East Tennessee North Rural Planning Organization Study Area

Home , Bays Mountain, Big Ridge State Park, Cumberland Mountains, Marble Springs, Powell Mountain

East Tennessee North Rural Planning Organization

Study Area Description

Prepared by:

East Tennessee Development District

April 12, 2017

East Tennessee North Rural Planning Organization

Study Area Description

Prepared by:

East Tennessee Development District

April 12, 2017

Table of Contents

I. Purpose A. Tennessee’s Rural Planning Organizations B. Purpose of the ETNRPO Study Area Description

II. General Study Area Description A. Location B. Topographic features C. Land use D. Major municipalities E. Recreational facilities and tourism F. Socioeconomic conditions

III. Population A. Populations Projections for the ETNRPO

IV. Employment A. Employment Projections for the ETNRPO

V. Major Traffic Generators A. Major Traffic Generators in the ETNRPO

VI. Commuting Patterns A. Commuting Patterns in the ETNRPO

VII. Existing Transportation System A. Mayor roadway system B. Freight C. Railroads D. Airports E. Waterways F. Transit G. Bicycle and pedestrian facilities

Appendix 1. ETNRPO Major Environmental Features 2. County Functional Classification Maps 3. County Growth Plans

I. Purpose

A. Tennessee’s Rural Planning Organizations

In November of 2005, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) established twelve Rural Planning Organizations (RPOs) across the state. The purpose of the RPOs is to engage local officials in multimodal transportation planning through a structured process with a goal of ensuring quality, competence, and fairness in the transportation decision making process. RPOs review long-term transportation needs as well as short-term funding priorities and make recommendations to TDOT. These needs, funding priorities, and recommendations are included in TDOT’s statewide long-range transportation plan development process to ensure both urban and rural perspectives are reflected in the resultant plan. The RPOs will consider multimodal transportation needs on a local and regional basis, review long-term needs as well as short-term funding priorities, and make recommendations to TDOT.

The figure entitled “Tennessee MPO / TPO / RPO Planning Areas” on the next page shows the twelve rural planning areas and eleven metropolitan planning areas across the state.

Tennessee MPO / TPO / RPO Planning Areas

Bristol Kingsport MTPO an Montgomery Clay Pickett Hancock liv Robertson Macon MTPO ul Johnson Stewart Clarksville East Tennessee North Hawkins S Lake Sumner Dale Hollow RPO Claiborne Scott RPO First Obion MPO Tro us dale Fentress Johnson City Henry Cheatham Jackson Overton Campbell MPO Weakley Houston Union Te n n e s s e e Grainger Carter Middle Smith Hamblen Washington Lakeway RPO Northwest RPO Davidson Wilson oi Anderson Greene nic Dyer Benton Te n n e s s e e Putnam Morgan MTPO U Dickson Knox Gibson RPO Nashville MPO Jefferson Carroll Humphreys DeKalb White Cumberland Knoxville Cocke Williamson Center Hill RPO TPO Crockett Rutherford Roane Sevier WestLauderdale Tennessee RPO Hickman Cannon Loudon Madison Van Buren Henderson Perry Warren Blount MPO/ TPO/ MTPO Haywood Jackson Maury Bledsoe Rhea Lewis Tipton MPO Decatur Monroe Bedford Coffee Southeast RPO Region 1 Chester Marshall McMinn South Central South Central Grundy Meigs East Tennessee South RPO Region 2 Southwest RPO Sequatchie Shelby West RPO Moore East RPO Hamilton Bradley Memphis Hardeman McNairy Hardin Region 3 Fayette Wayne Lawrence Giles Lincoln Franklin Cleveland MPO Marion Chattanooga MPO Polk TPO Region 4

Office of Community Transportation Staff RPO Coordinators MPO, MTPO, and TPO Coordinators

Region 1 Center Hill RPO Northwest RPO Bristol MPO Kingsport MTPO Michelle Bradburn Virginia Solimine Ben Bradberry Rex Montgomery Troy Ebbert Trey Joiner Dale Hollow RPO South Central East RPO Chattanooga TPO Knoxville TPO Region 2 Stacy Morrison Mark Dudney Lisa Cross Karen Rennich Jeff Welch Sara Elmore East Tennessee North RPO South Central West RPO Clarksville MPO Lakeway MTPO Region 3 Don Brown Lisa Cross Stan Williams Rich DesGroseilliers Kwabena Aboagye East Tennessee South RPO Southeast RPO Cleveland MPO Memphis MPO Jonathan Russell Don Brown Chad Reese Greg Thomas Pragati Srivastava Joren Dunnavant First Tennessee RPO Southwest RPO Jackson MPO Nashville MPO Region 4 Chris Craig Shelton Merrell James Matthews Michelle Lacewell Calvin Abram Carlos McCloud Middle Tennessee RPO West Tennessee RPO Johnson City MTPO Nicole Seymour Dianna Tomlin Mike Landrum Glenn Berry MPO - Metropolitan Planning Organization

Prepared by: MTPO - Metropolitan Transportation Planning Organization Tennessee Department of Transportation TPO - Transportation Planning Organization Long Range Planning Division Data Visualization Office RPO - Rural Planning Organization

B. Purpose of the ETNRPO Study Area Description

The purpose of the East Tennessee North Rural Planning Organization Study Area Description is to provide land use, population, employment, commuting patterns and other information relevant to existing and future transportation needs in the region. This information can be used as input into future transportation planning studies for the region.

II. General Study Area Description

A. Location

The East Tennessee North Rural Planning Organization, ETNRPO, is comprised of seven counties located generally north of Knoxville, Tennessee as shown on the following map. The counties are Anderson, Campbell, Claiborne, Grainger, Morgan, Scott and Union. The southern portion of Anderson County is not in the ETNRPO but is in the Knoxville Transportation Planning Organization.

B. Topographic Features

Most of the seven counties of the ETNRPO are within the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, usually called the "Great Appalachian Valley" or "Tennessee Valley". The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians consists of a series of alternating elongated ridges and broad river valleys roughly oriented northeast-to-southwest. This section's most notable feature, the Tennessee River, forms at the confluence of the Holston and French Broad rivers in Knoxville, and flows southwestward to Chattanooga. Other notable rivers in the upper Tennessee watershed include the Clinch, Nolichucky, Watauga, and Emory rivers. Notable "ridges" in the Ridge-and-Valley range include Clinch Mountain, Bays Mountain, and Powell Mountain.

The Cumberland Mountains extend into all of or a portion of Scott, Morgan, Campbell, Claiborne and Anderson Counties. The highest point on the portion of the Cumberland Mountains in these counties is Cross Mountain (3534 feet/1077 m) located in Anderson and Campbell Counties.

The Cumberland Gap is a narrow pass through the long ridge of the Cumberland Mountains, within the Appalachian Mountains, near the junction of the states of Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. Famous in American colonial history for its role as a key passageway through the lower central Appalachians, it was an important part of the Wilderness Road and is now part of the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. The Cumberland Gap is located in the Town of Cumberland Gap, Claiborne County.

The topography in the study area generally ranges from rolling to mountainous. The mountainous terrain causes major roadway construction to be difficult and costly.

Rivers in the ETNRPO include Clinch, Powell, Emory, Obed and New Rivers. Norris Lake is a major reservoir that is located in Anderson, Campbell, Claiborne, Grainger, and Union counties in Tennessee. The lake covers nearly 35,000 acres and includes over 800 miles of shore lines. These rivers and lakes, as well as other features in the region, are shown on the following “ETNRPO Study Area Map”.

Major environmental features in the area are shown on a map “ETNRPO Major Environmental Features” contained in the Appendix.

Louisville and Nashville RR Cumberland Gap !.383 %% 63 !. 25W 9 ay !. % £ lw Harrogate ¤ i Pickett Winfield Jellico % a 63 Pickett R !. n %% y r a 90 e State w % th il % u

29 ³ ³ a o

S 32 ³ 63 ³ ³ 345 R ³ Park 27 y Oneida ¤£ rn a S %% e Sou ilw o Hancock !. th ther a u u n R th

o e £25E S ¤ d rn

75 a Tazewell !#$" o R lr a o 297 9 i i

154 297 Scott % a lw % R a !. % % Sundquist (E) Claiborne % % 456 y

33 ³

% ³ m r

e 31 ³ % e v ³ W.M.A t i % o s R

29 ³ y l ³ New Tazewell !. S e rd w a o P

!. Huntsville o 63 ³ ³

33 ³ Campbell b ³ Fentress a Royal e 63 ³ !. ³ Blue S

63 ³

Allardt ³

S W.M.A

£27 T La Follette 25E o ¤ e ¤£ o n R u !. r n !. a t o r 32 ³ e n h e ³ il v Bean Station th S e w e i Chuck r

52 ³ y R ³ 25W s r Jacksboro e u a o a n l Union iv s £ l o y ¤ R u e !. w e h S il t Swan c 52 ³ h w ³ e lin a e o C 1 ³ !. ³ r P R n !. S.P

R Railroad Caryville

9 ³ a ³ Norris 170 Grainger £25E i ¤ lw %% a Lake y y a Sundquist (W) Cove lw Big ai !. Rutledge 375 W.M.A Creek Maynardville R 11W % #!"$75 Ridge rn £ % W.M.A e ¤ 61 r

h 32 ³ % t e ³ 116 Norris Dam S.P % u v see !. o i

Sunbright es % S.P S R nn Te !. 61 n Hamblen

d Luttrell 92 ³ o !. roa % 370 ³ t ail Norris ls Sundquist (W) R Rocky Top 71 % o o

1 ³ 144 % ³ !. R 33 ³ Morristown i ³

W.M.A ve%%r !. !. H

h 61 %%

c % 131

29 ³

329 ³ n % ³ i 160

e ³

e l % % C 170 % % s o s % Plainview !. e d % 11E 66 n a 116 61 ¤£ 342 % n ro d 441 % Blaine e l 25W % a £ % i % ¤ % T £ a o¤ y Morgan 116 r R il a !. 341 81 % a w !#$" % l !. 62 ³ 9 i ³ R 331 Jefferson City % % a % m % R 116 %

e 32 ³ n !. ³ Frozen % t r New Market s 62 ³ ³ % Anderson 71 e y h S % t 341 Wartburg % Head u y d !. a % o lw % 298 r ai

!. S.P a !. S R 113

% o n 92 ³

% S er ³ %

b 34 ³

³ % o th 330 a "75 331 u u !#$ o S e o S o t % S h % Clinton %% 66 u 61 ³ Baneberry ³ Knox 62 ³ e th ³ % e r 139 % !. rn n Jefferson

33 ³ ³ 11E % R R ¤£ % a i a 131 640 !. lw i Catoosa l !. 25W w !#$" a 27 % 9

170 9 ³ ³ % £ y ¤£ ¤

W.M.A a Oliver Springs 70 %% Dandridge Keyes-Harrison y %% ¤£ r 40

25W ive !#$" £ R W.M.A ¤ o d

61 ³ a ³ 363

62 ³ 40 o ³

62 ³ r Oakdale 29 ³ ³ " 92 ³

³ !. Knoxville !#$ B ³ %% !. ch Louisville and Nashville RR o 95 ³ 139 n ³ e

299 328 327 Oak Ridge !. %% Fr

Cumberland % % 66 ³ % ³ % % 162 ³ % ³ 169 411 o Oak Ridge W.M.A !"#$75 168 ¤£ 131 %% %% 338 er 441 % v £ % Harriman i % 33 ¤ !. 95 ³ 338 ³

% ³ R 71

h % ³ Crab Orchard c 129 %% Sevierville n

61 ³ i £ ³ l ¤

40 35 ³ C !#$" ³ !. 168 !. o

58 ³ y 40 ³ a 332 !"#$ Kingston Farragut lw %% ai %%

1 70 1 !. R n 35 ³ £ !. r ³

% ¤ % e 339

70 !. % h 140

t 71 ³ ¤£ u !#$" Rockford ³ % o 441 % o o Rockwood 70 S o ¤£ Roane ¤£70 ¤£ 2 !. 411 115 ³ T ³ ¤£ e % n Lenoir City % !. 33 Pigeon Forge 416

n 35 ³ e % ³ %% s 334

58 ³ s ³ 321 !. e !.¤£ Louisville % Alcoa !. 29 ³

³ % e R 304 iv 75 Sevier Pittman Center

e 333 35 ³ !#$" ³ Blount r

11 321 73 ³ %% ¤£Loudon %% !. ¤£ ³

Loudon !. !. .!o City Points Major Waterways ETNRPO STUDY AREA MAP Airports Parks Interstates W.M.A Lands Prepared by: 0 3.5 7 14 21 28 Tennessee Department of Transportation State Routes MPO/TPO/MTPO Long Range Planning Division ² Miles Data Visualization Office Railroads ETNRPO Boundary Cumberland Trial County Boundary

C. Land Use

The ETNRPO study area is a generally rural area with scattered small municipalities. Generally these municipalities have a population in the range of 200 to 7,000. Much of the study area is within the Cumberland Mountains.

As noted above, the topography in the ETNRPO counties generally ranges from rolling to mountainous. The terrain greatly influences land use in the area.

A significant portion of the study area is covered in forests. The forests are predominant in areas where the topography is steep.

Rivers in the ETNRPO include Clinch, Powell, Emory, Obed and New Rivers. Norris Lake is a major reservoir that is located in Anderson, Campbell, Claiborne, Grainger, and Union counties. Norris Lake covers nearly 35,000 acres and includes over 800 miles of shore lines. Numerous marinas, restaurants and commercial establishments are located along Norris Lane and the other the rivers and lakes in the region. These rivers and lakes are shown on the ETNRPO Study Area Map.

Commercial activities are generally centered on the various cities and towns in the seven counties. Some scattered commercial establishments are located along the major roadways in the rural areas.

A significant portion of the residential populations are in or near the cities and towns in the area. In the more rural areas, scattered residences are located along the state and local roadway system.

Farming operations are located throughout the seven counties in rural areas with suitable slopes and soils conditions.

The population projections indicated that the population of the entire seven county region will increase by 27,025 by the year 2040. This represents an 11.1% increase. The employment projections indicated that the employment in the entire seven county region will increase by 28,906 by the year 2040. This represents a 26.5% increase. These increases in population and employment will increase the residential, commercial and industrial land uses in the region.

According to the Federal Highway Administration Report “Planning for Transportation in Rural Areas”, July 2001, the study area is probably considered a “Basic Rural” area. These areas have few or no major population centers of 5000 or more. The areas are characterized by natural resource and agricultural based economies, stable or declining populations and farm to market localized transportation patterns. Local officials and citizens in these areas are typically interested in job creation and economic development and welcome transportation projects that may help stimulate growth.

Public Chapter 1101 required all Tennessee counties and their associated municipalities to develop countywide growth plans except counties with metropolitan governments. The plans establish Urban Growth Boundaries (UGB) for municipalities. The plans may also establish Planned Growth Areas (PGAs) and Rural Areas (RAs) outside those boundaries. The plans are based on 20-year growth projections and show the urban growth boundaries which contain the corporate limits of a municipality and the adjoining area where growth is expected during the 20-year period. Much of the anticipated population and employment growth will likely occur within these urban growth boundaries. The available County Growth Plans are contained in the Appendix. Additional information can be found at: http://www.tn.gov/tacir/section/growth-plans.

D. Major municipalities

The following lists the municipalities in each of the ETNRPO counties and the 2013 population of each. The locations of these municipalities are shown on ETNRPO Study Area Map.

Anderson County – 75,749  Clinton – 9874 (not within the ETNRPO)  Norris – 1938  Oak Ridge – 29,301 (not within the ETNRPO)  Oliver Springs – 3036  Rocky Top – 1773

Campbell County – 39,752  Caryville – 2632  Jacksboro – 1917  Jellico – 2444  LaFollette – 7131  Rocky Top – 1773

Claiborne County – 31,709  Cumberland Gap – 410  Harrogate – 4349  New Tazewell – 2994  Tazewell – 2088

Grainger County – 22,846  Bean Station – 3072  Blain – 1786  Rutledge - 1393

Morgan County – 21,498  Harriman – 6296 (major portion located outside Morgan County)  Oakdale – 230  Oliver Springs – 3063 (major portion located outside Morgan County)  Sunbright – 541  Wartburg - 764

Scott County – 21,950  Huntsville – 1405  Oneida – 3734  Winfield – 789

Union County – 19,119  Luttrell – 1001  Maynardville – 2374  Plainview - 2061

The source of the above information was the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development County Profiles.

E. Recreational facilities and tourism

Tourism and tourism related businesses have a big impact on the economy of the ETNRPO. The following national and state parks or forests are located in the region: Big South Fork National Recreation Area, Obed Scenic River National Park, Cumberland Trail, Lone Mountain State Forrest, Frozen Head State Park, Cove Lake State Park, Big Ridge State Park, Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, Norris Dam State Park and Indian Mountain State Park. The locations of many of these national and state parks are shown on the ETNRPO Study Area Map.

Norris Lake on the Clinch River and Powell River is a prominent economic and physical feature in the ETNRPO. Five counties in the ETNRPO surround this deep and winding lake, including: Anderson County, Claiborne County, Campbell County, Grainger County, and Union County. The lake covers nearly 35,000 acres and includes over 800 miles of shore lines. The lake and lakeside property includes numerous home rentals, cabins, campgrounds, marinas, restaurants, golf courses and scenic areas. Numerous marinas surround Norris Lake offering boat rentals, Jet Ski rentals, floating lake homes, pontoon boats, fishing boats, as well as accessible boat ramps to bring your own vessel onto these waters.

A portion of Cherokee Lake on the Holston River is located in Grainger County. Like Norris Lake, the area around Cherokee Lake includes home rentals, cabins, campgrounds, marinas, restaurants, golf and scenic areas. A multitude of recreational activities are available on and around the lake.

Rivers in the ETNRPO include Clinch, Powell, Emory, Obed, Holston and New Rivers. These rivers provide a setting for multiple recreational activities including canoeing, kayaking, rafting, fishing and hiking.

Tourism hubs in the study include the following:

 Big South Fork National Recreation Area, Scott County  Obed Scenic River National Park, Morgan County  Cumberland Trail, Morgan County, Scott County, Campbell County and Claiborne County  Lone Mountain State Forrest, Morgan County  Frozen Head State Park, Morgan County  Cove Lake State Park, Campbell County  Big Ridge State Park, Union County  Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, Claiborne County  Norris Dam State Park, Campbell County  Indian Mountain State Park, Campbell County  Norris Lake, Anderson County, Claiborne County, Campbell County, Grainger County, and Union County  Cherokee Lake, Grainger County

F. Socioeconomic conditions

As previously noted, the ETNRPO study area is a rural area with scattered small municipalities. Generally these municipalities have a population in the range of 200 to 7,000. Much of the study area is within the Cumberland Mountains.

The socioeconomic conditions of the seven county area are summarized on the following table ETNRPO Socio Economic Conditions.

ETNRPO Socio Economic Conditions

Per Capita Income Unemployment Rate % of Population with % of Population with Key Employment Top Employer 2015 2015 High School Degree or Bachelor's Degree or Clusters higher higher

State of Tennessee $42,069 5.80% 88.30% 26.80%

Anderson County $40,361 6.00% 89.50% 23.40% Advanced manufacturing, Oak Ridge National Lab, * Info for entire county Health and medical devices B&W Technical Services, Y-12 LLC

Campbell County $30,473 8.10% 78.60% 9.80% Healthcare & medical Campbell Cnty Dept of Education, devices, Advanced manufacturing LaFollette Medical Center

Claiborne County $29,879 7.30% 80.20% 14.00% Advanced manufacturing, England, Inc. Health and medical devices Claiborne Cnty Bd of Education

Grainger County $29,011 6.80% 82.00% 12.10% Advanced manufacturing, Grainger County School District Health and medical devices Clayton Homes, Inc.

Morgan County $27,205 7.60% 83.80% 7.80% Healthcare & medical TN Dept. of Corrections, devices, Advanced manufacturing Morgan Cnty Schools

Scott County $26,374 9.60% 80.90% 11.70% Business services, Energy Scott Cnty Bd of Education technology Armstrong Hardwood Flooring

Union County $26,104 6.90% 77.50% 8.10% Advanced manufacturing, Union County School District Energy technology Union County Government

Source: ECD County Profiles, June 2016

The table shows that all of the seven counties have a per capita income lower than the statewide average. In fact, six of the counties have a per capita income at least $11,500 less than the State of Tennessee. In these six counties, the per capita income ranges from 62% to 72% of the statewide average.

In all seven counties, the unemployment rate is higher than the statewide average. The county unemployment rates range from 0.2% to 3.8% higher than the statewide average. The highest unemployment rate is in Scott County with 9.60% unemployment compared to the statewide average of 5.8%.

In six of the seven counties, the percentage of the population with a high school degree (or higher) is significantly lower than the statewide average. The lowest percentage is in Union County with a 77.50% of the population with a high school degree (or higher) compared to the statewide average of 88.30%.

In all seven counties, the percentage of the population with bachelor’s degree or higher is lower than the statewide average. In six of the counties, the percentage is significantly lower. The percentage of the population in Morgan County with a bachelor’s degree is 7.8% compared to the statewide average of 26.8%.

The predominant key employment clusters in the area are advanced manufacturing and health and medical services. In six of the counties, the county school board is one of the top two employers.

Campbell, Claiborne, Morgan and Scott counties are classified as Economically Distressed Counties in FY 2016 by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. The Economically Distressed Counties in Tennessee are the ten most disadvantaged counties in each of the following categories: three year average unemployment rate, per capita market income, or poverty rate.

III. Population

A. Populations Projections for the ETNRPO

The table below contains population projections for the seven counties and the entire ETNRPO. Note that the projections for Anderson County include the entire county, both the ETNRPO area and the Knoxville TPO area.

Populations Projections for the ETNRPO

YEAR ETNRPO * Anderson * Campbell Claiborne Grainger Morgan Scott Union 2016 243,004 77,667 41,464 33,800 23,890 23,402 22,878 19,903 2020 247,970 79,061 41,787 34,713 24,577 24,288 23,224 20,320 2025 255,794 80,713 43,345 35,646 25,982 25,302 23,616 21,190 2030 262,271 82,202 44,542 36,322 27,191 26,157 23,947 21,910 2035 266,856 83,444 45,297 36,664 28,126 26,817 24,125 22,383 2040 270,029 84,438 45,724 36,768 28,872 27,324 24,214 22,689

Increase 2016 27,025 6,771 4,260 2,968 4,982 3,922 1,336 2,786 to 2040

% Increase 11.1% 8.7% 10.3% 8.8% 20.9% 16.8% 5.8% 14.0%

* The projections for Anderson County include the entire county, both the ETNRPO area and the KTPO area.

Source: Center for Business and Economic Research, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, August 2015.

The projections indicated that the population of the entire seven county region will increase by 27,025 by the year 2040. This represents an 11.1% increase. Grainger County shows the highest percentage growth during this period with an increase of 20.9%. Scott County shows the lowest growth rate of 5.8% during the period.

IV. Employment

A. Employment Projections for the ETNRPO

The table below contains employment projections for the seven counties and the entire ETNRPO. Note that the projections for Anderson County include the entire county, both the ETNRPO area and the Knoxville TPO area.

Employment Projections for the ETNRPO

YEAR ETNRPO * Anderson * Campbell Claiborne Grainger Morgan Scott Union 2016 108,911 54,402 14,753 13,535 7,237 6,229 8,382 4,373 2020 114,567 56,952 15538 14,339 7,638 6,652 8,811 4,637 2025 121,132 59,839 16,460 15,295 8,109 7,174 9,307 4,948 2030 127,164 62,421 17,306 16,206 8,541 7,677 9,766 5,247 2035 132,673 64,714 18,085 17,058 8,944 8,161 10,189 5,522 2040 137,817 66,814 18,813 17,866 9,320 8,629 10,594 5,781

Increase 2016 28,906 12,412 4,060 4,331 2,083 2,400 2,212 1,408 to 2040

% Increase 26.5% 22.8% 27.5% 31.9% 28.8% 38.5% 26.4% 32.2%

* The projections for Anderson County include all of the county, both the ETNRPO area and the KTPO area.

Source: Woods and Poole

The projections indi cated that the employment in the entire seven county region will increase by 28,906 by the year 2040. This represents a 26.5% increase. Morgan County shows the highest percentage growth during this period with an increase of 35.8%. While Anderson County shows the lowest growth rate of 22.8%, the county shows the largest gain in employment at 12,412.

V. Major Traffic Generators

A. Major Traffic Generators in the ETNRPO

Tourism and tourism related businesses have a big impact on the economy of the ETNRPO and on traffic generation in the seven county region. The following national and state parks or forests are located in the region: Big South Fork National Recreation Area, Obed Scenic River National Park, Cumberland Trail, Lone Mountain State Forrest, Frozen Head State Park, Cove Lake State Park, Big Ridge State Park, Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, Norris Dam State Park and Indian Mountain State Park. The locations of many of these national and state parks are shown on the ETNRPO Study Area Map.

Norris Lake on the Clinch River and Powell River is a prominent economic and physical feature in the ETNRPO and also serves as a major traffic generator. Five counties in the ETNRPO surround this deep and winding lake, including: Anderson County, Claiborne County, Campbell County, Grainger County, and Union County. The lake covers nearly 35,000 acres and includes over 800 miles of shore lines. The lake and lakeside property includes numerous home rentals, cabins, campgrounds, marinas, restaurants,

golf courses and scenic areas. Numerous marinas surround Norris Lake offering boat rentals, Jet Ski rentals, floating lake homes, pontoon boats, fishing boats, as well as accessible boat ramps to bring your own vessel onto these waters.

Two areas adjacent to the ETNRPO have a major impact on traffic flow within the ETNRPO. Knoxville / Knox County is south of the ETNRPO and adjacent to Anderson, Union and Grainger counties. Knox County has a population of well over 400,000 making it the third most populous county in Tennessee. The City of Knoxville is the third most populous city in the state. Knoxville serves as the main hub in the area for employment, shopping, health care, entertainment and education.

The City of Oak Ridge also serves as a major traffic generator in the area. Oak Ridge is located in the portion of Anderson County outside of the ETNRPO. Oak Ridge is the home to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex (approximately 11,000 employees).

Other major traffic generators / employers in the region include:

 LaFollette Medical Center, LaFollette, Campbell County, 350 employees  A & S Business Interests, Inc., Caryville, Campbell County, 300 employees  England, Inc., New Tazewell, Claiborne County, 1050 employees  Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Claiborne County with enrollment of 3735 students and 638 employees.  Claiborne Medical Center, Tazewell, Claiborne County, 500 employees  Tennessee Dtr Inc., Tazewell, Claiborne County, 490 employees  Deroyal Industries, New Tazewell, Claiborne County, 300 employees  Clayton Homes, Inc., Bean Station, Grainger County, 210 employees  Armstrong Hardwood Flooring, Oneida, Scott County, 300 employees  Great Dane Limited Partnership, Huntsville, Scott County, 300 employees

VI. Commuting Patterns

A. Commuting Patterns in the ETNRPO

The following seven tables summarize the 2010 commuting patterns for the seven ETNRPO counties. The three columns on the left side of each table show the number of workers commuting to the subject county. The three columns on the right side show the number of workers commuting out of the county.

The numbers highlighted in orange represents the number of people who live and work within the subject county. The numbers highlighted in green represents the number of people commuting to Knox County from the subject county. The numbers highlighted in blue represents the number of people commuting from Knox County to the subject county.

The tables show a significant connection between each county and Knox County for commuting into the subject county and commuting out of the subject county.

ANDERSON COUNTY 2010 COMMUTING PATTERNS