Roan Mountain is a census-designated place (CDP) in Carter County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,360 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Johnson City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport–Bristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area – commonly known as the Tri-Cities region.

History

In September 1780, the Overmountain Men— a group of American soldiers from the trans-Appalachian frontier who fought during the American Revolution— passed through Roan Mountain en route to North Carolina, where they would engage and defeat a group of loyalists at the Battle of Kings Mountain. On the night of September 26, this force camped at Shelving Rock, between what is now the Roan Mountain CDP and Roan Mountain State Park, where a rocky outcropping provided a convenient place for the soldiers to store their weapons and gunpowder. The site is now part of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, and the field where the soldiers camped is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

During the 1870s, John T. Wilder, an industrialist and former Union general, began purchasing large tracts of iron ore-rich lands in the Roan Mountain area, and established several mining operations in the region. In the early 1880s, he established the Roan Mountain community, originally known as Roan Mountain Station, as a stop along the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad ("Tweetsie"). He laid out streets, planted trees, and built a hotel, the Roan Mountain Inn, as well as a house for his family (the house still stands at the corner of Main and Stratton). In 1885, he established a resort atop the mountain, the Cloudland Hotel, which catered to people seeking relief from hay fever and other seasonal allergies.

In 1998, Roan Mountain was victim of massive flooding due to a devastating winter storm which caused widespread damage. The flood killed 7 people, and 200 mobile homes and 15 houses were destroyed. Bridges and cars were swept away by the flood water.

Geography

Roan Mountain is located in northeast Tennessee at (36.194219, -82.068417). According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 6.6&nbsp;square miles (17.2&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), all land. The elevation of Roan Mountain near the center of the CDP is .

Roan Mountain is located in southeastern Carter County, near the Tennessee-North Carolina border. The community is situated along the upper Doe River at the river's confluence with Buck Creek. The mountain with which the community shares its name, Roan Mountain, rises several miles to the south. Reaching an elevation of , the mountain is the highest point in Tennessee outside the Great Smoky Mountains. The Appalachian Trail traverses the mountain before descending and crossing U.S. Route 19E near the state line east of the CDP, and then turning westward across the crest of White Rocks Mountain, which rises immediately north of the CDP.

Roan Mountain State Park lies immediately south of the CDP. Elk Park, North Carolina is located across the state line in Avery County, North Carolina. Hampton, Tennessee, is located further down the Doe Valley to the northwest.

Demographics

As of the census

The Roan Mountain Hilltoppers, a well-known old-time string band performing traditional Appalachian music, hail from the Roan Mountain area. This family band has been featured at venues including the Smithsonian Museum's American Folklife Festival, the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee, and the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville. The band has received numerous awards and recognitions, and acquired an unexpected audience after Malcolm McLaren sampled some of its music in his 1982 hit song, "Buffalo Gals." Later the Hilltoppers' home was visited by the Sex Pistols and Boy George.

Transportation

  • 25px Interstate 26 to Exit 31 (Elizabethton);
  • 25px U.S. Route 321 east to Elizabethton, and;
  • 25px U.S. Route 19E at Elizabethton then south into Roan Mountain, Tennessee.

US 19 splits into US 19E and US 19W in Bluff City, Tennessee, north of Elizabethton. The routes rejoin in rural Yancey County, North Carolina. While US 19W heads directly for Interstate 26 at Exits 35 and 36 in Johnson City, Tennessee, US 19E takes a 70-mile (113&nbsp;km) path through the heart of the Unaka Mountains. US 19W splits from I-26 shortly before reaching the Tennessee-North Carolina border, and passes through the mountains of Yancey County, North Carolina.

Alternate US 19W is co-signed with Interstate 26 for much of its length in Tennessee. US 19E in Tennessee runs concurrently with State Route 37.

Tennessee State Route 143 intersects US-19E in the Roan Mountain community, and connects the area with both the state park and Carvers Gap (near the summit of Roan Mountain).

References

  • Roanmountain.com