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Knoxville Overview
Home » Tennessee » Knoxville Overview and History » Knoxville OverviewKnoxville is located near the center of the Great Valley of East Tennessee. Knoxville is the largest city in East Tennessee and the third largest in the state of Tennessee behind Memphis and Nashville. Knoxville is northwest of the Cumberland Mountains and southeast of the Great Smoky Mountains.
Before European settlement, the valley was settled by the Cherokee Indians. In 1786 James White, founder of Knoxville, established his home there as a fort and clusters of cabins known as White’s Fort. In 1791 William Blount, the territorial governor of the Southwest Territory, moved the territorial capital there and renamed the community to Knoxville. The name Knoxville was in honor of Henry Knox who served as an American Revolutionary War general and President Washington’s Secretary of State. By 1794, Knoxville was home to Blount College which later became known as the University of Tennessee. Knoxville was the territorial capital until 1796 when Tennessee was established as a state. Knoxville was the first capital of the state until 1815 at which time the capital was moved to Murfreesboro.
During the American Civil War, Knoxville was a desired asset because of its river access, railroad connections, and desirable location. The Siege of Knoxville began when General Longstreet was sent to distract the Union forces by placing Knoxville under siege which lasted for two weeks. The attempt was unsuccessful when Longstreet failed to capture Knoxville.
After the war, Knoxville’s economy was rebuilt through commerce, industry, and natural resources of lumber, coal, and marble. It was in the 1930s that the Tennessee Valley Authority was formed. It transformed the valley with flood control and power-generating dams on the Tennessee River and created low cost electricity. This brought the arrival of residents and economic opportunities to Knoxville.
World War II brought an extremely secret nuclear power program called the “Manhattan Project” to Knoxville. The Knoxville area continued to grow with the arrival of major air transportation and highways.
In 1974 Knoxville was designated as the streaking capital of the world by Walter Cronkite. In the spring of that year, an estimated 5,000 people stripped off their clothes on Cumberland Avenue.
In 1982, the Knoxville World’s Fair transformed the city. The theme of the six month fair was “Energy Turns the World” and the fair was visited by 11 million people. The fair was built on the grounds of a railroad yard located next to the downtown Knoxville area and the University of Tennessee. The Sunsphere is a 266 foot steel tower with a five story bronze globe that was built for the fair and still stands today as a symbol for the city of Knoxville.
Knoxville is known for being the home of the University of Tennessee Volunteers and was recently ranked 9th in the 2006 America’s 50th Hottest Cities. Although Knoxville is a large city, it abounds with small town charm and hospitality. It is a great place to vacation, bring the family and experience a bit of history. Knoxville is well equipped to handle your company’s conventions with its 500,000 square foot convention center, over 7,000 guest rooms, and free downtown trolley service. Knoxville is full of museums, theater, year round festivals, the Knoxville Zoo, and a variety of other attractions. Located right outside of Knoxville in the city of Pigeon Forge is Dollywood, a popular theme park owned by the famous entertainer Dolly Parton.
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