Cumberland Plateau & River Towns

Tucked into the upper reaches of East Tennessee, the Cumberland Plateau & River Towns region is where the landscape goes full drama—towering cliffs, thundering waterfalls, and forests thick enough to swallow cell service whole (don’t worry, that’s a feature, not a bug). This is the state’s adventure playground, agricultural stronghold, and scientific proving ground, all rolled into one wild, wonderful place. 

The star of the show? Nature, obviously. Fall Creek Falls, one of the highest waterfalls in the eastern U.S., draws crowds with its sheer drop and scenic trails. Ozone Falls adds cinematic flair—it was literally in The Jungle Book—and Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area delivers with sandstone gorges, whitewater, and trails for miles.

Cookeville keeps the region smart and connected, home to Tennessee Tech University, one of the South’s leading public STEM schools and a rising logistics hub along I-40. Over in Crossville, known as Tennessee’s Golf Capital, rolling fairways and retirement dreams go hand in hand.

Beyond the greens and campus maps, agriculture drives the economy. The Cumberland Plateau supports the largest nursery industry in the state, shipping trees and landscaping plants across the country from counties like Warren, White, and Van Buren. Cattle graze across the hills, while Morgan and Fentress Counties supply much of the timber fueling Tennessee’s $24 billion forest industry.

Whether you’re tending cattle or building the future with atoms and algorithms, the Cumberland Plateau offers just about everything—except a big city buzz. And honestly, that’s exactly how folks here like it.