News-Sentinel photo by Amy Smotherman Knoxville is trying to shed its reputation as a government town as its economy tries to shift from reliance on the Department of Energy, TVA and the University of Tennessee to one with a broader multicounty base. Decades of break-neck growth for the three public institutions that have employed thousands have given way to budget cuts and downsizing. With thousands of jobs lost, economic development officials have been looking to the private sector for relief. Recent job setbacks among both government and private employers couldn't have occurred at a better time. With full employment widespread, most any worker looking for a job has been able to find one in the Knoxville area.
Government still has a major impact on employment in the region.
The Knoxville metropolitan statistical area, which includes neighboring counties Knox, Anderson, Blount, Loudon, Sevier and Union, had a 1999 labor force of 352,600 with 341,000 residents working and 11,600 unemployed. A sizable part of the Department of Energy reservation in Oak Ridge is being transferred to private development. Sevier County has evolved into one of the leading tourism centers in the south. Loudon County has expanded its manufacturing base and is the site of several large employers like A.E. Staley, Kimberly-Clark, Maremont Exhaust Systems, Viskase Corp., John Deere and American Honda. The county that has seen the most rapid growth is probably Blount, which has experienced an influx of both businesses and residences.