When you speak of Knoxville Tennessee to most people they are quick to associate it with the Univerity of Tennessee. Now, mind you, that is not a bad thing, especially in this family. With that being said. Knoxville Tennessee is much more that just a college town. In today's issue of "All About Knoxville Tennessee", we will take a look at the city that is rapidly growing which was the first capital of Tennessee and served in that capacity until 1819, when the capital was moved to Murfreesboro, prior to Nashville receiving the designation.

Knoxville Tennessee is located in East Tennessee at the foothills of the Great Smokey Mountians. It is home to many sports teams, company headquaters, neighborhoods, shopping centers, and exhibits. Knoxville was founded in 1786 and is the third largest city in Tennessee behind Memphis and Nashville. Knoxville's estimated population is 175,000 and growing. Knox County, which is the county that Knoxville is in, has a booming population of 412,000. The greater metropolitan area actually has a population of over 661,000 residents living in it. Knoxville has three major interstates that run through it and many different "PIKES" that run from one end to the other. Getting around the city is not that hard either. With a mass transit system in place in the inner city, it is easy for people to travel as well.

The first thing that we will take a look at is the Great Smokey Mountains. The Great Smoky Mountains are a major mountain range in the southern part of the Appalachian Mountains, the second ridge line forming a north-south running mountain chain from the Eastern United States and bordering the western side of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Also called the Smoky Mountains or the Smokies, they straddle the border between Tennessee and North Carolina, and are entirely west of the Eastern Continental Divide. When visiting Knoxville it is a must to go and visit the Great Smokey Mountain National Park. It is home to some 1,500 bears. Deer and Elk are other large animals that roam the park too along with a massive amount of smaller animals. The mountains are also a hiker's paradise. It sports over 800 miles of maintained trails. There is also areas for fishing, camping, picnicing, wildlife viewing, and touring.

Another great attraction is the Knoxville Zoo. it is home to such animals as the Snow Leopard that you see to the left. This zoo originally opened in 1948 and since then has stuck to the mission of celebrating the wonders of the natural world. The Knoxville Zoo is open year around except for Christmas. Grasslands Africa!, Stokely African Elephant Preserve, Penguin Rock, Chimp Ridge, The Pridelands, River Otters, Cheetah Savannah, Gorilla Valley and Black Bear Falls are exhibits that mimic the animal’s atural habitats.

Other attractions to Knoxville world be Worlds Fair Park, many museum gallaries, and all the family fun, such as the riverboat ride, that one can stand.

Another great attraction to Knoxville is the many different neighborhoods. West Hills, Bearden, Fort Sanders, Fountain City, Sequoyah Hills, and Chilhowee Park are just a few of the neighborhoods to consider when coming to live in Knoxville. There are also many suburbs such as Farragut, Corryton, Halls, Powell, Maryville, Townsend, and Alcoa that make up the surrounding area. This gives you a vast selection to choose from.

When it comes to businesses calling Knoxville Tennessee home, it does not take long to find the companies that are here. Knoxville is home to a lot of mom and pop shops such as Flashback or Whatever (both are located on Cumberlin on the Strip just off the UT campus) and gives you that great down home business feeling. With that said, you can also find corporate headquarters here too. Tennessee Valley Authority is one of the first companies that come to mind as calling Knoxville home. Another giant is Goody's who has currently filed under Chapter 11 to reorganize and shut down 69 of their underpreforming stores. This will make them strong again once they come out of the reorganzation. Kimberly-Clark also has their Adminstrative Headquarters in Knoxville.

As for the dining experience here in Knoxville, one can be assured of finding almost any type of food that you could hope for. Once again, the chain restaurants are plentyful. With that said, so are the local or family owned ones. Naples, SunSpot, Ye Olde Steak House, By the Tracks Bistro, Orangery, Copper Cellar, Tomato Head, and Old College Inn are just a few suggestions to dine at.

That concludes this weeks edition of "All About Knoxville Tennessee". Make sure to check in for next weeks edition.