Fort Sanders, Knoxville: homes, schools, parks and commute

Last checked Oct. 17, 2026. Sources: KGIS’s KGIS Maps (the “Neighborhoods in Knox County” boundaries, neighborhood groups, Knox County Schools attendance zones, ZIP codes, historic districts and zoning overlays); the Tennessee Department of Education’s 2024-25 letter grades; Zillow Research; Knoxville Area Transit; and OpenStreetMap.

Fort Sanders is the neighborhood of old houses, apartment buildings and student housing between downtown and the University of Tennessee campus. Two hospitals are on Clinch Avenue, according to OpenStreetMap: Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, 1901 Clinch Ave., and Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital, 2018 W. Clinch Ave. The Cumberland Avenue “Strip” runs along its south side.

What this means for you

• Zoned high school: West High, graded A for 2024-25.
• Home value: $500,826 in ZIP code 37916 in September 2026, according to the Zillow Home Value Index.
• Nearest interstate exit: I-40 exit 387 (17th Street and Western Avenue), about 1.1 miles by road.

Part of our Knoxville neighborhoods guide.

Where it is

This guide follows KGIS’s “Neighborhoods in Knox County” boundaries for Fort Sanders and the Cumberland Avenue Strip, about 0.4 square miles inside the city. It sits north of Cumberland Avenue, from World’s Fair Park on the east to about 22nd Street on the west. The main streets are Cumberland Avenue, Clinch Avenue, Laurel Avenue, Highland Avenue, Forest Avenue and 17th Street. All of it is in ZIP code 37916.

KGIS maps the National Register-listed Fort Sanders Historic District over most of the area. Most of the neighborhood also carries the city’s Neighborhood Conservation (NC) overlay, and a few blocks the historic (H) overlay; both add design review for new buildings and some exterior changes. See our building permits and zoning guide.

Schools

From the Knox County Schools attendance zones on KGIS Maps, checked Oct. 17, 2026, all of Fort Sanders is zoned for the same three schools. Grades are each school’s overall grade on Tennessee’s 2024-25 state report card:

Check an address in the KGIS school zone search. The district’s Fort Sanders Education Development Center, a preschool, is at 501 S. 21st St. More in our schools guide.

Home values

The typical home value in ZIP code 37916 was $500,826 in September 2026, up 7.3% from $466,645 in September 2025, according to the Zillow Home Value Index. That was the largest one-year rise among Knoxville’s ZIP codes in Zillow’s file. The index is a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price, and 37916 also takes in the UT campus. The City of Knoxville figure was $368,965, up 1.0%. More in our home prices guide.

Parks and trails

From Knoxville-Knox County Planning’s parks map layer:

• World’s Fair Park and the Fort Kid playground, 1049 World’s Fair Park Drive, on the east edge.
• Mount Castle Park, 1910 Lake Ave., and James Agee Park, at Laurel Avenue and James Agee Street, both small parks owned by the University of Tennessee.
• Tyson Park, 2351 Kingston Pike, just west, with tennis, pickleball and the Knoxville Skatepark on the Third Creek Greenway.

The Neyland Greenway runs along the river below campus. More in our parks and trails guide.

Getting around

• Interstate: I-40 exit 387 (Tennessee 62, 17th Street and Western Avenue) is about 1.1 miles by road; exit 386B (U.S. 129, Alcoa Highway) is about 1.5 miles.
• Downtown: about 1.5 miles by road to Market Square.
• Airport: about 17.2 miles by road to McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS).
• Bus: KAT Route 42 (Fort Sanders and UT Medical Centers) runs through the neighborhood. Stops on its edges also serve routes 10, 11, 12, 15 and 17, in the KAT stop data published by Knoxville-Knox County Planning.

Distances are measured on the OpenStreetMap road network with the OSRM routing engine; exit distances run from the off-ramp to the middle of the neighborhood. They are distances, not drive times.

Neighborhood groups

KGIS’s neighborhood groups map shows the Historic Fort Sanders Neighborhood Association, an active neighborhood association, covering about 90% of the area. It is a voluntary group, not a homeowners association with dues on the deed.

Groceries and everyday stores

From OpenStreetMap:

• Walgreens, 1725 Cumberland Ave., and CVS Pharmacy, 2201 Cumberland Ave., on the Strip.
• Publix, 2429 University Commons Way, just south of Cumberland Avenue.
• Food City, on Western Avenue north of the neighborhood.

How we drew this area

The area combines the KGIS “Neighborhoods in Knox County” polygons for Fort Sanders and the Cumberland Avenue Strip. Zones, ZIP codes and overlays come from points sampled across those boundaries, checked Oct. 17, 2026. Store and road data are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Frequently asked questions

What high school is Fort Sanders zoned for?

West High School, 3300 Sutherland Ave., graded A on Tennessee’s 2024-25 report card. The elementary school is Sequoyah Elementary and the middle school Bearden Middle, according to KGIS school zone maps.

What ZIP code is Fort Sanders in?

All of Fort Sanders is in ZIP code 37916, which also covers the University of Tennessee campus.

Is Fort Sanders a historic district?

Yes. KGIS maps the National Register-listed Fort Sanders Historic District across most of the neighborhood, and most of it carries the city’s Neighborhood Conservation overlay, which adds design review for new buildings.

Is Fort Sanders a good place to live?

Here are the facts. Fort Sanders is a historic district of about 0.4 square miles between downtown and the University of Tennessee, zoned for West High (graded A for 2024-25), served by KAT Route 42; the typical home value in ZIP 37916 was $500,826 in September 2026, according to Zillow.