About East Tennessee

Knoxville is nestled in the middle of East Tennessee at the intersection of Interstates 40 and 75. It lies on the Tennessee River, which immediately becomes Ft. Loudon Lake. Knoxville is located near the most visited National Park in the country, The Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

The nearby McGhee/Tyson Airport gives ready accessibility to the area and ensures direct connections to major airports such as Atlanta, Washington, Chicago, St. Louis, Philadelphia and New York.

The people are friendly and so is the climate. Knoxville enjoys four gentle seasons, each with its own charm. And certain traditions have persisted, like making visitors feel at home. That is the kind of people East Tennesseeans are—helpful and hospitable.

Knoxville residents enjoy the pleasant pace of life and the opportunity to combine the attractions of the city with the outdoor fun of a vacation area. The beauty of living or visiting here is that you can easily spend a day on the lake or in the mountains and be back for a night on the town.

In the heart of the Tennessee Valley, Knoxville is an energy center, headquarters of the The Tennessee Valley Authority, the nation’s largest public utility. Knoxville is a learning center, home of The University of Tennessee, which adds dimension and depth to the life of the city, while more than 26,000 students keep it young.

The arts are lively in Knoxville. The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and Knoxville Opera Company provide a full range of musical performances, while some of the world’s best jazz musicians can be found in Knoxville nightspots and concert venues. The Tennessee Amphitheater, an open air theater, offers concerts under the stars. UT’s theaters have a playbill ranging from Shakespeare to contemporary drama and comedy. Ballet, community performing arts groups, and a zoo provide numerous cultural activities.

UT sports teams, including the 1998 national championship football team and the Lady Vols, bring out the fans fall, winter, and spring. The area also features a minor league (AA) baseball team appropriately named the "Smokies" and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.

Knoxville is only about 35 miles from the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, which attracts nine million visitors every year. There are miles of hiking trails, camp sites, streams and mountains, wild flowers, and historical sites.

The Pigeon Forge-Gatlinburg area, on the northern edge of the Great Smoky Mountains, provides numerous shops, restaurants, and a national folk art center. And, of course, there is Dollywood for the children (and grown-ups, too). The new Ripley’s Aquarium is an exciting attraction.

In addition to the Smokies, Knoxville is surrounded by the Cumberland Mountains and the Blue Ridge ranges. The area also includes TVA’s Great Lakes of the South. Ft. Loudon, Norris, Cherokee, Douglas, Melton Hill and Watts Bar lakes are within easy driving distance from Knoxville. The area’s sheer beauty may only be surpassed by the number of recreational opportunities. Tennis, golf, horseback riding, jogging, biking, swimming, water skiing, whitewater canoeing, boating, fishing and camping opportunities abound.

Related Links

• About Knoxville
• The Knoxville News-Sentinel
• The Knoxville-Oak Ridge Regional Network KORRnet
• Knoxville Weather