Tellico Village

Tellico Village is East Tennessee's most established master-planned lakefront community, sprawling across roughly 4,800–5,000 acres along 40 miles of Tellico Lake shoreline in Loudon and Monroe Counties. Originally developed by Cooper Communities and launched in 1986 after the completion of the Tellico Dam, the Village has grown into a community of approximately 5,617 homes with around 6,000 residents and a planned build-out of roughly 6,800 lots. While not deed-restricted, it is overwhelmingly retirement-focused — for decades it has drawn active-adult buyers from across the country relocating for the lake, the mountain views, and the lifestyle. The community is organized into eight neighborhoods, each named in Cherokee tradition: Chatuga, Chota, Coyatee, Kahite, Mialaquo, Tanasi, Tommotley, and Toqua. Homes range from roughly 1,500 square feet on the small end to multi-thousand-square-foot custom estates, with a minimum build size of 1,200 square feet enforced by the Architectural Control Committee. Housing stock is dominated by single-family homes, with pockets of villas, patio homes, and townhomes woven throughout. New construction continues actively — the Village's Home Builders Guild includes roughly 15 vetted regional custom builders such as Keener Homes, Mashburn Homes, Valiant Custom Homes, Walnut Ridge Construction, Jamison Homes, Cook Bros. Homes, Three Pines Construction, and O'Domirok Homes. With more than 2,000 buildable lots still available, this is one of the few resort-style retirement communities where buyers can still purchase a homesite and build from scratch. Recreational life centers on water, golf, and wellness. Tellico Lake is a 16,000-acre impoundment connected through a canal to Fort Loudoun Lake, giving residents navigable access all the way to the Gulf of Mexico through the lock system. Three gated marinas — at the Yacht Club, Tanasi Basin, and in the Kahite neighborhood — offer docking, and the Village operates a dedicated kayak launch and rack storage. The 400-member Cruising Club and the Soggy Bottom Kayakers are just two of the water-focused groups. Three championship 18-hole golf courses — Toqua (par 72, up to 6,910 yards), Tanasi (with dramatic over-the-water holes), and the Links at Kahite (notable for an 808-yard par 6) — each have their own pro shop, practice range, and clubhouse restaurant, all operated on an affordable 'pay as you play' basis rather than a mandatory club membership. The 27,000-square-foot Wellness Center, opened in 2007, is the fitness hub: a 6-lane/25-yard indoor lap pool, a warm-water therapy pool, a 6,500-square-foot fitness room, indoor walking track, two studios for daily classes (Pilates, Zumba, Tai Chi, aqua aerobics), saunas, 4 Har-Tru tennis courts, and 12 pickleball courts (8 uncovered, 4 covered). The 17,460-square-foot Chota Recreation Center adds an outdoor pool, gymnasium, additional tennis and pickleball courts, racquetball, and a playground. The Kahite Activity Center serves the southern end of the community with its own pool, tennis courts, and fitness space. The Yacht and Country Club is the social heart — a full-service restaurant with a noted chef, banquet and event space, live music, wine dinners, and a guest dock for boaters. Social life is extraordinary. More than 100 clubs and organizations cover everything from the Art Guild, Tellico Community Players, and line dancing to quilting, bridge, mah jongg, pickleball (the fastest-growing club in the Village), Kiwanis, Lions, Rotary, the New Villagers welcome group, and the HomeOwners Association. Two village centers house more than 100 businesses — market, library, medical and professional offices, salons, banks, churches, dry cleaner, travel agency. On-site Summit Medical provides primary care, physical therapy, and specialist services, with seven major hospitals within the broader Knoxville area. Monthly POA assessments (~$182) cover water, sewer, trash, and all common amenities and grounds; there is no CDD, and individual golf or rec-center use is handled à la carte rather than through a mandatory club fee, which keeps the cost of entry unusually reasonable for a community of this caliber. Located about 30–35 miles southwest of downtown Knoxville and roughly 45 miles from the entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tellico Village offers a rare combination: true lakefront living, championship golf, mountain scenery, four mild seasons, and proximity to a mid-sized city — at price points that remain substantially below comparable lake-and-golf communities in Florida or the Carolinas.