About Us

Founded in 2010, Inside of Knoxville is your independent guide to life in and around Downtown Knoxville, Tennessee.

Contact Us

📞 (865)236-0236   📩 lesliewbateman@gmail.com

What We Cover

Our Story

For 15 years, founder Alan Sims—aka Urban Guy—walked these streets nearly every day, camera in hand, documenting the buildings, businesses, events and people that define our city. What began as a passion project grew into a trusted source of local news, storytelling and civic connection.

In 2025, Alan passed the torch to longtime local journalist Leslie Wylie Bateman along with a small but mighty team of contributors. Today, Inside of Knoxville reaches approximately 70,000 unique readers per month, generating over 120,000 pageviews. We’re proud to be a consistent, independent voice in a fast-changing city.

What We Believe

We believe local journalism is a public good.
We believe cities should work for the people who live in them.
We believe in complexity, nuance and asking better questions.
We believe in fair-minded, civil discussion.
We believe in smart storytelling and strong coffee.

Want to Support the Work?

Inside of Knoxville is 100% reader- and advertiser-funded. If you value thoughtful, local reporting with zero corporate oversight, consider becoming a supporter. Every dollar goes directly into helping this work continue sustainably and independently.

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