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KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - USA
Knoxville is a city located in Knox County, Tennessee, United States. As of
the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 173,890. It is the
county seat of Knox County6, and is the third-largest city in the state of
Tennessee. Its nickname is the Marble City, from when it was a major centre
of marble distribution in the early 1900s. It was named in honour of the
first Secretary of War, Henry Knox.
The Sunsphere, from the 1982 World's Fair, characterizes the Knoxville
skylineKnoxville 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 nearby Oak Ridge is 865 (VOL).
Knoxville is also the home of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, thanks
partly to the popularity of Pat Summitt and the University of Tennessee
women's basketball team.
History
Knoxville was founded in 1791 by Territorial Governor William Blount and
named after George Washington's Secretary of War Henry Knox. Knoxville was
the capital of the Southwest Territory from 1791 until 1797. In 1796, a
constitutional convention was held in Knoxville to establish Tennessee as a
state. When Tennessee entered the United States in 1797, Knoxville was the
first capital of the state until 1815 when the capital was moved to
Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
During the American Civil War, the Battle of Campbell Station was fought
here 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 failed and Longstreet
returned with his men to General Robert E. Lee.
In 1901, train robber Kid Curry (real name, 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.
In 1933 during the Great Depression, the Tennessee Valley Authority was
founded by the U.S. Government to help create jobs and attract manufacturing
dependant on cheap electricity.
Knoxville hosted the 1982 World's Fair, from which the Sunsphere remains.
Geography
Knoxville is located at 35°58'22" North, 83°56'32" West (35.972882,
-83.942161).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
254.1 km˛ (98.1 mi˛). 240.0 km˛ (92.7 mi˛) of it is land and 14.1 km˛ (5.4
mi˛) of it is water. The total area is 5.54% water.
The French Broad River (flowing from Asheville, North Carolina) joins the
Tennessee River to the southeast of the city. Transportation is served by
Interstate 40 to Asheville and Nashville and Interstate 75 to Chattanooga
and Lexington, and by McGhee Tyson Airport.
Economy
Knoxville's economy is largely fuelled by the regional location of the main
campus of the University of Tennessee, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
and the Tennessee Valley Authority, whose significance is recognised in the
ordination of the Tennessee Technology Corridor between Oak Ridge and McGhee
Tyson Airport.
Companies headquartered in Knoxville
Bush Brothers and Company
Goody's Family Clothing
HGTV
Metron North America
Petro's Chili & Chips
Pilot Corporation
Regal Cinemas
Ruby Tuesday is headquartered in nearby Maryville. IPIX is headquartered in
nearby Oak Ridge.
Colleges and universities
The Knoxville area is home to many colleges and universities, to wit, the
University of Tennessee, Knoxville College, Pellissippi State Technical
Community College (http://www.pstcc.edu)and Maryville College.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 173,890 people, 76,650 households, and
40,164 families residing in the city. The population density is 724.6/km˛
(1,876.7/mi˛). There are 84,981 housing units at an average density of
354.1/km˛ (917.1/mi˛). The racial makeup of the city is 79.71% White, 16.20%
African American, 0.31% Native American, 1.45% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander,
0.72% from other races, and 1.57% from two or more races. 1.58% of the
population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 76,650 households out of which 22.8% have children under the age
of 18 living with them, 35.3% are married couples living together, 13.7%
have a female householder with no husband present, and 47.6% are non-families.
38.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.4% have someone
living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is
2.12 and the average family size is 2.84.
In the city the population is spread out with 19.7% under the age of 18,
16.8% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who
are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100
females there are 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there
are 86.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $27,492, and the median
income for a family is $37,708. Males have a median income of $29,070 versus
$22,593 for females. The per capita income for the city is $18,171. 20.8% of
the population and 14.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the
total people living in poverty, 26.1% are under the age of 18 and 12.0% are
65 or older.
Famous Knoxvillians
James Agee, author of A Death in the Family
Polly Bergen, the Pepsi-Cola girl
Kenny Chesney, country musician
David Farragut, Civil War admiral
Dennis Hwang, graphic artist for Google
David Keith, actor
Johnny Knoxville
Brownie McGhee, blues musician
Chad Pennington, American football player (quarterback, New York Jets)
Brad Renfro, actor
Quentin Tarantino, film director
Jake Thomas, actor
Famous non-native residents include:
Frances Hodgson Burnett, author of Little Lord Fauntleroy
Alex Haley, author of Roots
Cormac McCarthy
Sites of interest
Blount Mansion
Frank H. McClung Museum
James White Fort
Knoxville Museum of Art
Knoxville Zoo
Tennessee Theatre
Volunteer Landing
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
World's Fair Park
Yearly events
Dogwood Arts Festival
GreekFest
Honda Hoot
Kuumba Festival
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