East Tennessee Area
Information for New Fort Sanders Employees
| Knoxville and Knox County |
Knoxville, Tennessee
You're Going To Love Knoxville,... A Home For You!
Move to Knoxville and you'll become part of a wonderful cosmopolitan and sophisticated area, of more than 366,846 residents. Quite simply, it's the unique appeal of a cosmopolitan city that just happens to be nestled in the shadows of the Great Smoky Mountains. A city in fact, which is less than a two-hour drive no less from five national parks, seven state parks, and seven lakes, where opportunities abound for outdoor recreation, scenic tours, and relaxation. Knoxville has been designated as a rapid growth area within the New South.
Knoxville is the largest city in East Tennessee and ranks third largest in the state. It is located in a broad valley between the Cumberland Mountains to the Northwest and the Great Smoky Mountains to the southeast. These two mountain ranges help provide a moderate climate, with annual average temperature of 60 degrees. There are 97.2 square miles in the City of Knoxville and 526 square miles in all of Knox County. Downtown Knoxville is 936 feet above sea level.
A city surrounded by cutting-edge scientific research centers, where the technologies of tomorrow are developed and nurtured. A place with a climate that's as friendly and accommodating as its people. And a city whose extensive shoreline allows fans to travel to football games by boat----and where, suddenly around a bend in the lake, the Great Smoky Mountains appear as if by magic.
Knoxville is truly coming of age as a world-renowned metropolitan area. At the same time, Knoxville is made up of communities that pride themselves on a friendly "small town" atmosphere. This is a city where you will find an abundance of neighbors that say "welcome" and make you realize that Knoxville loves to meet people.
The more you learn about Knoxville the more you'll be convinced that this is a great place to settle down and raise a family.
Knoxville/Knox County has 5,596 acres of park and recreation space, including 27 recreation center, 6 senior citizen centers, 144 playgrounds and parks, 103 tennis courts, 20 public golf courses, and 14 greenways and walking trails. Two big attractions for both young and old are the Knoxville Zoological Gardens and Ijams Nature Center.
Knoxville Zoological Gardens
www.knoxville-zoo.org
Interstate 40 at Rutledge Pike - exit 392
(follow the brown and white signs)
637-5331
|
Ijams Nature Center
www.ijams.org
2915 Island Home Ave.
577-4717
|
The Knoxville Speed provide professional hockey at the Coliseum October through March. National championship UT sports teams draw thousands of enthusiasts to games each year. Special seasonal events include the Dogwood Arts Festival and The Expo 10,000 race in the spring; Hot Summer Nights and Festival on the Fourth in the summer; Boomsday and the Artists' Extravaganza in the fall; and Christmas in the City in December.
The nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the country's most visited national park with 10.2 million visitors in 2000. Knoxvillians and visitors alike enjoy the beauty and leisure activities that can be found there and at the numerous state parks, lakes and resorts which dot the area.
Knoxville supports an active tourism and convention trade. The new Knoxville Convention Center, a new 500,000-square foot meeting facility on the World's Fair Park site, is expected to open in 2002. The center will include spacious meeting rooms and a 400-seat lecture hall. Other local facilities are a large civic coliseum/auditorium, an exhibition hall/convention center, and a 25,000-seat arena. In 1998, travelers spent more than $492 million in Knox County, ranking it fifth in the state for visitor expenditures. Over 8,500 people are employed in travel related jobs in Knox County.
The Knoxville Symphony, the Knoxville Opera Company, and the Tennessee Children's Dance Ensemble are among the many exceptional arts organizations in Knoxville. Additional dance companies, civic choral groups, and nine theaters also help celebrate the arts. The Knoxville Museum of Art features changing exhibits throughout the year. Many libraries, historic sites, and museums, such as the Museum of Appalachia, add to the cultural value of the Knoxville area.
The Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority operates two airports in the city. Information and maps showing the gates and parking areas for these airports is available through the McGhee Tyson Airport (the largest airport facility in East Tennessee) and through the Downtown Island Home Airport websites.