Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A regional job hub with 514 jobs.
44% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Townsend, above both the Tennessee town median (23%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Townsend has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Little Greenbrier School-Church and King-Walker Place. Townsend has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Townsend beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 402 in 1930, a low of 244 in 2000, 550 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1904 and 4 maps from 1936 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Townsend. Close and well known come first.
Big draw15 mi Theme parkDollywood3.1M visitors a year
Big draw2 mi National ParkGreat Smoky Mountains National Park11.5M visitors a year
Big draw22 mi Stadium & arenaNeyland Stadium
Big draw16 mi MountainKuwohi
28 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
18 mi MountainMount Le ConteDollywood: Brian Stansberry (photographer), CC BY 2.5 · Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Scott Basford, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Neyland Stadium: Neomrbungle, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kuwohi: C. Kenneth Dodd, Jr., Public domain · Blue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Mount Le Conte: No machine-readable author provided. Blinutne assumed (based on copyright claims, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Townsend, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Townsend.
Most working residents leave Townsend for work: only 6% work in town. At 30 minutes, Townsend’s average trip to work is where Tennessee’s towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. 5.1% of residents live below the poverty line in Townsend.
| Townsend | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.1% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $86,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.3% | 12% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Blount County school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Townsend ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 108 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts
The typical Townsend home is worth about $404,000, up 1.8% in a year, 22% above the Tennessee typical home. 87% of Townsend households own their home.
| Townsend | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 87% | 66% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,347 a month | $947 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Townsend has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 29° and about 5 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
8 crimes were reported in Townsend in 2022: 8 property and 0 violent. In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown.
Townsend is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
FBI crime data, 2022 · crimes reported to police
Only 4 of the 177 Tennessee towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Townsend. Townsend beats the Tennessee average on 12 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 8. Only 2 of the 177 Tennessee towns we compare have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Townsend.
| Townsend | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 50% | 41% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 12% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 84% | 78% | 79% |
| What stands out | Townsend | TN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.1% | 13.3% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5.6% | 9.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13.9% | 8.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 59% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Townsend since 2020.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.5 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest park or preserve is Great Smoky Mountains National Park, at 1,268 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 0.5 mi | 1,268 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Townsend
About 3 of every 100 Townsend residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
Where Townsend’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in Townsend on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Tennessee, United States
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.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Townsend has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
