Tennessee Valley

TheTennessee Valleyis thedrainage basinof theTennessee Riverand is largely within theU.S. stateofTennessee.It stretches from southwestKentuckyto northAlabamaand from northeastMississippito the mountains ofVirginiaandNorth Carolina.The border of the valley is known as theTennessee Valley Divide.The Tennessee Valley contributes greatly to the formation of Tennessee's three legally recognized sectors (theGrand Divisions).

Geography

The Upper Tennessee Valley, looking east from the edge of the Cumberland Plateau nearRockwood, Tennessee

The Tennessee Valley begins in the upper head water portions of theHolston River,theWatauga River,and theDoe RiverinNortheast TennesseeandSouthwest Virginia,as well as east ofAsheville, North Carolina,with the headwaters of theFrench BroadandPigeonrivers, all of which join at the confluence of the French Broad and the Holston to form the Tennessee River in Knoxville. From there, the river travels southwest, absorbing additional tributaries of theLittle River,theLittle Tennessee,and theClinch,and further down, theHiwasseeand theOcoee(both of which have sources inGeorgia), before reachingChattanooga.

The river then enters theTennessee River Gorgeas it winds its way through theCumberland Plateau,reaching the lower portion of theSequatchie Valley.After traversingNorth Alabama,the river veers northwestward. From the beginning of the Tennessee Valley to this point is roughly 150 miles (240 km); as it runs throughEast Tennesseethe Valley is bound on the east by theAppalachian Mountains(including theGreat Smoky Mountains) and on the northwest by theCumberland PlateauandCumberland Mountains.

After forming the boundary between Alabama andMississippifor a stretch of 10 miles (16 km), the river reenters Tennessee, where it creates the dividing line betweenMiddle TennesseeandWest Tennessee.It empties into theOhio Riverin westernKentucky,where it divides the region known as theJackson Purchasefrom the rest of Kentucky.

Geologically, the eastern portion of the Tennessee Valley consists of many small valleys and ridges within a great valley. The larger region is termed theRidge and Valley Provinceand the great valley is termed theGreat Appalachian Valley.

Important cities

Chattanooga, Tennessee,about 120 miles (190 km) from both Huntsville and Knoxville, in opposite directions, is nicknamed "The Scenic City" for its beautiful views of the Tennessee Valley from atop the many mountaintops that surround the city. Chattanooga and its suburbs form the second most populous metropolitan area in the valley. TheBattle of Chattanoogawas fought on nearbyLookout Mountain.Chattanooga is also well known for theChattanooga Choo-Choo,its transformation from a declining early industrial city to a thriving modern city, the famousDelta Queen,and the first publicly available onegigabit per secondInternet access from a municipally-owned utility company, i.e. theElectric Power Board(EPB), in the United States. Chattanooga is the 3rd largest city in the Tennessee Valley, with just over 180,000 people, and itsMetropolitan AreaIs home to about 560,000 people.
Decatur, Alabama,known as "The River City", dominated the economic landscape of north Alabama until the late 1950s, when thespace racecatapulted its neighbor Huntsville into that position. For most of the 20th century up to that point, Decatur held the top position in terms of economic impact and population. Its mixture of river transport and rail access has made it a busy hub of business, commerce, and manufacturing (chemicals and textiles especially) flowing down the river on the barges and boats of numerous companies and docking at thePort of Decatur.Decatur also claims the nickname "The Heart of the Valley" because of its location near the exact center of the length of the Tennessee River. Also because most north–south shipping traffic is funneled through the town utilizing three river crossings that are main routes for rail and road traffic betweenBirminghamandNashville.The city is also an important river port that uses intermodal facilities to switch shipping methods between trains, trucks, and barges. It is the 10th largest city in Alabama home to 58,000 people, slightly less than nearby Madison City. Its metro area is home to 160,000 and combines with Huntsville to form theHuntsville-Decatur CSA.
Elizabethton, Tennessee,is a small city formerly known by the moniker "The City of Power" prior to the postWorld War IIera ofnuclear powerproduction. It is located at the confluence of theDoe RiverandWatauga Riverdownstream from the Watauga Reservoir and the Wilbur Reservoir. Both are maintained by theTennessee Valley Authority(TVA). It is home to about 15,000 people and is located near Knoxville
Florence, Alabama,considered part of theShoalswith Muscle Shoals,Sheffield,andTuscumbia,is located immediately across the Tennessee River from Muscle Shoals. (The river dividesLauderdale CountyfromColbert County). Florence is the birthplace ofW.C. Handyand is where the onlyFrank Lloyd Wrightdesigned house in Alabama is located, theRosenbaum House.Home to 40,000 people, it is the 11thlargest cityin Alabama. Its metro area is home to just over 150,000 people.
Guntersville, Alabama,is a major city of northeast Alabama and has a major lake and river port,Lake Guntersvilleand the Port of Guntersville, respectively. The city is famous for being the place whereRicky Nelsonplayed his last concert before dying in a plane crash on New Year's Eve 1986 (December 31, 1985). It is home to just under 9,000 people, however itssister cityofAlbertvilleto the south is home to 23,000 people.
Huntsville, Alabama,nicknamed "the Rocket City", has risen to be the center of north Alabama economic activity since the dawn of thespace agein the 1950s. It is now the largest city in Alabama.^[1]Its aerospace and military technology centers ofRedstone Arsenal,Cummings Research Park,andNASA'sMarshall Space Flight Centerdefine the high-tech landscape for Alabama. Huntsville had in 2022 a population of over 220,000 people and is the largest city within the Tennessee Valley, and the 100thlargest citynationally. Despite being the largest city proper, itsMetropolitan Areais the 3rd largest in The Tennessee Valley by population with 510,000 people. Huntsville was also ranked as the best major city to live in the entire country in 2022.^[2]
Knoxville, Tennessee,the most populous metropolitan area in the valley, and the 2nd largest city proper after Huntsville. It is located where the Tennessee River begins at the confluence of theHolstonand theFrench BroadRivers. Knoxville along with nearbyOak RidgeandMaryville-Alcoa,form a major research and manufacturing corridor anchored by theUniversity of Tennessee,theOak Ridge National Laboratory,and theTennessee Valley Authorityheadquarters (since 1980). It is home to 190,000 people and has aMetropolitan Areaof 900,000 people.
Madison, Alabama,The largest suburb of nearby Huntsville, and one of the best suburbs to live in both Alabama, and the country. Madison has manyFortune 500companies that have operations in the city, includingIntergraph(nowHexagon AB) that was headquartered here and was on the Fortune 500 for much of the early 2000s. Madison is the 9thlargest cityin Alabama and is also one of the fastest growing cities in the state, with a population of just under 60,000 in 2022^[3]Madison City Schools,the school board that provides education for Madison and the nearby city ofTrianais the best school board in Alabama and its two high schools,James Clemens,andBob jonesranked 6th and 8th in the state respectively.^[4]
Muscle Shoals, Alabama,considered part of theShoalsalong with Florence, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia, is a major city of northwest Alabama, alongU.S. Route 72and Alabama 157. The city is located immediately across the Tennessee River from Florence. (The river divides Colbert County from Lauderdale County.) Muscle Shoals is famous for its 1960sMuscle Shoals Sound,produced at such studios asFAME StudiosandMuscle Shoals Sound Studio,where many famous musicians and bands, such asAretha Franklin,Bob Dylan,andThe Rolling Stones,also have recorded and produced numerous songs. Tuscumbia is the birthplace of Helen Keller. The original Congressional Act creating the government-owned Tennessee Valley Authority, May, 1933, designated the government reservation at Wilson Dam as the location for the headquarters of the TVA. In 1980, a court order reassigned the headquarters to Knoxville. The second largest city in theShoals Metropolitan Areaafter Florence. It is home to 17,000 people.
Scottsboro, Alabama,located about halfway between Huntsville and Chattanooga, about 63 miles (101 km) from Chattanooga and 40 miles (64 km) east of Huntsville, It is located on Highway 72. nicknamed "the Friendly City", It was founded in the mid-1850s and is most famous for theScottsboro Boysand theUnclaimed Baggage Center,as well as "First Monday," an open-air marketplace held in and around downtown on Mondays following the first weekend of the month. It is the county seat ofJackson County, Alabama.Scottsboro is home to just under 16,000 people.

Transportation

Interstates

I-24connectsPaducah, Kentucky,at the mouth of the Tennessee River, with Chattanooga viaClarksvilleandNashville.Much of this road's route in Kentucky and Tennessee actually lies outside the Tennessee Valley.
I-26is an east–west main route of the Interstate Highway System in theNortheast Tennessee.It runs from the junction ofU.S. Route 11WandU.S. Route 23inKingsport, Tennessee,generally south and southeast toU.S. Route 17inCharleston, South Carolina.
I-40runs west–east across the Tennessee portion of the Tennessee Valley, connecting Nashville with Knoxville andAsheville, North Carolina.
I-59runs along the border of the Tennessee Valley, connecting Chattanooga withNew Orleans, Louisiana.
I-65is the main north–south road in the central part of the valley, connecting Birmingham, Huntsville, Decatur, and Nashville.
I-565/SR 20/US 72 Alt.is the main corridor of theHuntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Areathat links theHuntsville Metropolitan Areaand theDecatur Metropolitan Area,along with all of the scientific research and space exploration institutions inNorth Alabama.The road also provides a vital link to I-65 for both urban and suburban areas.
I-75runs down the middle of the valley of East Tennessee. It connects Chattanooga and Knoxville withAtlanta, GeorgiaandCincinnati, Ohio.
I-81is a north–south highway that connects areas east of Knoxville to the Tri-State area of Tennessee andVirginia.