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'''Knoxville''' is the largest city in East [[Tennessee (U.S. state)|Tennessee]] and the county seat of Knox County. In 2020, its population was 190,740,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/knoxvillecitytennessee/POP060210|title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Knoxville city, Tennessee|website=census.gov}}</ref> making it the state of Tennessee's third-most-populous city (after [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] and [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]]).<ref name=2010census>U.S. Census Bureau, [http://2010.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=47 2010 Census Interactive Population Search] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121193614/http://2010.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=47 |date=January 21, 2012 }}. Retrieved: December 20, 2011.</ref> In 2020, the larger metropolitan area had 879,773 people.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/2020-population-and-housing-state-data.html |title=2020 Population and Housing State Data |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division |date=August 12, 2021 |access-date=March 25, 2023}}</ref>

First settled in 1786, Knoxville was the first capital of Tennessee. The city struggled with geographic isolation throughout the early 19th century; the [[History of rail transportation in the United States#Early period (1826–1860)|arrival of the railroad]] in 1855 led to an economic boom.<ref name=wheeler/> The city was bitterly [[Tennessee in the American Civil War#Tennessee secedes|divided over the issue of secession]] during the [[American Civil War]] and was occupied alternately by [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] and [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] armies, culminating in the [[Battle of Fort Sanders]] in 1863.<ref name=wheeler/> Following the war, Knoxville grew rapidly as a major wholesaling and manufacturing center. The city's economy stagnated after the 1920s as the [[Great Depression in the United States|manufacturing sector collapsed]], the [[Urban decay|downtown area declined]] and city leaders became entrenched in highly partisan political fights.<ref name=wheeler/> Hosting the [[1982 World's Fair]] helped reinvigorate the city,<ref name=wheeler/> and [[Urban Regeneration|revitalization initiatives]] by city leaders and private developers have had major successes in spurring growth in the city, especially the downtown area.<ref>"Ask Doc Knox", "[https://web.archive.org/web/20130725133226/http://blogs.metropulse.com/ask_dr_knox/2011/11/downtowns-homegrown-revival.html Downtown's Homegrown Revival]", ''Metro Pulse'', November 16, 2011. Accessed at the Internet Archive, October 1, 2015.</ref>

Knoxville is the home of the flagship campus of the [[University of Tennessee]], whose sports teams, the [[Tennessee Volunteers]], are popular in the surrounding area. Knoxville is also home to the headquarters of the [[Tennessee Valley Authority]], the [[Tennessee Supreme Court]]'s courthouse for East Tennessee, and the corporate headquarters of several national and regional companies. As one of the largest cities in the [[Appalachia]]n region, Knoxville has positioned itself in recent years as a repository of Appalachian culture and is one of the gateways to the [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]].<ref name="hillville">{{cite web |last=King |first=Niki |title=Urban Appalachia: Who, Where and What is it?! |url=https://thehillville.com/2011/12/12/urban-appalachia-who-where-and-what-is-it/ |website=The Hillville |access-date=July 28, 2020 |date=December 12, 2011 |quote=Knoxville, Roanoke and Pittsburgh all had spots in Planetizen’s list of top 100 public spaces, an indication of the urban-loving lifestyles that flourish there. }}</ref><ref name="blueridge">{{cite web |last=Harlan |first=Will |title=Knoxville plans greenway to the Smokies |url=https://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/go-outside/knoxville-plans-greenway-to-the-smokies/ |website=Blue Ridge Outdoors |access-date=July 28, 2020 |date=November 29, 2012 |quote=Knoxville, the self-proclaimed 'Gateway to the Smokies', has big plans to build a greenway system that connects it to the country’s most popular national park. }}</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of Knoxville, Tennessee}}
{{For timeline}}

===Early history===
The first people to form substantial settlements in what is now Knoxville were indigenous people who arrived during the [[Woodland period]] ({{c.}} 1000 B.C. to 1000 A.D.).<ref name="Fletcher Jolly III 1976">Fletcher Jolly III, "40KN37: An Early Woodland Habitation Site in Knox County, Tennessee", ''Tennessee Archaeologist'' 31, nos. 1–2 (1976), 51.</ref> One of the oldest artificial structures in Knoxville is a [[University of Tennessee Agriculture Farm Mound|burial mound]] constructed during the early [[Mississippian culture]] period ({{c.}} 1000–1400 A.D.). The earthwork mound has been preserved, but the campus of the University of Tennessee developed around it.<ref>Frank H. McClung Museum, "[http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/permanent/native/woodland.shtml Woodland Period] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120412122905/http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/permanent/native/woodland.shtml |date=April 12, 2012 }}". Retrieved: March 25, 2008.</ref>

Other prehistoric sites include an Early Woodland habitation area at the confluence of the Tennessee River and Knob Creek (near the [[Knox County, Tennessee|Knox]]–[[Blount County, Tennessee|Blount]] county line),<ref name="Fletcher Jolly III 1976"/> and [[Dallas phase]] Mississippian villages at Post Oak Island (also along the river near the Knox–Blount line),<ref>James Strange, "An Unusual Late Prehistoric Pipe from Post Oak Island (40KN23)", ''Tennessee Archaeologist'' 30, no. 1 (1974), 80.</ref> and at [[Bussell Island]] (at the mouth of the [[Little Tennessee River]] near [[Lenoir City, Tennessee|Lenoir City]]).<ref>Richard Polhemus, ''The Toqua Site—40MR6'', Vol. I (Norris, Tenn.: Tennessee Valley Authority, 1987), 1240-1246.</ref>

By the 18th century, the [[Cherokee]], an [[Iroquoian language]] people, had become the dominant tribe in the East Tennessee region; they are believed to have migrated centuries before from the [[Great Lakes region]]. They were frequently at war with the [[Muscogee|Creek]] and [[Shawnee]].<ref>Cora Tula Watters, "Shawnee". ''The Encyclopedia of Appalachia'' (Knoxville, Tenn.: University of Tennessee Press, 2006), 278-279.</ref><ref>Ima Stephens, "Creek", ''The Encyclopedia of Appalachia'' (Knoxville, Tenn.: University of Tennessee Press, 2006), 252-253.</ref> The Cherokee people called the Knoxville area ''kuwanda'talun'yi'', which means "mulberry place".<ref>[[James Mooney]], ''Myths of the Cherokee and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokee'' (Nashville: Charles Elder, 1972—reprint from 1891 and 1900), 526.</ref> Most Cherokee habitation in the area was concentrated in what the American colonists called the [[Overhill Cherokee|Overhill settlements]] along the [[Little Tennessee River]], southwest of Knoxville.

The first white traders and explorers were recorded as arriving in the [[Tennessee Valley]] in the late 17th century. There is significant evidence that Spanish explorer [[Hernando de Soto (explorer)|Hernando de Soto]] visited Bussell Island in 1540.<ref>[[Jefferson Chapman]], ''Tellico Archaeology: 12,000 Years of Native American History'' (Norris, Tenn.: Tennessee Valley Authority, 1985), 97.</ref> The first major recorded Euro-American presence in the Knoxville area was the [[Timberlake Expedition]], which passed through the confluence of the [[Holston River|Holston]] and [[French Broad River|French Broad]] into the Tennessee River in December 1761. [[Henry Timberlake]], an Anglo-American emissary from the [[Thirteen Colonies]] to 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.<ref>Henry Timberlake, Samuel Williams (ed.), ''Memoirs, 1756–1765'' (Marietta, Georgia: Continental Book Co., 1948), 54.</ref>

===Settlement===
[[File:James White's Fort 20.jpg|thumb|[[James White's Fort]] in downtown Knoxville]]
The end of the [[French and Indian War]] and confusion brought about by the [[American Revolutionary War|American Revolution]] led to a drastic increase in Euro-American settlement west of the [[Appalachian Mountains]].<ref>William MacArthur, ''Knoxville, Crossroads of the New South'' (Tulsa, Okla.: Continental Heritage Press, 1982), 1-15.</ref> 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.<ref>Yong Kim, ''The Sevierville Hill Site: A Civil War Union Encampment on the Southern Heights of Knoxville, Tennessee'' (Knoxville, Tenn.: University of Tennessee Transportation Center, 1993), 9.</ref>

In 1786, [[James White (general)|James White]], a [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]] officer, and his friend James Connor built [[James White's Fort|White's Fort]] near the mouth of First Creek, on land White had purchased three years earlier.<ref name="ReferenceA">Kim, ''The Sevierville Hill Site'', 9.</ref> 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 {{convert|0.5|acre|adj=on}} 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 the [[University of Tennessee]], which uses Blount College's founding date of 1794 as its own.

In 1790, President [[George Washington]] appointed North Carolina surveyor [[William Blount]] governor of the newly created [[Territory 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.<ref>MacArthur, 17.</ref> This he accomplished almost immediately with the [[Treaty 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 the [[Clinch River]] and Tennessee River (now [[Kingston, Tennessee|Kingston]]), 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 War [[Henry Knox]], who at the time was Blount's immediate superior.<ref>William MacArthur, Jr., ''Knoxville: Crossroads of the New South'' (Tulsa, Oklahoma: Continental Heritage Press, 1982), 17-22.</ref>

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 chief [[Hanging Maw]] for negotiations in 1793, Knoxville settlers attacked the Cherokee against orders, killing the chief's wife. Peace was renegotiated in 1794.<ref>G. H. Stueckrath, "[http://www.knoxcotn.org/history/debow.html Incidents in the Early Settlement of East Tennessee and Knoxville] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090401050724/http://www.knoxcotn.org/history/debow.html |date=April 1, 2009 }}". Originally published in ''De Bow's Review'' Vol. XXVII (October 1859), O.S. Enlarged Series. Vol. II, No. 4, N.S. Pages 407-419. Transcribed for web content by Billie McNamara, 1999–2002. Retrieved: February 25, 2008.</ref>

===Antebellum era===
[[File:Craighead-Jackson House 01.jpg|thumb|The [[Craighead-Jackson House]] in Knoxville, built in 1818]]

Knoxville served as capital of the Southwest Territory and as capital of Tennessee (admitted as a state in 1796) until 1817,<ref name="ReferenceA"/> when the capital was moved to [[Murfreesboro, Tennessee|Murfreesboro]]. Early Knoxville has been described as an "alternately quiet and rowdy river town".<ref name="wheeler"/> Early issues of the ''[[The Knoxville Gazette|Knoxville 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.<ref>MacArthur, ''Knoxville: Crossroads of the New South'', 23.</ref>

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 brought [[flatboat]] and later [[steamboat]] traffic 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 the [[Deep South]].<ref name="ReferenceA"/> The population of Knoxville more than doubled in the 1850s with the arrival of the [[East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad]] in 1855.<ref name="wheeler"/>

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 replace [[Andrew Jackson]] in the U.S. Senate in 1825. In 1836, White ran unsuccessfully for president, representing the [[Whig Party (United States)|Whig Party]].<ref>Jonathan Atkins, "[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=1497 Hugh Lawson White] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702071628/http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=1497 |date=July 2, 2017 }}". ''The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture'', 2002. Retrieved: February 26, 2008.</ref>

===American Civil War===
{{Main|Knoxville Campaign}}

{{See also|Battle of Fort Sanders}}
[[File:Charles-douglas-shooting-1862.jpg|thumb|right|Engraving of a Confederate soldier firing at Union supporter Charles Douglas on Gay Street in Knoxville in late 1861]]
Anti-slavery and anti-secession sentiment ran high in East Tennessee in the years leading up to the Civil War. [[Parson Brownlow|William "Parson" Brownlow]], the radical publisher of the [[Brownlow's Whig|Knoxville Whig]], was one of the region's leading anti-secessionists (although he strongly defended the practice of slavery).<ref>Forrest Conklin, "[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=150 William Gannaway "Parson" Brownlow] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303210116/http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=150 |date=March 3, 2016 }}". ''The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture'', 2002. Retrieved: February 27, 2008.</ref> Blount County, just south of Knoxville, had developed into a center of abolitionist activity, due in part to its relatively large [[Quakers|Quaker]] faction and the anti-slavery president of [[Maryville College]], Isaac Anderson.<ref>Durwood Dunn, ''Cades Cove: The Life and Death of An Appalachian Community'' (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1988), 125.</ref> The [[Greater Warner Tabernacle AME Zion Church, Knoxville|Greater Warner Tabernacle AME Zion Church]] was reportedly a station on the [[Underground Railroad]].<ref>Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission, "[http://www.knoxmpc.org/historic/areas/citylist.htm Designated Properties: Knoxville Historic Zoning Commission] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070712083132/http://www.knoxmpc.org/historic/areas/citylist.htm |date=July 12, 2007 }}". Retrieved: February 27, 2008.</ref>

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 ranks [[J. G. M. Ramsey]], a prominent historian whose father had built the [[Ramsey House (Knox County, Tennessee)|Ramsey House]] in 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 the [[East Tennessee Convention]] met at Temperance Hall in Knoxville in hopes of keeping Tennessee in the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]]. After Tennessee voted to secede in June, the convention met in [[Greeneville, Tennessee|Greeneville]] and attempted to create a separate Union-aligned state in East Tennessee.<ref>MacArthur, ''Knoxville: Crossroads of the New South'', 42-44.</ref><ref>Eric Lacy, ''Vanquished Volunteers: East Tennessee Sectionalism from Statehood to Secession'' (Johnson City, Tenn.: East Tennessee State University Press, 1965), pp. 217–233.</ref>

[[File:SiegeofKnoxville.jpg|thumb|left|Photograph showing the aftermath of the siege of Knoxville, December 1863]]

[[File:Holstontreaty.JPG|thumb|Statue representing the signing of the Treaty of the Holston in downtown Knoxville]]In July 1861, after Tennessee had joined the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]], General [[Felix Zollicoffer]] arrived in Knoxville as commander of the District of East Tennessee. While initially lenient toward the city's Union sympathizers, Zollicoffer instituted [[martial law]] in November, after pro-Union guerrillas [[East Tennessee bridge burnings|burned seven of the city's bridges]]. The command of the district passed briefly to [[George B. Crittenden|George Crittenden]] and then to [[Edmund Kirby Smith|Kirby Smith]], who launched an [[Confederate Heartland Offensive|unsuccessful invasion of Kentucky]] in August 1862. In early 1863, General [[Simon Bolivar Buckner|Simon Buckner]] took command of Confederate forces in Knoxville. Anticipating a Union invasion, Buckner fortified Fort Loudon (in West Knoxville, not to be confused with the [[Fort Loudoun (Tennessee)|colonial fort]] to the southwest) and began constructing earthworks throughout the city. However, the approach of stronger Union forces under [[Ambrose Burnside]] in the summer of 1863 forced Buckner to evacuate Knoxville before the earthworks were completed.<ref>Kim, ''The Sevierville Hill Site'', 10.</ref>

Burnside arrived in early September 1863, beginning the [[Knoxville 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 from [[Loudon, Tennessee|Loudon]], 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.<ref>Kim, ''The Sevierville Hill Site'', 10-12.</ref>

As Burnside was fortifying Knoxville, a Confederate army under [[Braxton Bragg]] defeated Union forces under [[William Rosecrans]] at the [[Battle of Chickamauga]] (near the Tennessee-Georgia line) and laid siege to [[Chattanooga, Tennessee|Chattanooga]]. On November 3, 1863, the Confederates sent General [[James Longstreet]] to 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, General [[Joseph Wheeler]] unsuccessfully attempted to dislodge Union forces in the heights of south Knoxville, and the following day Longstreet failed to cut off retreating Union forces at the [[Battle of Campbell's Station]] (now [[Farragut, Tennessee|Farragut]]).

On November 18, Union General [[William P. Sanders]] was mortally wounded while conducting delaying maneuvers west of Knoxville, and Fort Loudon was renamed Fort Sanders in his honor. On November 29, following a [[Siege of Knoxville|two-week siege]], the Confederates [[Battle of Fort Sanders|attacked Fort Sanders]] but failed after a fierce 20-minute engagement. On December 4, after word of the Confederate [[Chattanooga campaign|defeat at Chattanooga]] reached Longstreet, he broke his siege of Knoxville.<ref>Kim, ''The Sevierville Hill Site'', 15-17.</ref> The Union victories in the Knoxville campaign and at Chattanooga put much of East Tennessee under Union control for the rest of the war.

===Reconstruction and the Industrial Age===
[[File:Knoxville-republic-quarry.jpg|thumb|upright|Early-1900s photograph of the Republic Marble Quarry near Knoxville]]

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 the [[Welsh Tract]] in [[Pennsylvania]] to work in a rolling mill. These Welsh families settled in an area now known as [[Mechanicsville, Knoxville|Mechanicsville]].<ref name=atkin>[http://caloncymreig.tnhillbillie.net/content/view/89/32/ The Old Atkin Street Church and Knoxville's Welsh Community] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130413204148/http://caloncymreig.tnhillbillie.net/content/view/89/32/ |date=April 13, 2013 }}. Originally published in the ''Knoxville Journal and Tribune''. Retrieved: September 7, 2010.</ref> The Richards brothers also co-founded the Knoxville Iron Works beside the [[L&N Railroad]], also employing Welsh workers. Later, the site was used as the grounds for the [[1982 World's Fair]].<ref name="hindsight">{{cite web |last=Neely |first=Jack |title=1982 World's Fair in Hindsight |url=https://knoxvillehistoryproject.org/1982-worlds-fair-in-hindsight/ |website=Knoxville History Project |access-date=April 22, 2022 |date=April 2022 |archive-date=May 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522222415/https://knoxvillehistoryproject.org/1982-worlds-fair-in-hindsight/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Knoxville-knitting-works-1910.jpg|thumb|left|Child labor at Knoxville Knitting Works, photographed by [[Lewis Wickes Hine]] in 1910]]

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.<ref name=wheelereoa>William Bruce Wheeler, "Knoxville, Tennessee". ''The Encyclopedia of Appalachia'' (Knoxville, Tenn.: University of Tennessee Press, 2006), 375.</ref> By the 1890s, Knoxville was home to more than 50 wholesaling houses, making it the third largest wholesaling center by volume in the South.<ref name=wheelereoa/> The [[Candoro Marble Works]], established in the community of Vestal in 1914, became the nation's foremost producer of [[Tennessee marble|pink marble]] and one of the nation's largest marble importers.<ref>Linda Snodgrass, "[http://notes.utk.edu/bio/unistudy.nsf/7332b42094ea15f685256bbc005814ba/c48e4cd3bc2fbf1185256bc0006da6ee The Candoro Marble Works] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090628100005/http://notes.utk.edu/bio/unistudy.nsf/7332b42094ea15f685256bbc005814ba/c48e4cd3bc2fbf1185256bc0006da6ee |date=June 28, 2009 }}". 2000. Retrieved: February 28, 2008.</ref> In 1896, Knoxville celebrated its achievements by creating its own flag.<ref>Found in Knoxville City Code of Ordinances Chapter 1, Section 1-12 www.knoxvilletn.gov/government/city_ordinances_charter</ref> The [[Flag of Knoxville, Tennessee]] represents the city's progressive growth due to agriculture and industry.<ref>"Statement as to the Adoption of the Knoxville City Flag", November 6, 1896, Knoxville Minute Book, Book L, p.380.</ref>

In 1869, Thomas Humes, a Union sympathizer and president of East Tennessee University, secured federal post-war damage reimbursement and state-designated [[Morrill Land-Grant Acts|Morrill Act]] funding to expand the college, which had been occupied by both armies during the war. [[Charles William Dabney|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.<ref name="The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, 2002">Milton Klein, "[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=1429 University of Tennessee] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110830171619/http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=1429|date=August 30, 2011}}". ''The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, 2002. Retrieved: February 28, 2008.''</ref>

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.<ref name=wheeler>W. Bruce Wheeler, "[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=745 Knoxville] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120427042406/http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=745 |date=April 27, 2012 }}". ''The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture'', 2002. Retrieved: February 28, 2008.</ref> In 1901, train robber [[Harvey Logan|Kid Curry]] (whose real name was Harvey Logan), a member of [[Butch Cassidy]]'s [[Wild Bunch]] was 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.<ref name="kidcurry">{{cite news |title=Butch Cassidy partner 'Kid Curry' earned Knoxville notoriety |url=https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/2018/06/26/butch-cassidy-partner-kid-curry-earned-knoxville-notoriety/735411002/ |access-date=July 10, 2022 |work=[[Knoxville News Sentinel]] |date=June 27, 2018}}</ref>

===Progressive Era and the Great Depression===
[[File:kingstonpike.jpg|thumb|right|Kingston Pike, {{c.}} 1910, with the former Cherokee Bridge]]

Knoxville hosted the Appalachian Exposition in 1910 and 1911 and the [[National Conservation Exposition]] in 1913. The latter is sometimes credited with giving rise to the movement to create a [[national park]] in the Great Smoky Mountains, some {{convert|20|mi}} south of Knoxville.<ref name="Jack Neely 2006">Jack Neely, "Knoxville, Tennessee". ''The Encyclopedia of Appalachia'' (Knoxville, Tenn.: University of Tennessee Press, 2006), 654.</ref> Around this time, several affluent Knoxvillians began purchasing summer cottages in [[Elkmont, Tennessee|Elkmont]] and began to pursue the park idea more vigorously. They were led by Knoxville businessman Colonel [[David 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. The [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]] opened in 1933.<ref>Carlos Campbell, ''Birth of a National Park In the Great Smoky Mountains'' (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1969), 13-18, 32.</ref>

[[File:Knoxville-gay-street-1900s.jpg|thumb|left|Gay Street in the early 1900s]]

Knoxville's reliance on a manufacturing economy left it particularly vulnerable to the effects of the [[Great 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 the [[Tennessee Valley Authority]] (TVA) in 1933. Beginning with [[Norris Dam]], TVA constructed a series of [[Hydroelectricity|hydroelectric dams]] and other power plants throughout the valley over the next few decades, bringing flood control, jobs, and electricity to the region.<ref name=wheelertva>W. Bruce Wheeler, "[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=1362 Tennessee Valley Authority] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110830171439/http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=1362 |date=August 30, 2011 }}". ''The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture'', 2002. Retrieved: February 28, 2008.</ref> The Federal [[Works Progress Administration|Works Projects Administration]], which also arrived in the 1930s, helped build [[McGhee Tyson Airport]] and expand [[Neyland Stadium]].<ref name=wheeler/> 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 Gunther]] dubbed Knoxville the "ugliest city" in America in his best-selling book ''[[Inside U.S.A. (book)|Inside 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.<ref name="Jack Neely 2006"/>

===1982 World's Fair and 20th century===
[[File: Nitrogen determination apparatus, part of research conducted during World War II by the Tennessee Valley Authority and the University of Tennessee, 1942.jpg|thumb|upright|Research laboratory at U.T. in the early 1940s]]
Knoxville's textile and manufacturing industries largely fell victim to foreign competition in the 1950s and 1960s, and after the establishment of the [[Interstate Highway System]] in 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 of [[Bearden, Knoxville|Bearden]] and [[Fountain City, Knoxville|Fountain City]], which were Knoxville's largest [[suburb]]s, in 1962.<ref name="big180">{{cite web |last=Neely |first=Jack |title=THE BIG 1-8-0 |url=https://knoxvillehistoryproject.org/the-big-1-8-0/ |website=The Knoxville History Project |access-date=February 22, 2021}}</ref> Knoxville officials attempted the annexation of the neighboring [[Farragut, Tennessee|Farragut]]-[[Concord, Tennessee|Concord]] community in western Knox County, but the city failed following the [[Municipal corporation|incorporation]] of Farragut in 1980.<ref name="smith40">{{cite web |last=Smith |first=Wendy |title=Farragut at 40 |url=https://www.knoxtntoday.com/farragut-at-40/ |website=KnoxTNToday |access-date=February 22, 2021 |date=January 20, 2020}}</ref> These annexation attempts often turned combative, and several attempts to [[Consolidated city-county|consolidate]] Knoxville and Knox County into a metro government failed, while school boards and the planning commissions would merge on July 1, 1987.<ref name=wheeler/>

[[File:Sterchi.jpg|thumb|left|The Sterchi Lofts building, formerly Sterchi Brothers Furniture store, the most prominent building on Knoxville's "100 Block"]]
[[File:Sunsphere_03.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Sunsphere]], with riders aboard a nearby sky-lift during the [[1982 World's Fair]]]]
With further annexation attempts stalling, Knoxville initiated several projects aimed at boosting revenue in its downtown area. The [[1982 World's Fair]]—the most successful of these projects, with eleven million visitors—became one of the most popular expositions in U.S. history.<ref name="bie1982">{{Cite web|title=1982 Knoxville|url=https://www.bie-paris.org/site/en/1982-knoxville|access-date=July 12, 2020|website=bie-paris.org}}</ref> The [[Rubik's Cube]] made its debut at this event.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sunsphere history |url=https://www.visitknoxville.com/listing/sunsphere/567/ |website=Knoxville, TN visitor info}}</ref> The fair's energy theme was selected because Knoxville was home to TVA's headquarters and for its proximity to [[Oak Ridge National Laboratory]]. The [[Sunsphere]], a {{convert|266|ft|adj=on}} steel truss structure topped with a gold-colored glass sphere, was built for the fair and remains one of Knoxville's most prominent structures,<ref>W. Bruce Wheeler, "[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=754 Knoxville World's Fair of 1982] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120427042704/http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=754 |date=April 27, 2012 }}". ''The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History Culture'', 2002. Retrieved: February 28, 2008.</ref> along with the adjacent [[Tennessee 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 Mayor [[Victor Ashe]]. Ashe's efforts were controversial, largely consisting of annexation of interstate [[Right-of-way (property access)|right-of-ways]], highway-oriented commercial clusters, and residential subdivisions to increase tax revenue for the city. Residents voiced opposition, citing claims of [[urban sprawl]] and government overreach.<ref name="deannex">{{cite web |title=Deannexation option could lead to smaller Tennessee cities |url=https://legallysociable.com/2016/03/17/deannexation-option-could-lead-to-smaller-tennessee-cities/ |website=Legally Sociable |publisher=[[WBIR-TV]] |access-date=October 23, 2021 |date=March 17, 2016}}</ref>

===21st century and economic renaissance===
Knoxville's downtown has been developing, with the opening of the [[Women's Basketball Hall of Fame]] and the [[Knoxville Convention Center]], [[Market Square, Knoxville#Decline and revitalization|the redevelopment of Market Square]], a new visitors center, a [[Museum of East Tennessee History|regional history museum]], a [[Regal Entertainment Group|Regal Cinemas]] theater, 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. The [[Bijou Theatre (Knoxville, Tennessee)|Bijou]] and [[Tennessee Theatre]]s underwent renovation, providing an initiative for the city and its developers to re-purpose the old downtown.<ref name="revitalize">{{cite web |title=Revitalizing Gay Street in Knoxville |url=https://architectsandartisans.com/revitalizing-gay-street-in-knoxville/ |website=Architects + Artisans |access-date=August 3, 2020 |date=May 6, 2014 }}</ref>

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.<ref name="waterfront">{{cite web |title=South Waterfront |url=https://knoxvilletn.gov/government/city_departments_offices/redevelopment/south_waterfront |website=City of Knoxville |access-date=August 3, 2020 |archive-date=August 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813171556/https://knoxvilletn.gov/government/city_departments_offices/redevelopment/south_waterfront |url-status=dead }}</ref> The project's primary focus is the commercial and residential development over a 20-year timeline.<ref name="waterfront"/> Knoxville Baptist Hospital, located on the waterfront, was demolished in 2016 to make room for a mixed-use project called One Riverwalk.<ref name="oneriverwalk">{{cite news |last=Marcum |first=Ed |title=Rendering of new Regal headquarters in Knoxville released |url=https://www.knoxnews.com/story/money/2016/09/19/rendering-of-new-regal-headquarters-in-knoxville-released/91073804/ |access-date=August 3, 2020 |work=[[Knoxville News Sentinel]] |date=September 19, 2016}}</ref> The development consisted of three office buildings, including a headquarters for [[Regal Entertainment Group]], a hotel, student housing, and 300 multi-family residential units.<ref name="oneriverwalk"/>

In June 2020, the Knoxville City Council announced the investment of over $5.5{{spaces}}million in federal and local funds towards the development of a business park along the [[Interstate 275 (Tennessee)|Interstate 275]] corridor in [[North Knoxville, Knoxville, Tennessee|North Knoxville]].<ref name="raucoules">{{cite news |last=Raucoules |first=Gregory |title=Knoxville aims to spur economic growth with $5.5 million investment into I-275 business park |url=https://www.wate.com/news/knoxville-aims-to-spur-economic-growth-with-5-5-million-investment-into-i-275-business-park/ |access-date=October 4, 2020 |work=[[WATE-TV]] |date=June 23, 2020}}</ref> The project was first proposed by a study prepared Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission in 2007.<ref name="corridorstudy">{{cite web |title=I-275/North Central Street Corridor Study |url=https://archive.knoxmpc.org/plans/corridor/i275_study.pdf |website=Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission |access-date=October 5, 2020 |date=2007 }}</ref> In August 2020, UT President and [[Tennessee Smokies]] owner Randy Boyd announced plans of a [[Mixed-use development|mixed-use]] [[baseball stadium]] complex in the [[Old City, Knoxville|Old City]] neighborhood.<ref name="oldcitypark">{{cite news |last=Whetstone |first=Tyler |title=Tennessee Smokies owner Randy Boyd makes first pitch for downtown Knoxville stadium |url=https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/politics/2020/08/11/randy-boyd-makes-first-pitch-downtown-knoxville-stadium/5494072002/ |access-date=October 4, 2020 |work=[[Knoxville News Sentinel]] |date=August 11, 2020}}</ref>

==Geography==
===Topography===
[[File:Knoxville-from-sharps-ridge-tn2.jpg|thumb|right|Downtown Knoxville, with the [[Great Smoky Mountains]] rising in the distance, viewed from [[Sharp's Ridge]]]]

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|269.8|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|255.2|km2|order=flip}} is land and {{convert|14.6|km2|order=flip}}, or 5.42%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2013/files/SUB-EST2013_47.csv| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Knoxville city, Tennessee| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| access-date=March 25, 2013| url-status=dead| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140529173330/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2013/files/SUB-EST2013_47.csv| archivedate=May 29, 2014| df=mdy-all}}</ref> Elevations range from just over {{convert|800|ft}} along the riverfront to just over {{convert|1000|ft}} on various hilltops in West Knoxville,<ref>{{Cite GNIS|1284297|First Creek}}</ref><ref>{{Cite GNIS|1279994|Cedar Bluff|links=off}}</ref> with the downtown area setting at just over {{convert|900|ft}}.<ref>{{Cite GNIS|1648562|Knoxville|links=off}}</ref> High points include [[Sharp's Ridge]] in North Knoxville at {{convert|1391|ft}} and Brown Mountain in South Knoxville at {{convert|1260|ft}}.<ref>{{Cite GNIS|1269382|Brown Mountain|links=off}}</ref><ref>City of Knoxville, [http://www.ci.knoxville.tn.us/parks/history/sharpsRidgeHistory.asp Sharp's Ridge Memorial Park History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501174148/http://www.ci.knoxville.tn.us/parks/history/sharpsRidgeHistory.asp |date=May 1, 2011 }}. Retrieved: December 29, 2011.</ref>

Knoxville is situated in the [[Great Appalachian Valley]] (known locally as the Tennessee Valley), about halfway between the [[Great Smoky Mountains]] to the east and the [[Cumberland Plateau]] to the west. The Great Valley is part of a sub-range of the [[Appalachian Mountains]] known as the [[Ridge-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 of [[Bays Mountain]] just south of the city, and parts of McAnnally Ridge in the northeastern part of the city.

The [[Tennessee River]], which passes through the downtown area, is formed in southeastern Knoxville at the confluence of the [[Holston River]], which flows southwest from Virginia, and the [[French 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's [[Fort Loudoun Dam]] about {{convert|30|mi}} downstream in [[Lenoir City, Tennessee|Lenoir 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.

===Climate===
Knoxville falls in the [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Cfa'') zone. Summers are hot and humid, with the daily average temperature in July at {{cvt|78.4|F|1}}, and an average of 36 days per year with temperatures reaching {{cvt|90|F|0}}.<ref name="NOAA 90F">[http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/online/ccd/max90temp.html NOAA] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061210082240/http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/online/ccd/max90temp.html |date=December 10, 2006 }}, Mean Number of Days With Maximum Temperature 90 Degrees F or Higher.</ref> Winters are generally much cooler and less stable, with occasional small amounts of snow. January has a daily average temperature of {{cvt|38.2|F|1}}, with an average of 5 days<ref name=NOAA-K/> where the high remains at or below freezing.{{efn|In 1915, 1921, 1990, and 2013, no day the entire year remained at or below freezing.<ref name=NOAA-K/>}} The record high for Knoxville is {{cvt|105|F|0}} on [[Summer 2012 North American heat wave|June 30 and July 1, 2012]],<ref>Lance Coleman, "[http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/30/knoxville-having-hottest-day-ever/ Knoxville Having Hottest Day Ever at 105 Degrees] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120704044022/http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/30/knoxville-having-hottest-day-ever/ |date=July 4, 2012 }}", ''Knoxville News Sentinel'', June 30, 2012. Retrieved: June 30, 2012.</ref> while the record low is {{cvt|-24|F|0}} on [[January 1985 Arctic outbreak|January 21, 1985]].<ref name="Knoxville Climate Page">{{cite web|url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mrx/?n=tysclimate|title=Knoxville Climate Page|access-date=April 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304024909/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mrx/?n=tysclimate|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> Annual precipitation averages just under {{cvt|52|in|sigfig=3}}, and normal seasonal snowfall is {{cvt|4.6|in|cm}}. The one-day record for snowfall is {{cvt|17.5|in|cm}}, which occurred on February 13, 1960.<ref>"[http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2014/feb/12/top-10-snowfalls-knoxville/?partner=popular Top 10 Snowfalls in Knoxville] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703054134/http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2014/feb/12/top-10-snowfalls-knoxville/?partner=popular |date=July 3, 2014 }}", ''Knoxville News Sentinel'', February 12, 2014.</ref>{{efn|This contributed to the winter of 1959−60 being the snowiest on record, with a total of {{cvt|56.7|in|cm}}. On the other extreme, five winters, most recently 2007−08, have recorded only a trace of snowfall.<ref name=NOAA-K/>}}
<section begin="weather box"/>{{Weather box<!--Infobox begins-->
|location=Knoxville ([[McGhee Tyson Airport]]), 1991−2020 normals,{{efn|Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the expected highest and lowest temperature readings at any point during the year or given month) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.}} extremes 1871–present{{efn|Official records for Knoxville kept January 1871 to February 1942 at downtown and at McGhee Tyson Airport since March 1942. For more information, see [http://threadex.rcc-acis.org Threadex]}}<!--Mandatory field.-->
|collapsed = 
|single line = Y
|Jan record high F = 77
|Feb record high F = 83
|Mar record high F = 88
|Apr record high F = 93
|May record high F = 96
|Jun record high F = 105
|Jul record high F = 105
|Aug record high F = 102
|Sep record high F = 103
|Oct record high F = 96
|Nov record high F = 85
|Dec record high F = 80
|year record high F = 105
|Jan avg record high F = 68.1
|Feb avg record high F = 71.7
|Mar avg record high F = 78.4
|Apr avg record high F = 84.5
|May avg record high F = 89.0
|Jun avg record high F = 93.1
|Jul avg record high F = 95.1
|Aug avg record high F = 94.0
|Sep avg record high F = 91.6
|Oct avg record high F = 84.0
|Nov avg record high F = 75.8
|Dec avg record high F = 69.1
|year avg record high F = 96.0
|Jan avg record low F = 11.6
|Feb avg record low F = 16.8
|Mar avg record low F = 22.6
|Apr avg record low F = 32.6
|May avg record low F = 41.4
|Jun avg record low F = 54.6
|Jul avg record low F = 61.4
|Aug avg record low F = 59.9
|Sep avg record low F = 48.3
|Oct avg record low F = 33.4
|Nov avg record low F = 24.0
|Dec avg record low F = 18.0
|year avg record low F = 9.0
|Jan high F = 48.2
|Feb high F = 52.8
|Mar high F = 61.4
|Apr high F = 71.2
|May high F = 78.9
|Jun high F = 85.7
|Jul high F = 88.4
|Aug high F = 87.8
|Sep high F = 82.5
|Oct high F = 71.7
|Nov high F = 60.0
|Dec high F = 51.0
|year high F = 70.0
|Jan mean F = 39.1
|Feb mean F = 42.9
|Mar mean F = 50.6
|Apr mean F = 59.6
|May mean F = 67.9
|Jun mean F = 75.3
|Jul mean F = 78.5
|Aug mean F = 77.6
|Sep mean F = 71.8
|Oct mean F = 60.3
|Nov mean F = 49.0
|Dec mean F = 41.9
|year mean F = 59.5
|Jan low F = 30.0
|Feb low F = 33.1
|Mar low F = 39.8
|Apr low F = 48.0
|May low F = 56.9
|Jun low F = 64.9
|Jul low F = 68.7
|Aug low F = 67.5
|Sep low F = 61.1
|Oct low F = 48.9
|Nov low F = 38.1
|Dec low F = 32.8
|year low F = 49.2
|Jan record low F = −24
|Feb record low F = −10
|Mar record low F = 1
|Apr record low F = 22
|May record low F = 32
|Jun record low F = 42
|Jul record low F = 49
|Aug record low F = 49
|Sep record low F = 35
|Oct record low F = 24
|Nov record low F =  5
|Dec record low F = −6
|year record low F = -24
<!--Total Precipitation-->
|precipitation colour= green
|Jan precipitation inch = 4.76
|Feb precipitation inch = 4.81
|Mar precipitation inch = 4.89
|Apr precipitation inch = 4.71
|May precipitation inch = 4.13
|Jun precipitation inch = 4.24
|Jul precipitation inch = 5.25
|Aug precipitation inch = 3.63
|Sep precipitation inch = 3.49
|Oct precipitation inch = 2.81
|Nov precipitation inch = 4.21
|Dec precipitation inch = 5.00
|year precipitation inch = 51.93
|Jan snow inch = 1.7
|Feb snow inch = 1.4
|Mar snow inch = 0.9
|Apr snow inch = 0.0 
|May snow inch = 0.0
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.0
|Nov snow inch = 0.1
|Dec snow inch = 0.5
|year snow inch = 4.6
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 11.5
|Feb precipitation days = 11.7
|Mar precipitation days = 12.7
|Apr precipitation days = 11.1
|May precipitation days = 11.1
|Jun precipitation days = 12.0
|Jul precipitation days = 11.6
|Aug precipitation days = 9.8
|Sep precipitation days = 7.8
|Oct precipitation days = 8.0
|Nov precipitation days = 9.4
|Dec precipitation days = 12.0
|year precipitation days = 128.7
|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 1.2
|Feb snow days = 1.3
|Mar snow days = 0.7
|Apr snow days = 0.0
|May snow days = 0.0
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.0
|Nov snow days = 0.2
|Dec snow days = 0.6
|year snow days = 4.0
|Jan humidity = 71.7
|Feb humidity = 68.0
|Mar humidity = 64.8
|Apr humidity = 63.3
|May humidity = 70.8
|Jun humidity = 73.5
|Jul humidity = 75.7
|Aug humidity = 76.3
|Sep humidity = 76.1
|Oct humidity = 73.0
|Nov humidity = 71.8
|Dec humidity = 72.9
|year humidity = 71.5
<!--Average monthly sunshine hours, monthly totals are preferred, and will produce colors, but percentages are accepted.-->
|Jan sun = 135.8
|Feb sun = 145.3
|Mar sun = 208.9
|Apr sun = 256.6
|May sun = 287.2
|Jun sun = 291.1
|Jul sun = 287.3
|Aug sun = 278.0
|Sep sun = 232.3
|Oct sun = 217.2
|Nov sun = 151.7
|Dec sun = 122.5
|Jan percentsun = 44
|Feb percentsun = 48
|Mar percentsun = 56
|Apr percentsun = 65
|May percentsun = 66
|Jun percentsun = 67
|Jul percentsun = 65
|Aug percentsun = 67
|Sep percentsun = 62
|Oct percentsun = 62
|Nov percentsun = 49
|Dec percentsun = 40
|year percentsun = 59
<!--Mandatory fields, source-->
|source 1 =[[NOAA]] (relative humidity and sun 1961–1990)<ref name=NOAA-K>
{{cite web 
|url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=mrx
|title = NowData—NOAA Online Weather Data 
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
|access-date = May 25, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181116080734/http://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=mrx 
|archive-date = November 16, 2018 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>
{{cite web 
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00013891&format=pdf
|title = Station: Knoxville McGhee Tyson AP, TN
|publisher = National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
|work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020)
|access-date = May 25, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_IV/US/GROUP3/72326.TXT
| title = WMO Climate Normals for KNOXVILLE/MUNICIPAL, TN 1961–1990
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = March 10, 2014}}</ref>
|date=February 2012}}<section end="weather box"/>

===Metropolitan area===
{{Main|Knoxville Metropolitan Area}}
Knoxville is the central city in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area, an [[Office of Management and Budget]] (OMB) designated [[metropolitan statistical area]] (MSA) that covers Knox, [[Anderson County, Tennessee|Anderson]], [[Blount County, Tennessee|Blount]], [[Campbell County, Tennessee|Campbell]], [[Grainger County, Tennessee|Grainger]], [[Loudon County, Tennessee|Loudon]], [[Morgan County, Tennessee|Morgan]], [[Roane County, Tennessee|Roane]] and [[Union County, Tennessee|Union]] counties.<ref name=Censusmetro/> Researchers have mapped the Knoxville Metropolitan area as one of the 18 major cities in the [[Piedmont Atlantic megaregion]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cqgrd.gatech.edu/program_areas/megaregions/pam.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719200447/http://www.cqgrd.gatech.edu/program_areas/megaregions/pam.php|url-status=dead|title=Georgia Institute of Technology :: CQGRD : Piedmont Atlantic Megaregion (PAM)|archive-date=July 19, 2011}}</ref>

The Knoxville Metropolitan area includes unincorporated communities such as [[Halls Crossroads, Tennessee|Halls Crossroads]], [[Powell, Tennessee|Powell]], [[Karns, Tennessee|Karns]], [[Corryton, Tennessee|Corryton]], [[Concord, Tennessee|Concord]], and [[Mascot, Tennessee|Mascot]], which are located in Knox County outside of Knoxville's city limits. Along with Knoxville, municipalities in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area include [[Alcoa, Tennessee|Alcoa]], [[Blaine, Tennessee|Blaine]], [[Maryville, Tennessee|Maryville]], [[Lenoir City, Tennessee|Lenoir City]], [[Loudon, Tennessee|Loudon]], [[Farragut, Tennessee|Farragut]], [[Oak Ridge, Tennessee|Oak Ridge]], [[Rutledge, Tennessee|Rutledge]], [[Clinton, Tennessee|Clinton]], [[Bean Station, Tennessee|Bean Station]], and [[Maynardville, Tennessee|Maynardville]]. As of 2012, the population of the Knoxville Metropolitan Area was 837,571.<ref name=Censusmetro>[https://www.census.gov/population/www/metroareas/metroarea.html Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110923210008/http://www.census.gov/population/www/metroareas/metroarea.html |date=September 23, 2011 }}, U.S. Census Bureau</ref>

The Knoxville MSA is the chief component of the larger OMB-designated Knoxville-[[Sevierville]]-[[LaFollette, Tennessee|La Follette]] [[Combined statistical area|Combined Statistical Area]] (CSA). The CSA also includes the [[Morristown, Tennessee|Morristown]] [[Morristown metropolitan area|Metropolitan Statistical Area]] ([[Hamblen County, Tennessee|Hamblen]], [[Grainger County, Tennessee|Grainger]], and [[Jefferson County, Tennessee|Jefferson]] counties) and the Sevierville ([[Sevier County, Tennessee|Sevier County]]), La Follette (Campbell County), [[Harriman, Tennessee|Harriman]] (Roane County), and [[Newport, Tennessee|Newport]] ([[Cocke County, Tennessee|Cocke County]]) [[micropolitan statistical area]]s. Municipalities in the CSA but not the Knoxville MSA, include Morristown, Rutledge, [[Dandridge, Tennessee|Dandridge]], [[Jefferson City, Tennessee|Jefferson City]], Sevierville, [[Gatlinburg, Tennessee|Gatlinburg]], [[Pigeon Forge, Tennessee|Pigeon Forge]], LaFollette, [[Jacksboro, Tennessee|Jacksboro]], Harriman, [[Kingston, Tennessee|Kingston]], [[Rockwood, Tennessee|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.<ref name=Censusmetro/>

===Neighborhoods===
Knoxville is roughly divided into the [[Downtown Knoxville|Downtown area]] and sections based on the four cardinal directions: [[North Knoxville, Knoxville, Tennessee|North Knoxville]], [[South Knoxville]], [[East Knoxville]], and [[West 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,<ref name=parks/> and several neighborhoods along or just off Broadway south of Sharp's Ridge ("Downtown North").<ref>City of Knoxville, [http://www.cityofknoxville.org/downtownnorth/ Downtown North Redevelopment] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513225605/http://www.cityofknoxville.org/downtownnorth/ |date=May 13, 2012 }}. Retrieved: January 7, 2012.</ref> 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<ref name=parks>City of Knoxville, [http://www.ci.knoxville.tn.us/parks/default.asp Parks] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110824131429/http://www.ci.knoxville.tn.us/parks/default.asp |date=August 24, 2011 }}. Retrieved: January 7, 2012.</ref> and includes the neighborhoods of Vestal, Lindbergh Forest, [[Island Home Park, Knoxville|Island Home Park]], Colonial Hills, and Old Sevier. This area contains major commercial corridors along Chapman Highway and [[U.S. Route 129 in Tennessee|Alcoa Highway]].

West Knoxville generally consists of the areas west of U.T.<ref name=parks/> and includes the suburban neighborhoods of [[Sequoyah Hills]], [[West Hills, Knoxville|West Hills]], [[Bearden, Knoxville|Bearden]], [[Cumberland Estates]], Westmoreland, Suburban Hills, [[Cedar Bluff, Knoxville|Cedar Bluff]], [[Rocky Hill, Knoxville|Rocky Hill]], and Ebenezer. This area, concentrated largely around Kingston Pike, is home to thriving retail centers such as [[West Town Mall]] and [[Turkey Creek, Knoxville|Turkey Creek]].

East Knoxville consists of the areas east of First Creek and the James White Parkway<ref name=parks/> and includes the neighborhoods of Parkridge, Burlington, Morningside, and Five Points. This area, concentrated along Magnolia Avenue, is home to [[Chilhowee Park]] and [[Zoo Knoxville]].

North Knoxville consists of the areas north of Sharp's Ridge,<ref name=parks/> namely the Fountain City and Inskip-Norwood areas. This area's major commercial corridor is located along Broadway.

====List of notable neighborhoods====
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Bearden (Knoxville, Tennessee)|Bearden]]
* [[Cedar Bluff, Knoxville|Cedar Bluff]]
* [[Chilhowee Park (neighborhood)|Chilhowee Park]]
* [[Colonial Village (Knoxville, Tennessee)|Colonial Village]]
* [[Cumberland Estates]]
* [[Downtown Knoxville|Downtown]]
* [[Emory Place Historic District|Emory Place]]
* [[Fort Sanders (Knoxville neighborhood)|Fort Sanders]]
* [[Fountain City, Tennessee|Fountain City]]
** [[Oakland neighborhood, Knoxville, Tennessee|Oakland]] (former)
* [[Fourth & Gill (Knoxville, Tennessee)|Fourth & Gill]]
* [[Island Home Park]]
* [[Lindbergh Forest]]
* [[Lonsdale (Knoxville, Tennessee)|Lonsdale]]
* [[Mechanicsville, Knoxville|Mechanicsville]]
* [[North Hills Historic District|North Hills]]
* [[Oakwood-Lincoln Park, Knoxville, Tennessee|Oakwood-Lincoln Park]]
* [[Old City Knoxville|Old City]]
* [[Old North Knoxville]]
* [[Parkridge (Knoxville, Tennessee)|Parkridge]]
* [[Rocky Hill (Knoxville, Tennessee)|Rocky Hill]]
* [[Sequoyah Hills, Tennessee|Sequoyah Hills]]
* [[South Knoxville]]
* [[West Hills (Knoxville, Tennessee)|West Hills]]
{{div col end}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1850= 2076
|1870= 8682
|1880= 9693
|1890= 22535
|1900= 32637
|1910= 36346
|1920= 77818
|1930= 105802
|1940= 111580
|1950= 124769
|1960= 111827
|1970= 174587
|1980= 175045
|1990= 165121
|2000= 173890
|2010= 178874
|2020= 190740
| estyear = 2023
| estimate = 198162
|footnote=Sources:<ref name="GR9">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=March 4, 2012|title=Census of Population and Housing: Decennial Censuses}} Note: the 1860 census did not include a population estimate for Knoxville. See p. 467.</ref><ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly">{{cite web|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=P1_001N,NAME&for=place:*&in=state:47&key=5ccd0821c15d9f4520e2dcc0f8d92b2ec9336108|title=Census Population API|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 15, 2022}}</ref>
}}

{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible mw-collapsed" style="font-size: 90%;"
|-
! Historical racial composition !! 1970<ref name=historicaldemographics/> !! 1990<ref name=historicaldemographics>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/TNtab.pdf |title=Table 43. Tennessee—Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Large Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |date=July 13, 2005 |access-date=April 27, 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110917171933/https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/TNtab.pdf|archive-date=September 17, 2011}}</ref>!! 2000<ref name=censussite>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|title=Knoxville city, Tennessee|author=<!--Not stated-->|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=December 29, 2019}}</ref>!! 2010<ref name=censussite/> !! 2018 est.<ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Knoxville city, Tennessee |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/knoxvillecitytennessee |website=census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=July 18, 2020}}</ref>
|-
| [[White Americans|White]] || 87.0% || 82.7% || 79.9% || 76.1% || 76.1%
|-
| [[African Americans|Black]] || 12.7% || 15.8% || 16.0% || 17.1% || 17.0%
|-
| [[Asian Americans|Asian]] || 0.2% || 1.0% || 1.5% || 1.7% || 1.8%
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|Native]] || 0.1% || 0.2% || 0.3% || 0.4% || 0.4%
|-
| [[Native Hawaiian]] and {{nowrap|other [[Pacific Islander]]}} || – || – || 0.0% || 0.2% || 0.1%
|-
| [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|Other race]] || 0.1% || 0.2% || 0.7% || 2.2% || 1.5%
|-
| [[Multiracial Americans|Two or more races]] || – || – || 1.6% || 2.5% || 3.1%
|}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Knoxville, Tennessee – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''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.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Knoxville city, Tennessee |url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=160XX00US4740000&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Knoxville city, Tennessee |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US4740000&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Knoxville city, Tennessee |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US4740000&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|137,336
|132,641
|style='background: #ffffe6; |130,036
|78.98%
|74.15%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |68.17%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|28,015
|30,257
|style='background: #ffffe6; |30,123
|16.11%
|16.92%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |15.79%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|504
|496
|style='background: #ffffe6; |547
|0.29%
|0.28%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.29%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|2,516
|2,875
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4,323
|1.45%
|1.61%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.27%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|45
|198
|style='background: #ffffe6; |105
|0.03%
|0.11%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.06%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other race]] alone (NH)
|276
|315
|style='background: #ffffe6; |830
|0.16%
|0.18%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.44%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or Multiracial]] (NH)
|2,447
|3,886
|style='background: #ffffe6; |9,616
|1.41%
|2.17%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.04%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|2,751
|8,206
|style='background: #ffffe6; |15,160
|1.58%
|4.59%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |7.95%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''173,890'''
|'''178,874'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''190,740'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}

As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 190,740 people, 83,492 households, and 40,405 families residing in the city.

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]] of 2010, the population of Knoxville was 178,874, a 2.9% increase from 2000.<ref name=quickfacts>U.S. Census Bureau, [http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/47/4740000.html QuickFacts sheet for Knoxville (city), Tennessee] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070608140339/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/47/4740000.html |date=June 8, 2007 }}. Retrieved: December 20, 2011.</ref> The median age was 32.7,<ref>Jack Neely, "[https://web.archive.org/web/20130725140937/http://www.metropulse.com/news/2011/jun/29/knoxville-census-numbers/ Knoxville By the (Census) Numbers]", ''Metro Pulse'', June 29, 2011. Accessed at the Internet Archive, October 1, 2015.</ref> with 19.1% of the population under the age of 18, and 12.6% over the age of 65.<ref name=quickfacts/> The population was 48% male and 52% female. The population density was 1,815 persons per square mile.<ref name=quickfacts/>

The racial and ethnic composition of the city was 76.1% [[White (U.S. Census)|white]], 17.1% [[African American (U.S. Census)|black]], 0.4% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 1.6% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], and 0.2% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]].<ref name=quickfacts/> [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 4.6% of the population.<ref name=quickfacts/> People reporting more than one race formed 2.5% of the population.<ref name=quickfacts/>

Data collected by the Census from 2005 to 2009 reported 83,151 households in Knoxville, with an average of 2.07 persons per household.<ref name=quickfacts/> The home ownership rate was 51%, and 74.7% of residents had been living in the same house for more than one year.<ref name=quickfacts/> The median household income was $32,609, and the per capita income was $21,528.<ref name=quickfacts/> High school graduates were 83.8% of persons 25 and older, and 28.3% had earned a bachelor's degree or higher.<ref name=quickfacts/> The city's poverty rate was 25%, compared with 16.1% in Tennessee and 15.1% nationwide.<ref name=quickfacts/><ref>U.S. Census Bureau, "[https://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/about/overview/index.html Poverty—Highlights] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111224151147/http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/about/overview/index.html |date=December 24, 2011 }}, September 13, 2011. Retrieved: December 21, 2011.</ref>

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.<ref>Economic Research Institute, Inc., [http://www.erieri.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=NewsRoom.Dsp_Release&PressReleaseID=119&trkid=723-49 ERI Economic Research Institute Releases Survey on Best and Worst Cities for College Grads—Based on salary/cost of living, Knoxville, TN rated best] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927190344/http://www.erieri.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=NewsRoom.Dsp_Release&PressReleaseID=119&trkid=723-49 |date=September 27, 2007 }}, press release, July 6, 2006</ref>

===Crime===
[[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] [[Uniform Crime Reports]] for Knoxville for 2017:<ref name="FBI_UCR">{{cite web|title=Crime in the United States by Metropolitan Statistical Area, 2017|url=https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2017/crime-in-the-u.s.-2017/tables/table-6|publisher=[[Federal Bureau of Investigation]]|access-date=May 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190206073538/https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2017/crime-in-the-u.s.-2017/tables/table-6|archive-date=February 6, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! !! City of Knoxville only !! Knoxville [[Metropolitan Statistical Area|MSA]] !! 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
|}

==Economy==
{{Update|date=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.<ref name="mpcfacts">Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission, [http://archive.knoxmpc.org/locldata/facfig11.pdf Facts & Figures 2011] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511110613/http://archive.knoxmpc.org/locldata/facfig11.pdf|date=May 11, 2012}}. Retrieved: January 14, 2012.</ref> The region had an unemployment rate of 7.9% in 2011.<ref name="mpcfacts"/> In the 2010 [[ACCRA Cost of Living Index]] was rated 89.6 (the national average was 100).<ref name="mpcfacts"/> In 2007, there were over 19,000 registered businesses in Knoxville.<ref name="quickfacts"/> The city's businesses are served by the 2,100-member Knoxville Area Chamber Partnership.<ref name="mpcfacts"/> The Knoxville Chamber is one of six partners in the Knoxville-Oak Ridge Innovation Valley, which promotes economic development in Knox and surrounding counties.<ref>[http://www.innovationvalleyinc.com/about-us Innovation Valley Inc.—About Us] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120608230508/http://www.innovationvalleyinc.com/about-us |date=June 8, 2012 }}. Retrieved: January 13, 2012.</ref>

===Major corporations===
The TVA, the nation's largest public power provider,<ref>[http://www.tva.com/abouttva/keyfacts.htm Frequently Asked Questions About TVA] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113223814/http://www.tva.com/abouttva/keyfacts.htm |date=January 13, 2012 }}, TVA website. Retrieved: January 14, 2012.</ref> reported $10.5{{spaces}}billion in revenue in 2021<ref>TVA, [https://tva.q4ir.com/financial-information/financial-statements/default.aspx Financial Statements] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706191205/https://tva.q4ir.com/financial-information/financial-statements/default.aspx|date=July 6, 2022 }}</ref> and employs over 12,000 region-wide.<ref>"[http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2010/feb/20/perfect-storm-swamped-tva-retirement-plan/ Perfect Storm Swamped TVA Retirement Plan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511124015/http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2010/feb/20/perfect-storm-swamped-tva-retirement-plan/ |date=May 11, 2013 }}", ''Chattanooga Times Free Press'', February 20, 2010. Retrieved: January 14, 2012.</ref> The largest company based in Knoxville is privately held [[Pilot Flying J]], the nation's largest truck stop chain and sixth-largest private company, which reported over $29.23{{spaces}}billion in revenue in 2012.<ref>[https://www.forbes.com/companies/pilot-flying-j America's Largest Private Companies—#6 Pilot Flying J] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909165147/https://www.forbes.com/companies/pilot-flying-j/ |date=September 9, 2017 }}, ''Forbes.com'', 2013. Retrieved: October 10, 2013.</ref> Knoxville is home to the nation's fourth-largest wholesale grocer, the [[H. T. Hackney Company]], which reported $3.8{{spaces}}billion (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=3800000000|start_year=2013}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}) in revenue in 2012,<ref>[https://www.forbes.com/companies/ht-hackney/ America's Largest Private Companies—#103 HT Hackney] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729204843/https://www.forbes.com/companies/ht-hackney/ |date=July 29, 2017 }}, ''Forbes.com'', 2012. Retrieved: October 10, 2013.</ref> and one of the nation's largest digital-centric advertising firms, [[Tombras Group]], which reported $80{{spaces}}million in revenue in 2011.<ref>[http://knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=11949 Knoxville-Area Advertising Firms and Marketing Firms] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214120926/http://www.knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=11949 |date=February 14, 2012 }}, Knoxville Book of Lists (''Knoxville News Sentinel''), 2012. Retrieved: January 14, 2012.</ref><ref>Laura Bower [http://www.tombras.com/news/article/Tombras-Creates-New-Impaired-Driving-Campaign Tombras Creates New Nationwide Impaired Driving Campaign for U.S. Department of Transportation: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111224173914/http://www.tombras.com/news/article/Tombras-Creates-New-Impaired-Driving-Campaign |date=December 24, 2011 }}. August 30, 2011.</ref>

Other notable privately held companies based in the city include [[Bush Brothers and Company|Bush Brothers]], [[Sea Ray]] (and its parent company [[Brunswick Boat Group]]), [[Thermocopy]], [[Petro's Chili & Chips]], [[EdFinancial Services|EdFinancial]], [[Kurgo]], [[21st Mortgage]] and [[AC Entertainment]]. Also based in Knoxville are movie theater chain [[Regal Cinemas]],<ref name=bolpublic>[http://knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=16865 Knoxville-Area Public Companies Ranked According to Revenue] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205183109/http://www.knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=16865 |date=February 5, 2012 }}, Knoxville Book of Lists (''Knoxville News Sentinel''), 2012. Retrieved: January 14, 2012.</ref><ref>"[http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/apr/21/eight-tennessee-companies-2009-fortune-500-list/ Eight Tennessee Companies on Fortune 500 List] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120711072857/http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/apr/21/eight-tennessee-companies-2009-fortune-500-list/ |date=July 11, 2012 }}, ''Knoxville News Sentinel'', April 21, 2009.</ref> and health care-staffing firm [[TeamHealth]].<ref name=bolpublic/>

===Real estate===
The Knoxville area is home to 596 office buildings which contain over 21{{spaces}}million square feet of office space.<ref name="mpcfacts"/> The city's largest office building in terms of office space is the [[Knoxville City-County Building|City-County Building]], which has over 537,000 square feet of office space. The First Tennessee Plaza and the [[Riverview Tower]] were the largest privately owned office buildings, with 469,672 square feet and 367,000 square feet, respectively.<ref>[http://knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=15930 Knox County Office Buildings Ranked According to Gross Square Footage] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406120901/http://www.knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=15930 |date=April 6, 2012 }}, Knoxville Book of Lists (''Knoxville News Sentinel''), 2012. Retrieved: January 13, 2012.</ref> Knoxville's largest industrial park is the {{convert|1460|acre|adj=on}} Forks of the River Industrial Park in southeastern Knoxville.<ref>[http://knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=19913 Knox County Industrial Parks Ranked According to Size] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214120414/http://www.knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=19913 |date=February 14, 2012 }}, Knoxville Book of Lists (''Knoxville News Sentinel''), 2012. Retrieved: January 11, 2012.</ref> Other major industrial and business parks include the {{convert|800|acre|adj=on}} EastBridge Industrial Park and Midway Business Park in eastern Knox County and the {{convert|271|acre|adj=on}} WestBridge Industrial Park in western Knox County.

===Finance===
The largest bank operating in Knoxville in terms of local deposits is Memphis-based [[First Horizon Bank]], with $2.6{{spaces}}billion (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=2600000000|start_year=2012}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}) in local deposits, representing about 16% of Knoxville's banking market.<ref name=bookoflistsbanks/> It is followed by Charlotte-based [[Truist Financial]] ($2.5{{spaces}}billion), Birmingham-based [[Regions Financial Corporation|Regions Bank]] ($1.9{{spaces}}billion), and locally headquartered Home Federal Bank of Tennessee ($1.6{{spaces}}billion).<ref name=bookoflistsbanks>[http://knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=15116 Knoxville Area Banks Ranked According to Local Deposits] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406121948/http://www.knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=15116 |date=April 6, 2012 }}, Knoxville Book of Lists (''Knoxville News Sentinel''), 2012. Retrieved: January 11, 2012.</ref> Other banks with significant operations in the city include [[Bank of America]], First Bank (based in [[Lexington, Tennessee]]), and locally owned Clayton Bank and Trust. Major brokerage firms with offices in Knoxville include [[Edward Jones Investments|Edward Jones]], [[Morgan Stanley Smith Barney]], [[Wells Fargo]], and [[Merrill Lynch]].<ref>[http://knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=14871 Knoxville-Area Investment Brokerage Firms] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324123334/http://www.knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=14871 |date=March 24, 2012 }}, Knoxville Book of Lists (''Knoxville News Sentinel''), 2012. Retrieved: January 11, 2012.</ref> As of 2011, Knox County's largest mortgage lender (by dollar volume) was Wells Fargo with over $300{{spaces}}million (13% of the local market), followed by Mortgage Investors Group, SunTrust, Regions, and Home Federal.<ref>[http://knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=15909 Knox County Mortgage Lenders Ranked According to Dollar Volume] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324123014/http://www.knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=15909 |date=March 24, 2012 }}, Knoxville Book of Lists (''Knoxville News Sentinel''), 2012. Retrieved: January 11, 2012.</ref> Knoxville's largest accounting firm as of 2012 is Pershing Yoakley & Associates, with 49 local [[Certified Public Accountant|CPAs]], followed by Coulter & Justus (44), and Pugh CPA's(43).<ref>[http://knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=9481 Knoxville-Area CPA Firms Ranked According to Number of Licensed CPAs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324122225/http://www.knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=9481 |date=March 24, 2012 }}, Knoxville Book of Lists (''Knoxville News Sentinel''), 2013. Retrieved: July 26, 2013.</ref>

===Manufacturing===
Over 700 manufacturing establishments are scattered throughout the Knoxville area.<ref name=mpcfacts/> Sea Ray Boats is the city's largest manufacturer, employing 760 at its southeast Knoxville complex in 2009.<ref name=kcmanufacturers>Knoxville-Oak Ridge Innovation Valley, [www.knoxvillechamber.com/pdf/demographics/MajorManufacturers.doc Top 50 Major Manufacturers in the Knoxville Area—2009]. Retrieved: January 14, 2012.</ref> 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).<ref name=kcmanufacturers/> Other major manufacturing operations include a Melaleaca plant (personal care products), a [[Coca-Cola]] bottling plant, and a [[Gerdau|Gerdau Ameristeel]] plant that produces steel rebar. Aircraft manufacturer [[Cirrus Aircraft|Cirrus]] also 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.<ref>[http://knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=15920 Knoxville-Area Major Manufacturers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324123248/http://www.knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=15920 |date=March 24, 2012 }}, Knoxville Book of Lists (''Knoxville News Sentinel''), 2012. Retrieved: January 14, 2012.</ref>

===Retail===
The Knoxville area is home to 182 shopping centers and factory outlets, and over 2,400 retail establishments.<ref name=mpcfacts/> One regional mall ([[West Town Mall]]) is located within the city, and two others ([[Foothills Mall (Tennessee)|Foothills Mall]] in Maryville and [[Oak Ridge City Center]] in Oak Ridge) are located within the Knoxville MSA. Knoxville retailers reported $6.47{{spaces}}billion in sales in 2007, with just over $35,000 of retail sales per capita.<ref name=quickfacts/>

Knoxville's primary retail corridor is located along Kingston Pike in West Knoxville. This area is home to West Town Mall, the 358-acre [[Turkey Creek (Tennessee)|Turkey Creek complex]] (half is in Knoxville and half is [[Farragut, Tennessee|Farragut]]), and over 30 shopping centers.<ref>Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission, [http://archive.knoxmpc.org/plans/westcity/backland.htm West City Sector Plan—Land Use and Development] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306001446/http://archive.knoxmpc.org/plans/westcity/backland.htm |date=March 6, 2012 }}, August 9, 2007. Retrieved: December 1, 2010.</ref> 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.

===Technology and research===
The [[University of Tennessee]] is classified by the Carnegie Commission as a university with "very high research activity", conducting more than $300{{spaces}}million in externally funded research annually.<ref name=battelle>[http://ut-battelle.org/about.shtml About UT-Battelle] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118022248/http://ut-battelle.org/about.shtml |date=January 18, 2012 }}. Retrieved: January 14, 2012.</ref> U.T.-connected research centers with multimillion-dollar [[National Science Foundation]] grants include the Appalachian Collaborative Center for Learning, Assessment and Instruction in Mathematics, the [[National Institute for Computational Sciences]], the [[National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis]], and the Center for Ultra-wide-area Resilient Electric Energy Transmission Networks (CURENT).<ref>[http://knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=9484 Knoxville-Area National Science Foundation Grants] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324122450/http://www.knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=9484 |date=March 24, 2012 }}, Knoxville Book of Lists (''Knoxville News Sentinel''), 2012. Retrieved: January 14, 2012.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://curent.utk.edu/|title=CURENT|access-date=April 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216232552/http://curent.utk.edu/|archive-date=February 16, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> U.T. and the nearby [[Oak Ridge National Laboratory]] jointly conduct numerous research projects and co-manage the [[National Transportation Research Center]].<ref name=battelle/>

The Tennessee Technology Corridor stretches across {{cvt|7000|acre}} between West Knoxville and Oak Ridge. The Corridor is home to 13 [[research and development]] firms employing nearly 2,000.<ref>Tennessee Technology Corridor Development Authority, [http://archive.knoxmpc.org/ttcda/08compplan.pdf Comprehensive Development Plan—2008 Update] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511105954/http://archive.knoxmpc.org/ttcda/08compplan.pdf |date=May 11, 2012 }}. Retrieved: January 14, 2012.</ref>

==Arts and culture==
{{See also|Music of East Tennessee}}
[[File:Knoxville's Bijou Theatre following Melvins concert.jpg|thumb|Concertgoers exiting the [[Bijou Theatre (Knoxville)|Bijou Theatre]] following a [[Melvins]] concert, circa June 2022]]

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, from [[Flatt and Scruggs]] and [[Homer and Jethro]] to [[The Everly Brothers]].

The [[Knoxville Symphony Orchestra]] (KSO), established in 1935, is the oldest continuing orchestra in the southeast.<ref>Roy C. Brewer, [http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=1290 Symphony Orchestras] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927192343/http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=1290 |date=September 27, 2013 }}, ''[[Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture]]'', December 25, 2009; last updated February 28, 2011; accessed: June 25, 2013.</ref> The KSO maintains a core of full-time professional musicians and performs at more than 200 events per year. Its traditional venues include the [[Tennessee Theatre]], the [[Bijou Theatre (Knoxville, Tennessee)|Bijou Theatre]], and the Civic Auditorium, though it also performs at several non-traditional venues. The [[Knoxville Opera]] performs a season of opera every year, accompanied by a chorus.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.knoxvilleopera.com/history/ |title=History |website=Knoxville Opera |access-date=September 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180913075259/http://www.knoxvilleopera.com/history/ |archive-date=September 13, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> Knoxville was the location of [[Sergei Rachmaninoff]]'s final concert in 1943, performed at Alumni Memorial Auditorium at the University of Tennessee.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.knoxkoupons.com/ktown_photos/photo_gallery/Historical/rachmaninoff.html|title=Rachmaninoff's Last Concert—Memorial Statue dedicated to the famous Russian Composer|access-date=April 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427005219/http://www.knoxkoupons.com/ktown_photos/photo_gallery/Historical/rachmaninoff.html|archive-date=April 27, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

Knoxville's underground music scene is rooted with the promotion by [[AC Entertainment]] around 1979.<ref name="summer79">{{cite web |last=Neely |first=Jack |title=Knoxville: Summer 1979 |url=https://knoxvillehistoryproject.org/2015/08/05/knoxville-summer-1979/ |website=Knoxville History Project |date=August 5, 2015 |access-date=April 25, 2022}}</ref> AC Entertainment, a local entertainment group, sought to expand the city's scene.<ref name="scene">{{cite news |title=Knoxville's music scene: A 'social glue' and economic boost |url=https://www.eteda.org/news/279/knoxvilles-music-scene-a-social-glue-and-economic-boost |access-date=April 25, 2022 |work=[[Knoxville News Sentinel]] |date=March 4, 2019}}</ref> In the 1990s, noted [[alternative rock]] critic Ann Powers referred to the city as "[[Music of Austin, Texas|Austin]] without the hype".<ref>Jack Neely, "[https://web.archive.org/web/20141217173333/http://www.metropulse.com/stories/features/knoxvilles-ever-changing-public-image Knoxville's Ever-Changing Public Image]", ''[[Metro Pulse]]'', March 28, 2012. Accessed at the Internet Archive, October 5, 2015.</ref><ref>Maria Carter, "[http://www.atlantamagazine.com/travel-city/knoxville/ Get Away to Knoxville] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219023034/http://www.atlantamagazine.com/travel-city/knoxville/ |date=December 19, 2014 }}", ''Atlanta'', June 28, 2013.</ref> Knoxville is home to a vibrant [[punk rock]] scene, having emerged from venues in the Old City district, specifically the Mill & Mine and Pilot Light venues.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Propst|first=Paula|date=2012|title=Proactive Punk: Music's Agency in the Knoxville Punk Community|url=https://trace.tennessee.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2407&context=utk_gradthes|access-date=April 11, 2021|website=[[University of Tennessee]]}}</ref> Such punk and hardcore bands include UXB, the STDs, and Koro.<ref name="blush">{{cite book |last=Blush |first=Steven |title=American Hardcore: A Tribal History |date=October 2001 |publisher=[[Feral House]] |isbn=9780922915712 |page=296 |url=https://feralhouse.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/ah_excerpt2.pdf |access-date=April 23, 2022 |chapter=America's Hardcore: The South}}</ref><ref name="vicdeli">{{cite news |last=Wilusz |first=Ryan |title=Remembering Vic and Bill's 'punk rock deli' following the death of Victor Captain |url=https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/2020/06/25/victor-captain-vic-and-bills-punk-rock-deli-knoxville-dies/3245912001/ |access-date=April 24, 2022 |work=[[Knoxville News Sentinel]] |date=June 25, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Neelymusic">{{cite web |last=Neely |first=Jack |title=Two Endangered Musical Landmarks—And A Third That May Yet Have Hope |url=https://knoxvillehistoryproject.org/2016/11/08/two-endangered-musical-landmarks-third-may-yet-hope/ |website=Knoxville History Project |access-date=April 24, 2022 |date=November 8, 2016}}</ref> Knoxville hosts the [[Big Ears Festival|Big Ears]] [[music festival]] since 2009. The festival, dubbed the "most ambitious [[avant-garde]] festival in America in more than a decade" in a 2014 ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' article, hosts musicians ranging from punk rock to [[chamber pop]].<ref name="bigears2014">[https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/big-ears-2014-celebrates-steve-reich-via-punk-drone-jazz-radiohead-20140331 Weingarten, Christopher. "Big Ears 2014 Celebrates Steve Reich Via Punk, Drone, Jazz, Radiohead."] [[Rolling Stone]]. March 31, 2014: C1</ref>

The city also hosts numerous art festivals, including the 17-day [[Dogwood Arts Festival]] in 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 in [[Swahili language|Swahili]]) Festival commemorates the region's African American heritage and showcases visual arts, folk arts, dance, games, music, storytelling, theater, and food.

===Architecture===
[[File:Knoxville TN skyline.jpg|right|thumb|Skyline of [[Downtown Knoxville]], 2007]]
[[File:Tennessee Amphitheater in Knoxville, 2015.jpg|thumb|Tennessee Amphitheater in Knoxville, 2015]]
Knoxville's two tallest buildings are the 27-story First Tennessee Plaza and the 24-story Riverview Tower, both on Gay Street.<ref>Jack Neely, "[https://web.archive.org/web/20130725143948/http://www.metropulse.com/news/2001/oct/25/skies-limits/?printer=1%2F The Skies, The Limits]", ''Metro Pulse'', October 25, 2001. Accessed at the Internet Archive, October 1, 2015.</ref> Other prominent high-rises include the Tower at Morgan Hill,<ref>Josh Flory, "[http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/nov/10/dean-trumps-comedian-for-towers-name/ Dean Trumps Comedian Stephen Colbert for Tower's Name] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120711072845/http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/nov/10/dean-trumps-comedian-for-towers-name/ |date=July 11, 2012 }}", ''Knoxville News Sentinel'', November 10, 2009. Retrieved: January 7, 2012.</ref> the [[Andrew Johnson Building]],<ref>"[http://www.wate.com/global/story.asp?s=6614872 Mayor Wants to Sell Downtown Building, Relocate Knox School Offices] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307182532/http://www.wate.com/global/story.asp?s=6614872 |date=March 7, 2012 }}", WATE.com, June 5, 2007. Retrieved: January 7, 2012.</ref> the Knoxville Hilton, the [[General Building]], [[The Holston]], the TVA Towers,<ref>Andrew Eder, "[http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2007/oct/02/tva-tower-gets-occupants/ TVA Tower Gets Occupants] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120711072834/http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2007/oct/02/tva-tower-gets-occupants/ |date=July 11, 2012 }}", ''Knoxville News Sentinel'', October 2, 2007. Retrieved: January 7, 2012.</ref> and Sterchi Lofts. The most iconic structure is arguably the [[Sunsphere]], a {{convert|266|ft|adj=on}} steel truss tower built for the 1982 World's Fair;<ref>[http://www.sunsphere.info/ Sunsphere.info] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309150206/http://www.sunsphere.info/ |date=March 9, 2012 }}. Retrieved: January 7, 2007</ref> it and the [[Tennessee Amphitheater]] are the only two structures that remain from that World's Fair.<ref>{{cite news | author=Amy McRary | title=World's Fair: The world came to Knoxville in May 1982 | url=http://www.knoxnews.com/entertainment/life/knoxvilles-225-years-the-world-came-to-knoxville-in-1982--33212d02-dcbe-66f2-e053-0100007fde44-381016021.html | work=The [[Knoxville News Sentinel]] | date=May 28, 2016 | access-date=July 2, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160703012457/http://www.knoxnews.com/entertainment/life/knoxvilles-225-years-the-world-came-to-knoxville-in-1982--33212d02-dcbe-66f2-e053-0100007fde44-381016021.html | archive-date=July 3, 2016 | url-status=live }}</ref>

The downtown area contains a mixture of architectural styles from various periods, ranging from the hewn-log James White House (1786) to the modern [[Knoxville Museum of Art]] (1990). Styles represented include [[Greek Revival architecture|Greek Revival]] ([[Old City Hall (Knoxville)|Old City Hall]]), [[Victorian architecture|Victorian]] (Hotel St. Oliver and Sullivan's Saloon), [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic]] ([[Church Street Methodist Church (Knoxville, Tennessee)|Church Street Methodist Church]] and [[Ayres Hall]]), [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical]] (First Baptist Church), and [[Art Deco]] ([[United States Post Office and Courthouse (Knoxville, Tennessee)|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 vernacular [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]] style. "Streetcar suburbs" such as [[Fourth and Gill, Knoxville|Fourth and Gill]], [[Parkridge, Knoxville|Parkridge]], and [[Fort Sanders, Knoxville|Fort Sanders]], developed in the late 19th century with the advent of [[streetcar|trolleys]], tend to contain large concentrations of Victorian and [[bungalow]]/[[American Craftsman|Craftsman]]-style houses popular during this period. Early automobile suburbs, such as [[Lindbergh Forest]] and Sequoyah Hills, contain late-1920s and 1930s styles such as [[Tudor Revival architecture|Tudor Revival]], English Cottage, and [[Mission Revival architecture|Mission Revival]]. Neighborhoods developed after World War II typically consist of [[Ranch-style house]]s.

Knoxville is home to the nation's largest concentration of homes designed by noted Victorian residential architect [[George Franklin Barber]], who lived in the city.<ref>Knox Heritage, [http://www.knoxheritage.org/sites/default/files/KH%20George%20Barber%20Homes%20Tour_web.pdf George Barber Homes Trolley Tour Booklet] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726233012/http://www.knoxheritage.org/sites/default/files/KH%20George%20Barber%20Homes%20Tour_web.pdf |date=July 26, 2011 }}, 2007. Retrieved: January 7, 2012.</ref> Other notable local architects include members of the [[Baumann family (architects)|Baumann 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 include [[Alfred B. Mullett]] ([[Greystone (Knoxville)|Greystone]]), [[John Russell Pope]] (H.L. Dulin House), and [[Edward Larrabee Barnes]] (Knoxville Museum of Art).

===Events===
The Knoxville Christmas in the City event runs for eight weeks of events at locations throughout the city including the [[Singing Christmas Tree]] and ice skating on the Holidays on Ice skating rink.<ref>Moon Blue Ridge & Smoky Mountains—Page 279 1612380662 Deborah Huso—2011 Christmas in the City (865/215-4248, www.cityofknoxville.org, Nov.–Dec.) covers eight weeks of festivities at various locations throughout the city. The activities include{{spaces}}... Santa, as well as ice skating on Knoxville's Holidays on Ice skating rink.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.knoxvilletn.gov/government/city_departments_offices/special_events/knoxvilles_holidays_on_ice/|title=Knoxville's Holidays on Ice|access-date=April 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415122036/http://www.knoxvilletn.gov/government/city_departments_offices/special_events/knoxvilles_holidays_on_ice|archive-date=April 15, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* Asian Festival<ref name="knoxasian">{{cite web |title=Knox Asian Festival |url=https://www.knoxasianfestival.com/ |website=Knox Asian Festival}}</ref>
* [[Big Ears Festival]]<ref name="bigears2014"/>
* Boo At The Zoo<ref name="boozoo">{{cite web |title=Boo at The Zoo |url=https://www.booknoxville.com/ |website=Boo at The Zoo |publisher=[[Zoo Knoxville]] |access-date=July 10, 2022}}</ref>
* Brewfest<ref name="brewfest">{{cite web |title=Knoxville Brewfest |url=https://knoxvillebrewfest.com/ |website=Knoxville Brewfest}}</ref>
* Concerts on the Square<ref name="onsquare">{{cite web |title=Concerts on the Square |url=https://www.knoxvilletn.gov/government/city_departments_offices/special_events/concerts_on_the_square |website=City of Knoxville |access-date=July 10, 2022}}</ref>
* [[Dogwood Arts Festival (Knoxville)|Dogwood Arts Festival]]<ref name="dogwoodarts">{{cite web |title=Dogwood Arts Festival |url=https://www.dogwoodarts.com/dogwoodartsfestival |website=Dogwood Arts Festival |access-date=July 10, 2022}}</ref>
* Fantasy of Trees<ref name="fotetch">{{cite web |title=Fantasy of Trees |url=https://www.etch.com/ways-to-give/events/fantasy-of-trees/ |website=East Tennessee Childrens Hospital |access-date=July 10, 2022}}</ref>
* Festival on the Fourth<ref name="festivalon4th">{{cite web |title=Festival on the 4th |url=https://www.knoxvilletn.gov/government/city_departments_offices/special_events/festival_on_the_4th |website=City of Knoxville |access-date=July 10, 2022}}</ref>
* First Friday ArtWalk<ref name="artwalk">{{cite web |title=First Friday ArtWalk |url=https://www.downtownknoxville.org/firstfriday-artwalk/ |website=Downtown Knoxville |access-date=July 10, 2022}}</ref>
* Greek Fest<ref name="greekfest">{{cite web |title=Greek Fest - Knoxville, Tennessee |url=https://greekfesttn.wordpress.com/ |website=Greek Fest |access-date=July 10, 2022 |archive-date=July 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220710195752/https://greekfesttn.wordpress.com/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* HoLa Festival<ref name="HOLA">{{cite web |title=HoLa Hora Latina |url=https://holahoralatina.org/ |website=HoLa Hora Latina |access-date=July 10, 2022}}</ref>
* [[International Biscuit Festival]]<ref>{{cite web|title=International Biscuit Festival Weekend|url=http://www.ci.knoxville.tn.us/Press_Releases/Content/2010/0602.asp|work=NEWS RELEASES City of Knoxville, Tennessee Daniel T. Brown, Mayor|publisher=ci.knoxville.tn.us|access-date=April 24, 2011|date=June 2, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928152359/http://www.ci.knoxville.tn.us/Press_Releases/Content/2010/0602.asp|archive-date=September 28, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Knox Food Fest<ref name="knoxfoodfest">{{cite web |title=Knox Food Fest |url=https://knoxfoodfest.com/ |website=Knox Food Fest |access-date=July 10, 2022}}</ref>
* Knoxville Hardcore Fest<ref name="khcfb">{{cite web |title=Knoxville Hardcore Fest 2022 |url=https://www.facebook.com/knoxvillehardcore/posts/pfbid02WGYBTyg5mrsNhVFi4Dp6xPF5QGjKSNZuvD1LH4WENAaRAH7XFGU4bwurwyFXai9Rl?__cft__[0]=AZVZ9U0k6XxoExGEm2UQJJ4kyR-5BtkzbVNmll05w6SoFeSGXDftq_399SX6LKzZz5sSuq6YIHI4t3hzCmRw-IpsmzBV9YSd3jaKTfQnDW7UIHS3bjHPckTpVP_d1tA35nBjlYwj18PgMFTwPL0UZXp52UYe1_lLGJ3CifLL9DUr-xaF4fT66ZlvCJcNM88H_E3cgBvxXqPQKCBxXQ5KwRE-&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R |website=Facebook |publisher=Knoxville Hardcore Collective |access-date=July 9, 2022 |date=June 24, 2022}}</ref>
* Knoxville Horror Film Festival<ref name="horrorfest">{{cite web |last=Thomas |first=Keenan |title=Knoxville Horror Film Festival brings suspense, scares, surprises |url=https://www.utdailybeacon.com/city_news/entertainment/knoxville-horror-film-festival-brings-suspense-scares-surprises/article_aa6af80c-3671-11ec-91a7-4b7908ddefed.html |website=Daily Beacon |date=October 26, 2021 |publisher=[[University of Tennessee]] |access-date=July 10, 2022}}</ref>
* [[Knoxville Marathon]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://knoxvillemarathon.com/history/|title=History|website=Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon|language=en-US|access-date=January 6, 2020}}</ref>
* Knoxville Powerboat Classic<ref name="TRVpoweboat">{{cite web |title=Visit Knoxville Powerboat Classic |url=https://tennesseerivervalleygeotourism.org/entries/visit-knoxville-powerboat-classic/20c9e951-c3a5-4cba-80ae-4b626759bf74 |website=Tennessee River Valley |access-date=July 10, 2022}}</ref>
* Market Square Farmers' Market<ref name="nourishmarkets">{{cite web |title=Markets |url=https://www.nourishknoxville.org/markets/ |website=Nourish Knoxville |access-date=July 10, 2022}}</ref>
* NSRA Street Rod Nationals South<ref name="nsra">{{cite web |title=NSRA STREET ROD NATIONALS SOUTH |url=https://nsra-usa.com/rods-spectators-south/ |website=NSRA |access-date=July 10, 2022}}</ref>
*
* Rhythm & Blooms Festival<ref name="rnbfest">{{cite web |title=RHYTHM N BLOOMS FESTIVAL EMBROILED IN DISPUTE |url=https://insideofknoxville.com/2019/09/rhythm-n-blooms-festival-embroiled-in-dispute/ |website=Inside of Knoxville |access-date=July 10, 2022 |date=September 18, 2019}}</ref>
* Rossini Festival<ref name="rossini2022">{{cite news |last=Shane |first=Carol |title=Rossini Festival International Street Fair is back in downtown Knoxville, and it's free |url=https://www.knoxnews.com/story/shopper-news/north-knox/2022/04/26/rossini-festival-2022-street-fair-back-downtown-knoxville/7393224001/ |access-date=July 10, 2022 |work=[[Knoxville News Sentinel]] |date=April 26, 2022}}</ref>
* [[Tennessee Valley Fair]]<ref name="winnett">{{cite news |last=Winnett |first=William |title=Tennessee Valley Fair announces lineup for 2022 concert series |url=https://www.wbir.com/article/entertainment/events/tennessee-valley-fair-announces-2022-concerts/51-c0d23690-07ff-4e63-a5e8-e1884fbde98b |access-date=July 9, 2022 |work=[[WBIR-TV]] |date=June 8, 2022}}</ref>
* Vestival<ref name="vestival">{{cite web |title=Vestival |url=https://www.visitknoxville.com/event/vestival/2935/ |website=Visit Knoxville |access-date=July 10, 2022}}</ref>
* Volapalooza<ref name="volapalooza">{{cite web |title=History |url=https://volapalooza.utk.edu/about/ |website=Volapalooza |date=December 12, 2014 |publisher=[[University of Tennessee]] |access-date=July 10, 2022}}</ref>
{{div col end}}

===Sites of interest===
[[File:Krutchpark.JPG|thumb|right|upright|Krutch Park in Downtown Knoxville]]
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* Beck Cultural Exchange Center
* [[Bijou Theatre (Knoxville)|Bijou Theatre]]
* [[Bleak House (Knoxville, Tennessee)|Bleak House]]
* [[William Blount Mansion]]
* Fountain City Art Center
* [[Candoro Marble Works]]
* [[James White Civic Coliseum|Civic Coliseum]]
* Fort Dickerson
* Haley Heritage Square
* Ijams Nature Center
* [[James White's Fort]]
* Knoxville Botanical Gardens and Arboretum
* [[Knoxville Convention Center]]
* Knoxville Greenways
* [[Knoxville Museum of Art]]
* Knoxville Police Museum
* [[Zoo Knoxville]]
* [[Mabry-Hazen House]]
* [[Marble Springs]]
* [[Market Square, Knoxville|Market Square]]
* [[Frank H. McClung Museum]]
* [[Museum of East Tennessee History]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places, Knox County, Tennessee]]
* [[Old City Knoxville|Old City]]
* [[Ramsey House (Knox County, Tennessee)|Ramsey House]]
* [[Sunsphere]]
* [[Tennessee Amphitheater]]
* Tennessee River Boat
* [[Tennessee Theatre]]
* [[Three Rivers Rambler]] Train Ride
* [[Volunteer Landing]]
* [[Women's Basketball Hall of Fame]]
* [[1982 World's Fair|World's Fair Park]]
* Knoxville's Urban Wilderness{{div col end}}

===Libraries===
[[File:Lawson McGhee Library 01.jpg|thumb|[[Lawson McGhee Library]]]]

The Knox County Public Library system consists of the [[Lawson McGhee Library]], located downtown, and 17 branch libraries, overseeing a collection of over 1.3{{spaces}}million volumes.<ref name=mpcfacts/>

==Sports==
The University of Tennessee's athletics programs, nicknamed the "[[Tennessee Volunteers|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,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.knoxnews.com/story/sports/college/university-of-tennessee/2023/10/12/gary-danielson-neyland-stadium-just-about-the-same-sec-football-tennessee-vols/71155519007/|title=CBS analyst Gary Danielson says Neyland Stadium is 'just about the same' as other SEC venues|first=Craig|last=Meyer|website=Knoxville News Sentinel}}</ref> and [[Thompson–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 the [[Women's Basketball Hall of Fame]], almost entirely thanks to the success of [[Pat Summitt]] and the [[Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball|University of Tennessee women's basketball team]].

Professional sports teams located in Knoxville include:
{| class="wikitable"
!Team
!Sport
!League
!Venue (Capacity)
|-
|[[Knoxville Ice Bears]]
|[[Ice hockey|Hockey]]
|[[SPHL]]
|[[Knoxville Civic Coliseum]] (6,500)
|-
|[[Tennessee Smokies]]
|[[Baseball]]
|[[Southern League (1964–present)|Southern League]] (Double A)
|[[Smokies Stadium]] (6,412)
|-
|[[One Knoxville SC]]
|[[Association football|Soccer]]
|[[USL League One]]
|[[Regal Stadium]] (3,000)
|}

==Government==
Knoxville is governed by a mayor and nine-member City Council. It uses the strong-mayor form of the [[mayor-council government|mayor-council system]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Council lets mayor keep gavel—for now|work=The Knoxville News-Sentinel|first=Scott|last=Barker|date=August 19, 2002}}</ref> The council consists of six members from [[single-member districts]] and three members elected [[at-large]] for 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).<ref>Jennifer Meckles, "[http://www.wbir.com/news/article/196109/2/Madeline-Rogero-sworn-in-as-mayor-of-Knoxville Madeline Rogero Sworn in as Mayor of Knoxville] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130209130300/http://www.wbir.com/news/article/196109/2/Madeline-Rogero-sworn-in-as-mayor-of-Knoxville |date=February 9, 2013 }}", ''WBIR.com'', December 17, 2011. Retrieved: December 20, 2011.</ref> The City Council meets every other Tuesday at 7:00{{spaces}}p.m. in the Main Assembly Room of the [[Knoxville City-County Building|City County Building]].<ref>{{cite web|title=City Council |work=City of Knoxville |url=http://www.cityofknoxville.org/citycouncil/default.asp |access-date=August 14, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080907180828/http://www.cityofknoxville.org/citycouncil/default.asp |archive-date=September 7, 2008 }}</ref>

The current mayor is [[Indya 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 mayor [[Daniel Brown (politician)|Daniel Brown]], the first African American to hold the office, was appointed in January 2011 following the resignation of [[Bill Haslam]], who was elected Governor of Tennessee. Other recent mayors include Haslam's predecessor, [[Victor Ashe]] (1987−2003), [[Kyle Testerman]] (1972−1975, 1984−1987), and [[Randy Tyree]] (1976−1983).

[[File:Knoxville Police.jpg|thumb|[[Knoxville Police Department]] headquarters]]
The [[Knoxville Fire Department]] (KFD) provides Class{{spaces}}2 [[International Organization for Standardization|ISO]] service inside the city limits. The fire department operates 19 stations with 308 uniformed personnel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ci.knoxville.tn.us/kfd/ |title=KNOXVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT (KFD) |access-date=December 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111104090237/http://www.ci.knoxville.tn.us/kfd/ |archive-date=November 4, 2011 }}</ref> KFD provides firefighting, first responder EMS response, vehicle extrication and HazMat response within the city limits.

The [[Knoxville Police Department]] serves the citizens of Knoxville with 378 officers and a total of 530 employees.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ci.knoxville.tn.us/kpd/field.asp |title=FIELD OPERATIONS |access-date=December 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121234132/http://www.ci.knoxville.tn.us/kpd/field.asp |archive-date=January 21, 2012 }}</ref>

911 ambulance service inside Knoxville is provided by AMR Ambulance under contract with Knox County.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/feb/23/ruralmetro-moves-early-extend-pact/ |title=Rural/Metro moves early to extend pact |access-date=December 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120711074425/http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/feb/23/ruralmetro-moves-early-extend-pact/ |archive-date=July 11, 2012 }}</ref>

Knoxville is home to the [[Tennessee Supreme Court]]'s courthouse for [[East Tennessee]].

===City Council===
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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://knoxvilletn.gov/cms/One.aspx?portalId=109562&pageId=131053 |title=City Council |access-date=September 15, 2021 }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ 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
|}

===List of mayors===
{{see also|Mayoral elections in Knoxville}}
Not to be confused with the [[Knox County, Tennessee#Government and politics|Mayor of Knox County]]
{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" width=75% align="left"
|-
! style="background:#F5DEB3"|  <small>Mayors of Knoxville, Tennessee</small>
|-
|
* [[Thomas Emmerson]], 1816-1817<ref name=mayors>{{cite web|url=http://www.cityofknoxville.org/mayors/default.asp |title=Mayors |publisher=City of Knoxville |access-date=May 8, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504043813/http://www.cityofknoxville.org/mayors/default.asp |archive-date=May 4, 2012 }}</ref>
* 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 (American editor)|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 (American businessman)|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 Duncan Sr.|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 (politician)|Daniel Brown]], 2011, first African-American mayor
* [[Madeline Rogero]], 2011–2019
* [[Indya Kincannon]], 2019–
|}
{{clear}}

==Education==
[[File:UT-McClungPlaza.jpg|thumb|right|The University of Tennessee at Knoxville is the state's flagship public university. (Pictured: McClung Plaza)]]

Knoxville is home to the [[University of Tennessee at Knoxville|main 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 $300{{spaces}}million.<ref name=bolcolleges>[http://knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=15837 East Tennessee Colleges and Universities] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406120940/http://www.knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=15837 |date=April 6, 2012 }}, Knoxville Book of Lists (''Knoxville News Sentinel''), 2012. Retrieved: January 15, 2012.</ref> The school employs over 1,300 instructional faculty, and offers more than 300 degree programs.<ref>[http://www.utk.edu/aboutut/ UTK—About the University] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120082119/http://www.utk.edu/aboutut/ |date=January 20, 2012 }}. Retrieved: January 15, 2012.</ref>

[[Pellissippi State Community College]] is a two-year school governed by the [[Tennessee Board of Regents]] that offers [[college transfer|transfer]] programs, two-year degrees, and certificate programs. Its main campus is located off [[Pellissippi Parkway]] in western Knox County. As of 2011, the school had a system-wide enrollment of over 11,000 students.<ref>[http://www.pstcc.edu/about/index.php About Pellissippi State] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207205256/http://www.pstcc.edu/about/index.php |date=February 7, 2012 }}. Retrieved: January 15, 2012.</ref>

[[Johnson University]] (formerly Johnson Bible College) is a [[Bible college]] affiliated with the [[Christian 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.<ref>[http://www.johnsonu.edu/About.aspx About Johnson] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120128151353/http://johnsonu.edu/About.aspx |date=January 28, 2012 }}. Retrieved: January 15, 2012.</ref>

[[South College]] (formerly Knoxville Business College) is a [[for-profit school]] located 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.<ref>Tennessee Higher Education Commission, [http://www.tn.gov/thec/Divisions/LRA/PostsecondaryAuth/segpr/2010/SouthCollege.pdf Student Enrollment, Completion and Placement Report, FY 2009–10—South College] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111013061604/http://www.tn.gov/thec/Divisions/LRA/PostsecondaryAuth/segpr/2010/SouthCollege.pdf |date=October 13, 2011 }}. Retrieved: January 15, 2012.</ref>

[[Knoxville College]] was a [[historically black college]] that 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.<ref>Linda McCoy, [http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/dec/10/new-knoxville-college-president-has-plan-add-stabi/ New Knoxville College President Has Plan to Add Stability and Seek Reaccreditation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120711074411/http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/dec/10/new-knoxville-college-president-has-plan-add-stabi/ |date=July 11, 2012 }}, ''Knoxville News Sentinel'', December 10, 2010. Retrieved: January 15, 2012.</ref>

Institutions with [[satellite campus|branch campuses]] in Knoxville include [[Carson-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]], and [[Tusculum University]]. [[Virginia College]] offers career programs in Knoxville.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vc.edu/college/knoxville-colleges-tennessee.cfm|title=Knoxville, TN Career College|publisher=Virginia College|access-date=April 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151011144033/http://www.vc.edu/college/knoxville-colleges-tennessee.cfm|archive-date=October 11, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Huntington University of Health Sciences]], which offers [[distance education|distance courses]] in nutrition and health, has its offices in Knoxville.

===Primary and secondary education===
Public schools in Knoxville are part of the [[Knox County Schools]] system, which oversees 89 schools (50 elementary, 14 middle, 14 high, and 11 adult centers) serving over 56,000 students. This system includes five [[magnet school]]s and a [[STEM fields|STEM]] academy.<ref name=mpcfacts/> Knox County high schools had a graduation rate of 86.6%, as of 2011.<ref>Knox County Schools, [http://knoxschools.org/modules/cms/pages.phtml?sessionid=&pageid=255065&sessionid= Strategic Plan Results—Graduation Rate] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120718095908/http://knoxschools.org/modules/cms/pages.phtml?sessionid=&pageid=255065&sessionid= |date=July 18, 2012 }}. Retrieved: January 20, 2012.</ref> The average classroom ratio is 14 students per teacher.<ref name=mpcfacts/>

Knox County is home to over 50 private and parochial schools,<ref name=mpcfacts/> the largest of which include the [[Christian Academy of Knoxville]], the [[Webb School of Knoxville]], [[Knoxville Catholic High School]], Grace Christian Academy, Cedar Springs Weekday School, and Sacred Heart Cathedral School.<ref>[http://knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=15120 Knoxville-Area Private Schools Ranked According to Enrollment] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309175955/http://www.knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=15120 |date=March 9, 2012 }}, Knoxville Book of Lists (''Knoxville News Sentinel''), 2012. Retrieved: January 20, 2012.</ref>

==Media==
{{See also|List of newspapers in Tennessee|List of radio stations in Tennessee|List of television stations in Tennessee}}
The ''[[Knoxville News Sentinel]]'' is the local daily newspaper in Knoxville, with a daily circulation of 97,844 and a Sunday circulation of 124,225, as of 2011.<ref name=mpcfacts/>

''The Knoxville Focus'' is a community news publication.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://muckrack.com/media-outlet/knoxfocus|title=The Knoxville Focus: Contact Information, Journalists, and Overview|website=Muck Rack.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thepaperboy.com/newspaper.cfm?PaperID=2146114973|title=Knoxville Focus Newspaper from Knoxville, Tennessee (TN) |website= Paperboy Online Newspapers}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.townoffarragut.org/399/Local-News|title=Local News |website= Farragut, TN - Official Website}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.einpresswire.com/world-media-directory/detail/84554|title=The Knoxville Focus Presswire|website=Tennessee Media Directory by EIN}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ground.news/article/70th-annual-karns-community-fair-the-knoxville-focus|title=70th Annual Karns Community Fair - The Knoxville Focus|website=Ground News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.knoxvilletennessee.com/news.html|title=Knoxville News, Weather and Sports|website=knoxvilletennessee.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://charminfoth.com/focus-days/|title=Focus Days|date=October 26, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sscafeterias.com/category/news/|title=News Archives - S&S Cafeterias}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.knoxvillenewsdistrict.com/newspapers.html|title=Knoxville Newspapers|website=knoxvillenewsdistrict.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.knoxschools.org/Page/http%3A%2F%2Fwww.knoxschools.org%2Fsite%2Fdefault.aspx%3FPageID%3D18622|title=Library/Media Services / Local Newspapers|website=knoxschools.org}}{{Dead link|date=January 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.knoxvilletn.gov/visitors/knoxville_info/local_media|title=Local Media|website=knoxvilletn.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://intelligentrelations.com/insights/tennessee-newspapers-list/|title=Top Tennessee Newspapers and Outlets 2023|website=intelligentrelations.com|date=February 24, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.knoxvillechamber.com/about-the-chamber/news-media/|title=News & Media|website=knoxvillechamber.com}}</ref>

The city is home to several weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly publications.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}}

As of 2011, the Knoxville [[designated market area|television market]] was the 61st largest in the U.S. with 527,790 homes, according to Nielsen Market Research.<ref name="Nielsen_Data">Norma Polovitz Nickerson and Jake Jorgenson, [http://www.itrr.umt.edu/research11/2011DMAreport.pdf Designated Market Areas: Using Zip Codes As a Marketing Tool] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929164512/http://www.itrr.umt.edu/research11/2011DMAreport.pdf |date=September 29, 2011 }}. University of Montana Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research, April 2011. Retrieved: January 26, 2012.</ref> The largest local television station is [[National Broadcasting Company|NBC]] affiliate [[WBIR-TV]], with 28,305 viewing households, followed by [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate [[WATE-TV]] (23,559), [[Columbia Broadcasting System|CBS]] affiliate [[WVLT-TV]] (20,052), [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] affiliate [[WTNZ]] (10,319), and [[The CW Television Network|CW]] affiliate [[WBXX-TV]] (5,415).<ref>[http://knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=21278 Knoxville-Area Television Stations Ranked According to Market Share] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324122627/http://www.knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=21278 |date=March 24, 2012 }}, Knoxville Book of Lists (''Knoxville News Sentinel''), 2012. Retrieved: January 26, 2012.</ref> Other local stations include [[WKNX-TV]] (Ind.), [[WVLR (TV)|WVLR]] ([[Christian Television Network|CTN]]) and [[WPXK-TV|WPXK]] ([[Ion Television|Ion]]). [[East Tennessee PBS]] operates Knoxville's [[Public Broadcasting Service]] station at WKOP 17.

[[Discovery, Inc.]] operates the former [[Scripps Networks Interactive]] [[cable television]] networks from Knoxville, including [[HGTV]], [[Magnolia Network]], [[Food Network]] and [[Cooking Channel]].<ref name="Scripps_Networks">{{cite web|title=About Scripps Networks.|url=http://www.scrippsnetworks.com/about.aspx?code=about|publisher=[[Scripps Networks Interactive]]|access-date=April 1, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110630111739/http://www.scrippsnetworks.com/about.aspx?code=about|archive-date=June 30, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[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 to [[Arbitron]]'s 2011 Radio Market Rankings, Knoxville had the nation's 72nd-largest radio market, with 684,700 households.<ref>[http://www.arbitron.com/home/mm001050.asp Arbitron Radio Market Rankings: Fall 2011] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101016182624/http://arbitron.com/home/mm001050.asp |date=October 16, 2010 }}. Retrieved: January 26, 2012.</ref> In 2010, [[country music]] station [[WIVK-FM|WIVK]] (107.7 FM) had the market's highest [[AQH share]] at 16.3, followed by adult contemporary station [[WJXB-FM|WJXB]] (97.5 FM) at 10.1, and news/talk station [[WCYQ]] (100.3 FM) at 8.3.<ref>[http://knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=15800 Knoxville-Area Radio Stations] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406121649/http://www.knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=15800 |date=April 6, 2012 }}, Knoxville Book of Lists (''Knoxville News Sentinel''), 2012. Retrieved: January 26, 2012.</ref> Other stations include [[Rock music]] stations [[WIMZ-FM|WIMZ]] (103.5 FM) and [[WNFZ]] (94.3), [[Rhythmic Airplay Chart|Rhythmic Top 40]] station [[WKHT]] (104.5 FM), [[contemporary hit radio|contemporary hit]] station [[WWST]] (102.1 FM), and [[National Public Radio]] station [[WUOT]] (91.9 FM). The University of Tennessee radio station operates under [[WUTK-FM|WUTK]] (90.3 FM).

===Filming location===
A number of films and television programs were filmed in the city, such as the 1999 film ''[[October Sky]]'',<ref name="october_sky">{{cite news|last=Morrow |first=Terry |title='October Sky' cast & crew reunite in Oliver Springs. |url=http://blogs.knoxnews.com/telebuddy/archives/2010/09/october-sky-cas.shtml |access-date=April 1, 2011 |newspaper=[[Knoxville News-Sentinel]]|date=September 20, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013233611/http://blogs.knoxnews.com/telebuddy/archives/2010/09/october-sky-cas.shtml |archive-date=October 13, 2012 }}</ref> the 2000 film ''[[Road Trip (2000 film)|Road Trip]]'' at the [[University of Tennessee]] campus,<ref name="tripfilm">{{cite web |title="Road Trip" Filming & Production |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0215129/locations |website=[[IMDb]] |access-date=December 27, 2020}}</ref> ''[[Box of Moonlight]]'', starring John Turturro and Sam Rockwell,<ref name="turczyn">{{cite web |last=Turczyn |first=Coury |title=The making of Tom DiCillo's '90s indie gem, 'Box of Moonlight' |url=https://www.popcultmag.com/posts/the-making-of-tom-dicillos-90s-indie-gem-box-of-moonlight/ |website=PopCulture (magazine) |access-date=December 27, 2020 |date=May 2, 2018}}</ref> scenes from the 2004 film ''[[The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things]]'',<ref>Bruce Handy, "[http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2006/05/jtleroy200605 The Boy Who Cried Author] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160713070026/http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2006/05/jtleroy200605 |date=July 13, 2016 }}", ''Vanity Fair'', May 2006.</ref><ref>[http://www.filmknoxvilletn.com/filmography/ Filmography] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804211654/http://www.filmknoxvilletn.com/filmography/ |date=August 4, 2016 }}, Visit Knoxville Film/Knox website. Retrieved: July 31, 2016.</ref> ''Woman In Hiding'', a 1949 [[film noir]] starring actress [[Ida Lupino]],<ref>Neely, ''From the Shadow Side, p. 96.''</ref> and the 2017 film, ''[[The Last Movie Star]]'', which was one of the last films to star [[Burt Reynolds]].<ref name="campbellfilm">{{cite news |last=Campbell |first=Chuck |title=5 movies filmed in Knoxville at key times for stars, from Burt Reynolds to Jake Gyllenhaal |url=https://www.knoxnews.com/story/entertainment/2018/09/06/burt-reynolds-last-movie-star-knoxville-jake-gyllenhaal-asia-argento-jimmy-bennett-rockwell-renner/1217203002/ |access-date=December 27, 2020 |work=[[Knoxville News Sentinel]] |date=September 6, 2018}}</ref>

==Infrastructure==
===Health===
Knox County's hospital system contains over 2,600 licensed beds in seven general use hospitals and one children's hospital.<ref name=mpcfacts/> The city's largest hospital as of 2011 was the [[University of Tennessee Medical Center]], which had 581 beds, followed by [[Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center]] (541), Parkwest Medical Center (462), and Physicians Regional (370).<ref>[http://knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=18654 East Tennessee Hospitals] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406121028/http://www.knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=18654 |date=April 6, 2012 }}, Knoxville Book of Lists (''Knoxville News Sentinel''), 2012. Retrieved: January 24, 2012.</ref> 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.<ref>[http://knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=15122 Knoxville-Area Ambulatory Surgical Treatment Centers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309180217/http://www.knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=15122 |date=March 9, 2012 }}, Knoxville Book of Lists (''Knoxville News Sentinel''), 2012. Retrieved: January 24, 2012.</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite web|title=County Health Rankings & Roadmaps|url=https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/tennessee/2021/rankings/knox/county/outcomes/overall/snapshot|access-date=August 10, 2021|website=County Health Rankings & Roadmaps|language=en}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.lung.org/about-us/blog/2017/12/spotlight-on-success-knoxville.html|title=Spotlight on Success: How Knoxville Dramatically Reduced Ozone Smog and Became a Cleaner, Healthier City|work=American Lung Association|access-date=February 14, 2018|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180214142147/http://www.lung.org/about-us/blog/2017/12/spotlight-on-success-knoxville.html|archive-date=February 14, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=County Health Rankings & Roadmaps|url=https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/tennessee/2021/rankings/knox/county/outcomes/overall/snapshot|access-date=August 9, 2021|website=County Health Rankings & Roadmaps|language=en}}</ref>

===Utilities===
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.<ref name=kubelectricity>[http://www.kub.org/wps/portal/!ut/p/c1/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gPC1OnYE8TIwMDlwAnAyMfl1BLU1c3j0BDI_2CbEdFAFsLtec!/ KUB—Electricity] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120234157/http://www.kub.org/wps/portal/!ut/p/c1/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gPC1OnYE8TIwMDlwAnAyMfl1BLU1c3j0BDI_2CbEdFAFsLtec! |date=January 20, 2012 }}, KUB website. Retrieved: January 24, 2012.</ref> The average electric bill was just over $96 per month.<ref name=bolutil>[http://knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=21282 Knoxville-Area Utilities] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309174806/http://www.knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=21282 |date=March 9, 2012 }}, Knoxville Book of Lists (''Knoxville News Sentinel''), 2012. Retrieved: January 24, 2012.</ref> KUB purchases its electricity from the [[Tennessee Valley Authority]].<ref name=kubelectricity/>

===Transportation===
====Highways====
[[File:Knoxville-hall-of-fame-drive-tn1.jpg|right|thumb|The James White Parkway connects [[Interstate 40|I-40]] with Downtown Knoxville.]]

The two principal interstate highways serving Knoxville are [[Interstate 40 in Tennessee|Interstate 40]], which connects the city to [[Asheville, North Carolina|Asheville]] (directly) and [[Bristol, Tennessee|Bristol]] (via [[Interstate 81 in Tennessee|I-81]]) to the east and [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] to the west, and [[Interstate 75]], which connects the city to [[Chattanooga, Tennessee|Chattanooga]] to the south and [[Lexington, Kentucky|Lexington]] to the north. The two interstates merge about {{convert|20|mi}} west of Downtown Knoxville near [[Dixie Lee Junction, Tennessee|Dixie Lee Junction]] and diverge as they approach the Downtown area, with I-40 continuing on through the Downtown area and I-75 turning north. [[Interstate 640]] provides a [[bypass (road)|bypass]] for I-40 travelers, and [[Interstate 275 (Tennessee)|Interstate 275]] provides a faster connection to I-75 for Downtown travelers headed north. A spur route of I-40, [[Pellissippi Parkway|Interstate 140]] (Pellissippi Parkway), connects West Knoxville with [[McGhee Tyson Airport]] and Maryville.<ref name=tdotmap>{{cite map |author = Tennessee Department of Transportation Long Range Planning Division Office of Data Visualization|title = Knox County|year = 2018|url = https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/tdot/maps/county-maps-(us-shields)/h-m/Knox%20County.pdf|publisher = [[Tennessee Department of Transportation]]}}</ref>

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.<ref name="lakinjct">{{cite news |last=Lakin |first=Matt |title=Junction for malfunction |url=http://archive.knoxnews.com/news/local/junction-for-malfunction-ep-360224674-356724351.html |access-date=December 27, 2020 |work=[[Knoxville News Sentinel]] |date=August 26, 2012}}</ref>

Knoxville's busiest road is a stretch of [[U.S. Route 129 in Tennessee|U.S. Route 129]] known as Alcoa Highway, which connects the Downtown area with McGhee Tyson Airport and Maryville.<ref>[http://knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=19917 Knoxville Book of Lists—Knox Co.'s Busiest Roads] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214120239/http://www.knoxvillebookoflists.com/?djoPage=view_html&djoPid=19917 |date=February 14, 2012 }}, Knoxvillebiz.com (''Knoxville News Sentinel''), 2012. Retrieved: January 11, 2012.</ref> A merged stretch of [[U.S. Route 70 in Tennessee|US-70]] and [[U.S. Route 11 in Tennessee|US-11]] enters 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 along [[Kingston Pike]]. US-11 splits into [[U.S. Route 11E|US-11E]] and [[U.S. Route 11W|11W]] in Downtown, with the former connecting Knoxville to [[Jefferson City, Tennessee|Jefferson City]] and [[Morristown, Tennessee|Morristown]], and the latter with [[Rutledge, Tennessee|Rutledge]] and [[Bean Station, Tennessee|Bean Station]]. [[U.S. Route 441 in Tennessee|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. [[U.S. Route 25W (Tennessee)|US-25W]], which enters from the east concurrent with US-70, connects Knoxville with [[Clinton, Tennessee|Clinton]].<ref name=tdotmap/>

[[File:Knoxville-R.jpg|thumb|left|Bridges over the Tennessee River]]

[[Tennessee State Route 158|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. [[Tennessee State Route 62|SR 62]] (Western Avenue, Oak Ridge Highway), connects Downtown Knoxville with [[Oak Ridge, Tennessee|Oak Ridge]] to the west. [[Tennessee State Route 168|SR 168]], known as Governor John Sevier Highway, runs along the eastern and southern periphery of the city. [[Tennessee State Route 162|SR 162]] (Pellissippi Parkway) connects West Knoxville with Oak Ridge. [[Tennessee State Route 331|SR 331]] (Tazewell Pike) connects the [[Fountain City, Tennessee|Fountain City]] area to rural northeast Knox County. [[Tennessee State Route 332|SR 332]] (Northshore Drive) connects West Knoxville and [[Concord, Knox County, Tennessee|Concord]]. [[Tennessee State Route 33|SR 33]] (Maryville Pike, Maynardville Pike) traverses much of South Knoxville southward, and connects to the suburbs of [[Halls Crossroads, Tennessee|Halls Crossroads]] and [[Maynardville, Tennessee|Maynardville]] northward.<ref name=tdotmap/>

Four vehicle bridges connect Downtown Knoxville with South Knoxville, namely the South Knoxville Bridge (James White Parkway), the [[Gay Street Bridge]] ([[Gay Street (Knoxville)|Gay Street]]), the [[Henley 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.<ref name=tdotmap/>

====Mass transit====
Public transportation is provided by [[Knoxville Area Transit]] (KAT), which operates over 80 buses, [[tourist trolley|road trolley]]s, and [[paratransit]] vehicles, and transports more than 3.6{{spaces}}million 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 by [[Veolia Transport]].<ref>[http://www.katbus.com/ Knoxville Area Transit website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111227113353/http://www.katbus.com/ |date=December 27, 2011 }}. Retrieved: December 31, 2011.</ref>

====Airports====
Knoxville and the surrounding area is served by [[McGhee Tyson Airport]] ([[IATA]]:TYS), a {{convert|2250|acre|adj=on}} airport equipped with two runways, one a {{convert|10000|ft|adj=on}} runway, and the other a {{convert|9000|ft|adj=on}} runway. The airport is located 10 miles south of Knoxville in [[Alcoa, Tennessee|Alcoa]], but is owned by the non-profit Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority (MKAA).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://skyvector.com/airport/TYS/Mc-Ghee-Tyson-Airport|title=TYS Airport data at skyvector.com |website=skyvector.com|access-date=May 11, 2023}}</ref><ref name=FAA>{{FAA-airport|ID=TYS|use=PU|own=PU|site=23046.*A}} effective April 20, 2023.</ref> McGhee Tyson offers eight major airlines serving 19 non-stop destinations, and averages 120 arrivals and departures per day. The airport includes the {{convert|21|acre|adj=on}} Air Cargo Complex, which serves FedEx, UPS, and Airborne Express. The [[McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base]], located adjacent to the civilian airport, is home to the [[Tennessee National Guard]]'s [[134th Air Refueling Wing]].<ref>[http://www.tys.org/about-us About McGhee Tyson Airport] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121215025001/http://www.tys.org/about-us |date=December 15, 2012 }}. Retrieved: December 31, 2011.</ref>

The MKAA also owns the [[Knoxville Downtown Island Airport|Downtown Island Airport]], a {{convert|200|acre|adj=on}} [[general aviation]] facility located on Dickinson's Island in southeast Knoxville. This airport is equipped with a {{convert|3500|ft|adj=on}} runway, and averages about 225 operations per day. Over 100 aircraft, mostly single-engine planes, are based at the airport.<ref>[http://www.gcr1.com/5010web/airport.cfm?Site=DKX FAA Master Report Record for DKX] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125071637/http://www.gcr1.com/5010web/airport.cfm?Site=DKX |date=January 25, 2012 }}, July 2, 2009. Retrieved: December 31, 2011.</ref>

====Railroads====
[[File:Map of Street Railway Lines of the Knoxville Railway and Light Company c 1907.png|thumb|Map of Street Railway Lines of the Knoxville Railway and Light Company c 1907]]

[[File:KXHRLOCAL1.jpg|right|thumb|[[Knoxville and Holston River Railroad]] MP15AC #2002 leads a train through Tyson Park near downtown Knoxville.]]
Rail freight in Knoxville is handled by two [[Class I railroad]]s, [[CSX Transportation|CSX]] and [[Norfolk Southern]], and one [[shortline railroad|shortline]], the [[Knoxville and Holston River Railroad]]. Railroads account for about 12% of the Knoxville area's outbound freight and 16% of the area's inbound freight.<ref name=krtpo>Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization, [http://www.fixalcoahighway.com/files/KnoxTrans_2007_draft_update.pdf 2005–2030 Knoxville Regional Long Range Transportation Plan Update] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121103625/http://www.fixalcoahighway.com/files/KnoxTrans_2007_draft_update.pdf |date=January 21, 2012 }}, 2007, pp. 51–53. Retrieved: December 31, 2011.</ref> 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.<ref name=krtpo/> Knoxville's two old passenger stations, the [[Southern Terminal, Knoxville, Tennessee|Southern Terminal]] and the [[L&N Station (Knoxville)|L&N Station]], now serve non-railroad functions.

Norfolk Southern, which controls about {{convert|210|mi}} of tracks in the Knoxville area,<ref name=krtpo/> averages 35 freight trains through the city per day,<ref>Rebecca Ferrar, "[http://bus.utk.edu/cba/News_Articles/Teaming.pdf Teaming With Possibilities: Norfolk Southern Partners with UT to Go Global] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425081859/http://bus.utk.edu/cba/News_Articles/Teaming.pdf |date=April 25, 2012 }}", ''Knoxnews.com'', January 15, 2006. Retrieved: December 31, 2011.</ref> and operates a major [[classification 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.<ref name=krtpo/> The Norfolk Southern system includes spur lines to the coal fields around [[Middlesboro, Kentucky]], and the ALCOA plants in Blount County.<ref name=krtpo/>

CSX controls about {{convert|76|mi}} 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.<ref name=krtpo/> Minor switching operations for CSX occur at the TransFlo facility near the U.T. campus.<ref name=krtpo/> The CSX system includes spur lines to TVA's [[Bull Run Fossil Plant]] and the [[Oak Ridge National Laboratory]] in Anderson County, and the ALCOA plants in Blount County.<ref name=krtpo/>

The Knoxville and Holston River Railroad (KXHR) is a subsidiary of [[Gulf and Ohio Railways]], a shortline holding company headquartered at the [[James Park House]] in Downtown Knoxville. The KXHR operates a {{convert|19|mi|adj=on}} 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 or [[transloading|transloaded]] onto trucks.<ref name=krtpo/> The KXHR also manages the [[Knoxville Locomotive Works]] at the Coster Yard, and operates the ''[[Three Rivers Rambler]]'', a tourist train that runs along the riverfront.<ref>[http://www.gulfandohio.com/railroads_tennessee_kxhr.htm Knoxville & Holston River Railroad] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100718132050/http://www.gulfandohio.com/railroads_tennessee_kxhr.htm |date=July 18, 2010 }}. Retrieved: December 31, 2011.</ref>

=====Historic passenger service=====
Until the mid-20th century three railroads and their stations operated regular trains, serving points north, east, south and west: the [[Louisville and Nashville Railroad]]'s [[L&N Station (Knoxville)|L&N Station]] (last train operating there, 1968), the [[Smoky Mountain Railroad]]'s station and the [[Southern Railway (US)|Southern Railway]]'s [[Southern Terminal, Knoxville, Tennessee|Southern Terminal]] (last train operating there, 1970).

====River transport====
Knoxville is an international port connected via navigable channels to the nation's inland waterways and the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. The city's waterfront lies just under 700 river miles from the [[Mississippi River]] (via the [[Tennessee River|Tennessee]] and [[Ohio River|Ohio]] rivers),<ref>USGS topographical maps. The entirety of the Tennessee River (652 miles), plus 46 miles along the Ohio River to where it empties into the Mississippi.</ref> and just under 900 river miles from [[Mobile, Alabama]], on the Gulf of Mexico (via the Tennessee River and [[Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway]]).<ref>Richard Simms, "[http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/27/huckleberry-finn-alive-and-well/?sportsoutdoors Huckleberry Finn is Alive and Well] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510145731/http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/27/huckleberry-finn-alive-and-well/?sportsoutdoors |date=May 10, 2013 }}", ''Chattanooga Times-Free Press'', November 27, 2008. The trip is 437 miles along the Tennessee River from Knoxville to the entrance of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway (near Pickwick Landing Dam in Hardin County), 234 miles along the waterway to Demopolis, Alabama, and another 214 miles along Tombigbee and Mobile rivers to Mobile.</ref> TVA maintains a minimum {{convert|9|ft|adj=on}} channel on the entirety of the Tennessee River. The minimum size of locks on Tennessee River and Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway dams is {{convert|600|ft}} by {{convert|110|ft}}.<ref>[http://business.tenntom.org/using-the-tenn-tom/locks-and-dams/ Tennessee-Tombigbee Water—Tenn-Tom Quickfacts] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120123194714/http://business.tenntom.org/using-the-tenn-tom/locks-and-dams/ |date=January 23, 2012 }}. Retrieved: January 1, 2012.</ref>

Most commercial shipping on the Tennessee River is provided by [[barge]]s, which deliver on average half a million tons of cargo to Knoxville per year, mostly [[Bitumen|asphalt]], road salt, and steel and [[coke (fuel)|coke]].<ref name=rollin>Rebecca Ferrar, "[http://www.lrn.usace.army.mil/history/rollin.htm Rollin' On the River] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120531162032/http://www.lrn.usace.army.mil/history/rollin.htm |date=May 31, 2012 }}", Knoxville ''News Sentinel'', August 22, 2004. Retrieved: January 1, 2012.</ref> 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.<ref name=rollin/> Knoxville Barge and Chattanooga-based Serodino, Inc., provide barge shipping services to and from the city.

Recreational craft that frequent the river include small [[johnboat]]s, 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 the ''Volunteer Princess'', a luxury yacht, and the ''Star of Knoxville'', a [[paddle steamer|paddlewheel riverboat]].

==In popular culture==
Knoxville has appeared in music, literature and television. Film director [[Quentin Tarantino]] was born in Knoxville, and the city and East Tennessee are frequently mentioned in his films, such as in the 1994 film ''[[Pulp Fiction]]'', in which [[Bruce Willis]]' character (and the watch given to him by [[Christopher Walken]]'s character) is from Knoxville.<ref name="tarantinoknox">{{cite news |last=Jones |first=Maggie |title=Keeping up with Knoxville's Quentin Tarantino: 'Once Upon a Time', 'Star Trek', beyond |url=https://www.knoxnews.com/story/entertainment/movies/2019/07/22/quentin-tarantino-once-upon-time-star-trek-whats-next/1756305001/ |access-date=December 27, 2020 |work=[[Knoxville News Sentinel]] |date=July 22, 2019}}</ref>

In literature, author [[Cormac McCarthy]] is from Knoxville, and several of his books feature the city, such as ''[[Suttree]]'', a 1979 semi-autobiographical novel. [[James Agee]] also lived in the city, and his 1957 posthumous autobiographical novel ''[[A Death in the Family]]'' provides 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.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Agee |first=James |title=A Death in the Family |publisher=Penguin Classics |year=2009 |isbn=978-0143105718 |location=London, England |orig-date=1957}}</ref>

[[Mark Twain]] wrote about a gunfight in [[downtown Knoxville]] involving [[Joseph Mabry Jr.]], owner of the city's antebellum [[Mabry-Hazen House]] in ''[[Life on the Mississippi]]'' from 1883. Several other books take place in fictionalized versions of the city, such as the 1915 [[Anne W. Armstrong]] novel, ''The Seas of God'',<ref>M. Thomas Inge, Charles Reagan Wilson, et al., ''The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture: Literature'' (University of North Carolina Press, 2008), p. 174.</ref> and [[David Madden (novelist)|David Madden]]'s 1974 novel, ''Bijou'', is set in a fictional city known as "Cherokee", based on Knoxville.<ref name="mighty">"[https://web.archive.org/web/20130725133722/http://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/jun/23/mighty-metro-pulse-collection-awesome-knoxville-li/?print=1 The Mighty Metro Pulse Collection of Awesome Knoxville Lists]", ''Metro Pulse'', June 23, 2010. Accessed at the Internet Archive, October 1, 2015.</ref>

The first part of [[James Herman Robinson]]'s 1950 autobiography, ''The Road Without Turning'', takes place in Knoxville,{{importance inline|date=April 2022}} and "The Man in the Overstuffed Chair", a 1985 short story by playwright [[Tennessee Williams]], gives a brief description of the death of Williams' father, Cornelius, at a Knoxville hospital, and his subsequent burial at [[Old Gray Cemetery]].<ref>Tennessee Williams, "The Man In the Overstuffed Chair." ''Collected Stories'' (New York: New Directions Books, 1985), p. xvi.</ref>

Pulitzer Prize-winning author [[Peter Matthew Hillsman Taylor|Peter 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, Governor [[Robert Love Taylor]], was originally buried in 1912.<ref>Jack Neely, ''Knoxville's Secret History'' (Scruffy Books, 1995), pp. 56–7.</ref>

Swiss travel writer [[Annemarie Schwarzenbach]] visited 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, ''[[Basler Zeitung|National Zeitung]]''.<ref>Jack Neely, ''From the Shadow Side: And Other Stories of Knoxville, Tennessee'' (Tellico Books, 2003), p. 24.</ref>

A number of songs and music compositions are about or feature Knoxville as well. "[[The Knoxville Girl]]", first recorded in 1924, is traditional [[Appalachian music|Appalachian ballad]]. Classical composer [[Samuel Barber]]'s "[[Knoxville: Summer of 1915]]" from 1947 is a voice & orchestra piece based on 1938 short prose by [[James Agee]]. [[Dire Straits]] guitarist [[Mark Knopfler]] recorded a song entitled "Daddy's Gone to Knoxville" on his 2002 solo album, ''The Ragpicker's Dream'',{{citation needed|date=April 2022}} "[[The Ballad of Thunder Road]]" by [[Robert Mitchum]] references Knoxville's Bearden community, and other musicians such as [[Steve Earle]], [[Ronnie Milsap]], and [[Hank Williams, Jr.]] have mentioned the city in lyrics. Hank Williams, Hank Jr.'s father, spent his [[Death of Hank Williams|last day alive]] in Knoxville as well. Country singer [[Kenny Chesney]] is 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.<ref>Lynn Point Records, [http://www.lynnpoint.com/st_james/ The St. James Sessions] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714010113/http://www.lynnpoint.com/st_james/|date=July 14, 2011}}. Retrieved: February 5, 2010.</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.knoxmercury.com/2016/05/04/knoxville-sessions-introduction-st-james-hotel-recordings-1929-30/ | title=The Knoxville Sessions: An Introduction to the St. James Hotel Recordings of 1929-30 | date=May 5, 2016 }}</ref>

==Sister cities==
Knoxville has seven [[sister cities]] as designated by [[Sister Cities International]]:<ref name="sisters">{{cite web |title=Sister City Directory. |url=http://www.sister-cities.org/directory/index.cfm |publisher=Sister Cities International |access-date=April 1, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070629184627/http://www.sister-cities.org/ |archive-date=June 29, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* {{flagdeco|South Korea}} [[Yesan]], Republic of Korea
* {{flagdeco|Poland}} [[Chełm]], [[Lublin Voivodeship]], Poland
* {{flagdeco|PRC}} [[Chengdu]], [[Sichuan]], People's Republic of China
* {{flagdeco|ROC}} [[Kaohsiung]], Republic of China
* {{flagdeco|Greece}} [[Larissa]], Greece
* {{flagdeco|Japan}} [[Muroran]], [[Hokkaido]], Japan
* {{flagdeco|Argentina}} [[Neuquen]], Argentina

==See also==
{{Portal|Tennessee}}
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Knox County, Tennessee]]
* [[List of people from Knoxville, Tennessee]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==Attribution==
{{WPAttribution}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* Barber, John W., and Howe, Henry. ''All the Western States and Territories{{spaces}}...'' (Cincinnati, Ohio: Howe's Subscription Book Concern, 1867). pp.{{spaces}}631–632.
* Carey, Ruth. "Change Comes to Knoxville", in ''These Are Our Voices: The Story of Oak Ridge 1942–1970'', edited by James Overholt, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, 1987.
* Deaderick, Lucile, ed. ''Heart of the Valley—A History of Knoxville, Tennessee'' Knoxville: [[East Tennessee Historical Society]], 1976.
* Jennifer Long; "Government Job Creation Programs-Lessons from the 1930s and 1940s" ''Journal of Economic Issues'' . Volume: 33. Issue: 4. 1999. pp 903+, a case study of Knoxville.
* Isenhour, Judith Clayton. ''Knoxville, A Pictorial History.'' (Donning Company, 1978, 1980).
* {{cite encyclopedia|url=http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/imagegallery.php?EntryID=K017 |title=Knoxville |encyclopedia=The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture |access-date=March 14, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060415050020/http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/imagegallery.php?EntryID=K017 |archive-date=April 15, 2006 }}
* McDonald, Michael, and Bruce Wheeler. ''Knoxville, Tennessee: Continuity and Change in an Appalachian City'' University of Tennessee Press, 1983. the standard academic history
* McKenzie, Robert Tracy. ''Lincolnites and Rebels: A Divided Town in the American Civil War'' (2009) on Knoxville [https://www.amazon.com/Lincolnites-Rebels-Divided-American-Civil/dp/0195393937/ excerpt and text search]
* ''The Future of Knoxville's Past: Historic and Architectural Resources in Knoxville, Tennessee.'' (Knoxville Historic Zoning Commission, October 2006).
* Rothrock, Mary U., editor. ''The French Broad-Holston Country: A History of Knox County, Tennessee.'' (Knox County Historical Committee; East Tennessee Historical Society, 1946).
* Temple, Oliver P. ''East Tennessee and the Civil War'' (1899) 588pp [https://books.google.com/books?id=g8xYAAAAMAAJ online edition]
* Wheeler, Bruce. "Knoxville, Tennessee: A Mountain City in the New South" (University of Tennessee Press, 2005).
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Knoxville, Tennessee}}
{{Wikivoyage|Knoxville}}
{{NIE Poster|year=1905|Knoxville (Tennessee)|Knoxville, Tennessee}}
* [http://www.knoxvilletn.gov Official website] 
* [http://www.knoxville.org/ Knoxville Tourism and Sports Corporation]
* {{curlie|Regional/North_America/United_States/Tennessee/Localities/K/Knoxville/|Knoxville}}