Lenoir City

City in eastern Tennessee, on the Tennessee River, 37 km/23 mi southwest of Knoxville; population (1990) 6,100. It is 2 km/1 mi downstream from the Fort Loudoun Dam (1943). Lenoir City's position at the hub of a power-generating complex was enhanced by the completion in 1979 of the Tellico Dam at the mouth of the Little Tennessee River.

The city was originally founded in 1840 at the junction of the Little Tennessee and Tennessee rivers, and has manufactured textiles, railway carriages, and other goods.

The Fort Loudoun Dam, one of the Tennessee Valley Authority's major units (1,278 m/4,190 ft long), impounds Fort Loudoun Lake, which backs up to Knoxville. A lock here allows ships to pass up to Knoxville.