Maryville

History

The Great Indian Warpath (which was used to build the route US-411) was long used by the indigenous peoples of the area. A Cherokee village known as "Elajay" was situated at the confluence of Ellejoy Creek (named after the village) and the Little River. Its site was near the modern Heritage High School. Ensign Henry Timberlake passed through the village in 1762 while returning from his expedition to the Overhill villages to the west. He reported that it had been abandoned. In 1785, Revolutionary War veteran John Craig built a wooden palisade enclosing cabins at what is known as Fort Craig (or Craig's Station) in present-day Maryville. Such stations were built throughout the frontier to defend settlers against attacks from the Cherokee. For example, "on April 11, 1793, when settlers believed Indian attacks were imminent, 280 men, women, and children gathered in small huts at John Craig's station on Nine Mile Creek." Craig donated next to his fort for the founding of a new town. Incorporated as a city on July 11, 1795, the settlement was named in honor of Mary Grainger Blount, wife of the territorial governor William Blount. Blount County was named after him. The family of Sam Houston moved to Maryville from Virginia in 1808, when Houston was 15. His older brothers put him to work as a clerk in a store they established in town, but he ran away. Houston lived for a few years with the Cherokee at Hiwassee Island, on the Hiwassee River, where he became fluent in their language and appreciative of their culture. After his return to Maryville about 1811, Houston started a one-room schoolhouse. He signed up for the army during the War of 1812 and rose rapidly in rank, beginning his military and political career. The schoolhouse still stands just off US-411 near the…

Geography

Maryville is located in north-central Blount County in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. Chilhowee Mountain, the outermost ridge of the Western Smokies, rises prominently to the south. Chilhowee's eastern flank— known locally as "The Three Sisters"— is visible from almost anywhere in the city, and dominates the southern horizon along US-321 between Maryville and Walland. Maryville is bordered on the north by Maryville's twin city, Alcoa. A number of small suburbs— including Wildwood, Ellejoy, and Clover Hill— surround Maryville to the east and west. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. * Broadway, the main street of the downtown area, is partly an alignment of U.S. Route 411 and U.S. Route 129. It continues to Knoxville to the north and Monroe County to the southwest. * Lamar Alexander Parkway, an alignment of U.S. Route 321, continues to Lenoir City to the west and Townsend and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to the east. * Maryville-Alcoa Bypass, an alignment of U.S. Route 129 and part of the primary route between Maryville and Knoxville * Montvale Road (State Route 336) * Morganton Road, which runs parallel to US 411, connects Maryville to Greenback and the old Morganton area to west. * Cusick Street crosses Broadway at the center of the downtown area. It extends north through Alcoa toward Louisville. * Washington Street, an alignment of State Route 35, defines the eastern limit of the downtown area and extends through Alcoa as Hall Road. * Maryville Alcoa Greenway * Bicentennial Greenbelt Park * Amerine Park * Everett Park * John Sevier Park * Pearson Springs Park * Sandy Springs Park * Jarvis Park Average temperatures in July range from 69 degrees low to 87 degrees…

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• William Blount High School
  High · Maryville · 1,545 students · 16.3:1 ratio
• Maryville High School
  High · Maryville · 1,242 students · 21.1:1 ratio
• Heritage High School
  High · Maryville · 1,198 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• Coulter Grove Intermediate School
  Middle · Maryville · 881 students · 17.6:1 ratio
• Maryville Junior High School
  Other · Maryville · 878 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• Montgomery Ridge Intermediate School
  Middle · Maryville · 862 students · 16.9:1 ratio
• Alcoa High School
  High · Alcoa · 705 students · 14.7:1 ratio
• Heritage Middle School
  Middle · Maryville · 665 students · 15.5:1 ratio