Knoxvilleis a city in theU.S. stateofTennessee, and thecounty seatofKnox County.The city had an estimated population of 185,291 in 2015and a population of 178,874 as of the2010 census, making it the state's third largest city after Nashville and Memphis.Knoxville is the principal city of theKnoxville Metropolitan Statistical Area, which, in 2013, had an estimated population of 852,715.
Knoxville is the home of the flagship campus of theUniversity of Tennessee, whose sports teams, called the "Volunteers" or "Vols," are extremely popular in the surrounding area. Knoxville is also home to the headquarters of theTennessee Valley Authority, theTennessee Supreme Court's courthouse forEast Tennessee, and the corporate headquarters of several national and regional companies. As one of the largest cities in theAppalachianregion, Knoxville has positioned itself in recent years as a repository of Appalachian culture, and is one of the gateways to theGreat Smoky Mountains National Park.