Editing Sevier County, Tennessee (section)

==Economy==
[[File:Rental cabins in smokies.jpg|thumb|Rental cabins in the [[Great Smoky Mountains|Smokies]]]]
[[File:PANO 20160904 090301.jpg|thumb|300px|Overlooking Walden Creek Road in Sevier County, Tennessee]]
From its beginnings as a traditional subsistence-based farming society, Sevier County has grown into a major tourist destination since the establishment of the [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]], which dominates the southern portion of the county. One of the very reasons for the park's creation, however, was also one of the county's first major economic engines: the lumber industry. Establishments in what is now the national park felled large amounts of timber in the early 1900s. Though the park effectively killed the logging industry in the late 1930s, it spurred the development of one of the largest tourist resorts in the United States of America, as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is now the most visited national park in the country.<ref>[http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0004743.html Great Smoky Mountains National Park-infoplease.com Ten Most Visited National Parks]. Infoplease.com. Retrieved: March 29, 2013.</ref> Sevier County now has the third largest tourism economy in Tennessee, ranking behind [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] and [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]], the state's two largest cities.<ref>{{cite report|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=August 2020|title=2019 Economic Impact of Travel on Tennessee|url=https://industry.tnvacation.com/sites/industry/files/component/pod/2019%20Economic%20Impact.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://industry.tnvacation.com/sites/industry/files/component/pod/2019%20Economic%20Impact.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|publisher=Tennessee Department of Toursit Development|access-date=April 18, 2021}}</ref>

The commercial [[vacation rental|cabin rental]] industry has grown tremendously in recent years.

===Tourist attractions===
The tourism industry drives the county's economy. The following destinations are among the most lucrative for the area:

*[[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]], southern Sevier County: Established in 1936 and propelling the tourism industry in Sevier County ever since, the national park is the most visited in the United States, welcoming over 10 million nature enthusiasts every year, most of whom arrive through Sevier County.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hetter|first=Katia|date=April 19, 2020|title=Most visited national parks and sites in 2019|url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/most-popular-national-park-service-sites-2019/index.html|work=[[CNN]]|access-date=April 28, 2020}}</ref>
*[[Dollywood]], Pigeon Forge: The theme park named for part-owner [[Dolly Parton]] (who was born in Locust Ridge) admits nearly 3 million guests a year, making it both the most popular theme park and most frequented attraction (after the Great Smoky Mountains National Park) in Tennessee.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/56324/12-fun-facts-about-dollywood|title=12 Fun Facts About Dollywood
|last=Debczak|first=Michele|date=December 27, 2019|publisher=[[Mental Floss]]|access-date=April 28, 2020}}</ref>
*[[Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies]], Gatlinburg: Opened in 2000 and designated the most visited aquarium in the [[United States]] in 2001, when over 2 million tourists passed through its galleries, Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies is the largest single tourist draw in Gatlinburg.<ref>David Williams, "[http://www.cnn.com/2005/TRAVEL/DESTINATIONS/11/21/ga.aquarium.tourism/index.html Will Fish Lure Tourists to Atlanta]?"  CNN.com, November 21, 2005. Retrieved: March 29, 2013.</ref>
*[[Ober Gatlinburg]], Gatlinburg: The Ober Gatlinburg ski resort sits above Gatlinburg, offering numerous attractions for visitors unique to the county, including winter ski slopes and an indoor ice skating rink. The tramway that takes visitors to and from the resort is touted as "America's Largest Aerial Tramway."<ref>Mike Doyle, "[http://skiing.about.com/od/tennesseeskiresorts/p/obergatlinburg.htm Ober Gatlinburg Ski Area] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070209135028/http://skiing.about.com/od/tennesseeskiresorts/p/obergatlinburg.htm |date=February 9, 2007 }}," About.com. Retrieved: March 29, 2013.</ref>
*Smoky Mountain Opry, Pigeon Forge: A musical revue stage show that debuted in 2011. It offers both that program during the majority of the year, as well as the "Christmas Spectacular" during the winter months.
*[[Foxfire Mountain Themed Adventure Park]], Sevierville: A 150-acre wilderness theme park located in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains offers a wide range of outdoor adventures including: zip lining, ATV tours, climbing walls, free-fall jumps, aerial adventure courses, hiking trails and the longest swinging bridge in the United States.