United States, Central South

Tennessee

Tennessee is named for the Over-the-Hills Cherokee Indian village of Tenasi. Tennessee's eastern borders are with the states of Virginia and North Carolina. In the north, it borders Kentucky; its southern border bounds Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. It stretches over 500 miles from east to west. The state is usually described as the areas of East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, and West Tennessee, which are each marked by distinct land formations.

East Tennessee begins in the Blue Ridge Region which includes the Great Smoky Mountains and other ranges. The area from Franklin westward has numerous springs and forested areas. The boundary with Virginia runs along some of the highest peaks of the Appalachians. The area has numerous rivers and quiet mountain coves where small groups of people farm as the Cherokee did before them.

The Southern Appalachians that are in Tennessee include beautiful natural forests and wildlife that includes black bears. The upper altitudes are usually above 4,000 feet (1,220 meters) in height. The flora of the area includes numerous rhododendrons that flower profusely in the spring; there is striking fall foliage in the autumn. Because of the altitude, the flora is closer to that of Canada than to the flora of the Mississippi River Valley.

Among the rivers either beginning or flowing through East Tennessee are the Clinch, Holston, Ocoee, Hiawassee, and the French Broad. These rivers join the Tennessee River in a transition from the Appalachians to the Tennessee River Valley west of Knoxville. The transition is to the last of the valleys of the Ridge and Valley region of the Appalachians. Several ridges run in parallel lines from Georgia to Kentucky through the East Tennessee Valley. The area between Chattanooga and Knoxville is relatively flat and is excellent farmland.

The Tennessee River flows south from Knoxville to Chattanooga where it passes through a gorge and then continues in a looping circle through much of northern Alabama. At Florence, Alabama, it turns north again and flows to Tennessee where it separates the western part of the Highland Rim from West Tennessee. It continues flowing north to join the Ohio River in western Kentucky.

The third landform in the East Tennessee region is the Cumberland Plateau. It is a part of the vast Appalachian Plateau that runs from north of Birmingham and Gadsden, Alabama, into Kentucky. In Tennessee, the plateau in most places has rocky cliffs, which range from 1,500 to 1,800 feet (457 to 549 meters) in height. In the center are the Orchard Mountains, which are a range of peaks on top of the Cumberland, west of Knoxville. The area was extremely remote until the advent of modern automobiles and roads.

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