Understanding Knoxville's geography
Why Knoxville's drive times defy radius math.
The Tennessee River loops around South Knoxville and is bridged at only a few points within the city, creating a peninsula geography in South Knoxville where drive times back to downtown can be surprisingly long despite short straight-line distances. Fort Loudon Lake and Melton Hill Lake extend westward from the city, further fragmenting westward isochrones and creating isolated residential communities that are accessible only via SR-62 and US-70.
Franchise site selectors in Knoxville should examine the Kingston Pike corridor from downtown through West Knoxville to Turkey Creek, which carries the highest retail traffic and serves the most affluent residential areas in the metro. The Turkey Creek shopping center area at I-40/Campbell Station Road has become the dominant regional retail node and commands strong drive-time capture from all of West Knox County and Farragut.