Maryville, Tennessee: Still One of the Nation's Best Places to Live

In 1999, A&E Network's weekly television series A&E Top 10 named Maryville, Tennessee as one of the top ten places in America to "Have it all." Other noted publications have ranked Maryville as one of the top places in the nation to retire.

Eight years later, the sleepy little town of Maryville is still enjoying a boom in its population and its economics. People are moving to Maryville from the northern states and southern states as well as nations from around the world. Because of this, real estate and home sales, new and used, are on the rise while much of the country is in a slump. New storefronts and restaurants are popping up all over the county while acreage next to main thoroughfares is being bought up in droves.

An increase in population attracts new businesses, but what attracts all these outsiders to purchase a home and relocate to Maryville? The main reason is location. Maryville is located near a major city, a highly popular vacation destination, and the most visited nation parks in the country.

Fifteen minutes to the north is Knoxville, with all the flare of a big city. Residents of Maryville commute to Knoxville for work, shopping, and entertainment. Knoxville boasts two large malls and countless numbers of shopping centers and storefronts. Fine and fast food restaurants also litter the streets of Knoxville. However, we can't talk about Knoxville without mentioning the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame and Neyland Stadium, one of the largest college football stadiums in the country and where the University of Tennessee Volunteers football team plays their home games. Go Big Orange!

Forty minutes to the east of Maryville are Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. In Pigeon Forge visitors can shop, play putt-putt, drive go-carts, attend dinner shows, and much more. Also located in Pigeon Forge is DollyWood, the entertainment park owned by Dolly Parton. Gatlinburg is most known for its Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum and Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies. Visitors can also visit Ober Gatlinburg Ski Resort and the Space Needle, which offers a 342 foot aerial view of downtown Gatlinburg and the surrounding mountains.

Thirty minutes to the southeast of Maryville is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The beauty of the mountains, the diversity of wildlife, and the tranquility of nature draw in over 9 million visitors each year making the GSMNP the most visited national park. A popular destination in the park is Cades Cove. Cades Cove is an 11-mile one-way road that winds visitors through a lush valley of fields and woods that are teeming with wildlife such as deer, bear, and an occasional fox.

Maryville also affords many recreational opportunities. Fort Loudon Lake is part of the Tennessee River, which borders Blount County to the north and west. Boaters take to the lake for fishing and skiing. The mountains offer some of the best hiking, biking, and camping available anywhere. Hunting is also a favorite past time for some residents of Maryville.

Maryville, TN has peaceful setting of a rural community with all the advantages of a big city. Factor in low real estate prices, excellent schools, plenty of jobs and career opportunities, and low crime rates and Maryville may just be the perfect place to live.

Derrick Walker is the webmaster for MaryvilleHome.com, which displays Maryville real estate properties for sale.