Alcoa, Tennessee Alcoa, Tennessee CCM fortress at ALCOA's North Plant in Alcoa, Tennessee CCM fortress at ALCOA's North Plant in Alcoa, Tennessee Location of Alcoa, Tennessee Location of Alcoa, Tennessee Alcoa is a town/city in Blount County, Tennessee, United States, south of Knoxville.
As its name suggests, Alcoa is the site of a large aluminum smelting plant owned and directed by the Alcoa corporation.
Shortly after the Pittsburgh Reduction Company changed its name to the Aluminum Company of America in 1907, the business began investigating the possibility of establishing a large smelting operation in East Tennessee.
The hydroelectric potential of the Little Tennessee River, which exits the mountain peaks about 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Alcoa, was one of the major incentives, as the company's aluminum smelting operation would require massive amounts of electricity.
In 1910, the business established a base camp at what is now known as Calderwood, but was initially known as "Alcoa", and would be known as such until the name was reapplied to the company's operations in North Maryville a several years later. The business considered a several potential plant sites in Knoxville, Etowah, and Monroe County, but chose North Maryville due in part to the influence of Maryville mayor Samuel Everett (1864 1941).
By 1914, the business had instead of the initial purchase of 700 acres (280 ha) in North Maryville, and had initiated assembly of the smelting plant and 150 homes for business employees.
ALCOA's chief engineer Edwin Fickes and hydraulic engineer Robert Ewald drew up plans for the town to home the plant's workers.
World War I brought about a spike in the demand for aluminum, and the business quickly period its North Maryville operations.
In 1919, a rolling foundry (now West Plant) was completed, and the business purchased the Knoxville Power Company for its Little Tennessee Valley holdings.
Hultquist, who was also ALCOA's superintendent of construction, remained town/city manager until 1948, and oversaw much of the town's early development.
In 1920, Alcoa had a populace of 3,358 citizens living in 700 homes. Early Alcoa was a classic "company town", with the business maintaining a paternalistic relationship with the city.
The city's welfare was almost wholly dependent upon the company's fortunes.
The Depression (and accompanying New Deal legislation) also brought about increased workforce union activeness in Alcoa.
World War II proved immensely profitable for ALCOA, as aluminum was needed for airplane construction.
Production increased 600% amid the war, and the company's Alcoa operations workforce swelled to 12,000.
In the early 1940s, the business assembled its North Plant, which at the time of its culmination was the world's biggest plant under a single roof. After World War II, the town/city of Alcoa became less and less dependent upon its parent company.
ALCOA's enhance image had suffered due to its hardline stance toward workforce unions, and in response, it launched a series of enhance relations initiatives, including the donation of territory for schools, parks, and airport construction.
In the early 1950s, the business began selling off business housing to employees. In 1956, Ross Walker became the first town/city manager who was not working by the company, and toward the end of the decade, the business had relinquished ownership of town/city utilities.
The Little River, which rises near the heart of the Smokies, flows through the easterly section of Alcoa before emptying into the Tennessee River near Louisville.
According to the United States Enumeration Bureau, the town/city has a total region of 15.6 square miles (40.5 km2), of which 14.7 square miles (38.2 km2) is territory and 0.93 square miles (2.4 km2), or 5.90%, is water. According to the Koppen Climate Classification system, Alcoa has a Humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. In the city, the populace was spread out with 20.9% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older.
Alcoa's early developers considered enhance parks an essential part of the city, and in the 1920s, ALCOA sought to set aside 1-acre (4,000 m2) of territory for parks for every 100 citizens living in the city. In the early 1930s, City Manager Hultquist used idle plant workers for park construction, and over the years, the business continued donating territory for park assembly and expansion.
In 1998, a 3-mile (4.8 km) section of the Maryville-Alcoa Greenway was completed, connecting Alcoa's Springbrook Park with Maryville's Bicentennial Greenbelt Park. In the 1990s, Alcoa engaged in a three-way struggle with Knoxville and Blount County for control of Mc - Ghee Tyson Airport, which is positioned in Blount County, but assembled and directed by Knoxville.
In 1992, an attempt by Alcoa to annex the airport was blocked by a court ruling, and a similar attempt four years later was rejected by voters in a popular vote.
Route 129, known as "Alcoa Highway" or "Airport Highway" in Alcoa, joins Alcoa with Knoxville to the north and traverses Blount County en route to the North Carolina border to the south.
State Route 335, which follows Hunt Road and Old Glory Road, joins Alcoa with easterly and Blount County Interstate 140/Tennessee State Route 162, known as Pellissippi Parkway, joins Alcoa with west Knoxville and Oak Ridge Route 321, known as "Lamar Alexander Parkway", runs through neighboring Maryville, connecting with Lenoir City to the west and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to the south State Route 334, known as Louisville Road, joins Alcoa with Louisville, Tennessee.
Others, such as Hunt, Glascock, and Calderwood, were titled for Alcoa business officials and engineers. a b "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Alcoa city, Tennessee".
Russell Parker, "Alcoa, Tennessee: The Early Years, 1919 1939." a b Russell Parker, "Alcoa, Tennessee: The Years of Change, 1940 1960." Tara Mitchel Mielnik, "ALCOA, Inc.." City of Alcoa, Public Works and Street Development History.
Climate Summary for Alcoa, Tennessee "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Alcoa, Tennessee".
City of Alcoa, Recreation & Community Buildings History.
City of Maryville, Maryville Historic Timeline.
"Proposed Law Would Hamper Alcoa, Tennessee Officials' Plans to Annex Mc - Ghee Tyson Airport," 2002.
City of Alcoa, Street Names.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alcoa, Tennessee.
City of Alcoa official website Alcoa, Tennessee at DMOZ Municipalities and communities of Blount County, Tennessee, United States
Categories:
Cities in Tennessee - Company suburbs in Tennessee - Cities in Blount County, Tennessee - Knoxville urbane region - 1919 establishments in Tennessee - Alcoa - Alcoa, Tennessee - Populated places on the Tennessee River
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