East Tennessee

East Tennessee forms the eastern third of the state and spreads across 33 counties through three different landscapes: the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, and the Cumberland Plateau. The topography shifts between steep forested slopes, long parallel valleys, and flat highlands with wide views.

The area stayed loyal to the Union during the Civil War while much of Tennessee joined the Confederacy. Delegates from the region tried without success to form their own separate state.

Traditional mountain music lives on in small communities where banjos and fiddles still appear at gatherings and festivals throughout the year. Many place names come from the Cherokee language and recall the original inhabitants of these valleys and ridges.

Major cities like Knoxville, Chattanooga, and the Tri-Cities offer hotels, gas stations, and grocery stores. Mountain roads can get slippery in rain and may have snow or ice in winter.

Oak Ridge in this region contains a laboratory that enriched uranium for the Manhattan Project during World War II. The facility still operates today and runs scientific research in nuclear energy and other fields.