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Maryville, Tennessee

Updated August 6, 2024

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

Maryville, Tennessee, viewed from the Blount County Library. Greenbelt Lake (Pistol Creek) is below — Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

More coming soon.

History

Fort Craig Maryville Tennessee — Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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, Tennessee Real Estate Trends as of March 2024

Affordability of Living in Maryville, TN

The median home value is $356,946 up from $344,931 in June 2022
As of March 27, 2024, there are 32 new listings and 251 homes for sale in Maryville.

Average Home Value in Maryville TN, by Home Size

Home Size	Home Value
1 bedroom	$233,865
2 bedrooms	$245,241
3 bedrooms	$368,727
4 bedrooms	$490,200

Trends and affordability stats are provided by third party data sources.

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Local Schools in Maryville

Looking to find out about schools that are in your neighborhood, or the neighborhood you’re looking to buy in? We’ve got you covered.

Choose the MAP view to visually explore the Maryville area. Check the ✅ Elementary, ✅ Middle, or ✅ High, to select the grade level you are looking for. Use the + and – buttons to zoom in and out.

Choose the LIST view to see a list of local schools. You can select ☑️ Private Schools, or ☑️ Public Schools, or both.

You can also use the SEARCH tab to choose a city or zipcode for your search. Again, you can select ☑️ Private Schools, or ☑️ Public Schools, or both.

Geography

Blount County Tennessee Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Maryville Highlighted — DemocraticLuntz at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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

Greenbelt Park Bridge Maryville Tennessee — Greenbelt Park Bridge, Maryville Tennessee
Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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

Patio seating at the Restaurant at RT Lodge

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

East Tennessee, USA

Map of Tennessee with Time Zones – the black bounding line indicated East Tennessee

White East Tennessee is not a community as such, for this article we will treat it as one.

East Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. Geographically and socioculturally distinct, it comprises approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee. The Largest city is Knoxville and the demonym for residents is East Tennessean.

East Tennessee consists of 33 counties, 30 located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone, namely Bledsoe, Cumberland, and Marion.

East Tennessee is entirely located within the Appalachian Mountains, although the landforms range from densely forested 6,000-foot mountains to broad river valleys.

The region contains the major cities of Knoxville and Chattanooga, Tennessee’s third and fourth largest cities, respectively, and the Tri-Cities, the state’s sixth largest population center.

We feature many photos from our trip in the section below. If you want to see any of them in a larger format, just click on that image.

Libby and Ken’s East Tennessee Anniversary Trip

The Historic RT Lodge in Maryville Tennessee

On March 30th, 2023 we celebrated our 38th wedding anniversary with a trip to various locations in East Tennessee that we had been wanting to visit.

Our first stop was the RT Lodge in Maryville. All the facilities and grounds are exceptional! A very lovely and peaceful place to relax.

The Lodge and property were once a part of Maryville College. It was built in the early 1930’s.

The Historic RT Lodge in Maryville Tennessee - View 2 — Here is another view of the RT Lodge

In the late 1990’s, the Ruby Tuesday restaurant franchise purchased the lodge for a company retreat and named it the RT Lodge. As time went by, additional buildings were built, and the lodge converted 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.

All the facilities and grounds are exceptional! A very lovely and peaceful place to relax!

The restaurant was first class! The food was great! We already have a review of the restaurant which you can read here.

The next day of we finally got to spend some time and see some of the history of East Tennessee.

First we visited the “Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center” in Townsend, Tennessee. Townsend in located right on the border of “The Great Smoky Mountain National Park.”

Inside the gallery of the center is a very nice museum. It is full of artifacts of the area going back to prehistoric times.

Exhibits included how native Indians lived over the centuries as well a how settlers lived over time into the mid 1900’s.

Then, outside is a walking tour of actual historic buildings that have been moved here. Some with additional exhibits in them as well.

John Walker (no relation to Johnnie Walker)

Below is a bed in a cabin early 1800’s made by John Walker. It has a straw mattress the quilt is homemade from that period as well.

John Walker's Straw Mattress — John Walker’s Straw Mattress

And below is a cantilevered pole barn from the 1820’s. The overhang would shelter livestock from the rain and sun. We saw some photos of these barns that were cantilevered all the way around.

Charles Williams and His Still

The history of the Smoky Mountains is chock full of tales of moonshine! In one of the out-buildings is this actual still.

Charles Williams' Still — Charles Williams’ Still

“You are viewing one of the best kept secrets of the Smoky Mountains—an infamous still, whose ingenious underground location kept law enforcement officers and revenuers searching for it unsuccessfully for years!

The still was built in 1960 by Charles J. Williams and his family, of Carrs Creek, who kept the entire operation hidden under his shed. It is on extended loan to the museum by his son, Mike Williams.

Especially during the Great Depression, the production and sale of liquor (known also as “white lighting,” “moonshine,” or “good ole mountain dew”) was a source of income which provided food and clothing for many of the mountain families of East Tennessee.

This was especially true in Mr. Williams’ case. Using a family recipe passed down from Irish relatives, his divorced mother resorted to making liquor in order to supply her family with the basics needed for survival.”

Ken's First Convertible — Ken’s First Convertible 😁

Click on the images to view full sized

The John Oliver Place

After the Heritage Center, there was still time in the day and we wondered about Cade’s Cove in the National Park.

Cade’s Cove is full of historic old buildings and has beautiful scenery and lot’s of wildlife. It is also the most visited section of the park.

During the tourist season the eleven mile loop road will be bumper to bumper the whole way with cars from all over the country.

We thought we might have a shot of less traffic at this time of year and headed on up there. We were right! It was lighter traffic.

Oh, I forgot to tell you. The road is one way. You go the speed of the slowest car in front of you until you can get to a place to park.

Here’s the John Oliver Place and its story:

The John Oliver Place Plaque – click to view full sized

John and Lucretia Oliver, the original owners of the cabin, were the first permanent white settlers in Cades Cove. When they moved to Cades Cove in the 1820s, the only road into the cove was a primitive trail and there was not a working grist mill.

In the absence of a grist mill, the Olivers had to beat corn into cornmeal using only a mortar and pestle. During the early years, Lucretia feared she would starve to death.

Now, the Oliver cabin is one of the most visited historical structures in the National Park. The cabin is held together by gravity and notched corners – it does not need pegs or nails to hold it together.

Although the National Park Service eventually took control of the structure, it was one of the last historical structures to be vacated. The cabin remained in the Oliver family for over 100 years!

John Oliver Cabin 2 — Libby in front of the Cabin

View From Oliver Cabin — View from the John Oliver Cabin

Click to view full sized

The Dan Lawson Place

Here’s the Dan Lawson Place. The main house and barn are in pretty rough shape. That’s the main house above and that’s Ken standing by the smokehouse below.

In 1856, Dan Lawson constructed a cabin on land that had originally belonged to his father-in-law, Peter Cable. What makes this cabin unique for the 1850s in the Smoky Mountains is the presence of a brick chimney.

The bricks used were handmade on the property, as was common in Cades Cove at the time. It’s believed that Peter Cable, who worked as a carpenter, assisted Dan Lawson in building the cabin, given the exquisite woodwork and architectural details.

The original cabin was made from logs, dating back to before the Civil War, but it underwent modifications over the years, including the addition of sawed lumber.

Lawson gradually expanded his land holdings, eventually owning a substantial stretch of land that extended from one ridge to another. ⛰️

In later years, the cabin was enlarged, adding a second story and a porch.

This porch served as the location for the post office that operated from his home. Additionally, the Dan Lawson Place property included a corn crib 🌽 and a smokehouse.

You can visit the Dan Lawsone Place in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Townsend, TN 37882

The History of East Tennessee

If you’re into history, the state of Tennessee is for you, particularly East Tennessee!

During the American Civil War, many East Tennesseans remained loyal to the Union even as the state seceded and joined the Confederacy.

Early in the war, Unionist delegates unsuccessfully attempted to split East Tennessee into a separate state that would remain as part of the Union.

After the war, a number of industrial operations were established in cities in the region.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), created by Congress during the Great Depression in the 1930s, spurred economic development and helped to modernize the region’s economy and society.

The TVA would become the nation’s largest public utility provider. Today, the TVA’s administrative operations are headquartered in Knoxville and its power operations are based in Chattanooga.

Oak Ridge was the site of the world’s first successful uranium enrichment operations, which were used to construct the world’s first atomic bombs, two of which were dropped on Imperial Japan at the end of World War II.

The Appalachian Regional Commission further transformed the region in the late 20th century.

East Tennessee Geography

East Tennessee is both geographically and culturally part of Appalachia.

Along with Western North Carolina, North Georgia, Eastern Kentucky, Southwest Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, and Southwestern Pennsylvania, East Tennessee has been included in every major definition of the Appalachian region since the early 20th century.

East Tennessee is home to the nation’s most visited national park— the Great Smoky Mountains National Park— and hundreds of smaller recreational areas.

The Country Music Billboard in Downtown Knoxville Tennessee

East Tennessee is often considered the birthplace of country music, due largely to the 1927 Victor recording sessions in Bristol, and throughout the 20th and 21st centuries has produced a steady stream of musicians of national and international fame.

This may seem counterintuitive as Nashville is not in East Tennessee but rather the central region.

The major cities of East Tennessee are Knoxville, which is near the geographic center of the region; Chattanooga*, which is in southeastern Tennessee at the Georgia border; and the “Tri-Cities” of Bristol, Johnson City, and Kingsport, located in the extreme northeastern most part of the state.

Of the ten metropolitan statistical areas in Tennessee designated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), six are in East Tennessee.

Also designated by the OMB in East Tennessee are the Knoxville-Sevierville-La Follette, Chattanooga-Cleveland-Athens and Tri-Cities combined statistical areas.

* Chattanooga Choo Choo

Song by Glenn Miller Orchestra – 1941

Pardon me, boy
Is that the Chattanooga choo choo?

[su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2aj0zhXlLA” width=”800″ height=”16003″ alt=”Glenn Miller – Chattanooga Choo Choo – Sun Valley Serenade (1941)” rel=”no” modestbranding=”yes” title=”Glenn Miller – Chattanooga Choo Choo – Sun Valley Serenade (1941)”]

We hope you enjoyed the trip to East Tennessee!

Come visit us in person the next time you’re in our neck of the woods.

~ Libby and Ken

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