Farragut

Renee LeMoine and her two year old daughter Mailys LeMoine play in the water at Cove at Concord Park Friday morning. The director of Knox County Parks has issued a press release asking folks not to feed the geese. The food park visitors give to the geese is unhealthy and encourages the geese to stick around, which brings about a lot of geese droppings

Nice community out West

Although the community had been there for years, the people of Farragut voted to incorporate in 1980, mainly so they could have a voice in how their area was developed.

The town of Farragut quickly became known for its stringent building regulations intended to give both residential and commercial structures a uniform look.

Twenty-six years later, it's become one of the premier communities in East Tennessee. Its proximity to Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the reputation of the schools make Farragut attractive to both families and individuals who are moving into the area. The town has also made sure that residents have a number of amenities, including a branch of the Knox County Public Library, three multipurpose parks and a greenway system.

Due to the growing popularity of the area, developers are building commercial complexes and residential subdivisions at increasing rates, and potential tenants are rushing to buy them. The Farragut Municipal Planning Commission approved development of more than 300 residential lots in 2005 alone.

"The reason people are building here is because Farragut is a great market," Ruth Hawk, Farragut community development director, said. "If you look at the census information for Farragut, you can see that Farragut has a wealthier population, which is very enticing for new construction. Developers, businesses, builders, lending institutions, etc. look at that information."

And apparently the business community has been taking notice. In February, the town was named the 2006 Most Business-Friendly City in Tennessee by the Tennessee Center for Policy Research and BusinessTN magazine.

Farragut Map "We researched the business-friendliness of Tennessee's 50 largest cities as objectively as possible using census data and state statistical data," Drew Johnson, Tennessee Center for Policy Research president, said. The center then evaluated the cities by their business taxes, quality of life, work force and local amenities.

Johnson said Farragut had the third-lowest tax on business in the study, and fifth in the "community allure" category, which rates the city by its cost of living, individual taxes, crime rate and accessibility to cultural activities. Farragut also ranked second in the work force category, which measures the number of high school and college graduates in the area.

Area developer R. Knick Myers of Myers Bros. Holdings said although working within Farragut's jurisdiction can be a challenge, the end result is worth it. Large shopping districts next to the town limits, like the Turkey Creek commercial development, draw people, and therefore demand, to the town.

"Farragut's 37934 zip code offers some of the highest mean per capita household incomes in the state of Tennessee," Myers said. "And there is simply a greater demand for residential, commercial, restaurants and offices than what is currently available."

Population currently stands at a little more than 19,000, and continued growth is expected. As pending developments are approved by the planning commission, more homes and businesses will fill in the western half of the town to the Loudon County line.

For more information on Farragut, visit

www.townoffarragut.org.