Seniors Enjoy Knoxville

 Knoxville was the first capital of Tennessee before it was moved to Nashville, this senior learned. With a population of around 185,000 it is the state’s third largest city after Nashville and Memphis. First settled in 1786,  Knoxville was named after Henry Knox, President Washington’s War Secretary.

Knoxville, a major center of marble distribution in the early 1900s, earned its nickname “The Marble City.”  In 1901, Kid Curry, a member of Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch, shot up a couple of deputies and escaped out the back window of a business on Central Avenue in what is now the Old City.

A fellow by the name of Abishai Thomas visited Knoxville in 1794 and wrote that, while he was impressed by the town’s modern frame buildings, the town had “seven taverns” and no church. That has changed significantly.

Seniors Find A City Of Historic Places

Knoxville is situated at the crossroads of three major interstates, I-75, I-40 and I-81 and seven lakes surround Knoxville: Cherokee, Douglas, Ft. Loudon, Melton Hill, Norris, Watts Bar and Tellico.

Knoxville is the home of the University of Tennessee, whose sports teams, called the “Volunteers” or “Vols,” are extremely popular in the surrounding area. Perhaps you already know of the bright orange colors of the university.

Many senior visitors come to town just to visit the Vols beautiful Neyland Stadium sports complex with a seating capacity of 102,455. The city is loaded with sites on the National Register of Historic Places. I counted over thirty of them.

 Seniors Enjoy The Festivals And Events

Knoxville is home to the headquarters of the TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority.) In 1933 during the Great Depression, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) was founded by the U.S. Government to help create jobs, attract manufacturing, and provide electricity for all.

The TVA provides  navigation, flood control, electricity generation and economic development to the Knoxville area and includes parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky and portions of other surrounding states.

And my oh my, does Knoxville ever have the festivals and events. I have written dozens of these travel blogs for seniors, I don’t think that I have ever noted this many in just one city.

If you are “into history” consider a visit to one of the oldest artificial structures in Knoxville, a burial mound constructed during what is called the early Mississippian Culture period (c. A.D. 1000-1400). The earthwork mound is now surrounded by the University of Tennessee campus.

So when you set your GPS, be sure to get it right. The City of Knoxville shares its name with Knoxville, Georgia – Knoxville, Iowa – Knoxville, Maryland – Knoxville, Pennsylvania – and New Knoxville, Ohio.  -jeb