Townsend is a city in Blount County, Tennessee. The city was chartered in 1921 by persons who were involved with the Little River Railroad and Lumber Company. The population was 550 at the 2020 census. For thousands of years a site of Native American occupation by varying cultures, Townsend is one of three "gateways" to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It has several museums and attractions relating to the natural and human history of the Great Smokies.
Townsend at sunrise
Historical marker in Townsend near the site of the Cherokee villages of Tuckaleechee
70-ton Shay engine at the Little River Railroad and Lumber Company Museum
Headrick's River Breeze Motel, which opened in 1979 and remains operational
Blount County is a county located in the East Tennessee Grand Division of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, its population was 135,280. The county seat is Maryville, which is also the county's largest city. Blount County is included in the Knoxville metropolitan area.
Blount County Courthouse in Maryville
Chilhowee Mountain in winter
Lakefront subdivisions along the Tennessee River shoreline in Louisville
Wilson Center at Maryville College