Real Estate

About the Gatlinburg, Tennessee Area

A frenzy of interest in East Tennessee was generated in 1940 at the dedication of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  With its 520,000 acres of natural splendor, the park is America’s most popular, outdistancing attendance of the second-most popular, the Grand Canyon National Park, by a ratio of two-to-oneSevier County serves as the primary gateway to the Smoky Mountains, with the majority of development clustered in three sister-cities: Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville.  The combined annual marketing budget for the cities totals a whopping 12 million dollars!  These allocations pump massive amounts of media into markets stretching from Florida to New York and generate an influx of 14 million tourists per year.

Dolly Parton attracted national attention for Sevier County when she opened Dollywood in 1986.  The theme park’s attendance skyrocketed to 2.4 million in 2006.  As a result of Dollywood's popularity, hundreds of upscale outlet shops have moved into the area, and countless theatres and amusements have opened.  In fact, during the last twenty years, Pigeon Forge has burgeoned into an entertainment mecca! This explosion of commercial development prompted a tremendous growth in the residential real estate market. In addition to the ever-popular cabins and chalets, new developments--luxury condos, resort communities, retirement villages, and permanent residential neighborhoods--have created new niches in the market.

Gatlinburg

Located in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains of eastern Tennessee, Gatlinburg hosts over 9 million tourists annually. The small resort town offers a wide variety of attractions, including Ripley’s Aquarium, Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, the Space Needle, and the Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community.  The city is designed to have the look and feel of an Alpine, mountain-chalet village. As tourists navigate through Gatlinburg, they discover a patchwork of old-world candy factories, pancake houses, designer boutiques, five-star restaurants, high-end art galleries, modern plazas, and snack-bar arcades.  Furthermore, Gatlinburg is embraced by National Park on three sides, making the city a veritable gold mine for outdoor activities, such as fishing, hiking, and biking.

Pigeon Forge

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee is best known for an astonishing number of electrifying attractions, world-class theme parks and popular outlet malls. Although Dollywood and Dolly’s Splash Country are the most well-known amusements, Pigeon Forge boasts dozens of others, including Dixie Stampede, Wonder Works, Zorb, and countless Go-Kart tracks. As the Southeast’s mecca for car and truck enthusiasts, "taking it to the streets" could be the slogan for Pigeon Forge, which hosts several large car shows throughout the year. Despite the many choices of activities, shopping remains the number-one reason that most people visit Pigeon Forge: The 5 mile long Parkway is lined with hundreds of outlet and specialty shops. In 2005, the city of Pigeon Forge launched an aggressive marketing campaign resulting in annual visitation by over 10 million people, making the city the 7th most popular overnight leisure destination in the U.S.

Cobbly Knob

Begun in 1970 as a private development of over 400 acres, Cobbly Nob is a community of upscale homes that is fronted by Bent Creek Golf Course. The bulk of the subdivision lies on Webb Mountain, which provides "grandstand" house seats that offer stunning views of the Smoky Mountain National Park. The community association controls the development restrictions, provides a security force, and maintains the three swimming pools, tennis courts, and roads, including snow removal as required. Access to the National Park is just three miles away, and Gatlinburg is a mere twenty-minute drive.

Pittman Center

Pittman Center’s vision statement aptly describes the community that lies just east of Gatlinburg on Highway 321: "To create and perpetuate a quality living environment and to encourage quality development that supports that end. To encourage development that supports a tourist-oriented economic base that relates to and magnifies our unique relationship to and with the Great Smoky Mountains." Indeed, Pittman Center prides itself on maintaining strict standards of development in an effort to preserve the Smoky Mountain heritage. As a result, the community has virtually no commercial development. In the six square-mile community, population 500, visitors are charmed by the covered bridge and by the cemetery dating back to the early 1900s. The Little Pigeon River bisects the community, offering great fly fishing and tubing. The Greenbrier entrance to the National Park is located in Pittman Center and provides endless possibilities for outdoor activities, including hiking, biking, swimming, kayaking, and fishing. In addition, Pittman Center is home to Bent Creek Golf Course, which has been rated among the top 50 golf courses in the US!

Chalet Village

Chalet Village is a residential development located within the city limits of Gatlinburg and just minutes from the National Park. Chalet Village affords privacy, tranquility, and unparalleled views, yet popular downtown attractions are easily accessible. The Owners’ Club provides and maintains three clubhouses, all of which have pools, indoor game rooms, banquet facilities, and free parking. Ober Gatlinburg Ski Resort and Amusement Park is located at the top of Chalet Village. In addition to ski slopes, the park features an indoor ice skating rink, an Alpine slide, and specialty shops.

Sevierville

Tucked in the lush, broad valley of the Forks of the Little Pigeon River, Sevierville is located less than an hour from Knoxville’s Tyson-McGhee, a large commercial airport. In addition, Sevierville has its own small aircraft facility, the Pigeon Forge-Gatlinburg Airport. Sevierville, Dolly Parton’s hometown, is the fastest growing city in the county. A 240,000 square-foot convention center was just completed and offers well-appointed facilities for meetings, banquets, receptions, stage productions, and trade shows. The Tennessee Smokies Stadium is home to a new Minor League baseball franchise that is affiliated with the Chicago Cubs. Other recreational activities in the Sevierville area include golf at Eagle’s Landing and boating on Douglas Lake.

Hidden Springs Resort

Hidden Springs Resort encompasses 140 acres in the very heart of Sevier County, with the entrance to the resort located on the same road as the main entrances to Dollywood and Splash Country.  When Sevier County's "ultraflow" traffic plan is complete, this new route through Sevierville and Pigeon Forge will funnel millions of potential guests past the entrance to Hidden Springs. 

The resort specializes in high-quality, luxurious log cabins intentionally arranged in family-style, group-oriented neighborhoods.  Currently, 150 cabins are complete; at build-out the resort will consist of approximately 500 units.  Hidden Springs boasts the finest amenities program in the area. 

Wears Valley

Cosby

Douglas Lake

Gatlinburg, Tennessee Area Map