Shady Valley, Tennessee

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
Location within Tennessee
Shady Valley is located in the United States
Shady Valley
Shady Valley
Location within the United States
Coordinates: 36°31′09″N 81°55′40″W / 36.51917°N 81.92778°W / 36.51917; -81.92778
Country United States
State Tennessee
CountyJohnson County
Elevation
2,785 ft (849 m)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
37688
Area code423
FIPS code47-67460
GNIS feature ID1301197[1]

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 on the northwest, and the Iron Mountains to the southeast. At 2,785 feet, it is the second-highest community in Tennessee.[2]

One member of the House of Representatives, Roy P. Blevins, lived in Shady Valley during his tenure.[3]

Natural history

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.[4]

Shady Valley once contained an estimated 10,000 acres (40 km2) of boreal cranberry bogs.[5] It is also home to white pine forests, which have become less common; the community's growing population between the 1930s and 1950s led to fewer areas for the natural ecosystem to survive.

In 1979, The Nature Conservancy purchased a reserve in Shady Valley. It was the first of a few purchases by the organization. Currently, The Nature Conservancy has four nature preserves that total to over 400 acres. They created a field station used by partner organizations and scientists.[6]

In 2000, Shady Valley was being considered as an addition to the National Register of Historic Places.[7] In 2001, Shady Valley was named as a community within vicinity of federal land that was at high risk of wildfire.[8]

Recreation

The roads that run in and around the town are popular among motorcyclists since nearby mountains provide nearly 500 switchback curves to navigate.[9] The most popular road for motorcyclists is US-421,[10] which offers many challenging curves.

Economy

Until the early 1900s, Shady Valley lacked railroad transport which limited economic opportunities. After the construction of rail, the community had an increase in the development of timber and manganese mining industries.[11]

Shady Valley has one small general store, a locally owned restaurant, the "Raceway Grill", a post office,[12] and until 2020, Shady Valley Elementary School, now closed.[13][14] It has a volunteer fire department.[15]

The town holds its annual Cranberry Festival the second weekend in October with food, a parade, and auctions.[16]

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. ↑ "Congressional Record". www.congress.gov. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  5. ↑ Davis, Donald Edward. Where There Are Mountains: An Environmental History of the Southern Appalachians. University of Georgia Press, 2002, p. 13.
  6. ↑ "Shady Valley". The Nature Conservancy. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
  7. ↑ "National Register of Historic Places; Notification of Pending Nominations". Federal Register. June 26, 2000. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Urban Wildland Interface Communities Within the Vicinity of Federal Lands That Are at High Risk From Wildfire". Federal Register. August 17, 2001. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
  9. ↑ Motorcycle Playground website, archived October 30, 2007
  10. ↑ Johnson County, Tennessee General Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Tennessee Department of Transportation. 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 13, 2013. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Our Communities | Johnson County Tennessee Mountain City TN". Johnsoncountytn. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Shady Valley Post Office". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  13. ↑ "Shady Valley Elementary School". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Shady Elementary building to go back to community". January 23, 2020.
  15. ↑ NET360, The. "Shady Valley". Johnson County Chamber. Retrieved June 25, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  16. ↑ Cranberry Festival Deprecated link archived 2006-07-21 at archive.today, Johnson County Chamber of Commerce website, accessed August 22, 2009
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