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.^[232]Knoxville Barge and Chattanooga-based Serodino, Inc., provide barge shipping services to and from the city.

Recreational craft that frequent the river include smalljohnboats, 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 theVolunteer Princess, a luxury yacht, and theStar of Knoxville, apaddlewheel riverboat.

Knoxville has appeared in music, literature and television. Film directorQuentin Tarantinowas born in Knoxville, and the city and East Tennessee are frequently mentioned in his films, such as in the 1994 filmPulp Fiction, in whichBruce Willis' character (and the watch given to him byChristopher Walken's character) is from Knoxville.^[233]

In literature, authorCormac McCarthyis from Knoxville, and several of his books feature the city, such asSuttree, a 1979 semi-autobiographical novel.James Ageealso lived in the city, and his 1957 posthumous autobiographical novelA Death in the Familyprovides 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.^[234]

Mark Twainwrote about a gunfight indowntown KnoxvilleinvolvingJoseph Mabry Jr., owner of the city's antebellumMabry-Hazen HouseinLife on the Mississippifrom 1883. Several other books take place in fictionalized versions of the city, such as the 1915Anne W. Armstrongnovel,The Seas of God,^[235]andDavid Madden's 1974 novel,Bijou, is set in a fictional city known as "Cherokee", based on Knoxville.^[236]

The first part ofJames Herman Robinson's 1950 autobiography,The Road Without Turning, takes place in Knoxville,^{[importance?]}and "The Man in the Overstuffed Chair", a 1985 short story by playwrightTennessee Williams, gives a brief description of the death of Williams' father, Cornelius, at a Knoxville hospital, and his subsequent burial atOld Gray Cemetery.^[237]

Pulitzer Prize-winning authorPeter Taylor'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, GovernorRobert Love Taylor, was originally buried in 1912.^[238]

Swiss travel writerAnnemarie Schwarzenbachvisited 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.^[239]

A number of songs and music compositions are about or feature Knoxville as well. "The Knoxville Girl", first recorded in 1924, is traditionalAppalachian ballad. Classical composerSamuel Barber's "Knoxville: Summer of 1915" from 1947 is a voice & orchestra piece based on 1938 short prose byJames Agee.Dire StraitsguitaristMark Knopflerrecorded a song entitled "Daddy's Gone to Knoxville" on his 2002 solo album,The Ragpicker's Dream,^{[citation needed]}"The Ballad of Thunder Road" byRobert Mitchumreferences Knoxville's Bearden community, and other musicians such asSteve Earle,Ronnie Milsap, andHank Williams, Jr.have mentioned the city in lyrics. Hank Williams, Hank Jr.'s father, spent hislast day alivein Knoxville as well. Country singerKenny Chesneyis 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.^[240][241]

Knoxville has sevensister citiesas designated bySister Cities International:^[242]

• Yesan, Republic of Korea
• Chełm,Lublin Voivodeship, Poland
• Chengdu,Sichuan, People's Republic of China
• Kaohsiung, Republic of China
• Larissa, Greece
• Muroran,Hokkaido, Japan
• Neuquen, Argentina

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Knox County, Tennessee
• List of people from Knoxville, Tennessee

• Official website
• Knoxville Tourism and Sports Corporation
• KnoxvilleatCurlie