Norris

History

TVA chairman Arthur Morgan envisioned Norris as a model of cooperative, egalitarian living. The city design was developed by TVA staff, who loosely based their design on the English garden city movement of the 1890s. Winding roads followed the contour of the terrain. Houses did not always face the street. A central common green and a belt of rural land around the town were reserved for use by residents. The houses, which were some of the first all-electric homes, were built using local wood and stone, according to twelve basic house designs that each included a porch and fireplace. Different exterior materials were used for visual variety. Norris represents the first use of greenbelt design principles in a self-contained town in the United States. The town was the first in Tennessee to have a complete system of dial telephones. Norris Creamery was the first milk-producing plant in the world to be powered solely by electricity. In 1948 the U.S. Congress directed that the city be sold at public auction. It was purchased for $2.1 million ($ in dollars ) by a Philadelphia investment group headed by Henry D. Epstein, which then sold individual homes to their residents. The city was officially incorporated in 1949. In 1953 the Epstein group sold its remaining Norris real estate to a corporation formed by Norris residents and known as the Norris Corporation. Today Norris primarily serves as a bedroom community for Knoxville and Oak Ridge. is a popular attraction in Norris. Norris is a short distance from Norris Dam State Park, part of which is in the city, and Big Ridge State Park, which include popular camping areas.

Geography

Norris is located in northern Anderson County at (36.199515, −84.069077), on a set of hills south of the Clinch River. U.S. Route 441, the Norris Freeway, arcs around the west side of the city, leading south to Knoxville and northwest to Rocky Top. Interstate 75 passes to the southwest of the city, with access via Tennessee State Route 61 from Exit 122. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land. A large portion of this area is contained in the Norris Municipal Watershed, which has an area of more than and is managed for water supply, recreation, timber production, and wildlife, including deer hunting. There are nearly of recreation trails on the watershed area.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  5,890
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,838
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  5,464
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  4,778
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,623
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  4,538
• Eastern Bluebird

  Sialia sialis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,465
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,092

Largest nearby schools

• Clinton High School
  High · Clinton · 1,126 students · 14.4:1 ratio
• Anderson County High School
  High · Clinton · 1,036 students · 14.6:1 ratio
• Clinton Middle School
  Middle · Clinton · 609 students · 12.7:1 ratio
• Clinton Elementary
  Elementary · Clinton · 557 students · 15.5:1 ratio
• Norris Middle School
  Middle · Norris · 489 students · 15.3:1 ratio
• Lake City Elementary
  Elementary · Lake City · 403 students · 15.5:1 ratio
• Andersonville Elementary
  Elementary · Andersonville · 325 students · 13.5:1 ratio
• Fairview Elementary
  Elementary · Heiskell · 281 students · 12.2:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2026-01-04
  11 km SW of Middlesboro, Kentucky
• M 2.5 — 2025-08-19
  6 km SE of Seymour, Tennessee
• M 2.57 — 2025-07-10
  2 km E of Greenback, Tennessee
• M 4.1 — 2025-05-10
  21 km SE of Greenback, Tennessee
• M 2.51 — 2024-08-05
  4 km SSE of Sevierville, Tennessee
• M 2.57 — 2023-06-25
  Kentucky-Tennessee border region