Knoxville sits in East Tennessee where the French Broad and Holston rivers converge to form the Tennessee River, anchoring a metro area that stretches from Loudon County to the west through Knox County and into neighboring Anderson, Blount, and Sevier counties. The University of Tennessee's flagship campus shapes much of the city's economy and character, while Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 facility draw thousands of workers from across the region. Major corridors like Kingston Pike, Chapman Highway, and Pellissippi Parkway connect downtown to sprawling suburbs in Farragut, Powell, and Hardin Valley, with the Smoky Mountains visible from higher elevations throughout the area.