West Knoxville

Roy Smith’s Cameron Racer, bearing a Pellissippi State logo, was inflated along with two other balloons on Tuesday at West Town Mall.

Shopping and neighborhoo

West Knoxville mixes neighborhoods, shopping areas, greenways.

In the 1950s, West Hills was sparsely populated, with a waiting list for telephone service. Fields lay between the homes and Kingston Pike, because there was not yet an interstate between them.

Until West Town Mall came along in the early 1970s, the property there contained woods and a fire station.

Walker Springs Road was still considered country; Farragut, even more so.
Now West Knoxville has sprawled beyond Cedar Bluff. Some would say the boundaries reach Concord and Farragut.

To the east, West Knoxville encompasses a broad mix of neighborhoods like Deane Hill, Bearden, Forest Heights, Sutherland Heights and Westmoreland.
Over the years, major retail areas have established themselves throughout West Knoxville, including:

• West Town Mall, with department stores, specialty shops, movie theaters and a food court. West Town remains a popular destination.
  
  
• Walker Springs Road, which has become a hot exit for shoppers, thanks to Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart.
  
  
• Cedar Bluff – home to many shops as well as medical offices, a hospital and the Scripps Networks headquarters.
  
  
• Turkey Creek, the largest single commercial development ever built in metropolitan Knoxville. It has given new meaning to shopping out west. Located three miles from Interstate 40/75 and 14 miles from downtown Knoxville, Turkey Creek has more than 300 acres of space zoned for retail shopping outlets, medical facilities, theaters, office space, banks, restaurants and hotels. A 58-acre nature preserve and greenways run throughout the site.

More than 40 miles of paved greenways ribbon through Knoxville, and a good percentage are in the west part of the city. These corridors of protected open space include Bearden Village, Lakeshore, Middlebrook, Sequoyah and Weisgarber greenways.

As a county commissioner said, “The demographics in West Knox County are some of the best the county has to offer, as evidenced by all of the retailers that have gone to Turkey Creek.”

Parks, schools, hospitals, restaurants, churches and synagogues also have followed the growth patterns in West Knoxville.

• Lakeshore Park at 6410 S. Northshore Drive is popular with runners and walkers. It overlooks Fort Loudoun Lake and has views of the Smoky Mountains. The 60-acre park has paved trails, six baseball/softball fields with lights, a soccer field and open space. To reserve a field, call 584-6403. A new YMCA is on the drawing board for Lakeshore Park.
  
  
• Tyson Park near the University of Tennessee will be the site of Knoxville’s first skate park, due for completion in 2007. From tennis to softball, Tyson Park pops with recreational activity. Third Creek Greenway, which connects to Neyland and Bearden greenways, is a favorite place to run, walk or bike through the park. Tyson also has eight picnic shelters; call 215-1413 for reservations. To reserve a tennis court, call 522-3303.
  
  
• West Hills/John Bynon Park at 7624 Sheffield Drive adjoins the Westside YMCA and West Hills Elementary School. The 14-acre park includes two playgrounds, picnic tables, outdoor basketball court and the 1.9-mile paved Jean Teague Greenway. There are two shelters (215-1413 for reservations); 14 tennis courts (522-3303 for reservations); sports fields (531-8878 for reservations), and an open space for special events (215-2946 for reservations).
  
  
• Hospitals in West Knoxville include Parkwest Medical Center in Cedar Bluff and Baptist Hospital West in Farragut. St. Mary’s Health System has a pain management center on South Northshore Drive .
  
  
• West Knoxville housing ranges from one-bedroom apartments to multimillion-dollar homes. The Knoxville Area Association of Realtors is based in the Bearden area.
  
  
• Both public schools and private schools are numerous in West Knoxville, which also has post-secondary institutions such as Pellissippi State Technical Community College

West Knoxville Schools

• Bearden High School
• Knoxville Catholic High School