Pigeon Forge, TN

Pigeon Forge is a town in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 10,821 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Sevier County. Pigeon Forge is known for its amusement park and its many shops and restaurants.

The first Europeans to visit what would become Pigeon Forge were French traders in the early 18th century. The Cherokee Nation had a trading post near present-day Pigeon Forge from about 1765 until 1794, when they were forced out of the area by the United States government. In 1825, Major Andrew Johnson and his family settled on land that would become part of Pigeon Forge. He built a log cabin and began operating a stagecoach stop on the Old Hickory Road (now U.S. Highway 441). In 1828, he built what is now known as Johnson City; it became the county seat in 1836 when Sevier County was created from parts of Robertson and Cocke counties.

In 1875–76, Pigeon Forge became famous as the winter home of President Ulysses S. Grant while he was president of Columbia University; he spent most winters there until his death in 1893. In 1886–87, James Jordon developed Jordan's Furnace into an amusement park which opened that year; it became known as "The Magic Kingdom". Other attractions soon followed: Coney Island (1888), White Water Rapids (1892), Dollywood (1964), Gatlinburg Ski Resort (1972), and Ripley's Aquarium (1996). These attractions have helped make Pigeon Forge one of America's top tourist destinations; it has been listed as one of "America's Most Popular Tourist Destinations" by Travel & Leisure magazine since 1998 and has been included in "The World's Top 25 Most Visited Attractions" by TripAdvisor since 2009.

Today, much of downtown Pigeon Forge remains unchanged since Johnson City grew up around it in the late 1800s: narrow streets with Victorian-era homes on either side; small businesses serving tourists day and night; churches with steeplechases visible from almost anywhere in town; sidewalks crowded with people walking their dogs or taking pictures of each other at Christmas time; Main Street lined with gift shops selling everything from T-shirts to handcrafted jewelry to stuffed animals made out of recycled materials...and always music playing somewhere!