Geographic Metamorphosis of Old West Knoxville

Residential filtering in Old West Knoxville has culminated in a population dominated university student renters. Old West Knoxville first developed as an upper middle class neighborhood in the late 1800's. by the mid 1930's development encompassed the entire study area and filtering had begun in the oldest section. Filtering was gradual and limited in area until the early 1960's. An urban renewal project which condemned a large, stable, residential section for university expansion and and a sudden increase in the number of students led to rapid filtering throughout the remaining residential sections of Old West Knoxville. Today the residential character of the area is more homogenous than in any previous period because of the dominance of a transient student population. As in many urban areas in the United States with a large university, a student ghetto has developed. The character of Old West Knoxville will remain that of a student ghetto in the foreseeable future.