Our Place in History

Did you know?

First home to the Cherokee Native Americans, Knoxville was named in honor of President George Washington's War Secretary Henry Knox in 1791 after pioneer James White settled here on the banks of the Tennessee River from North Carolina. It was at White's home, preserved today as the James White Fort, that Governor William Blount negotiated the Treaty of the Holston with the Cherokee Indians and opened up the land that would be established as Knoxville (1791) and Knox County (1792). Knoxville serves as the county seat for Knox County.

In 1794, our central city became home to Blount College , which would later become the University of Tennessee.

The region's geographic assets - like the French Broad , Holston and Tennessee rivers - and the placement of rail lines boosted commercial opportunities and gave it a strategic position during the Civil War. After the conflict in 1863, business boomed and the region flourished for shipping, agriculture, iron and cloth mills, furniture and finishing plants.

Natural assets like lumber, coal and marble furthered Knoxville 's growth and made it an important "New Deal" city in the early 20th century. It was chosen as the headquarters for the Tennessee Valley Authority in 1933 and in 1934 it became a gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The government's selection of the obscure mountain valleys to hide the secret Manhattan Project in nearby Oak Ridge in 1943 laid the groundwork for what would become a major U.S. Department of Energy complex and one of the nation's most respected national research facilities - Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The successful development of the atomic bomb helped end World War II and built a scientific community and entrepreneurial atmosphere that drives our economy today.

The building of interstates 40, 75 and 81 helped solidify Knoxville 's place as a prime area for distribution and manufacturing. The hosting of the 1982 World's Fair set Knoxville at center stage, drawing 11 million visitors and a new international reputation as a charming, growing leader of the New South.

Just a day's drive from more than two-thirds of America 's largest cities, Knoxville has made great strides in establishing infrastructure and recruiting new corporate investment.

Recent years have brought a shift from many of our traditional manufacturing roots. There is a new focus on technology-based business as seen in the building of Downtown's Digital Crossing, the new partnership between the University of Tennessee and UT Battelle in managing Oak Ridge National Laboratories and the building of the Spallation Neutron Source in Oak Ridge.

Knoxville 's growing commercial sectors also include the film production and entertainment industries. Knoxville is home to Scripps Networks' headquarters and its Home & Garden Television, as well as Regal Entertainment Group, Bandit Lites, RIVR Media, Jupiter Entertainment and Atmosphere Pictures. A friendly, dedicated workforce has also given rise to the establishment of many customer service and financial centers like Talbots, AdvancePCS, Cendant, Marriott International and Nova Information Systems.

The 2002 opening of the $165 million Convention Center and World's Fair Park now provides the first-class, high-tech meeting space that allows our market to compete for a wider range of tourism. With unmatched Southern hospitality, the nation's most visited national park and wonderful cultural offerings, the number of convention and leisure travel visitors will only continue to climb.

Downtown Knoxville is at a critical mid-point in its redevelopment. Through the completion of Sterchi Lofts and Promontory Point waterfront development, Downtown Knoxville has already welcomed more than 200 new residents this past year. Brunswick Boat Group, the world's largest pleasure boating company, established its new headquarters in the Plaza Tower building in 2002 - bringing 100 new professionals. ImagePoint brought 300 more employees to the Miller's Building in 2003. Altogether, more than 1600 businesses, both large and small, operate within the Central Business Improvement District.

After years of planning, Knoxville 's business community and elected officials are achieving their vision for restoring Downtown Knoxville to the beautiful, historic and bustling center of commerce that it once was.