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Knoxville, Tennessee

"Marble City"

Gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains and home to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville was once the capital of a state that didn't exist — the short-lived State of Franklin.

Founded 1786 | Population 202,469 | Peak 202,469 (2024) | County Knox County

Top 10 Most Important Events for Knoxville, Tennessee

1786 White's Fort Established: James White built a fort on the Tennessee River, establishing the settlement that became Knoxville, named for Secretary of War Henry Knox.

1796 First Capital of Tennessee: Knoxville served as Tennessee's first state capital when it achieved statehood as the 16th state. The capital later moved to Nashville.

1933 TVA Headquartered Here: The Tennessee Valley Authority was headquartered in Knoxville, managing the massive dam-building program that brought electricity to millions in the rural South.

1942 Oak Ridge and the Manhattan Project: The secret city of Oak Ridge was built 25 miles from Knoxville to produce enriched uranium for the atomic bomb. At its peak, 75,000 workers lived there in secrecy.

1982 1982 World's Fair: Knoxville hosted the World's Fair with the theme 'Energy Turns the World.' The Sunsphere, a 266-foot steel tower topped with a gold sphere, became the city's icon.

1863 Siege of Knoxville: Confederate forces besieged Knoxville during the Civil War but failed to take the city. East Tennessee was largely pro-Union, unlike the rest of the state.

1794 State of Franklin: Before Tennessee statehood, the area was part of the failed State of Franklin (1784-1788), an attempted 14th state that was never recognized by Congress.

1998 UT Football Championship: The University of Tennessee Volunteers won the BCS National Championship in football, capping an undefeated season and cementing the city's passion for Big Orange.

2010 Downtown Revival: Market Square and the Old City neighborhoods underwent major revitalization, transforming downtown Knoxville into a dining and entertainment destination.

2023 Smoky Mountain Tourism Boom: Knoxville benefited from record visitation to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited national park in the country.

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Population Over Time

Complete Historical Timeline

1786 Government

White's Fort established

1791 Government

Named Knoxville; territorial capital

1796 Government

First capital of Tennessee

1863 Disaster

Confederate siege fails

1869 Culture

University of Tennessee chartered

1890 Industry

Marble quarrying peaks

1933 Government

TVA headquartered here

1942 Science

Oak Ridge built for Manhattan Project

1982 Culture

World's Fair; Sunsphere built

1998 Sports

UT wins football national title

2010 Business

Downtown revitalization

2023 Business

Smoky Mtn tourism boom

Did You Know?

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, accessible from Knoxville, is the most visited national park in America with over 12 million visitors annually.

The secret city of Oak Ridge, built near Knoxville for the Manhattan Project, consumed 1/6 of all electricity produced in the U.S. to enrich uranium for the atomic bomb.

Knoxville supplied so much marble for buildings across America that it earned the nickname 'Marble City' — its pink Tennessee marble was used in the National Gallery of Art.