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Regional Profile ~ Quality of Life

The superior amenities Knoxville-Oak Ridge offers your company are matched only by the quality of lifestyle you will find here.

At a Glance

• Cost of living 11% below national average *
  
• Among the top 10 Best Places for Business and Careers, Forbes, 2006, 2007, 2008
• Violent crime rate below the national average
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most-visited national park in the country
• Over 500,000 acres of rugged mountains, lush valleys and breathtaking vistas, miles of hiking trails
• Seven Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) managed lakes covering 266 square miles and nearly 3,500 miles of shoreline
• Ocoee River Olympic White Water Course
• Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area
• National forest, 9 state parks, numerous hiking trails, a ski resort and 3 whitewater rafting rivers

Location - The Knoxville-Oak Ridge Innovation Valley region is comprised of Knox, Roane, Blount, Loundon & Monroe counties.

Population - Regional population, encompassing the 5 county Knoxville-Oak Ridge Innovation Valley area, is 787,984.

Talent pool - The region boasts a talented workforce some 550,000 strong.

Cultural Opportunities

• Knoxville's nationally acclaimed Dogwood Arts Festival is one of the longest-running and largest civic celebrations in North America, hosting over 350 events annually in April

• Two active symphonies: the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and the Oak Ridge Symphony

• Home to an opera company, 2 ballet companies and an internationally recognized professional children's dance ensemble

• Knoxville Museum of Art hosts some of the most prominent collections in the world

• Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies is one of the most-visited in America

• Oak Ridge's American Museum of Science and Energy is one of the world's largest energy-related exhibitions

• The Knoxville Zoological Park is recognized as one of the top zoos in the nation

• The Museum of Appalachia is a permanent showplace for area arts, crafts and Appalachian history

• The Oak Ridge Children's Museum, a nationally known interactive museum

Health Care

• Costs 10.3% below the national average*
• University of Tennessee teaching hospital & Level 1 Trauma Center
  

*ACCRA Cost of Living Index, Fourth Quarter 2009

Sports

• 104,079-seat Neyland Stadium, one of the largest in the country, is home to the University of Tennessee Vols football team

• Thompson-Boling Arena, with 25,000 seats, is home to the Vols and Lady Vols basketball teams

• Home to a AA baseball team, the Tennessee Smokies

• Home to minor league hockey team, the Knoxville Ice Bears

• Host to the National Junior Olympics
• Home to championship rowing course on Melton Hill Lake

Recreational Resources

Parks 200+

Golf Courses 75+

Swimming Pools 60+

Country Clubs 25+

Movie Theaters 45+

Hotels/Motels 700+

Restaurants 1,100+

 Climate

• Moderate climate with four distinct seasons
• Extended periods of extremely hot or cold weather is rare

• Annual Average Temperatures

January      July

High  49°            86°

Low   28°             69°

• Annual rainfall: 48.2 inches
• Annual snowfall: 10 inches