Top of the World (alternately, Top O' the World and Top of The World Estates) is an unincorporated community in rural Blount County, Tennessee.
Top of the World | |
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Top of the World Location within the state of Tennessee | |
Coordinates: 35°39′16″N 83°54′38″W / 35.65453°N 83.91043°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Tennessee |
County | Blount |
Founded | 1965 |
Elevation | 2,024 ft (617 m) |
Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
ZIP code | 37878 |
Area code | 865 |
GNIS feature ID | 1272776[1] |
The land was originally the home of the Cherokee Nation, who were mostly displaced to Oklahoma along the Trail of Tears in 1838. A grant of 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) was made to Daniel D. Foute in 1837. This included the area now covered by Top of the World, which was purchased by a developer in the early 1960s. [2] Construction of the Top of World Estates by Roy and Charles Headrick was reported by the Knoxville News Sentinel in June 1965.[3] The community surrounds Lake in the Sky, a 52.5-acre (21.2 ha) artificial lake formed by a dam built in 1966.[4]
The community lies in an area called The Flats, on a spur of Chilhowee Mountain in East Tennessee. The surrounding country is rugged.[5] The Foothills Parkway passes just to the northwest, and the boundary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park lies just to the southeast.[6] The neighboring park has a natural forest environment of yellow pines and hardwood species. Controlled burns are used to reduce the risk of uncontrolled fires.[7] There is a healthy black bear population.[8]
The community is relatively isolated. The Foothills Parkway is the only road to Top of the World that is passable by school bus.[9] Otherwise it must be accessed by steep and winding secondary roads.[10]
Residents may belong to the Top of the World Landowners' Association (TOWLA).[11] The Blount County Fire Protection District has its station #8 at 5714 Flats Road, on the east shore of the lake.[12] The fire station officially came into service when the TOWLA and the Blount County Fire Protection District signed a contract on 23 March 2012.[13] There is no local school. School children are taken by bus along the Foothills Parkway to nearby Walland.[14][15][16] There is no post office in Top of The World. The nearest post office is in Walland.