Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge/Sevierville: Will the Area Ever Have Gambling? (Knoxville: crime rate, best school)

[jjbradleynyc]

I have many fond childhood and teenage years of vacationing in the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg areas. I love this region, although the sprawling growth is getting a bit out of control over the past couple of decades.

If gambling or casinos were built and/or approved for the area, I think the area could turn into a "leafier & greener Vegas of the east," at least in the future--if the wild growth and tourism keeps going up and up.

What are opinions out there?

[JMT]

Originally Posted by jjbradleynyc

I have many fond childhood and teenage years of vacationing in the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg areas. I love this region, although the sprawling growth is getting a bit out of control over the past couple of decades.

If gambling or casinos were built and/or approved for the area, I think the area could turn into a "leafier & greener Vegas of the east," at least in the future--if the wild growth and tourism keeps going up and up.

What are opinions out there?

My gosh I hope there won't be any gambling around Gatlinburg. If you really want to gamble there's a casino in Cherokee NC just over the mountains.

[strumpeace]

Hopefully, the area will never have casinos. Can you imagine the traffic a casino would add to the already overburdened roads in the area?

[Beretta]

My opinion is that it won't happen in my lifetime and I intend on living a long time. God willing and the creeks don't rise.

[TNKY]

Great topic. Funny, but the city I currently live in is battling over allowing casinos in or not. It's turned into an ugly situation as things have really heated up. Many contend they do not wish for a casino due to this area being kind of a crime hotbed as it is. Not in all cases, but most times crime tends to rise sharply (one city in CA had an increase of nearly 1,000%) after casinos move in. As a potential resident of Knox, I agree with my man, JMT, and strumpeace.

[hiknapster]

Dolly Parton's homeland? Oh, c'mon. Whether to allow booze is still an issue. This is the bible belt.

And I agree. Nothing good can come to an area that allows casinos. The only one that I saw that went in and created jobs but did not up the crime rate is Foxwoods in CT, but that one is run by the native Americans.

[Kitties of Domination]

I would support it if it were tightly and tastefully regulated. The amount of revenue generated would be ridiculous. TN could have one of the best school systems in the country and the best roads at the same time. It will never happen, however.

[jabogitlu]

Yeah, I think it's probably out of the question at least for my generation (and I'm twenty!)

I can't imagine that Pigeon Forge can hold much more traffic on its current infrastructure. I'm not sure what they'd do if casinos came in. Maybe build a new four lane running to Knoxville and put them on it.

[LilCabinGirl]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

Dolly Parton's homeland? Oh, c'mon. Whether to allow booze is still an issue. This is the bible belt.

And I agree. Nothing good can come to an area that allows casinos. The only one that I saw that went in and created jobs but did not up the crime rate is Foxwoods in CT, but that one is run by the native Americans.

Isn't Foxwoods out in the boonies? Or is that Mohegan Sun? Or both?

[LilCabinGirl]

Originally Posted by jjbradleynyc

o a "leafier & greener Vegas of the east," at least in the future--if the wild growth and tourism keeps going up and up.

Why would we want that? And what makes anyone think the Smokies can pull that off when Atlantic City has been around for years and never turned into a "Vegas of the East"? Besides, there is no major airport close enough to support a casino. The cost for the infrastructure alone is prohibitive.