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Some of the best attractions to visit are Downtown Knoxville/Gay Street, House Mountain, Ijams Nature Center, Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede, and Dollywood. Knoxville is in Knox County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2005 census estimates, the city had a total population of 180,130, with ... more »
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Alex Haley Heritage Square American Museum of Science & Energy Armstrong-Lockett House (Crescent Bend) Blount Mansion Children's Museum of Oak Ridge Concord Park Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede Dollywood House Mountain Ijams Nature Center James White's Fort Knoxville Zoo Museum of Appalachia Old City Historic District Ramsey House Plantation Tyson Park
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Airports Some of the best attractions to visit are Downtown Knoxville/Gay Street, House Mountain, Ijams Nature Center, Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede, and Dollywood.
Knoxville is in Knox County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2005 census estimates, the city had a total population of 180,130, with a metro population of 655,400. It is the county seat of Knox County, and is the third-largest city in the state of Tennessee behind Memphis and Nashville. One of its nicknames is The Marble City, from when it was a major center of marble distribution in the early 20th century. It was named in honor of the first Secretary of War, Henry Knox.
Knoxville is also the home of the University of Tennessee's primary campus (UTK). The university's sports teams, called the "Volunteers" or "Vols," are extremely popular in the surrounding area. In fact, the area code comprising Knoxville and the surrounding counties is 865 (VOL). Knoxville is also the home of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, almost entirely thanks to the popularity of Pat Summitt and the University of Tennessee women's basketball team.
Knoxville was settled in 1786 by James White, a militia officer during the American Revolutionary War. When William Blount, the territorial governor of the Southwest Territory, moved the territorial capital to White's Fort in 1791, he renamed it Knoxville in honor of Henry Knox, the American Revolutionary War general and Washington's Secretary of War. Knoxville served as the territorial capital until 1796, when a constitutional convention was held in Knoxville to establish Tennessee as a state. When Tennessee entered the United States in 1796, Knoxville was the first capital of the state until 1815, when the capital was moved to Murfreesboro.
American Civil War
During the American Civil War, the Battle of Campbell's Station was outside Knoxville on November 16, 1863. In that battle Confederate troops led by General James Longstreet unsuccessfully attacked Union forces under General Ambrose Burnside. The next day, the two week long Siege of Knoxville began when Longstreet placed Knoxville under siege. The siege, which culminated in the Battle of Fort Sanders, failed and Longstreet returned with his men to General Robert E. Lee.
Battle of Fort Sanders
The Battle of Fort Sanders (precipitated by the Siege of Knoxville, which began on November 17, 1863) was an engagement of the American Civil War fought in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Confederacy had never had effective control of large areas of East Tennessee. There had been little slavery practiced in East Tennessee, partly due to moral opposition to the practice and partly due to the fact that little of the land was suitable to plantation agriculture; pro-Union and Republican sentiment ran high and most East Tennesseans had not been in favor of secession. Therefore, Union forces had little trouble occupying Knoxville early in the conflict.
Kid Curry
In 1901, train robber 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 the sherriff's stolen horse.
Mountain Dew
In 1948, the soft drink Mountain Dew was first marketed in Knoxville, originally designed as a mixer for whiskey.
Great Depression
In 1933 during the Great Depression, the Tennessee Valley Authority was founded and headquarted in Knoxville by the U.S. government to help create jobs and attract manufacturing dependent on cheap electricity.
World's Fair and Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
Knoxville hosted the 1982 World's Fair, from which the Sunsphere remains. In 1999, the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame opened in the city.
Knoxville is home to a rich arts community and has many festivals throughout the year. BLENDER magazine, in its "20 Most Rock & Roll towns in the U.S." feature (May '03), ranked Knoxville the 17th best music scene in the United States. In the ’90s, noted alternative-music critic Ann Powers, author of Weird Like Us: My Bohemian America, referred to the city as “Austin without the hype".
Art Festivals
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) Festival commemorates the region’s African American heritage and showcases visual arts, folk arts, dance, games, music, storytelling, theater, and food. Autumn on the Square showcases national and local artists in outdoor concert series at historic Market Square, which has been revitalized with specialty shops and residences. Every Labor Day brings Boomsday, the largest Labor Day fireworks display in the United States.
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