EASTERN TENNESSEE East Tennessee is known for its beauty, mountains, whiskey and bluegrass music. However, while there are several things East Tennessee is known for, there are also several little known facts about this area of the state that make it a strategic location for businesses looking to maximize their opportunities in 2015. Tennessee Facts Oak Ridge is known as the Energy Capital of the World for its constant energy research. The Walnut Street Bridge, in Chattanooga, spans a half-mile across the Tennessee River and is currently the world’s longest pedestrian bridge. Sequoyah, a Cherokee silversmith, is the only known man in history of the world to develop an alphabet single handedly. Coca-Cola was first bottled in a Chattanooga plant in 1899. The Ocoee River is rated a top white water river in the nation and was used in the '96 Atlanta Olympics for the canoe/kayak competitions. Chattanooga’s Economic Facts 2012 Over 34,000 businesses employ over 309,000 people and generate over $54 billion in annual sales. Some of those businesses include Chattem, Inc., Roper Corporation, Pilgrim's Pride Corporation, Volkswagen Group of America, Wrigley Manufacturing Co., and Komatsu America Corporation. Manufacturing The manufacturing sector has over 1,000 companies in 20 industry segments. MSA* manufacturing companies employ over 29,000 people and generate more than $7 billion in annual sales. Finance, Insurance & Real Estate The finance, insurance and real estate (FIRE) sector has over 3,000 companies in seven industry segments. MSA* FIRE companies employ over 20,000 people and generate more than $3 billion in annual sales. Services The services sector has more than 16,000 companies in 15 industry segments. MSA* service companies employ nearly 120,000 people and generate over $8 billion in annual sales. Transportation, Communication and Public Utilities The transportation, communication and public utilities (TCU) sector has over 1,600 companies in 10 industry segments. MSA* TCU companies employ more than 20,000 people and generate over $4 billion in annual sales. Retail The retail trade sector has over 6,000 companies in 8 industry segments; MSA* retail companies employ more than 66,000 people and generate over $11 billion in annual sales. Construction The construction sector has over 3,000 companies in 3 industry segments. MSA* construction companies employ over 17,000 people and generate more than $4 billion in annual sales. *MSA - Manufacturing Service Association Cleveland, TN Facts Cleveland has 13 Fortune 500 companies including Proctor & Gamble - Duracell, Whirlpool Corporation, Coca-Cola Refreshments, Merck Consumer Care, International Paper and Eaton Corporation. Other businesses like Mars Chocolate North America, Mueller Company, Wacker Polysilicon North America LLC and Flowers Bakery of Cleveland LLC are also located in Cleveland. Employment: The 2011 workforce totals 55,400; the employed workforce is 50,200. Some 24% of Cleveland MSA, which also includes Polk County, nonagricultural employment is “goods producing” while 76% is “service providing.” The following is a breakdown of employment sectors: Knoxville, TN Facts Famous Residents It's debatable who is more famous: Peyton Manning, Kurt Vonnegut, or Dolly Parton? These three luminaries all have ties to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Do the Dew Named after Appalachian moonshine, the popular lemon-lime soft drink "Mountain Dew" was born in Knoxville in 1948. Power On Created by F.D.R, the Tennessee Valley Authority is the nation's largest public power company, employing over 12,000 people with revenues in the billions. Unemployment Low As of April 2014, Knoxville's diversified workforce helps the city keep the unemployment rate at about 1% lower than the national average! Baby Elephant The Knoxville Zoological Gardens made history in 1978 by being the first zoo in the Western Hemisphere to successfully reproduce an African Elephant in captivity. Welcome to Dollywood The tourists are coming! The population of Pigeon Forge, home of Dollywood, spikes during tourist season from 6,000 to 50,000 people on any given day. "Show Me The Money" The Knoxville MSA has 323,000 persons employed and a GDP of over $4.3 billion. "And...Boom Goes the Dynamite" Over 325,000 people flock to Knoxville to attend Boomsday on Labor Day Weekend, arguably the largest Labor Day fireworks show in the US. Sources http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List... http://www.cityofknoxville.org/about/funfacts.asp http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knoxville,_Tennessee http://www.deptofnumbers.com/ http://www.tripadvisor.com/... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest... http://www.memphisdailynews.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knoxville_metropolitan_area http://knoema.com/ http://boomsday.org/ Colophon This infographic also proudly features chatype, the official typeface of Chattanooga, TN. To learn more about the chatype typeface and project visit http://chatype.com This infographic was provided by Louisville Web Design by DBS>Interactive Share