MARYVILLE, Tenn. — People in Maryville are talking about new signs placed downtown, welcoming people to the area and pointing them to specific areas. Many said they had mixed reactions.
City leaders say wayfinding signs for downtown have been discussed about for a decade, and the process to make these new signs has been going on since around 2020.
"Downtown merchants started coming to us probably 10 years ago wanting wayfinding signs," said Maryville Mayor Andy White. "Our downtown was starting to rise up and people were coming down here and not knowing where our parking garages were, where are restaurants and shops were."
For some, it feels like the signs appeared from thin air.
"We were just surprised to see them because they've never been there," said Emily Hollis, who likes the new signs. "We've lived here 20 years and there's never been, like, downtown signs."
But when new signs appeared with the slogan "The More the Maryville," not everyone was pleased.
"The colors, the shape and the style," said Derek Kagley, a Maryville resident and business owner. "Nothing about the sign says 'historic hometown feel' at all. It's more tourist-town. It's something that you would find in Gatlinburg."
He said he feels like the sign is symbolic of the city's recent growth, which he said its infrastructure was struggling to support.
"We've got just an unchecked growth happening right now that's gonna affect future generations," he said. "That phrase has nothing to do with the town and everything to do with a campaign trying to flood the town with folks."
White said he understands some people don't like the sign, but he also said it's important to invest in the downtown area.
"While I understand the growth invites more traffic and it's increased home prices — as a government, we're not really creating that. The demand is there already," White said.
White also said there have been public meetings and opportunities for people to speak their minds. However, he said few people took the chance.
"The slogan and the signage were all part of the public process," White said. "We encourage people to attend our meetings, and the meetings were poorly attended."
Hollis said she feels the comments discouraging people from moving to Maryville are not in line with how she imagines Maryville. She also mentioned several of her neighbors are people who have moved here, and they've become her close friends.
"These are the greatest friends that I think I'll ever have," Hollis said. "And, they're not from here. So to us and to my family, 'The More the Maryville' is a good thing because it's brought so many incredible people into our town."
Maryville leaders said the city spent around $100,000 on the signs, paired with a matching grant from the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development of $100,000.