NEW COMER'S GUIDE

(Unless otherwise noted the Area Code for Phone Numbers is 865)

Utilities

Electric Service applications may be picked up at 315 East Main Street in Sevierville or by calling Sevier County Electric System at 453-2887. Deposit and hookup fees are required for new service. SCES requires the application to be completed by the Homeowner. SCES will fax applications upon request. Certain areas in Seymour, Boyd's Creek and Kodak are served by Knoxville Utility Board that may be contacted at 524-2911.

Water and Sewer and other City services such as trash pickup, where available, may be arranged through the respective cities. There are also certain areas of the County which are serviced by one or more Utility Companies. A deposit is required for some services.

Natural Gas Service may be arranged, where available, by contacting Sevier County Utility District at 453-3272 or at 420 Robert Henderson Road in Sevierville. Emergency number is 428-1900.

Propane Gas is available from the following:

Cable Television Service for most areas may be arranged by contacting Charter Communications at 888-438-2427. Certain portions of the county are served by Comcast Cablevision at 637-5411. Various Satellite Dish Service providers are also located in the County.

Telephone Service may be arranged by contacting Bell South at 888-757-6500. Sevier County residents may call anyone in the Knoxville calling zone toll free. Other local service carriers are also available. You will also need to select a Long Distance Carrier when you order your service.

Trash Pickup is provided by the individual cities. The County does not provide curb service but has various Convenience Centers located around the Area. You may contact Sevier Solid Waste at 453­5676 to locate the Convenience Center nearest you. Recyclable materials are sorted at the state of the art composting plant and pre-sorting is not required.

Septic Permits and Well Testing information may be obtained from the Sevier County Environmental/Ground Water Department located at 227 Cedar Street (rear entrance) or calling 429-1766. Septic approvals may require a soil map and/or survey of the property.

Other Services and Information provided by the Cities and or Sevier County may be obtained through:

Postal Service

Calls to the Post Office should be directed to the Answer Line at 800-725-2161.

Emergency Services

For Emergency Fire, Police or Medical Services                Call   911

System Office Number for Address Information                  428-5542

For Non-Emergency and Information Contact:

Gatlinburg Police                                 436-5181                     Fire                              436-5112
Pigeon Forge Police                            453-9063                     Fire                              453-4044
Sevierville Police                                 453-5506                     Fire                              453-9276
Pittman Center Police                          436-5499                     Fire                              436-9684
Sevier County Sheriff                          453-4668

Volunteer Fire Departments

Medical Services

Fort Sanders Sevier Medical Center is located at 709 Middle Creek Road in Sevierville and may be contacted at 429-6100. The Emergency Room is Available 24-hours a day. The facility offers a 79-bed acute care hospital (and growing) and 54-bed nursing home. There are also private physicians and specialists and various Walk-In Clinics which provide most medical needs for the county. There are a wide variety of Hospitals and Medical Providers in Knoxville.

Senior Citizen Services

For complete information on the various services offered you may contact:

Senior Citizen Home Assistance Service                    453-6853
Sevier County Senior Citizens Center                        453-1134

Newspapers

Mountain Press                                   428-0746
Knoxville News Sentinel                     523-3131
TN Star Journal                                  453-0626
The Herald Newspaper                       577-6609

Chamber of Commerce and Department of Tourism

Enrolling Your Children in School

For information concerning Public School enrollment, contact the Sevier County Board of Education at 453-4671. All of the county schools are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools which provides a more stringent standard than the state requires. Children living in the county may attend any one of the Public Schools. In general, bus service is provided only to the closest school to the child's home. There are also several private schools in the county serving pre­school through high school, Walters State Community College Offers a Campus in Sevierville.

For Information Concerning Area College Level Programs:

Walters State Comm. College             774-5800         Tusculum College                   693-1177
University of Tennessee                      974-1000         Pellissippi State Tech. CC       694-6400
TN Technology Center-Knoxville       546-5567         Carson-Newman College        471-2000
Maryville College                                981-8000

Libraries

Sevier County Public Library – Sevierville     453-3532         Kodak Branch Library            933-0078
Pigeon Forge Branch                                    429-7490         Seymour Branch                     573-0728
Anna Porter Public Library – Gatlinburg        436-5588

Community Centers

Offer swimming, racquetball, bowling, indoor pools, exercise rooms, gymnasiums and various activities.

Gatlinburg                   436-4990                                 Pigeon Forge               429-7373
Sevierville                   453-5441

Register to Vote

To be eligible to vote you must register at least 29 days prior to the election in which you plan to vote. An ID, such as a valid driver's license bearing your new address, is required. You may register at the Sevier County Election Commission located at the County Court House or contact them for information at 453-6985.

Obtaining Your Driver’s License

An out-of-state driver's license is valid for only 30 days in Tennessee after establishing permanent residency. The Driver's Testing Center is located at 980 Eastgate Road near the intersection of Dolly Parton Parkway and Middle Creek Road in Sevierville. The telephone number is 429-7016. Call for current days and hours of operation. You must present your out-of-state license prior to testing.

Securing Tennessee License Plates

Tennessee license plates should be obtained at the time residency has been declared. For details contact the County Clerk at 453-5502 or 125 Court Ave., Suite 202, Sevierville TN.

Reviewing Your Will

Since Tennessee law may differ from that in your former state, you may want to review your will with a local attorney.

Real Estate

For All of Your Real Estate Information and Needs Contact:

Bill Bloodworth
Summit Real Estate, LLC
1350 East Parkway
Gatlinburg TN 37738
(865) 286-1809  extt. 261 or Toll Free (866) 453-4718

Banking

Partial Listing of Banks serving the area are listed below, most have multiple locations:

Pets

Partial Listing of local Veterinarians include:

Mountain Home Veterinary Hospital             Sevierville       453-9346         Gatlinburg      436-3350
Parkway Animal Hospital                             Sevierville       428-0190
Sevier County Animal Clinic                         Sevierville       453-1221
Seymour Veterinary Clinic                            Seymour         577-8056
Smoky Mountain Animal Clinic                     Seymour         577-4861
Sevier County Humane Society                                           453-7000

Local Traffic Laws

Unless otherwise posted, the speed limit on city streets is 35 mph. Right on red is permitted at intersections unless a sign prohibiting such is visible. All children under the age of four are required to ride in child-restraint seats (rear seat, rear facing if child is 20 pounds or under & rear seat, front facing if over 20 pounds and at least 1 year old). Children age 4 through 8 measuring less than 5 feet in height must be secured in a belt-positioning booster seat. Children age 9 through 12 & children age 4 or over who are at least 5 feet tall must be secured in a seat belt system. Children age 13 through 15 must be secured by using a passenger restraint system. Tennessee law requires that all drivers and front seat passengers to wear seat belts. Motorcycle riders and passengers must wear helmets and burn headlights at all times.

General Information

Sevier County covers approximately 592 square miles with about one-third of that in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The elevation of the county ranges from 942 feet above sea level to approximately 6,600 feet at Clingman's Dome in the Park. The population of the county is estimated at 70,170, up from census counts of 51,043 in 1990 and 41,488 in 1980.

There are four cities within the county including Gatlinburg, Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Pittman Center. "Communities" within the county include Kodak, Wears Valley, New Center, Jones Cove, Caton's Chapel and Seymour, which are not incorporated. Approximately 71% of the population lives outside the four incorporated areas of the county.

State and Federal Representatives

State Representative Richard Montgomery 207 War Memorial Building Nashville, TN 37243-0112 Staff Contact: Forestine Venson Phone: (615) 741-5981 Fax: (615) 253-0303 E-Mail Address: rep.richard.montgomery@legislature.state.tn.us		U.S. Congressman Bill Jenkins 1207 Longworth Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-6356 Fax: (202) 225-5714 Internet E-Mail: http://www.house.gov/writerep/
State Representative Joe McCord 207 War Memorial Building Nashville, TN 37243-0108 Staff Contact: Phyllis Piercy Phone: (615) 741-5481 Fax: (615) 253-0212 E-Mail Address: rep.joe.mccord@legislature.state.tn.us		U.S. Senate Lamar Alexander 302 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-4944 Fax: (202) 228-3398 Internet E-Mail: http://alexander.senate.gov/contact.cfm
State Senator Raynond Finney 302 War Memorial Building Nashville, TN 37243-0208 Staff Contact: Deana Guenther Phone: (615) 741-2427 E-Mail Address: sen.raymond.finney@legislature.state.tn.us		U.S. Senate Lamar Alexander 302 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-4944 Fax: (202) 228-3398 Internet E-Mail: http://alexander.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Governor Phil Bredesen State Capital, First Floor Nashville, TN 37243 Phone: (615) 741-2001 Fax: (615) 532-9711 E-Mail Address: phil.bredesen@state.tn.us