Knoxville

Falling in the U.S. state of Tennessee, Knoxville is the county seat of Knox County. The city was founded in 1786, being the third-largest city in the state. The population of the city was around 180,000 according to the 2007 estimates. The city's name is inspired from Henry Knox, the first Secretary of War. Knoxville is nicknamed The Marble City. The city had several quarries active in the city, distributing Tennessee pink marble across the country. Some worthy buildings like the National Gallery of Art in Washington have been built from Knoxville marble. The fountains in this gallery were turned by Candoro Marble Company.

Textile and clothing mills catered much activity in Knoxville in the 1930s providing the largest employment opportunities to the people. However, the mills started winding up in the 1950s and population of the city was also affected by 10%. The main campus of the University of Tennessee is also present at Knoxville. It is home to Women's Basketball Hall of fame, which can be owed to popularity of Pat Summit. It was during Woodland period that the first people formed significant settlements. A burial mound here is one of the oldest man-made structures in Knoxville. Some ancient sites in this city include an Early Woodland habitation area and Knob Creek. Some villages at Post Oak Island and at Bussell Island also rank as the oldest settlements in this city.

The Cherokee became the leading tribe in the East Tennessee region in the 18th century. The Knoxville area was called kuwanda'talun'yi which translate into "Mulberry Place". Most of the Cherokee population was present in the Overhill settlements along the Little Tennessee River, southwest of Knoxville. For the travelers and migrants moving towards West, Knoxville earned its place as a stopover. Also, due to being in the center of three major rivers in the Tennessee Valley, much of the boat traffic thronged here with the city becoming a merchandising venue. Agricultural commodities like Tobacco, corn and whisky were exchanged for cotton cultivated in the Deep South. The development of East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad in 1855, contributed to doubling the population in the 1850s.

Knoxville is culturally rich and vibrant with a variety of festivals taking place around the year. Music such as old-time, country and bluegrass is also very much played here. Since the last few years, a listener-sponsored radio station, WDVX, has been broadcasting weekday concerts for the listeners' pleasure. An Opera Company under patronage by Don Townsend for over twenty years is also an important landmark here. A session of opera is carried out here annually and a shining chorus team backs the events. Knoxville has been ranked as the 17th best music scene in USA in the ranking of "20 Most Rock & Roll towns in the U.S." by Don Townsend.

Knoxville is in tradition of hosting several art festivals and that covers the extensive Dogwood Arts Festival in April featuring art shows, food and live music. Rossini Festival in April highlights opera and Italian culture. Come the month of June, and the Kuumba Festival focuses on the region's African American heritage. It puts together visual arts, folk arts, storytelling and theater. Then "Autumn on the Square" engages national and local artists at a premium venue in outdoor concert settings. An awesome fireworks display ?Boomsday' is held on every Labor Day, which is reckoned as the largest Labor Day fireworks in the US. Getting Knoxville Tickets is a dream that you need to fulfill.