I’ve been traveling a lot this year and in every small town or city I pass through, I always think about what it’s like to live there. Every neighborhood and every block has that special feature that makes it home to the people that live there. As part of my new blog series, “Around Town,” I’m going to share with you some of the fastest growing towns to the trendiest neighborhoods across the country worth checking out.

Smoky mountain retreat
When I was kid, my favorite state to drive through on our family vacations was Tennessee. Home to some of the world’s most beautiful rock formations, rolling hills and the Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee is a nature lovers’ paradise. But it’s not just the picturesque landscape that has drawn residents and visitors to the region. From the gritty southern blues reverberating on the streets of Memphis to the sweet smell of barbeque sizzling on the grill on a Sunday afternoon, Tennessee is rich with culture, music and world-class food.

Most of the state has a humid subtropical climate, with the exception of the higher mountains, which have a humid continental climate. Summers in the state are generally hot, with most of the state averaging temperatures in the 90s.Winters tend to be mild to cool, increasing in coolness at higher elevations and in the east.

According to U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, in 2005 the state’s gross state product was $226.502 billion, making Tennessee the 18th largest economy in the nation.

Major outputs for the state include textiles, cotton, cattle and electrical power. As proof of interest in beef production, Tennessee has over 82,000 farms, and beef cattle are found in roughly 59 percent of the farms in the state. The upper wedge of the Mississippi Delta, extending into southwestern Tennessee has been fertile ground for cotton. Currently West Tennessee is also heavily planted in soybeans, focusing on the northwest corner of the state.

Major corporations with headquarters in the state include FedEx Corporation, AutoZone Incorporated and International Paper, all based in Memphis.

Vonore, TN

While Tennessee is full of beautiful, quaint towns, Vonore is becoming a hot bed of development and attracting many new families to the Monroe County area. The town is located along the original Tennessee River at the mouth of the Tellico River, and offers sweeping views of the Smokey Mountains. Once home to the Overhill Cherokee Indians, the budding town is 31 miles south west of Knoxville. An estimated 58 percent of living spaces in Vonore are occupied by their owners and not by renters, according to Citytowninfo.com.

Homes in this economically diverse area range from affordable single-family properties listed at $150,000 to multimillion dollar mansions along the waterfront.

View homes for sale in Vonore

Which city or town do you think is the best place to live?

Got hot local housing tips or a story you want to share? Contact Amy Le at openingdoorsblog@homescape.com.