![]() ![]() Thornton has previously developed upscale rural retreats in Wyoming, Utah, Hawaii and elsewhere in East Tennessee. ![]() "People come from all over the region to enjoy the view and food at Top of the Rock, which has been a great success," said Dane Bradshaw, president of Thunder Enterprises. The restaurant, which is operated by Chattanooga's Square One, opened in October 2019 and has proven a popular lunch and dinner destination, along with its Sunday brunches, for many visitors who travel to the top of the mountain to enjoy the food and the view. Built on a clifftop overlooking the Tennessee River, both residents and visitors who come to the restaurant enjoy a view for miles of the Sequatchie Valley. One of the most popular parts of Jasper Highlands is a gathering place at the entrance of the development known as the Top of the Rock restaurant and microbrewery. The gated community atop Jasper Mountain above Kimball, Tennessee includes miles of hiking and biking trails, two swimming pools, tennis and pickle-ball courts, a dog park, a membership wellness center, and several community parks for the residents of the community.īut in a small commercial village at the entrance to Jasper Highlands, both visitors and residents are welcome. John was a breath of fresh air and he has helped create a community that is very special and has had an impact way beyond the gates of Jasper Highlands. "He approaches everything from the perspective that it is going to be first class or I am not going to do it. ![]() "John was a very much a different breed," Post said about Thornton. Post said Thornton distinguished himself from other outside investors who tried unsuccessfully in the past to build major developments because of Thornton's persistence and commitment to quality. Most of the residents are retired or near retirement and Lobo estimates the volunteer help offered by Jasper Highlands residents is worth more than $5 million a year. Geoff Post, the chairman of Tower Community Bank in Jasper who watched the growth of Jasper Highlands over the past decade, said those buying into Jasper Highlands are also giving a boost to local merchants, clubs and churches. Harvey Cameron, a long-time Jasper attorney who has worked with Thornton. "John (Thornton) has turned what was just undeveloped wooded property into an amazing community that is drawing national attention," said J. "I think we're at least two years ahead of our schedule and it's been great to watch the community grow and bond with people coming here from all over the country." "It vastly surpassed my expectations," Thornton said in a recent interview. A decade after the first lots were opened up atop Jasper Mountain, the development has sold most of the nearly 1,300 residential lots and created a new community of relocated residents from all across America who are settling down in the mountain overlooking the Tennessee River. The housing collapse amid the Great Recession in 2008-2009 added to the initial concerns and led Thornton's Thunder Enterprises to delay the start of the project and scrap an initial plan to pursue an 18-hole golf course like what he had been involved in elsewhere in East Tennessee.īut ultimately, that proved beneficial and Thornton has been able to capitalize on both an improving economy and aging population to draw homebuyers from across America to Marion County. 12-When John "Thunder" Thornton bought Jasper Mountain in 2008 to develop one of Tennessee's biggest mountaintop communities, the Chattanooga developer initially encountered some skepticism in Marion County where previous resort-style developments at the Rarity Club on Nickajack Lake and Sequatchie Pointe atop Sand Mountain had both stalled and ultimately led to bankruptcies and even criminal indictments for fraud.
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