The land was originally the home of the Cherokee Nation, who were mostly displaced to Oklahoma along the Trail of Tears in 1838. A grant of 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) was made to Daniel D. Foute in 1837. This included the area now covered by Top of the World, which was purchased by a developer in the early 1960s.
[2] Construction of the Top of World Estates by Roy and Charles Headrick was reported by the Knoxville News Sentinel in June 1965.[3] The community surrounds Lake in the Sky, a 52.5-acre (21.2 ha) artificial lake formed by a dam built in 1966. [4]
Geography
The community lies in an area called The Flats, on a spur of Chilhowee Mountain in East Tennessee. The surrounding country is rugged.[5] The Foothills Parkway passes just to the northwest, and the boundary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park lies just to the southeast.[6] The neighboring park has a natural forest environment of yellow pines and hardwood species. Controlled burns are used to reduce the risk of uncontrolled fires.[7] There is a healthy black bear population.[8]
The community is relatively isolated. The Foothills Parkway is the only road to Top of the World that is passable by school bus.[9] Otherwise it must be accessed by steep and winding secondary roads.[10]
Community
Residents may belong to the Top of the World Landowners' Association (TOWLA).[11] The Blount County Fire Protection District has its station #8 at 5714 Flats Road, on the east shore of the lake.[12] The fire station officially came into service when the TOWLA and the Blount County Fire Protection District signed a contract on 23 March 2012.[13] There is no local school. School children are taken by bus along the Foothills Parkway to nearby Walland.[14][15][16] There is no post office in Top of The World. The nearest post office is in Walland.