87-552: Kingston Pike is a highway in Knox County, Tennessee , United States, that connects Downtown Knoxville with West Knoxville , Farragut , and other communities in the western part of the county. The road follows a merged stretch of U.S. Route 11 (US 11) and US 70 . From its initial construction in the 1790s until the development of the Interstate Highway System in the 1960s, Kingston Pike
174-589: A ferry . Blow's Ferry Road, which connected the ferry to Kingston Pike, is believed to have been built along a trail that once accessed a cemetery containing the graves of Civil War soldiers and slaves. In 1907, several Knoxville businessmen established the Cherokee Country Club on Lyon's View Pike and erected a clubhouse on a hill with a commanding view of the river valley and the Great Smoky Mountains beyond. The original clubhouse
261-570: A home rule format. The county administrator, formerly known as the County Executive, is called the County Mayor. There is also an elected county commission, which consists of 11 members. Knox County is divided into nine commission districts, with one commissioner elected from each district. Two commissioners are elected countywide and serve as at-large representatives. The county commissioners' districts do not correspond with those of
348-551: A delaying action just west of town near the Bleak House , buying Poe another 36 hours of fortification. With Knoxville fortified, Longstreet surrounded the city and settled in for a siege . He set up his headquarters at the Bleak House, and his staff set up offices at Knollwood and Crescent Bend . On November 29, after a two-week siege, Longstreet ordered McLaws to march against Fort Sanders, an earthen bastion overlooking
435-480: A female householder with no husband present, and 36.20% were non-families. 29.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.92. In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.30% under the age of 18, 11.60% from 18 to 24, 30.40% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 12.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age
522-524: A house on what is now Scenic Drive. In the mid-1920s, E. V. Ferrell began major residential development in Sequoyah Hills. To connect his holdings along the peninsula, he built Cherokee Boulevard (named for the Indian mound in the road's median) and improved Scenic Drive as far as its modern intersection with Bluff and Southgate (a gate at this point inspired the name of the latter). Ferrell chose
609-466: A log house built in the same year by Nicholas Gibbs both still stand in the northern part of the county. Campbell's Station, a fort and stagecoach stop located in what is now Farragut , was built by Captain David Campbell (1753–1832) in 1787. John Sevier established a plantation, known as Marble Springs , in the southern part of the county in the 1790s. He was active in leading raids against
696-602: A margin of 3,108 to 1,226. Prior to secession, Unionists from Knox County collaborated with other East Tennessee Unionists in an attempt to secede from Tennessee itself and remain part of the Union. Oliver Perry Temple , a Knoxville lawyer, was named to a three-man commission to appear before the General Assembly in Nashville and request East Tennessee and pro-Union Middle Tennessee counties be allowed to secede from
783-447: A merged stretch of Interstate 40 and Interstate 75 , which passes just to the north. Along with Knoxville and Farragut, communities linked by Kingston Pike include Sequoyah Hills , West Hills , Bearden, Ebenezer Mill, and Concord . What is now Kingston Pike was originally part of a Native American trail. This trail ran westward to Sinking Creek (about 10 miles west of Knoxville), where it turned abruptly southward and passed through
870-843: A neighborhood for those "who insist upon and can afford the best," and where "all the ugliness of city life has been shut out." He named the new subdivision "Talahi," Cherokee for "standing oak forest." The new neighborhood, Foust believed, would bring together "an Indian past, a technical future, and a natural forest setting." Foust recruited landscape designer Earle S. Draper to oversee Talahi's complex landscape designs. The plans called for curvilinear streets, preservation of mature trees wherever possible, and underground utilities. Lot sizes were to be no less than 5,000 square feet and were restricted to single-family homes. Foust's restrictions called for all houses to be built in English Cottage or American Colonial Revival styles (this restriction
957-523: A police department independent of the county sheriff. The property assessor's office, tax offices, and the Metropolitan Planning Commission are combined between the city and county governments. All Knox County elections are conducted on a partisan basis. The county mayor is the head of the executive branch of Knox County Government. The current county mayor is Glenn Jacobs , better known by his WWE persona Kane. According to
SECTION 10
#17327976899501044-454: A population of 20,020 white citizens and 2,370 enslaved African Americans. The lack of slavery combined with the vestiges of a once-strong abolitionist movement were two reasons most residents of Knox County, along with much of East Tennessee, were pro-Union. In February 1861, 89% of Knox Countians voted for the pro-Union ballot in a statewide referendum on secession . On June 8, 1861, the county voted against Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession by
1131-532: A portion of Burnside's troops engaged Longstreet's vanguard, led by General Lafayette McLaws , at the Battle of Campbell's Station . This engagement, which lasted about six hours, allowed the greater part of Burnside's forces to make their way back down the Kingston road to Knoxville. As Burnside's chief engineer Orlando Poe worked feverishly to fortify the city, Union cavalry commander William P. Sanders executed
1218-404: A surveyor who had drawn up the original plat of Knoxville the previous year, to build a public road from Knoxville to Campbell's Station (modern Farragut). This road, originally about 30 feet (9.1 m) wide, was extended to Kingston by 1800. Several decades later, the road was widened to 50 feet (15.24 m) wide. For much of its early history, the Kingston road remained a dangerous route. In 1792,
1305-557: A tourism boom to Kingston Pike. Beginning in the 1920s, businesses catering to this thru-traffic sprang up along the length of the road from Bearden to Dixie Lee Junction. Tourist camps, predecessors to the modern motel, were among the earliest of these businesses and included Knoxville's first motel, Edd's Tourist Camp, which was established in Bearden in the late 1920s. Restaurants also began to appear, many of which used flashy signs, unusual Streamline Moderne architecture, and names such as
1392-532: A variety of regional flights to Midwestern and Southern cities. Knox County School District operates public schools in the county. Tennessee School for the Deaf is a state operated school in the county. 35°59′N 83°56′W / 35.99°N 83.94°W / 35.99; -83.94 Sequoyah Hills Sequoyah Hills is a neighborhood in Knoxville, Tennessee , United States, named for
1479-578: Is a circular fountain with a central obelisk resting atop a base of varying geometric shapes. Water was discharged through panther heads on each of the four sides of the base. Cherokee motifs decorate the gateposts, pylons, and fountains, suggesting inspiration from both Cherokee folklore and the Art Deco movement's emphasis on abstract figures. Notable residents of Sequoyah Hills have included Senator Howard H. Baker, Jr. , businessman Jim Clayton (owner of Clayton Homes ), author Alex Haley , members of
1566-401: Is generally hilly, with a 10 to 15-foot bluff rising above the rivershore along most of the neighborhood's southern edge. From the edge of the bluff, the land gradually slopes upward, reaching approximately 40 feet (12 m) above the river, affording houses along the upper slopes sweeping views of the river and Knoxville in the distance. Sequoyah Park, which occupies most of the south side of
1653-491: Is land and 18 square miles (47 km ) (3.4%) is water. The county lies amidst the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , which are characterized by long, narrow ridges, oriented northeast-to-southwest, alternating with similarly shaped valleys. Notable ridges in the county include Bays Mountain , McAnnally Ridge, Beaver Ridge, Sharp's Ridge and Copper Ridge. House Mountain , at 2,064 feet (629 m),
1740-557: Is largely due to the influence of Knoxville, which has had a recent tendency to vote Democratic in statewide races, has elected Democratic mayors and regularly sends Democrats to the state legislature. However, the suburban and rural areas are among the most Republican areas of Tennessee and the South. Presidentially, Franklin Roosevelt carried the county in three of his four presidential elections, while several nearby counties are among
1827-679: Is located at the geographical center of the Great Valley of East Tennessee . Near the heart of the county is the origin of the Tennessee River , at the confluence of the Holston and French Broad rivers. Knox County was created after the American Revolutionary War on June 11, 1792, by Governor William Blount from parts of Greene and Hawkins counties. It was one of the few counties created when this area
SECTION 20
#17327976899501914-580: Is the county's highest point, and is the focus of a state natural area. The Holston and French Broad rivers join to form the Tennessee River in the eastern part of the county, an area known as "Forks-of-the-River." This section of the river is part of Fort Loudoun Lake, which is created by Fort Loudoun Dam on the river several miles downstream in Lenoir City . Cherokee Caverns is 14 miles west of Knoxville and can be accessed by Highway 62. It
2001-642: The Cherokee scholar Sequoyah . It is located off Kingston Pike , between the city's downtown and West Knoxville . Initially developed in the 1920s, Sequoyah Hills was one of Knoxville's first suburbs and today is home to some of the city's most affluent residents. The neighborhood contains numerous notable examples of mid-20th century residential architecture, with houses designed by architects such as Charles I. Barber , Benjamin McMurry, and Francis Keally . Originally an agricultural area called Looney's Bend,
2088-578: The Cherokee people , who for years resisted with force American settlement in their territory. Important railroad lines passed through Knox County, making it a strategic area both for Union and for Confederate forces throughout the Civil War . Since the mountainous terrain of East Tennessee was mostly unsuitable for plantation crops such as cotton , slavery was not as prevalent as it was in Middle and West Tennessee. The US 1860 census of Knox County showed
2175-469: The East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway , acquired over 450 acres (180 ha) in Sequoyah Hills with the intent of moving a steel mill to the area. The Panic of 1893 doomed this venture, however, and the land was distributed to Huger's creditors in 1908. Knox County road commissioner Peter Blow built a house on the south bank of the river opposite Sequoyah Hills in 1910, where he operated
2262-831: The Knoxville MSA ." Kingston Pike is a five-lane road that runs westward for approximately 20 miles (32 km) from the L&;N tracks just east of Alcoa Highway to the divergence of US 70 and US 11 in the Dixie Lee Junction community just across the Knox- Loudon county line. East of the L&N tracks, Kingston Pike continues into the Fort Sanders and downtown areas as Cumberland Avenue. This road continues to just west of its intersection with U.S. Route 441 (US 441, locally known as Henley Street). There,
2349-594: The National Register of Historic Places . Sequoyah Hills is located on a peninsula created by a bend of the Tennessee River known as Looney's Bend. The neighborhood is bounded by the river on the east, south, and west, and by Kingston Pike ( US-70 / US-11 ) on the north, though the Kingston Pike/Sequoyah Hills Neighborhood Association includes several streets just north of Kingston Pike. The area
2436-804: The Ossoli Circle Clubhouse (2511), the Tyson Junior High building (2607), the Benjamin Morton House (4084), Knollwood (6411), and the Avery Russell House (11409). The Baker Peters House (9000) was built before the Civil War but is ineligible for listing due to numerous modifications. Several other listings are located just off Kingston Pike, ranging from the 1806-era Statesview in Ebenezer to
2523-405: The poverty line , including 14.50% of those under age 18 and 9.70% of those age 65 or over. As of the census of 2010, there were 432,226 people, 177,249 households, and 110,757 families residing in the county. The population density was 821.72 persons per square mile (317.27 persons/km ). The average housing unit density was 348.92 units per square mile (134.72/km ). The racial makeup of
2610-492: The "White Dot Barbecue Stand," the "Oki-Doke Cafe," and the "Wonder Lunch Room" to attract passing tourists. Drive-in theaters and skating rinks began to appear along Kingston Pike during the 1950s. The development of the Interstate Highway System in the 1950s and 1960s brought an end to the Dixie Lee Highway period. Interstate 40 (I-40) and I-75 , which run roughly parallel to Kingston Pike, siphoned off most of
2697-691: The $ 4,000 to $ 10,000 range, were selling for just $ 600. His finances in ruins, Foust committed suicide in September 1933. Before the stock market crash ruined his development efforts in 1929, Foust managed to complete several landscape improvements in the proposed Talahi subdivision. These include gateposts at either end of the subdivision along Cherokee Boulevard, two fountains, a park, streetlight standards, and stone benches. The roads were originally paved in concrete, which has been preserved along parts of Talahi Drive, Iskagna Drive, and Taliluna Avenue. The Talahi Improvements are concentrated primarily between
Kingston Pike - Misplaced Pages Continue
2784-548: The 1954 Hotpoint Living-Conditioned Home in West Hills. Knox County, Tennessee Knox County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee . As of the 2020 census , the population was 478,971, making it the third-most populous county in Tennessee. Its county seat is Knoxville , which is the third-most populous city in Tennessee. Knox County is included in the Knoxville metropolitan area . The county
2871-402: The 1960s, Kingston Pike followed a more winding route beyond Bearden , as evidenced by the numerous sideroads named "Old Kingston Pike." On some maps, Hines Valley Road, which intersects US 70 at Eaton Crossroads (just north of Lenoir City), is referred to as "Old Kingston Pike." Along with US 70 and US 11, Kingston Pike is part of State Route 1 (SR 1). Kingston Pike runs roughly parallel with
2958-838: The Bond Quarry in Concord , an Evans Company quarry near Forks-of-the-River, and the Ross-Republic quarries near Island Home Park in South Knoxville . Finishing centers were located in Lonsdale and at the Candoro Marble Works in South Knoxville. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 526 square miles (1,360 km ), of which 508 square miles (1,320 km )
3045-496: The Cherokee Boulevard/Talahi Drive intersection, with the north walls opening toward Papoose Park, and the south walls opening toward the lake, where the proposed country club was to be built. Sunhouse Fountain is a circular stone fountain with twelve small posts, each decorated with a sunburst motif, and each originally surmounted by a bronze frog (the frogs have since been removed). Panther Fountain
3132-555: The Kingston road from the north. The assault was beaten back, however, and Longstreet withdrew a few days later. In May 1866, the Kingston Turnpike Company was chartered with the intention of improving the Kingston road to the Knox County line. The following year, Professor R. L. Kirkpatrick resurveyed the first five miles of the road, which were then macadamized by a crew led by Colonel R. F. Bibb. The road
3219-501: The Knox County Commission. A majority-plus-one vote is required to override a mayoral veto, unless the vetoed legislation was required to have a two-thirds vote for original passage. In such cases, a two-thirds vote of the commission is required to override the veto. Executive branch departments The Knox County Board of Commissioners is the legislative body of Knox County and consists of 11 members: nine elected at
3306-462: The Sequoyah Hills area included future Knoxville mayor James Park, who purchased a 200-acre (81 ha) tract in 1804; William Lyon, who built a house and mill near the modern intersection of Lyon's View Pike and Northshore Drive around 1810; and Drury Armstrong (builder of Crescent Bend ), who acquired a large tract of land west of modern Scenic Drive in 1846. The oldest house still extant in Sequoyah Hills, which currently stands at 715 Scenic Drive,
3393-631: The Upper Tennessee Valley, now within the boundaries of Knox County. White moved to what is now the Riverdale community in the eastern part of the county in 1785, and the following year constructed a fort a few miles to the west. A community developed around the fortified trading post, ultimately becoming the city of Knoxville. Governor Blount designated the fort as the capital of the Southwest Territory in 1790, and gave
3480-654: The Yankees have come! The flag's come back to Tennessee!' Such were the welcomes all along the road, as we entered Knoxville, it was past all description. The people seemed frantic with joy. I never knew what the Love of Liberty was before. The old flag has been hidden in mattresses and under carpets. It now floats to the breeze at every staff in East Tennessee. Ladies wear it – carry it – wave it! Little children clap their hands and kiss it. With
3567-529: The area's interstate traffic, and most of Kingston Pike's tourism-related businesses closed. Only a few buildings from Kingston Pike's Dixie Lee Highway period have survived to the present day, most notably the 11-70 Motor Court near Farragut, the Naples Restaurant in Bearden, and Dixie Lee Fireworks at Dixie Lee Junction. With the advent of the automobile in the 1920s, Knoxville's more affluent residents began fleeing urban neighborhoods for suburbs on
Kingston Pike - Misplaced Pages Continue
3654-469: The city in September 1863. Longstreet wanted to attack the city from the south, but because of fortifications in South Knoxville, he was forced to cross the Tennessee River at Huff's Ferry in Loudon and march on Knoxville from the west. To give his troops time to strengthen Knoxville's fortifications, Burnside executed a series of maneuvers to delay Longstreet's advance down the Kingston road. On November 16,
3741-457: The city of Knoxville , which has its own mayor and city council. Residents of the county living within Knoxville city limits vote both in city and in county elections, are represented by city and county mayors, and pay city and county taxes. While the administration appears to be duplicated, services tend to be separated. Knox County runs the local school and library systems. Knoxville maintains
3828-555: The city's periphery. One of the earliest such suburbs was Sequoyah Hills , which was established just off Kingston Pike in the 1920s. After World War II, Kingston Pike experienced an explosion in suburban development. The establishment of suburbs such as West Hills led to a 38% population increase in the Kingston Pike area during the 1950s. In 1961, Knoxville annexed a large stretch of land along Kingston Pike west of Sequoyah Hills, bringing several unincorporated communities into
3915-481: The city. The opening of West Town Mall in the 1970s resulted in the collapse of retail shopping in downtown Knoxville, and Kingston Pike became Knoxville's primary commercial corridor. The Kingston Pike Historic District consists of two dozen houses and apartment buildings added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. The houses, concentrated primarily on the road's 2000 and 3000 blocks, were constructed circa 1834–1930, and are thus representative of
4002-480: The congested urban neighborhoods for more spacious areas on the city's periphery. By 1920, several elegant residences, such as the H.L. Dulin House (1915) on Kingston Pike and the C. Powell Smith (1913) and E.C. Mahan (1920) residences on Lyon's View Pike, had been built near Sequoyah Hills. In 1921, Regal Manufacturing president S. D. Coykendall commissioned noted Knoxville architectural firm Barber & McMurry to build
4089-572: The county was 86.78% White, 8.8% Black or African American, 0.29% Native American, 1.87% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, and 1.91% multiracial. Hispanics and/or Latinos (of any race) were 3.47% of the population. Out of all the households, 29.68% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 47.04% were family households, 3.95% had a male householder with no wife present, 11.49% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.51% were non families. 29.65% of all households were made up of individuals living alone, and 9.14% had someone living alone who
4176-420: The county was 88.10% White , 8.63% Black or African American , 0.26% Native American , 1.29% Asian , 0.03% Pacific Islander , 0.50% from other races , and 1.18% from two or more races. 1.26% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 157,872 households, out of which 28.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.80% were married couples living together, 10.90% had
4263-431: The county's charter, the mayor is the chief financial officer of the county, which includes developing the county's annual budget, approving county contracts, etc. Other responsibilities of the county mayor's office include maintaining county roads, highways and bridges, codes enforcement and operating the county's health department and library system. The mayor has the authority to veto resolutions and ordinances passed by
4350-402: The district level and two elected countywide to serve at-large. Commissioners meet multiple times each month, with their primary business meetings being a monthly work session and a monthly voting meeting. During the work session, commissioners generally debate items on the monthly agenda and take a non-binding vote on each item in advance of the more formal voting meeting, which is generally held
4437-602: The easternmost is the Metron Corporation (2309). The two-block section of road between the county line and the US 70/US 11 split is typically considered Kingston Pike, although its businesses (e.g., Dixie Lee Nursery and Dixie Lee Fireworks) have "Highway 11 East" street addresses. US 70 west of Dixie Lee Junction is sometimes casually referred to as Kingston Pike or Kingston Highway, although its street addresses simply use "Highway 70 East." Before major highway construction in
SECTION 50
#17327976899504524-405: The following week. The Board of Commissioners approves resolutions, ordinances, honorariums, road names, as well as most county contracts and large expenditures. Resolutions require a single vote for passage, while ordinances require two votes, or "two readings". The County Commission also serves as the appropriating body of the county and must approve an annual budget – presented by
4611-517: The historic tribe who occupied this area at the time of European encounter. Indian artifacts located in the cave indicate that another entrance to the cave existed at some time in the past. As of the census of 2000, there were 382,032 people, 157,872 households, and 100,722 families residing in the county. The population density was 751 people per square mile (290 people/km ). There were 171,439 housing units at an average density of 337 units per square mile (130/km ). The racial makeup of
4698-406: The home of Ebenezer Byram (for whom the Ebenezer community is named) was attacked by a band of Creeks . The following year, a small Cherokee force attacked Cavet's Station, which stood about three miles east of the Ebenezer home, killing 12 of the station's 13 inhabitants. During the early 19th century, highwaymen stalked the more isolated stretches of the Kingston road, and by 1820 the section of
4785-664: The ills of congested city life. While the Great Depression led to the financial collapse of the Talahi project and Foust's subsequent suicide, Sequoyah Hills nevertheless continued to develop over the years as Foust had envisioned. Cherokee Boulevard was home to Knoxville's first Dogwood Arts Trail , which was established in 1955. In 1979, the Talahi Improvements , which consist of several early landscape elements from Foust's Talahi development, were listed on
4872-542: The intersection of Kenesaw and Keowee avenues. What is now Sequoyah Hills was inhabited by Native Americans as early as the Late Woodland period (c. 500–1100 A.D.), as indicated by a 1,000-year-old Indian mound that rises in the median of Cherokee Boulevard. By the 18th century, the area was under control of the Cherokee , whose Overhill towns lay along the Little Tennessee River to
4959-411: The intersections of Talahi Drive and Cherokee Boulevard and Talahi Drive and Taliluna Avenue, with islands in both intersections containing the two fountains, called "Sunhouse Fountain" and "Panther Fountain," respectively. Papoose Park, which is surrounded by an iron fence, is situated in the median along Talahi Drive between the two intersections. Stone walls with inset benches form a broken circle around
5046-599: The mayor – which includes funding for the various county departments, including the Knox County Schools . The body also sets the property tax rate for the county. The Knox County Sheriff serves as the top law enforcement office of the county, and is elected countywide. The sheriff is responsible for overseeing the county jail, providing courtroom officers , serving warrants and providing general law enforcement functions, such as patrol and criminal investigation. On February 11, 2017, Brandon Lambert
5133-549: The modern Concord area. The trail then crossed the Tennessee River and continued southward to the Overhill Cherokee towns in the Little Tennessee River valley. By 1788, this trail had been incorporated into the North Carolina Road, the main route connecting settlements in East Tennessee with settlements in the Nashville area. In 1792, the newly created Knox County commissioned Charles McClung ,
5220-468: The modern Sequoyah Hills neighborhood is largely rooted in the development efforts of 1920s-era visionary entrepreneurs E. V. Ferrell, who developed the Scenic Drive area, and Robert L. Foust, who established the "Talahi" subdivision in the vicinity of Cherokee Boulevard and Talahi Drive. Foust and Ferrell advertised their respective developments as utopian getaways where Knoxville's elite could escape
5307-439: The name "Sequoyah Hills" to match the name of Cherokee Boulevard. By 1924, houses had been built at 901, 919, 927 and 937 Scenic Drive, and 50 lots had been sold by the end of the decade. In 1926 Robert Foust, a partner in the real estate firm Alex McMillan Company, purchased a 100-acre (40 ha) tract of land on the southeast section of Looney's Bend with plans to develop a premier subdivision for Knoxville. Foust envisioned
SECTION 60
#17327976899505394-417: The neighborhood, lies in the floodplain between the rivershore and base of the bluff. Cherokee Boulevard, a boulevard with a grassy median dividing the right and left lanes, runs in a U-shape around the edge of the peninsula. The other main road, Scenic Drive/Southgate Road, runs roughly north-to-south across the center of the peninsula. A small commercial center, known as Council Point, is concentrated around
5481-492: The new town the name "Knoxville" after his superior, Henry Knox. Blount began construction of his house, Blount Mansion , in the early 1790s. This is one of a number of late eighteenth-century structures that have been preserved in the county. The house still stands in downtown Knoxville. The Alexander McMillan House , built in the mid-1780s by Alexander McMillan (1749–1837), still stands in eastern Knox County. The Alexander Bishop House , built by Stockley Donelson in 1793, and
5568-531: The only Democrats since then to come reasonably close to carrying the county, losing it by single-digit margins; in Clinton's case with Tennessean Al Gore on the ticket. Gore lost the county by 17 points in 2000 during his own bid for president, but still managed 40 percent. The Democrats would not cross the 40 percent threshold again until 2020 , when Joe Biden received over 41 percent of the county's vote. The government of Knox County, Tennessee operates under
5655-473: The only counties in the nation to have never supported a Democratic candidate for president in their entire existence. Nevertheless, Democratic candidates have crossed the 40-percent mark only seven times since Roosevelt's death. In 1964, it was nearly swept up in Lyndon Johnson 's national landslide; Johnson lost the county by only 334 votes. Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996 are
5742-478: The period before strip malls and other retail outlets came to dominate the road. Architectural styles in the district include Federal , Georgian Revival , Bungalow , Tudor Revival , Queen Anne , Neoclassical Revival , and Spanish Colonial Revival . Several buildings located along Kingston Pike are listed individually on the National Register but are not part of the historic district. These include
5829-423: The population was below the poverty line. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 478,971 people, 191,925 households, and 118,160 families residing in the county. Like most counties in heavily- Unionist East Tennessee, Knox County has historically been strongly Republican. Although it is somewhat conservative for an urban county, it is notably less Republican than most of the rest of East Tennessee. This
5916-446: The road just west of Bearden had been nicknamed "Murderers' Hollow." Starting around 1810, a stagecoach line was operated on the Kingston road until 1850, which was called the "Great Western Line" that ran between Knoxville and Nashville. In November 1863, Confederate forces under General James Longstreet marched north from Chattanooga in hopes of taking Knoxville from Union forces under General Ambrose Burnside , who had occupied
6003-414: The road was extended to Fort Southwest Point at what is now Kingston . During the Civil War , Confederate and Union forces fought several skirmishes along the Kingston road as they struggled for control of Knoxville. The Kingston Turnpike Company was chartered in 1866 to improve the Kingston road and by 1893 had extended the improved road to the county line. From the 1920s into the 1950s, Kingston Pike
6090-503: The southwest. The neighborhood's namesake, Sequoyah , was born in the Overhill town of Tuskegee around 1767. In 1796, Moses Looney, who had served in various capacities with the failed State of Franklin during the 1780s, acquired a 700-acre (280 ha) tract of land in what is now Sequoyah Hills. He and his descendants remained on the land for several decades, and the area became known as "Looney's Bend." Other early landowners in
6177-558: The state. The attempt failed. After the second state referendum for secession passed in 1861, Knox County and the rest of Tennessee joined the Confederacy. Knox County remained under Confederate control until September 3, 1863, when General Ambrose Burnside and the Union army marched into Knoxville unopposed. Parts of Middle Tennessee had been occupied by Union troops since 1862. Union Colonel William Harris, son of New York Senator Ira Harris , wrote his father: 'Glory be to God,
6264-463: The street splits into eastbound Main Street and westbound Cumberland Avenue. US 11 and US 70 follow US 441 for several blocks before veering eastward into East Knoxville . West of Dixie Lee Junction, US 70 continues westward to Kingston, while US 11 veers southwestward to Lenoir City . The westernmost Kingston Pike street address is the now-demolished Court Cafe building (13110) at the county line, and
6351-737: The success of Burnside's troops in the Knoxville Campaign , and especially during the decisive Battle of Fort Sanders , Knox County remained under Union control for the duration of the Civil War. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Knox County was an important venue for the quarrying and finishing of Tennessee marble , a type of limestone used in monument construction across the United States and Canada. Eleven quarries were operating in Knox County in 1882, and within ten years that number had doubled. Notable quarries in Knox included
6438-512: The time of death. Binkley was pronounced dead within an hour of being stopped. An autopsy revealed Binkley to have elevated levels of multiple illegal substances in his system at his time of death. Binkley's mother sued the Sheriff's department. The wrongful death suit was settled for $ 750,000 in March 2021. Knoxville Area Transit provides city bus service, while McGhee Tyson Airport features
6525-415: Was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $ 37,454, and the median income for a family was $ 49,182. Males had a median income of $ 35,755 versus $ 25,140 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 21,875. About 8.40% of families and 12.60% of the population were below
6612-438: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.95. 21.86% of the population was under the age of 18, 65.07% from ages 18 to 64, and 13.05% aged 65 and older. The median age was 37.2 years. 51.39% of the population was female, and 48.61% was male. The median household income was estimated to be $ 52,458, and the per capita income was estimated to be $ 30,541. Approximately 13.5% of
6699-572: Was a major stopover for tourists traveling along the Dixie and Lee highways, which intersected at Kingston Pike. Starting with the completion of West Town Mall in 1970, Kingston Pike developed into Knoxville's largest retail corridor. Historian Jack Neely wrote, "If suburban sprawl had a local name, it would be Kingston Pike." The road is now home to "an enclosed shopping mall, a big-box mall, over 100 strip malls, 100 chain restaurants," and "more acreage of asphalt surface parking than any other street in
6786-689: Was a north-south route that connected cities in the Midwestern United States with beaches in the South. Lee Highway was primarily an east-west route that connected Arlington, Virginia , with California . The two routes joined in downtown Knoxville and diverged at the US 70/US 11 split at the Knox-Loudon line, which thus became known as the Dixie-Lee Junction. The automobile traffic along the Dixie and Lee highways brought
6873-449: Was abandoned by subsequent developers). A country club was to be built along the river bank. Between 1927 and 1929, Foust constructed several landscape features, including entrance pylons, fountains, and a park (Papoose Park). Talahi was opened to sales in the spring of 1929. Only one lot—940 Cherokee Boulevard—was sold before the stock market crashed later that year . In the early 1930s, lots in Talahi, originally marketed in
6960-416: Was also raised, and ditches were added to facilitate drainage. Knox County purchased the Kingston Turnpike Company in 1892 and completed the improved turnpike to the county line in late 1893. By 1913, trolley tracks had been constructed along Kingston Pike as far west as Lyons View Pike, leading to residential development and the construction of apartment buildings along the 2000 and 3000 blocks. Kingston Pike
7047-445: Was discovered in 1854 by Robert Crudgington, who noticed fog emerging between rocks on his farm. He dug the entrance open and explored the cave. His daughter Margaret Crudgington opened the cave to the public in 1929 under the name Gentrys Cave; the next year she changed the name to Grand Caverns. The cave has been open to the public, sporadically, ever since, under a variety of names. It is currently called Cherokee Caverns, referring to
7134-416: Was eventually demolished and replaced with the current building, designed by the noted Knoxville architectural firm Baumann and Baumann , in 1928. In 1913, trolley tracks were extended along Kingston Pike to its Lyon's View Pike junction, aiding in the development of the area. What is now Sequoyah Hills was annexed by Knoxville in 1917. With the advent of the automobile, affluent Knoxvillians began fleeing
7221-404: Was originally built in the 1850s as a tenant house on the farm of Allen Johnson. Around 1814 George White, son-in-law of James Park and grandson of Knoxville founder James White , built a house along what is now Woodhill Place. While this house is no longer standing, foundation remnants of a barn that accompanied the house can be seen along Scenic Drive. In 1890 Francis Huger, superintendent of
7308-473: Was paved with a hard surface in the early 1920s, reflecting the rise of automobile travel. By the end of World War II , Kingston Pike had been expanded to a four-lane road. From the 1920s until the late 1950s, Kingston Pike was known as the "Dixie Lee Highway," as it lay along a merged stretch of two cross-country auto-tourism routes—Dixie Highway (which followed US 70 through the area) and Lee Highway (which followed US 11). Dixie Highway, conceived in 1915,
7395-519: Was still known as the Southwest Territory . It is one of nine United States counties named for American Revolutionary War general Henry Knox , who was appointed as the first United States Secretary of War . As population increased, parts of Knox County were taken out to form Blount (1795), Anderson (1801), Roane (1801), and Union (1850) counties. In 1783, James White and Francis Alexander Ramsey led an expedition to explore
7482-401: Was the main traffic artery in western Knox County, and an important section of several cross-country highways. The road is now a major commercial corridor, containing hundreds of stores, restaurants, and other retail establishments. The old Kingston road was originally surveyed and laid out in 1792 by Charles McClung which connected Knoxville to Campbell's Station, now Farragut. About 1795,
7569-497: Was wanted on multiple warrants for property crimes. Sheriffs Deputies shot him to death in a Turkey Creek parking lot after, allegedly, his vehicle moved towards them. He was unarmed. There is no video of the shooting or the alleged movement of the vehicle. Knoxville Police Department investigated the incident and cleared all deputies. On July 27, 2019, Johnathan Binkley, age 35, died after being hogtied face down for four minutes. At least seven law enforcement officers were present at
#949050