East, Middle & West TN: Three Regions of Tennessee

[EVAunit1981]

West TN is definitely more flat than East TN but it's not extremely flat. I remember as a kid a friend of mine from SEMO came over to visit our house in TN for the first time and had to drive along near the edge of a bluff for awhile. She thought she was in the mountains.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by DonCorleone

Lots of differences...first geographical:

East TN is hilly to mountainous...higher elevation and is usually 5-10 degrees cooler than the western part of the state. The Cumberland Plateau is the dividing line between Middle and East TN. Middle TN is lower in elevation...dominated by 2 rivers (Tennessee and Cumberland). Nashville is in the middle of the state and surrounded by the Highland Rim...basically a large chain of hills on all sides. This area has both rolling hills and flatlands. West TN generally begins at the Tennessee River and is generally very flat. Lots of farms and rural areas here.

Politically speaking, the state has been historically divided. East TN has always leaned heavily Republican going back to the Civil War. In fact, East TN was very loyal to the Union during the war. Middle TN used to be moderately democratic but nowadays Nashville is strongly Democratic but the halo counties around it are pretty strong Republican areas. West TN historically has been staunchly Democratic. Memphis still is, but I get the sense that many of the rural counties are leaning more Republican these days.

There is a sibling rivalry between the three areas. I live outside of Nashville and it seems to me the biggest rivalry is between Nashville and Memphis. Of course, that's because I'm in Nashville. But I'm sure folks to the East might disagree with me on that one.

This wikipedia article on the Grand Divisions of TN might help too.

I just wanted to point out that the Tennessee River begins in Knoxville at the confluence of the Holston and French Broad Rivers. From Knoxville, it heads toward Chattanooga before crossing into Alabama. Then it pops back up again in Tennessee where it forms the divide between West and Middle Tennessee. It's well over 600 miles long.

[TN Tin Man]

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[ecaw]

Just wanted to know what are the differences between west, middle, and east Tennessee? Especially when it comes to how the land is set up, how the people differ, and which part is the most populated. I know the east part has more mountains but what makes it more beautiful like everyone says? Me personally, I like the farm/ranch look with pines in the background, not so big on the steep mountain look but rolling hills are perfect. Which part would fit me the most? Just want to get a rough estimate not planning a move anytime in the next months or anything but if the right job comes around i want to have an area to head in. Thanks.

[DonCorleone]

The 3 regions of TN are referred to as the "Grand Divisions" because each part of the state is markedly different than the others. That's also why we have 3 stars on our flag. (Some extra "free" trivia for you!)

Broadly speaking, the East is hilly to mountainous. Keep in mind the Appalachians are not the Rockies. Most of our mountains are not rugged rocky crags and are more rounded and forested...which makes them gorgeous when the leaves turn and in springtime as well. Not all of East TN is mountainous of course, but you will find it to be overall more hilly than other areas of the state. Middle TN is a mixture of hills and flatlands. Nashville itself sits in the Cumberland Basin and is surrounded by hills on all sides further out in the suburbs. You can find ample farmland here and hills as well. It's a good mix. West TN is mostly flat and lots of farmland. Certainly there are hills but by and large it is the breadbasket of the state.

As far as how the people differ, there's really not much of a difference that I've experienced on a person to person basis. If political persuasion is an indication of how people differ, there is somewhat of a trend. Historically speaking the East leans heavily Republican (going back to pre-Civil war days...the East was strongly anti Confederate during the war...more free trivia for you). Middle TN was once a good mixture of Democrat and Republican, but now much of the halo counties around Nashville/Davidson have become strongly Republican. Nashville/Davidson is still a strong Democratic county. West TN has historically been more Democratic-leaning due to agriculture and Memphis, but in recent years I think this has changed and now the more rural districts are heavily Republican while Shelby County/Memphis remains a Democratic stronghold. So, party affiliation is not really so much of a regional issue anymore so much as it is an urban vs. suburban/rural one as I see it.

Finally, as far as population goes, it is also a urban/suburban vs. rural question. You can check the population density on city-data.com, but in just looking at major cities in each area: the East has the tri-cities in the extreme NE, Knoxville, Crossville, and Chattanooga. Cookeville is sort of on the border between East and Middle. Middle TN has Nashville, Murfreesboro, and Clarksville. West TN has Jackson and Memphis. Each area still has large areas of rural communities, so you can find some mix of rural life, suburban life, and city life in each area.

Hope that helps clarify. Let us know if you have more specific questions!

[ecaw]

That helps a lot thank you! I definitely am shooting for a very rural part of the state for sure. I feel a lot of people live in the middle and east part of the state going by city/town sizes across the state. West Tennessee seems more fitting so far to me with how open it looks but middle Tennessee is still very tempting.

[DonCorleone]

I guess it depends on what you would classify as "very rural" as to what each area offers you. I think you'd find very rural areas all across the state.

Since I live in Middle TN, I'll go with what I know. There are places like Cottontown, Castalian Springs, northeastern Middle TN (Sumner County) that are plenty rural areas but are only about 45 +/- minutes from downtown Nashville or 15 minutes from an area like Hendersonville or Gallatin. I would say you certainly could have a rural experience and still be within a very short drive of the amenities of a larger city. Likewise, there are plenty of truly rural experiences in Middle TN as well. I live northeast of Nashville and areas like Springfield or Greenbriar in Robertson County or further out like Westmoreland (Sumner Co), Hartsville (Trousdale Co), Lafayette & Red Boiling Springs (Macon Co), or Celina (Clay Co) are beautiful rural areas with small town feels.

Hope that helps you, feel free to ask any other questions you think of.