Karns, Tennessee

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Karns is an unincorporated community located in western Knox County, Tennessee, about 11 miles west of the center of Knoxville.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Education
4 Public services
5 References

[edit] Geography

Karns is located in Beaver Creek Valley between Beaver Ridge and Copper Ridge. The center of the community is located at 35°58′55″N, 84°06′50″W (35.982, -84.114)^GR3. Elevation ranges from about 960 to 1000 feet above sea level. Beaver Creek, a tributary of the Clinch River, flows through the community.

[edit] History

The community was formerly called Beaver Ridge. However, in 1913 when the first high school building was erected in Karns, the school was named in honor of Professor T.C. Karns, the first Superintendent of Public Instruction for Knox County. Later, in the 1950s, the community voted to officially change its name from Beaver Ridge/Byington to Karns.^[1]

Karns was primarily a farming community until the early 1980s when it started rapidly growing into a residential area on the outskirts of Knoxville.

[edit] Education

Karns (including the nearby Ball Camp community) is the site of several Knox County public schools:

Karns Elementary School--- School Profile
Ball Camp Elementary School ---School Profile
Karns Middle School--- School Profile
Karns High School

Grace Christian Academy, a K-12 school operated as a ministry of Grace Baptist Church, also is in Karns.

[edit] Public services

Karns is the site of a Knox County public library branch, a branch post office, and the Karns Community Club building.^[2] The Karns Volunteer Fire Department serves a 65-square-mile area of western Knox County from four fire stations located in Karns, Ball Camp, Hardin Valley and Solway.^[3]