One of the most rewarding and pleasing aspects of living in Norris is the

unique design and historical significance of the city’s street patterns and site plan.  Recognized as one of the country’s first planned cities in the modern era, Norris was originally conceived by the Tennessee Valley Authority in the 1930’s as a community to house workers brought to the area to build nearby Norris Dam.  Its designers opted to forego a traditional grid layout for the streets, instead mapping out a network of winding streets, pockets of neighborhood green space and houses positioned so as to offer maximum privacy. 

Even now, Norris’s innovative master plan continues to receive accolades and recognition from planners and architectural groups across the U.S. and is still studied as a model of city planning in several universities.

Today, the majority of the original cottages and small homes that were built in the 1930’s still stand, many having been renovated and upgraded through the past seventy-plus years.  While the town’s boundaries have grown only slightly since its inception, several new neighborhoods have been developed, but the core fabric of Norris, and indeed its sense of community, still remains greatly influenced by and stamped with the imprint of these original cottages and the city’s master plan.

Still a small town of less than 1,400 residents, and with very little undeveloped property within its boundaries, it is doubtful that Norris will become a target for large developers or succumb to urban sprawl, especially in view of the fact that its people strongly cherish their small town values and prize the town’s “cottage character.”

Consequently, the availability of homes for sale remains rather limited, with only a very few homes being on the market at any one time.  Those homes that are on the market generally include a select few of the original Norris cottages, …which can range in price from $70,000 or $80,000 to as much as $200,000, depending on condition and location…, to larger upscale, executive new homes in the neighborhood of $300,000 or more.  

To view some of the homes currently available in Norris, click here.

  To view Norris scenes in New York Times issue 11/21/08, click here.