East Tennessee

Knoxville's broader area

East Tennessee is the eastern third of Tennessee, a distinct geographic and cultural region bounded by the Appalachian Mountains.

Historically Unionist during the Civil War—unlike the rest of the state—it remains politically and culturally distinct, centered on Knoxville.

The region includes the Great Smoky Mountains and is known for bluegrass music, Scots-Irish heritage, and the Tennessee Valley Authority.

geography

Knoxville

Southeastern university city

ChattanoogaSoutheast Tennessee city
Great Smoky MountainsHaze-veiled Appalachian range
Oak RidgeWWII atomic research center

Gatlinburg · Tri-Cities · Bristol

Appalachian

Great Smoky Mountains

Haze-veiled Appalachian range

bluegrassAcoustic Appalachian folk music
banjoFretted drum-stringed instrument
fiddleAdjust restlessly; folk violin

hollers · clogging · ballads · moonshine · whittling · porch · storytelling · quilting · old-time · dulcimer

history

Cherokee

Indigenous Southeastern nation

pioneersFirst to explore territory
frontierEdge of settlement
settlementsEstablished communities or agreements

statehood · Civil War · Reconstruction · railroads · Manhattan Project · TVA · Davy Crockett · Sequoyah · removal · Trail of Tears

agriculture

tobacco

Dried smoking leaf

cattleDomesticated bovines kept commercially
pasturesLand for grazing animals
hayDried feed crop

orchards · apple · tomatoes · corn · beans · farmers markets · homestead · barns · farmland · livestock

Opposites

tennessee regional division

East TennesseeMemphis

Tennessee city, ancient Egyptian capital

Mississippi Delta · Nashville

Family

east, eastern, southeast, northeast, easterly, northeastern, Tennessee, southeastern, easterner

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Mostly American · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G