The name "Pigeon Forge" comes from an iron forge built
by Isaac Love (1783-1854) sometime around 1820. The name of this forge referred to its location
along the Little Pigeon River, in the vicinity of what is now the Old Mill. The name of the river
comes from the flocks of Passenger Pigeons that frequented its banks at the time of the first
Euro-American settlers' arrival.
Pigeon Forge is a city in Sevier County, Tennessee, located in the southeastern United States. As
of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 5,083. Situated just five miles north of the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Pigeon Forge is a family vacation tourism hub. The city's major
attractions include Dollywood and numerous outlet malls and music theaters.
U.S. Route 441, known as "the Parkway," runs through the middle of Pigeon Forge en route to
Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where it crests at Newfound Gap before
descending to Cherokee, North Carolina. The strip along 441 contains most of Pigeon Forge's tourist
attractions.
