37915 and General Shale

The General Shale Brick factory opened on Riverside Drive in the late 1930s on a former agricultural site. Small mill communities began to build up around the factory and by the 1960s Riverview was a thriving community. The factory seemed to be faring well in the late nineties and its ultimate closure in December of 1999 was a shock to Knoxville as a whole. The factory laid off 65 workers and thus began the downfall of Riverview. While the population continued to grow in 37915, the jobs did not and there is a drastic increase in poverty levels from 2000 when they were 27.1% to 2010 when they jumped to 49.8%.

In December of 2011, the "Economic Review Journal" listed 37915 in Knoxville as one of the "most miserable cities in America."

37915 has the 7th highest unemployment rate for Zip Codes in Tennessee, the 8th highest poverty rate for Zip Codes in Tennessee, and the 4th highest homeowner vacancy rate for Zip Codes in Tennessee.