East Tennessee

East Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee. It is geographically and culturally distinct and comprises approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee. East Tennessee consists of 33 counties. 30  are located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone which includes Bledsoe, Cumberland, and Marion. East Tennessee is entirely located within the Appalachian Mountains, although the land area range from densely forested  mountains to broad river valleys. The area has the major cities of Knoxville and Chattanooga which are Tennessee's third and fourth largest cities. It also has the Tri-Cities which is the state's sixth largest population center.

Tourism
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park which was created in 1934, led to a tourism boom in Sevier and Blount counties, effectively converting the tiny mountain hamlets of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge into resort towns. Today, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the United States, receiving more than 14 million visitors annually. The park also anchors a massive tourism industry in nearby Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville, which is the third-largest in the state. Some of these attractions Dollywood, the most visited ticketed attraction in Tennessee, Ober Gatlinburg, and Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies.

The Appalachian Trail, one of the world's most known hiking trails which was built in the mid-1930s and passes along the Tennessee-North Carolina border. Attractions in Chattanooga include the Tennessee Aquarium, the nation's largest freshwater aquarium. Knoxville hosted the 1982 World's Fair, which drew over 11 million visitors, making it one of the most popular world's fairs in history. The Sunsphere was built for this.

Colleges
The area's major public universities are the University of Tennessee and East Tennessee State University in Johnson City.   Private four-year institutions include Bryan College, Carson–Newman University, King University, Lee University, Lincoln Memorial University, Maryville College, Milligan College, Johnson University, Tennessee Wesleyan University, and Tusculum University. Several public community colleges and vocational/technical schools also are located in the region, such as Northeast State Community College in Blountville, Walters State Community College in Morristown, Pellissippi State Community College near Knoxville, Chattanooga State Community College, and Cleveland State Community College. The Tennessee College of Applied Technology has several campuses across the area.

The "Volunteers", or "Vols", are the region's most popular sports teams, and are a multimillion-dollar industry.John Majors and Ann Toplovich, College Football.  Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, 2002.  Retrieved: August 18, 2009.  The university's football team plays at Neyland Stadium, one of the nation's largest stadiums.Neyland Stadium .  UTsports.com, 2009. Retrieved: August 18, 2009.  Nearby is Thompson–Boling Arena. It has broken several attendance records for college men's and women's basketball.Thompson-Boling Assembly Center & Arena .  UTsports.com, 2009.  Retrieved: August 18, 2009.

Counties

Anderson
Bledsoe
Blount
Bradley
Campbell
Carter
Claiborne
Cocke
Cumberland
Grainger
Greene
Hamblen
Hamilton
Hancock
Hawkins
Jefferson
Johnson
Knox
Loudon
Marion
McMinn
Meigs
Monroe
Morgan
Polk
Rhea
Roane
Scott
Sevier
Sullivan
Unicoi
Union
Washington

References

Category:Geography of Tennessee