Local / Chattanooga Times Free Press

One of Tennessee's biggest mountaintop residential communities is adding another 250 home sites this fall and will add a

Jasper Highlands, the 9,000-acre development taking shape atop Jasper Mountain in Marion County, is growing to 700 platted lots with the opening of the third phase of the development this month. With 40 homes already built or nearly finished and a dozen more homes starting to be built, developer John "Thunder" Thornton said he also is planning some more amenities to the top of the Cumberland Plateau in the next year to bring modern conveniences and recreation closer to those living in the gated community.

"We're creating a full-service community on Jasper Mountain with the installation of our own water system, roadways, volunteer fire department and high-speed fiber internet, and now we're offering a range of family-friendly conveniences that will enhance our residents' way of life that much more," Thornton said.

Although Thornton has plotted out less than half of the mountaintop lots he hopes to eventually develop at Jasper Highlands, the development has already attracted home buyers from 37 states. Once fully developed, the mountain near Kimball, Tenn., should house more than $500 million worth of homes built along and around 21 miles of bluff-top properties.

"Marion County, Tenn., is becoming a hotbed retirement destination," said Dane Bradshaw, president of Thunder Enterprises.

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