Mountain City

History

When the first European explorers arrived in what is now the Mountain City area in the late 17th century, well-worn Native American trails passed through the area. In 1949, workers at the Maymead quarry (just south of Mountain City) discovered a cave with several early Mississippian-era (ca. 1000 A.D.) burials inside. The Needham and Arthur expedition of 1673 is believed to have passed through the area, making use of the gap at Trade to the south. Explorer Daniel Boone made use of the same gap on an expedition to what is now Kentucky in 1769, and today part of the Daniel Boone Heritage Trail—which follows Boone's route—passes through Mountain City. The first permanent white settlers arrived in the Mountain City area in the late 18th century, among them Leonard Shoun and Revolutionary War veteran Alexander Doran. The area was initially part of Carter County, but the difficulty of reaching Elizabethton (the county seat) led to the creation of Johnson County in 1836. The name of the town was changed to "Mountain City" in 1885, presumably at the urging of Roderick R. Butler, a prominent citizen and U.S. Congressman who wanted the town's name to reflect its situation amidst one of the highest valleys in Tennessee. Butler's mansion, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, still stands near the center of the town. In May 1925, Mountain City was the site of a musical gathering, the first Mountain City Fiddlers Convention, that is considered a landmark event in the modern history of Appalachian music. The gathering contributed significantly to the development of country music and is commemorated every summer at the Old Time Fiddler's Convention in nearby Laurel Bloomery. Since 1982, Mountain City has been home to a luxury inn and country club, now…

Geography

Mountain City is located at (36.468444, -81.803856). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.3 square miles (8.6 km2), all land. At just over , Mountain City is situated in one of the highest valleys in the state of Tennessee. Doe Mountain rises to the southwest, Forge Mountain rises to the east, and the Iron Mountains rise prominently to the north. The Tennessee-North Carolina border runs opposite Forge Mountain approximately east of Mountain City, and the Tennessee-Virginia border passes about to the north. U.S. Route 421 (Shady Street) connects Mountain City with Bristol, Tennessee, to the northwest and Boone, North Carolina, to the southeast. Tennessee State Route 67 traverses the Doe Creek Valley on the north side of Doe Mountain and connects Mountain City with Carter County and the Watauga Lake areas to the west. State Route 167 follows the Roan Creek Valley on the south side of Doe Mountain, rejoining S.R. 67 at Shouns in the southern part of Mountain City. Tennessee State Route 91 connects Mountain City to Laurel Bloomery, Tennessee, and Damascus, Virginia, to the north (the road becomes Virginia State Route 91 at the state line).

Race & ethnicity