Loudon County

Loudon County is situated close to Knoxville and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Loudon County is the fast growing county in East Tennessee, with a population of almost 40,000. Between 1990 and 2000, the county's population increased 30%. Population projections show the county's population increasing another 30% between 2000-2010. The community's per capita income level is 80% of the United States and 88% of the state of Tennessee. The county's cost of living index is 96% of the national average.

There are over 96 churches in Loudon County, a major medical center, and three school systems. The county seat is Maryville.

Loudon County has four lakes; Fort Loudon Lake, Melton Hill Lake, Tellico Lake, and Watts Bar Lake.

Fort Loudon Lake:
Fort Loudoun Reservoir, located on the Tennessee River at Knoxville, is the uppermost in the chain of nine TVA reservoirs that form a continuous navigable channel from there to Paducah, Kentucky, 652 miles away. More than two million outdoor enthusiasts visit Fort Loudoun Reservoir each year. The reservoir is known for its bass fishing, boating, and birdwatching.

Fort Loudoun provides 379 miles of shoreline and
14,600 acres of water surface

The wildlife viewing area is the best place to observe the seasonal bird population. Black-crowned night herons and osprey visit during the summer and late fall, and gulls migrate to the area in winter.

Fort Loudoun is connected by a short canal to Tellico Reservoir on the nearby Little Tennessee River. Water is diverted through the canal to Fort Loudoun for power production. The canal also offers commercial barges access to Tellico without the need for a lock. Barges passing through the Fort Loudoun lock carry half a million tons of cargo a year.

Melton Hill Lake:
Melton Hill Reservoir is on the Clinch River in east Tennessee. It extemds almost 57 miles upstream from Melton Hill Dam to Norris Dam. Unlike other TVA reservoirs, Melton Hill is not used for flood control. But because it’s used for power production, the level of the water in the reservoir fluctuates about four feet throughout the year.

Melton Hill reservoir provides nearly 193 miles of shoreline and
5,470 acres of water surface for recreation.

The area around Melton Hill offers year-round camping plus sheltered picnic tables and pavilions. Two boat ramps, one below the dam and one above, give boaters access to Watts Bar Reservoir as well as Melton Hill Reservoir. Roads on both sides of the river are great for walking, jogging, or bike riding. Game fish in the reservoir include sauger, crappie, and bass.

The dam and reservoir take their name from a high knob located about two miles from the dam. On this hill is a triagulation station established in 1884 by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey for use in mapping the area.

Melton Hill Reservoir extends the reach of barge traffic 38 miles up the Clinch River to Clinton, Tennessee, making the area attractive to industries that rely on this mode of transportation.

Tellico Lake:
Tellico Reservoir was planned as an extension of nearby Fort Loudoun Reservoir. Tellico Dam serves to divert water through a short canal into Fort Loudoun, linking the two reservoirs in their joint functions of flood control, power production, and improved navigation. They help regulate flooding downstream, especially at Chattanooga. The canal also allows barges to enter the Little Tennessee River without a lock, thus significantly increasing commercial barge operations in the Valley.

Tellico has 357 miles of shoreline and 15,560 acres of
water surface for recreation activities.

Several recreation areas, which include boat ramps, day-use areas, fishing areas, and campgrounds, are available at Tellico. The reservoir offers excellent trout and bass fishing.

On Tellico’s banks is a reconstruction of the original Fort Loudoun, which was built by the British during the French and Indian War. It was named for John Campbell, the fourth Earl of Loudoun, commander-in-chief of the British forces in North America at the time. Another nearby historic attraction is the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum, honoring the Cherokee genius who invented the Cherokee alphabet.

Watts Bar Lake:
Watts Bar, located about midway between Knoxville and Chattanooga, is one of nine TVA dams on the Tennessee River. The reservoir attracts millions of recreation visits each year for boating, fishing, swimming, camping, and other outdoor activities. A scenic overlook near the dam provides visitors with a panoramic view of the reservoir and surrounding countryside.

Watts Bar provides 722 miles of shoreline and
over 39,090 acres of water surface.

The dam was completed in January 1942, three weeks after Pearl Harbor, and provided urgently needed electricity for the war effort.

The lock at Watts Bar handles more than a million tons of cargo a year, and the reservoir plays an important role in flood control. In conjunction with other tributary and main-river reservoirs above Chattanooga, it is of special value to that city, which is the point of greatest flood hazard in the Valley.

Without the regulation these dams provide, Chattanooga and other downstream communities would have suffered several major floods and many smaller ones over the years that would have resulted in damage amounting to some $4.9 billion.

Loudon County Population: 43,387

Schools:
Loudon County has two public schools systems: Loudon County Schools and Lenoir City Schools. Loudon County School System is comprised of 10 schools, making it the largest public school system in Loudon County. [Web Site]

Local Information: Visit Loudon County | Lenoir City Welcome

Business: Loudon County Chamber of Commerce

Library: Blount County Public Library

Genealogy: Loudon County Genealogy | Loudon County TnGenWeb

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