Governor John Sevier Highway is about 17 miles in length.
Study Area
Population Trends
Residential Building Activity
Non-Residential Building Activity
Employment Trends
Traffic
Study Area
Block groups, from the United States Census Bureau, that abut the John Sevier Highway were used as the basis for the study area. Although the study will focus on areas closer to the corridor itself, data from the census and other sources gives insight into the overall trends of the larger community.
Population Trends
The estimated population for the study area was 14,881 people in 2015. Between 1990 and 2010 population in the corridor grew steadily at 0.5% annually. Since 2010, the rate of population growth has leveled off.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Population and Housing, 1990, 2000, 2010, American Community Survey, 2011-15
Residential Permit Trends
The overall level of residential building activity in the corridor has rebounded to about half of pre-recession
Source: City of Knoxville Plans Review, Knox County Codes Administration and Enforcement
Permits for New Residential Units 2006-2016
Non-Residential Building Activity
Since 2006, new construction of commercial buildings in the corridor has totaled over $63 million. Retail-type buildings has accounted for about 47% of investments.
Source: City of Knoxville Plans Review, Knox County Codes Administration and Enforcement
Permits for New Non-Residential Buildings
Employment Trends
In 2014, there were over 8,000 jobs located in the John Sevier Corridor. Manufacturing and wholesale trades, primarily clustered at the Forks of the River Industrial Park, account for 43% of employment.
| Industry | 2014 | Percent | Change from 2004 |
| Manufacturing | 2,597 | 30.00% | -1,629 |
| Retail Trade | 1,227 | 14.20% | 645 |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 1,160 | 13.40% | -41 |
| Finance and Insurance | 964 | 11.10% | 47 |
| Accommodation and Food Services | 767 | 8.90% | 250 |
| Wholesale Trade | 587 | 6.80% | -252 |
| Construction | 522 | 6.00% | 29 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 234 | 2.70% | 110 |
| Administration & Support, Waste Management and Remediation | 175 | 2.00% | 151 |
| Other Services (excluding Public Administration) | 153 | 1.80% | 71 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 88 | 1.00% | 13 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 82 | 0.90% | 35 |
| Utilities | 34 | 0.40% | 1 |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 12 | 0.10% | -6 |
| Other | 22 | 0.30% | -8 |
| Total | 8,646 | -584 |
Source: Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics. U.S. Census Bureau, 2004-2014
Since 2004, almost 1900 manufacturing and wholesale positions have left the corridor. Some of these losses have been offset by increases in retail, food service and health care jobs.
Employment Centers
Along the corridor, there are two primary employment nodes. The Forks of the River Industrial Park on the north side of the French Broad River has over 4000 jobs. The cluster at the intersection of John Sevier Highway with Chapman Highway holds over 1600 positions.
Source: Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics. U.S. Census Bureau, 2014
Employment Distribution by Type
These major nodes have vastly different characteristics. Jobs at the Forks are the River are clustered in manufacturing and wholesale trades. Retail, food service and large call centers have located at Chapman Highway intersection.
Source: Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics. U.S. Census Bureau, 2014
Traffic
Vehicle counts along the corridor show that traffic has fluctuated from year to year, but overall level volumes are have remained steady over the last 10 years.
Click a count station to view to view trends.
Source: Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization, Tennessee Department of Transportation
