Welcome to Blount County, TN
Find out what makes this East Tennessee community such a great place to call home
There’s no denying Blount County is special. Not only does the community have a strong business climate and top-notch schools, but it also has plenty of quality-of-life amenities such as delicious restaurants, must-visit attractions and fun festivals.
Want to learn more about what Blount County has to offer? Read on to discover eight interesting reasons why you might want to consider calling the community home.
Annual events like the Townsend Grains & Grits Festival and Maryville‘s Hops in the Hills give residents the opportunity to celebrate the local food and drink scene. Grains & Grits features craft spirits and gourmet grub and Hops in the Hills spotlights beer from some of the region’s best breweries.
Hit the books! Maryville College, a private liberal arts institution, and the five-campus Pellissippi State Community College serves both Blount and Knox counties and will soon add a $16.5 million workforce development center to its Friendsville campus.
Explore the great outdoors at Cades Cove, one of the most popular destinations in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. An 11-mile, one-way loop circles the cove, making it easy for visitors to take in the scenery and view wildlife. There are ample opportunities for hiking, biking and camping at Cades Cove Campground.
McGhee Tyson Airport in Alcoa makes air travel easy with five commercial airlines providing nonstop flights to 22 destinations across the nation, including Fort Lauderdale, Denver, New York City and Washington, D.C. The airport serves nearly 2 million passengers annually and is one of the most accessible regional airports in the U.S.
Home of the Maryville College fine and performing arts program, Clayton Center for the Arts entertains audiences with concerts, plays, films and more. In addition to featuring performers from around the world, the venue showcases exhibits from local and regional artists.
Health care here is second to none, thanks to Blount Memorial Hospital. Located in Maryville, the 304-bed hospital gives East Tennessee residents convenient access to more than 300 physicians representing a wide variety of specialties such as cardiology, neurology and internal medicine.
Tuckaleechee Caverns – commonly known as the Greatest Site Under the Smokies – draws thousands of visitors to Townsend each year. Situated inside the earth’s oldest mountain chain, the caverns include millions of interesting formations and the tallest subterranean waterfall in the country.
A newly expanded Airport Hilton Conference Center provides 16,500 square feet of additional meeting space next to McGhee Tyson Airport. The expansion, designed to draw more – and larger – conferences to Blount County, is expected to make a substantial economic impact on the community.
Learn more at Blount Partnership.
