Powell

Matt Strozik, 20, takes to the air while skateboarding at Powell Station Park. A skate park is being proposed as an addition to the park in Powell, and construction is scheduled to begin in March or April.

North Knox Growing Community

The Knoxville suburb of Powell has been a high-growth location in recent years. Business has boomed at the intersection of Clinton Highway and Schaad Road, with retailers and restaurants flocking in.

They join a core of homegrown businesses anchored in Powell, such as DeRoyal Industries, Travis Meats and Weigel’s Farm Stores.

Residential growth is vibrant also. The community had the fourth-highest number of homes in the Knoxville area built in 2005.

Settled in 1789 by pioneers moving through East Tennessee into the North and West, the community offered a ready supply of water and good farming land. Early residents started one of the first trading outposts in the area.

Powell has blossomed from a sleepy farm community into one of the fastest growing suburban areas of Knox County. It boasts strong schools (www.kcs.k12tn.net), Knox County’s first greenway system, ready access to area attractions in Knoxville, Oak Ridge and the Smoky Mountains, and major roads such as Interstate 75 and Clinton Highway.

Powell residents enjoy the values of a rural community and the conveniences and excitement of city living. They can chow down on juicy hamburgers or dine on filet mignon.

“Old Town” Powell is the center of the business community, which extends to Northwest Crossing and its Wal-Mart supercenter. The community supports big national names and small homegrown establishments.

Vaughn Pharmacy, 2141 W. Emory Road, provides an old-fashioned personal touch. Doctor at Your Door/Powell Minor Emergency Room, 7229 Clinton Highway, handles everything “from sniffles to stitches.” It’s a pay-as-you-go clinic, with no insurance required or accepted.

All kinds of businesses show community spirit, donating time and energy to make Powell a great place to live. They have hosted Fourth of July celebrations with hot dogs and watermelon, and Jingle Bell Jog races to raise money for charity.

• Powell Station Park, 2316 W. Emory Road, features a splash pad with different sizes and levels of water fountains. The 2.5-acre park also has a gazebo, playground, walking trails, picnic area, festival lawn and restrooms.



• The main action in James Agee’s Pulitzer Prize winning memoir, A Death in the Family, occurs in Powell.



• St. Mary’s Medical Center North, at 7565 Dannaher Way (859-8000), opened in 2007. The $67 million hospital has 72 private rooms with dedicated family space including a sleep sofa, wireless Internet access and a second TV. Like room service at a hotel, the hospital’s meals-on-demand program allows patients to custom-order their food.



• St. Mary’s Health & Fitness Center (938-5015) is a modern 65,000-square-foot-facility on the St. Mary’s North campus in Powell. The health center features a warm-water therapy pool, Junior Olympic-size lap pool, basketball gym, cycle room, rock-climbing wall, racquetball and squash courts, indoor and outdoor tracks, group exercise and free weight rooms, steam rooms, saunas and whirlpools.



• The Powell Community Club was founded in 2002 to meet the needs of a rapidly growing community. The group works to help the community maintain its uniqueness while inviting growth and newcomers.



• Powell has a strong business organization. The Powell Business and Professional Association promotes and supports Powell business. It launched The Lighting of Powell holiday celebration in 2001 and sponsors an annual Jingle Bell Jog in December.