Updated July 28^th, 2023

Greetings from Maryville, Tennessee!

Named for Mary Grainger Blount, Maryville sits at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🏔️.

Maryville is close to Knoxville, Gatlinburg, Dollywood 👩🏼‍🎤, and Pigeon Forge 🕊️

Maryville Tennessee is a city in and the county seat of Blount County, Tennessee, and is a suburb of Knoxville, and was named for Mary Grainger Blount. Its population was 31,907 at the 2020 census.

It is included in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area and a short distance from popular tourist destinations such as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Dollywood, Gatlinburg, and Pigeon Forge.

The Community of Maryville, Tennessee

Neighborhoods

More coming soon.

History

When the first European explorers arrived in the area, they found the Great Indian Warpath, which ran along the route where the modern US-411 has been built. The trail was long used by the indigenous peoples of the area. A historic Cherokee village known as “Elajay” was situated at the confluence of Ellejoy Creek (named after the village) and the Little River. Its site was near the modern Heritage High School. Ensign Henry Timberlake passed through the village in 1762 while returning from his expedition to the Overhill villages to the west. He reported that it had been abandoned.

In 1785, Revolutionary War veteran John Craig built a wooden palisade enclosing cabins at what is known as Fort Craig (or Craig’s Station) in present-day Maryville. Such stations were built throughout the frontier to defend settlers against attacks from the Cherokee. For example, “on April 11, 1793, when settlers believed Indian attacks were imminent, 280 men, women, and children gathered in small huts at John Craig’s station on Nine Mile Creek.”

Craig donated 50 acres (20 ha) next to his fort for the founding of a new town. Incorporated as a city on July 11, 1795, the settlement was named in honor of Mary Grainger Blount, wife of the territorial governor William Blount. Blount County was named after him.

The family of Sam Houston moved to Maryville from Virginia in 1808, when Houston was 15. His older brothers put him to work as a clerk in a store they established in town, but he ran away. Houston lived for a few years with the Cherokee at Hiwassee Island, on the Hiwassee River, where he became fluent in their language and appreciative of their culture. After his return to Maryville about 1811, Houston started a one-room schoolhouse. He signed up for the army during the War of 1812 and rose rapidly in rank, beginning his military and political career. The schoolhouse still stands just off US-411 near the community of Wildwood.

Maryville was settled in 1785 and incorporated in 1795.

Read more about the history of Maryville here.

Maryville, TN Real Estate Trends as of June 2022

Affordability of Living in Maryville, TN

• The typical home value is $344,931
• Homes are typically worth $203/sqft

Average Home Value in Maryville TN, by Home Size

Current Market Statistics

Geography

Maryville is located in north-central Blount County in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains.

Chilhowee Mountain, the outermost ridge of the Western Smokies, rises prominently to the south.

Chilhowee’s eastern flank— known locally as “The Three Sisters”— is visible from almost anywhere in the city, and dominates the southern horizon along US-321 between Maryville and Walland. Maryville is bordered on the north by Maryville’s twin city, Alcoa.

A number of small suburbs— including Wildwood, Ellejoy, and Clover Hill— surround Maryville to the east and west.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.8 square miles, all land.

Parks and Recreation

There are at least 18 parks in or adjacent to Maryville.

• Maryville Alcoa Greenway
• Bicentennial Greenbelt Park
• Amerine Park
• Everett Park
• John Sevier Park
• Pearson Springs Park
• Sandy Springs Park
• Jarvis Park
• More parks

Maryville Restaurants

The Restaurant at RT Lodge

The restaurant is at the historic RT Lodge in Maryville. It is one of two eateries there. The Lodge and property were once a part of Maryville College. They built it in the early 1930s.

Every aspect of your meal is important to us. That’s why we make our own bread, pickles, mayonnaise, pimento cheese, and scores of other hand-crafted ingredients and dishes. We shape our menus on the changing bounty of each season, with the freshest ingredients sourced from local farms and the best providers. Experience favorites such as our Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Housemade Charcuterie. After dinner, enjoy coffee and complimentary s’mores around the fire pit while being surrounded by gorgeous landscape and all the quiet sounds of Maryville College Woods.

The Ruby Tuesday restaurant franchise purchased the lodge for a company retreat in the late 1990s and built additional buildings as time went by, converting the lodge to a public lodge and restaurant.

A local group of investors purchased the lodge from Ruby Tuesday in 2021 and has been running it since.

The restaurant is on the second floor of the lodge with many tables along the big windows at the back with views of the lovely lodge grounds.  There is a comfortable bar with a fine selection of cocktails and beers.

What We Like about the Restaurant

The traditional Tennessee lodge style ambiance. Top-notch service by a friendly staff. A truly scrumptious menu.

What We Ate During Our Visit

For dinner in the lodge, we shared the Cheese Board appetizer with 3 regional cheeses, house preserves, nuts, olives, and crackers.  There was local blue cheese, brie, and Fontina. Initially, we felt the cheeses were bland for our taste, but then when the preserves were added, the flavors blended perfectly.

For the main course, we shared the Braised Pork Shank For Two, served on a bed of whipped potato, with Brussels sprouts, shallots, and fresh greens.

They served the dish with a set of tongs to pull the meat off.  The meat was too tender to cut.  To say it melted in our mouths would be an understatement!  It was absolutely delicious.  Except for the Brussels sprouts for Ken.  Ken doesn’t care for those.

For dessert we shared the Bread Pudding for two. Bread pudding is Ken’s favorite! They served this dish in the hot cast-iron skillet right out of the oven with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

The top of the pudding was crispy crème Brule. It was delicious!

Address of the lodge and restaurant.

1406 Wilkinson Pike, Maryville, Tennessee 37803
(865) 981-9800

Location:

RT Lodge
Maryville, Tennessee

Restaurant Hours:

Monday–Thursday 5-9pm
Friday–Saturday 5-9:30pm

Website

RT Lodge https://www.rtlodge.com/

The Restaurant Facebook Pagehttps://www.facebook.com/TheRestaurantatRTLodge/

FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions about Maryville, Tennessee

Q. Is Maryville Tennessee a good place to live?
A. The city of Maryville is ranked as one of the Best Places to Live in Tennessee for 2020. The city’s top manager is fine with that, even as he recognizes the challenge of being trendy. This latest ranking by HomeSnacks puts the Maryville one slot higher than last year’s No. 10 placement

Q. What is Maryville TN known for?
A. Maryville is a good starting point for exploring a number of popular tourist destinations such as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg, Dollywood and Pigeon Forge. Sam Houston Schoolhouse, today a State Historic Site, located near Maryville, is the oldest schoolhouse in Tennessee

Q. Is it expensive to live in Maryville TN?
A. Maryville, Tennessee’s cost of living is 12% lower than the national average. The cost of living in any area can vary based on factors such as your career, its average salary and the real estate market of that area.

Q. Is Maryville TN a small town?
A. Maryville is a quiet and peaceful small town in east Tennessee. With a population of about 30,000 residents. It is located 17 miles south of Knoxville. There is a quaint downtown area.

Details about Maryville, Tennessee

• It has an elevation of 935 ft
• Population (in 2020) is 31,907
• The time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) and in Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
• The ZIP codes are 37801 – 37804, and the Area code is 865

Additional Resources

Read more about the City of Maryville

Find out about the 5 Best Things to Do in Maryville, Tennessee