Blount County Boasts Excellent Quality of Life and Job Opportunities
When the mists lift off the mountains in Blount County, Tennessee, two things become clear. This ancient place is one of the most beautiful on Earth. And it has its eyes firmly fixed on the future.
Sitting at the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the natural beauty of this unique area is inescapable. At the same time, there’s a growing energy and excitement about the economic growth in Blount County.
The Business Side
“We’ve had the chance to hit pause and think about where we want to go in the future,” says Lauren Emert, director of economic development for the Blount Partnership, which includes the Blount County Chamber of Commerce, Blount Tourism, Blount Industry and Blount Area Jobs.
The area, she points out, is blessed with several top-notch educational institutions, including the University of Tennessee in nearby Knoxville, Maryville College and Pellissippi State Community College.
“We know we are educating some of the top talent in the state, and the career opportunities in Blount County continue to grow, offering them more reasons to stay,” Emert says. “Our most important thing is creating opportunities for more of the professional and postgraduate jobs.”
Aligning with other entities, such as the Tennessee Valley Authority, state government and the University of Tennessee, the Partnership has homed in on three sectors that are already finding success in Blount County.
“With all the national interest and investment in clean energy, and in energy innovation, having Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in our backyard makes energy number one,” Emert says. The aerospace and aviation sectors are another major focus. Cirrus Aircraft, a personal aviation manufacturer, has a major presence in Blount County. StandardAero, an airplane maintenance, repair and overhaul provider, maintains a location in Maryville.
Research and development are also the future of Blount County. ORNL plays an important part, working with private enterprise to develop “the next big thing.” And Pellissippi Place in Alcoa is a business park of the future, a striking eco-friendly, mixed-use campus with business, residential and commercial space geared to technology research and commercialization.
The economic development that will result from the park’s development has the community excited, Emert says, as has the growth of longtime Blount County business Clayton Homes and the relocation in fall 2023 of Smith & Wesson headquarters and manufacturing facility.
“We know that the Great Smoky Mountains is the No. 1 visited park. We would like for those visitors to come into downtown Maryville, frequent our towns and not just drive by,” Emert says. “We’ve had great success with folks who come for a visit and then come to live here.”
The Peaceful Side
Like Emert, Megan Womack lived in several places before settling on Blount County.
“We visited here and asked ‘Is this a place where we could raise our family and feel rooted forever, a place we could stay and call home?’ We decided yes,” says Womack, development director of the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont. “Four years in, I credit the community and the park for keeping me here.”
The city of Townsend is nicknamed the “Peaceful Side of the Smokies.” But even on this less-traveled side of the Smokies, there are still plenty of things to do and enjoy, among them a first-rate food scene inspired in part by the success of Blackberry Farm. And as downtowns grow and renew, new opportunities are evolving.
“I am really impressed with the Townsend side of the park and what they are doing, keeping businesses that fit the town. I love to go have a beer or sit at The Abbey and share a meal with the family. I love the festivals, like Grains and Grits. [The city] is choosing tasteful and interesting activities that are family-driven that make me want to come back.”
From her home in Walland, Womack can see the mountains up close and personal. She and her husband are avid hikers. But while the park offers limitless things to do and explore, it is also a place to just be, she says.
“Tremont is a place where people can realize their instinct to connect to nature. In our current world, we are often disconnected from nature – even in the foothills. We have kids, and adults too, who have never been in the park, who are afraid of nature. We are increasingly an indoor society. We have to teach kids how to play outside again.”
Get to Know Blount County
Want to learn more about living and working in Blount County? Check out the latest edition of Livability Blount County.