"It's a small, family oriented town where you can never go through the grocery store without seeing a familiar face" -Hannah Nichols.
If you don't know where Seymour is, don't feel bad; not many people do. Let me help you out. "Seymour is the town under the mountain," says Layne Mitchell. It is between Knoxville and Sevierville. It is small enough to blink and drive right through it, for now. "It is large enough to be able to get away when we need to, but small enough to get where we need to be quickly," claims Tyler Cooper. Although Seymour is rapidly growing, it still has a small town, "homey" feeling. It is "the largest small town where everyone knows everyone and are friends with each other," says Daniel Hinson. Seymour holds a key to many of the residents' hearts for its friendliness and charm. "We are a little community with a big heart that is always ready to lend a helping hand when someone is in need, " said Victoria Porter.
If you haven't driven down Ford Hill facing the mountains, you are missing out. One of the best features of Seymour are the views, and my biased opinion is that the look off of Ford Hill is the prettiest. Reid Ballard exclaimed, "When you come over Ford Hill, and you can see almost every detail of the mountains. Especially when the sun goes down, because the light shines on them and makes them look really pretty" as her favorite part of Seymour. It is full of beautiful scenery, from the mountains to the empty field of bright, green grass with the perfectly round hay bales. The view of Seymour from Bluff Mountain is spectacular, and the quarry is to die for! Ginger Watkins likes being close to the Smoky Mountains, when people all across the country come to see them, and Seymour is 30 minutes away from the trails and slopes. I personally like to park next to an empty field and watch the sun set. The sunsets in Seymour are absolutely breathtaking. No matter where you go in Seymour, you will see so much beauty in the natural emptiness of the town. Even if you are at the high school overlooking the baseball field, you have a beautiful view, and the new turf football field is beautiful as well. But don't forget the churches, Seymour is full of beautiful churches. Many people have told me that they like the wide variety of churches in this town.
Many people talk about the locally-owned restaurants and shops, because they give Seymour its life. People enjoy a down-home, dine-in restaurant because it feels like home, while giving mom a break for a night. Before it shut down, Bob's Mountaineer was the home to the best cheeseburger in East Tennessee. Although our favorite restaurants are moving out, there are some equally great ones moving in. I asked around for some people's favorite meals around town: Pelancho's chicken fajita taco salad, Food City Deli's salad bar, White Star's pork tenderloin, Parton's Smokin' Buttz BBQ's ribs, and The Mason Jar Café's chopped steak were the results. White Star has been the center of Seymour for many years, because they make the best chicken fries, according to Sydney McCormack.
Seymour is home to the Seymour Eagles, The King's Academy Lions, the Boyd's Creek Bobcats, and the Seymour Community Christian Knights. All seven schools are within eight miles of each other, and are all talented. Each school has it's own dynamic qualities.Not only are these schools athletically talented, they are also artistically talented. The entire Seymour community is full of singers, painters, photographers, musicians, and so many differently skilled athletes. Our whole town comes together on Friday nights, especially when Seymour High School and The King's Academy play against each other for The Battle of Boyd's Creek. GO EAGLES BY GOD! Derek Musick's favorite part is the "closeness of the football team." But not only do the students make up the schools, and that’s why we love our teachers. Not a lot of people give their teachers enough credit for what they do, and many of the teachers at Seymour High School went to SHS themselves. Their passion and love for the community makes an excellent learning environment for their students. Many of the teachers in the whole community have been there for many many years and plan to be there for many more.
All of these things make Seymour itself, but the number one thing that makes Seymour what it is, is the people. Seymour has been through tragedy after tragedy for the past six years, and it keeps getting stronger after each time. In the past 6 years, Seymour has lost 6 people to car accidents, overseen 5 people fight cancer, and lost 2 to cancer. Seymour still has the friendliest people in the world no matter what happens, ever. "We may have our differences, but in the end, we know how to come together and have each other's backs," proclaims Taylor Lane. Everyone knows everyone, that’s the beauty of a small town. I understand that people must live in a town to make up a town, but the people in Seymour give the town life. Seymour is home to many people, it just feels "homey" when you drive through the back roads. When you ask people what their favorite parts of Seymour are, their first response is the people.
"When I think of Seymour I think of family. Everyone in Seymour really cares about each other, and we are just one big family. We've all grown up together and we all have been through tragedies that have changed our community and no matter what, we all end up being there each other. Always. That's why I love living where I live." -Danielle Dutcher
