Shady Valley, Tennessee

Shady Valley is an unincorporated community in Johnson County in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is just outside Cherokee National Forest. Shady Valley is also the name of the valley in which the town is located, between Holston Mountain ""it is the twin city of Mountain City Tennessee, on the northwest, and the Iron Mountains to the southeast. At 2,785 feet, it is the second-highest community in Tennessee.[2]

Shady Valley
Unincorporated community
A church sits among the mountains of Shady Valley.
A church sits among the mountains of Shady Valley.
Shady Valley is located in Tennessee
Shady Valley
Shady Valley
Shady Valley is located in the United States
Shady Valley
Shady Valley
Coordinates: 36°31′09″N 81°55′40″W
Country United States
State Tennessee
CountyJohnson County
Elevation
849 m (2,785 ft)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
37688
Area code423
FIPS code47-67460
GNIS feature ID1301197[1]

Natural history
See also: Appalachian bogs

After the Pleistocene ice ages, species and ecosystems that had shifted southward often survived in local refugia. As a result, cold-adapted ecosystems, such as cranberry bogs, remain in Shady Valley, far south of their usual range.[3] Shady Valley once contained an estimated 10,000 acres (40 km2) of boreal cranberry bogs.[4]

Recreation

The roads that run in and around the town are popular among motorcyclists since nearby mountains provide nearly 500 pigtail curves to navigate.[5] The most popular road for motorcyclists is US-421,[6] which offers many challenging curves.

Economy

Shady Valley has one small general store; a locally owned restaurant, the 'Raceway Grill'; a U.S. Post Office;[7] and until 2020 the Shady Valley Elementary School, now closed.[8][9]

The town holds its annual Cranberry Festival the second weekend in October with food, a parade and auctions.[10]

See also

References
  1. "Shady Valley, Tennessee". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  2. "Trade, Tennessee". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  3. "Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  4. Davis, Donald Edward. Where There Are Mountains: An Environmental History of the Southern Appalachians. University of Georgia Press, 2002, p. 13.
  5. Motorcycle Playground website, archived October 30, 2007
  6. Johnson County, Tennessee General Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Tennessee Department of Transportation. 2003. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
  7. "Shady Valley Post Office". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  8. "Shady Valley Elementary School". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  9. "Shady Elementary building to go back to community". January 23, 2020.
  10. Cranberry Festival Archived 2006-07-21 at archive.today, Johnson County Chamber of Commerce website, accessed August 22, 2009
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