Knoxville, Tennessee

Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Tennessee, United States.[15] As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740,[16] making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state's third largest city after Nashville and Memphis.[17] It is the principal city of the Knoxville metropolitan area, which had a population of 879,773 in 2020.[18]

Quick facts: Knoxville, Country, State, County, Settled... ▼

Knoxville
City
City of Knoxville
Downtown Knoxville seen from the Tennessee River The Tennessee Amphitheater Market Square Commercial Historic District The Sunsphere at the World's Fair Park Clock tower on Gay Street A statue in the Old Gray Cemetery Ayres Hall at UT Knoxville Neyland Stadium
Flag Seal Logo
Nickname(s):  Marble City,[1] Heart of the Valley,[2] Queen City of the Mountains,[3] K-Town,[4] Scruffy City,[5] Gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains,[6] Knox Vegas.[7]
Location of Knoxville in Knox County, Tennessee.
Knoxville Location in the United States Show map of Tennessee Knoxville Knoxville (the United States) Show map of the United States Knoxville Knoxville (North America) Show map of North America
Coordinates: 35.9617°N 83.9232°W / 35.9617; -83.9232
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
County	Knox
Settled	1786
Founded	1791
Incorporated	1815
Founded by	James White
Named for	Henry Knox
Government [8][9]
• Type	Mayor–council
• Mayor	Indya Kincannon (D)[lower-alpha 1]
• City Council	Council Members Tommy Smith (1st Dist.) Andrew Roberto (2nd Dist.) Seema Singh (3rd Dist.) Lauren Rider (4th Dist.) Charles Thomas (5th Dist.) Gwen McKenzie (6th Dist.; also Vice Mayor) Lynn Fugate (At-Large Seat A) Janet Testerman (At-Large Seat B) Amelia Parker (At-Large Seat C)
Area [11]
• City	104.25 sq mi (270.01 km2)
• Land	98.73 sq mi (255.72 km2)
• Water	5.52 sq mi (14.30 km2)  5.4%
Elevation [12]	886 ft (270 m)
Population  (2020)[13]
• City	190,740
• Rank	US: 135th
• Density	1,931.90/sq mi (745.91/km2)
• Urban	597,257 (US: 72nd)
• Urban density	1,382.8/sq mi (533.9/km2)
• Metro	868,546 (US: 64th)
• CSA	1,096,961 (US: 50th)
Demonym	Knoxvillian
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Zip code	37901-37902, 37909, 37912, 37914-37920-37924, 37927-37934, 37938-37940, 37950, 37995-37998
Area code	865
FIPS code[14]	47-40000
GNIS feature ID	1648562[12]
Website	www.knoxvilletn.gov

First settled in 1786, Knoxville was the first capital of Tennessee. The city struggled with geographic isolation throughout the early 19th century; the arrival of the railroad in 1855 led to an economic boom.[19] The city was bitterly divided over the issue of secession during the American Civil War and was occupied alternately by Confederate and Union armies, culminating in the Battle of Fort Sanders in 1863.[19] Following the war, Knoxville grew rapidly as a major wholesaling and manufacturing center. The city's economy stagnated after the 1920s as the manufacturing sector collapsed, the downtown area declined and city leaders became entrenched in highly partisan political fights.[19] Hosting the 1982 World's Fair helped reinvigorate the city,[19] and revitalization initiatives by city leaders and private developers have had major successes in spurring growth in the city, especially the downtown area.[20]

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 Appalachian 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.[21][22]