Clinton

Aspire Park, other outdoor recreation highlights in and around Clinton

Aspire Park, which opened in 2024, is the latest addition to Clinton’s recreation scene. “It’s a huge plus for our community. And a local Clintonian funded and built it,” Austin Carroll says. Aspire has a playground, a dog park, a wildflower meadow and miles of trails. At 370 acres, it’s the largest private park in the Southeast that’s free and open to the public. The Anderson County Fairgrounds, the Clinton Community Center and four municipal parks round out the in-town recreational options.

Lone Mountain State Forest and Frozen Head State Park are within about 30 miles of Clinton. Little Ponderosa Zoo & Rescue, Anderson County Park, Big Ridge State Park and Norris Dam State Park are all less than 20 miles away.

Shopping, events and more things to do in historic downtown Clinton

Main and Market streets in historic downtown Clinton are lined with municipal buildings, antique stores, boutiques and restaurants. Hoskins Drug Store has been around since 1930. "It's like your hometown pharmacy you would see in The Andy Griffith Show," says Realtor Victoria Melhorn of Realty Executives Associates, who’s lived in Clinton since 2015. "People love going there. You're going to have your regulars that sit at the counter at 5 a.m. and read the paper and talk about the fishing." Hoskins is near the county courthouse and the Ritz Theater, which shows first-run movies and hosts small events, like gospel singing and receptions.

Several big events are held downtown each year, including:

• The Clinch River Antique Festival, held in the spring and fall, hosts antique dealers, food vendors and live music
• The Mosaic Arts Festival features fine art vendors and kid-friendly crafts
• The Holiday Market & Cookie Crawl vendor fair
• The Clinton Christmas Parade

Clinton offers manufacturing careers and proximity to medical centers

Austin Carroll says many folks work at one of the nearby manufacturing plants on JDYarnell Industrial Parkway. Some of the top employers in the area include:

• Grand Steel
• Southeastern Stainless
• Keating Machine Inc.
• McKamey Electric
• Shawmut Advanced MaterialsHealth care is also a top industry in Anderson County. Clinton is about 10 miles from Covenant Health’s Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge, and a little over 16 miles from Tennova Healthcare’s North Knoxville Medical Center in

Public transportation options in Clinton and commuting to Knoxville

The East Tennessee Human Resource Agency provides dial-a-ride transportation services to Anderson County. Knoxville is roughly 20 miles southeast via either Interstate 75 or U.S. Route 25W. On weekdays, the drive takes about half an hour regardless of the route. “Knoxville is so small, so all the little surrounding areas are just a hop, skip and a jump away,” says Melissa Nelson, team lead of the Knox Connect Property Group under Realty Executives.

Highly rated Clinton and Anderson County public school districts

“On Friday nights, the community comes out and supports the football team. And kids still walk to school here,” Austin Carroll says. Clinton is zoned to the Clinton City Schools system and the Anderson County School District, both of which are highly rated. The Clinton City Schools district has three schools, each serving kindergarten through sixth grade, and allows transfers by application. ACSD, which has nearly 20 schools, also allows transfers by application. The larger district's Clinton High School became the first public high school in the South to desegregate in 1956. The Green McAdoo Cultural Center pays homage to the group of African American students who integrated the school, known as the Clinton 12.

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