Gatlinburg, Tennessee
How can a city capitalize on its proximity to beautiful natural landscapes?
Gatlinburg, TN, (pop. 4,158) lies in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, one of the most visited national parks in the country.
For the past 20 years, the city has taken advantage of this proximity by investing in strategic economic development projects to attract tourists. As a result, Gatlinburg has become a popular tourist destination for regional fun seekers.
It was City Manager Cindy Cameron Ogle who skillfully guided the city through this period of unprecedented growth. Ogle spearheaded several successful tourism development projects, including the Smoky Mountain Lights Program, the Underground Utilities and Streetscape Utilities Project, and the Parkway widening project. The upgrades—new streetlights, sidewalks, and the lack of visible utility lines and poles—have dramatically improved the aesthetics of the Parkway, attracting tourists to Gatlinburg and helping the city blend in with the Smokies. These efforts, among others, have led Forbes Magazine to name Gatlinburg as one of the prettiest towns in America in 2012. Ogle was also instrumental in luring Ripley’s Aquarium, one of the largest and most visited aquariums in the country, to Gatlinburg.
In another tourism development initiative that began in 2012, Ogle led the effort to form a partnership with Sevier County and the Gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to jointly build and operate a $20 million sports complex. Understanding that this was a unique opportunity, Ogle capitalized on it because of the huge economic impact it will have on the area in the years to come. The new sports facility could rival Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Orlando as students (and their parents) from all over America would travel to Gatlinburg for games and fun, boosting tourism and city revenue.
Ogle has been a positive force for change and growth and through her innovative leadership and sound management of the city’s finances, quality of life of has improved for the residents of Gatlinburg
Meet the Manager
