Editing Elizabethton, Tennessee (section)

== Geography ==

=== Northeast Tennessee location ===
Elizabethton is located within the "Tri-Cities" area (encompassed by [[Bristol, Tennessee|Bristol]], [[Johnson City, Tennessee|Johnson City]], and [[Kingsport, Tennessee|Kingsport]]) of northeast Tennessee.<ref>[https://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/gazetteer-tbl?city=Elizabethton&state=&zip=37643 U.S. Gazetteer]{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

Time offset from [[Coordinated Universal Time]] (UTC): [[UTC-5]] ([[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern Time]]).

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|25.6|sqkm|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|25.2|sqkm|order=flip}} is land and {{convert|0.4|sqkm|order=flip|1}}, or 1.62%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010"/>

The elevation at [[Elizabethton Municipal Airport]] is {{convert|1593|ft|m}} ASL (the highest point of elevation in Carter County is at [[Roan Mountain (Roan Highlands)|Roan Mountain]] with an elevation of {{convert|6285|ft|m}} ASL), and the airport is located on the eastern side of the city along State Highway 91 Stoney Creek Exit.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.elizabethtonairport.com/ContentPages/Layout.htm |title= Untitled Document|website=www.elizabethtonairport.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070109081555/http://www.elizabethtonairport.com/ContentPages/Layout.htm |archive-date=January 9, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://tn.gov/environment/parks/RoanMtn/index.shtml|title=Tennessee State Parks|access-date=December 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130906000158/http://www.tn.gov/environment/parks/RoanMtn/index.shtml|archive-date=September 6, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Elizabethton is also connected to larger commercial, shuttle, and cargo flights out of [[Tri-Cities Regional Airport]] northwest of Johnson City.

Lynn Mountain reaches {{convert|2060|ft|m}} ASL at the summit (36.350°N, 82.191°W) and is located directly across the [[U.S. Highway 19E]] from the downtown Elizabethton business district.

Elizabethton is bordered on the west by [[Johnson City, Tennessee|Johnson City]].

=== Water resources and renewable energy ===

==== Spring Water ====
While most of the Tennessee public water-supply systems withdrawing spring water for their supplies are found in East Tennessee, the Elizabethton municipal water system during 2010 extracted and distributed 5.39 Mgal/d of clean spring water from three springs owned by the city --- a unique local supply of flowing spring water that greatly exceeds the volume of spring water extracted and distributed than any other local water resource system across the entire state of Tennessee.<ref>http://pubs.usgs.gov/wri/wri034264/PDF/PublicSupply.pdf "Public Water-Supply Systems And Associated Water Use in Tennessee, 2000. USGS Water-Resources Investigations Report 03-4264."</ref>

==== Doe River ====
[[File:The City of Power 37643.jpg|left|thumb|180px|"The City of Power" electric sign that was erected over the old Elk Avenue Bridge (circa 1912–1913).<ref name="ReferenceA"/>]]

The [[Doe River]] forms in [[Carter County, Tennessee]], near the [[North Carolina]] line, just south of [[Roan Mountain State Park]]. The river initially flows north and is first paralleled by State Route 143; at the community of [[Roan Mountain, Tennessee]], it then turns west and is at this point paralleled by [[U.S. Route 19E]]. The Doe River flows to the east of Fork Mountain; the [[Little Doe River]] flows by Fork Mountain to the west.

Below the confluence of the Doe River and the Little Doe River at [[Hampton, Tennessee|Hampton]], the Doe River then travels roughly in a northern downstream direction through the Valley Forge community, and is rejoined by U.S. Route 19E. Pushing through a mountain gap just north of Hampton, the volume of the river is amplified by the waters flowing from McCathern Spring.

[[File:Broad Street Bridge 37643.jpg|right|thumb|180px|Broad Street Bridge]]
Further downstream, the Doe River flows by the East Side neighborhood parallel with [[Tennessee State Route 67]] and then underneath the historic [[Elizabethton Covered Bridge]], built in 1882 and located within the Elizabethton downtown business district. Connecting 3rd Street and Hattie Avenue, the covered bridge is adjacent to a city park and spans the Doe River. The covered bridge, although now closed to motor traffic, is still open for bicycles and pedestrians.

Most of Elizabethton's downtown is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] for its historical and architectural merits. The Elizabethton Historic District contains a variety of properties ranging in age from the late 18th century through the 1930s. The Elizabethton Covered Bridge is an important focal point and a well-known landmark in the state. In addition to the covered bridge, the downtown historic district contains the 1928 Elk Avenue concrete arch bridge, and just a little further downstream on the Doe River, Tennessee State Route 67 passes another similar concrete arch bridge locally known as the Broad Street Bridge.

Elizabethton celebrates in the downtown business area for one week each June with the Elizabethton Covered Bridge Days featuring country and gospel music performances, activities for children, Elk Avenue car club show, and many food and crafts vendors.

==== Watauga River ====
[[File:WataugaTheBigHole.jpg|thumb|left|[[Raft guide]] plunging whitewater rafters downstream through "The Big Hole" in the [[Bee Cliff Rapids]]]]

Two [[Tennessee Valley Authority]] (TVA) reservoirs in Carter County—impounded behind the [[Watauga Dam]] (forming [[Watauga Lake]])<ref name="tva.gov2"/> and the immediately downstream [[Wilbur Dam]]<ref name="tva.gov">[http://www.tva.gov/sites/wilbur.htm Tennessee Valley Authority – Wilbur Reservoir.]</ref>—are located southeast and upstream of Elizabethton on the [[Watauga River]]. The [[Appalachian Trail]] crosses the Watauga River and the TVA reservation in Carter County to the southeast of Elizabethton.<ref name="tva.gov2">{{cite web|url=http://www.tva.gov/sites/watauga.htm|title=TVA – Watauga|publisher=Tennessee Valley Authority|access-date=December 19, 2016}}</ref><ref name="tva.gov"/>

The Watauga River flows westward past Elizabethton, which lies on the south bank of the Watauga and along either side of its principal tributary, the Doe River. The downtown business district is located approximately one-quarter mile upstream of the [[confluence]] of the Doe River and the Watauga River. The Doe River flows underneath the historic [[covered bridge|wooden covered bridge]] that is located within the Elizabethton downtown business district.

The city of Elizabethton was at one time promoted as "The City of Power", as the town is located just southeast of the Wilbur Dam hydrogeneration site spanning the Watauga River. Construction of Wilbur Dam first began during 1909, and two hydroelectric generating units were online with power production at Wilbur Dam when it was completed in 1912.<ref name="tva.gov" /> A third generating unit was added to Wilbur Dam in 1926, and a fourth hydrogeneration unit was added to Wilbur Dam after the Tennessee Valley Authority acquired the power production facility in 1945.<ref name="tva.gov" />

The [[Bee Cliff (Tennessee)|Bee Cliff Rapids]]—a popular summer destination on the Watauga River for [[rafting|whitewater rafters]] during the summer months—are located southeast of Elizabethton and downstream of the TVA Wilbur Dam.

The Watauga River downstream of the western side of Elizabethton has one of the only two sections of trophy trout streams in Tennessee.{{citation needed|date=July 2012}}

=== Holston Mountain communication towers ===
[[File:blueHole.jpg|right|thumb|180px|The main waterfall at Blue Hole Falls northeast of Elizabethton on Holston Mountain]]Elizabethton lies within a river valley basin mostly surrounded by mountain ridges and significant hills, such as [[Holston Mountain]], the southern end of which lies just to the northeast. Panhandle Road is located off State Highway 91 in Carter County and ascends Holston Mountain for {{convert|3|mi|0}} from the eastern side and ends {{convert|4|mi|0}} along the ridge southwest of Holston High Point. During periods of heavy snow and ice, the [[National Forest Service]] closes Panhandle Road.

Located near the [[Cherokee National Forest]] boundary and to the left of Panhandle Road is a parking area and foot trail that leads down the slope to the Blue Hole Falls (approximately {{convert|45|ft|m}} high). The last {{convert|3|mi|0}} of Panhandle Road are filled with washouts, steep drop-offs, and no turnarounds. Vehicle travel on this last section is at the driver's risk.

[[File:Holston High Point.jpg|left|thumb|180px|Holston High Point as seen from Holston High Knob]]
Early broadcasters in the 1950s and 1960s quickly realized Holston Mountain would be a prime radio-television transmission location because it is the highest visible point that faces most of the major cities in [[East Tennessee|Northeast Tennessee]]. As a result, the Holston Mountain ridge is the transmitter site for three television stations in the [[Tri-Cities, Tennessee]] Television [[Designated Market Area]]. The broadcasting antenna for [[WCYB-TV]], Channel 5, [[Bristol, Virginia]], is on Rye Patch Knob, with the top of the antenna {{convert|341|ft}} above ground, {{convert|2431|ft}} above the surrounding valley floor, and {{convert|4533|ft}} above sea level. The single tower the antenna sits on is the highest and tallest man-made structure on the mountain. The television towers for [[WJHL|WJHL-TV]], Channel 11, [[Johnson City, Tennessee|Johnson City]], and [[WKPT-TV]], Channel 19, [[Kingsport, Tennessee|Kingsport]], are standing side by side in a common broadcasting antenna farm on the southwest slope of Holston High Point, {{convert|1|mi}} southwest of Rye Patch Knob. The antenna for [[WJHL-TV]] stands {{convert|200|ft}} above ground, {{convert|2319|ft}} above the surrounding valley floor, and {{convert|4370|ft}} above sea level. The antenna for [[WKPT-TV]] next door stands {{convert|193|ft}} above ground, also {{convert|2319|ft}} above the valley floor, and {{convert|4366|ft}} above sea level. The stations' digital antennas are also on their respective towers.

Holston Mountain is also the transmitting site for three FM Class C radio stations: [[WTFM|WTFM-FM 98.5]], Kingsport, Tennessee; [[WXBQ|WXBQ-FM 96.9]], Bristol, Virginia, and [[WETS|WETS-FM]] 89.5, Johnson City, Tennessee. All three antennas and the backup antennas are located at the antenna farm on the southwest slope of Holston High Point. Also located on the ridge are the antenna for one FM Class C1 radio station, [[WHCB|WHCB-FM 91.5]], Bristol, Tennessee, located at Rye Patch Knob; one FM Class C2 antenna for radio station [[WCQR|WCQR-FM 88.3]], Kingsport, Tennessee, and one FM Class D antenna for radio station [[W214AP|W214AP-FM 90.7]], Johnson City, Tennessee, both transmitting from the antenna farm on the southwest slope of Holston High Point. Various U.S. federal, Tennessee state, Sullivan, Washington and Carter County governmental agencies, along with utility [[microwave relay]] stations, also transmit base-to-mobile communications from the Holston High Point antenna farm and Rye Patch Knob.

The [[FAA|Federal Aviation Administration]] maintains a navigational beacon at the Holston Mountain summit.

[[East Tennessee PBS]] (or "ETPtv"), while not having a television repeater station serving the immediate area, broadcasts programming on two different over-the-air digital channels that can be received and viewed at higher hilltop elevations in Elizabethton. In early 2009, ETPtv became one of the first stations in East Tennessee to broadcast a digital high definition signal 24 hours a day.

=== Climate ===
{{Weather box
|location = Elizabethton, Tennessee (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1895–present)
|single line = Y
|Jan record high F = 78
|Feb record high F = 82
|Mar record high F = 84
|Apr record high F = 93
|May record high F = 97
|Jun record high F = 102
|Jul record high F = 105
|Aug record high F = 99
|Sep record high F = 98
|Oct record high F = 92
|Nov record high F = 87
|Dec record high F = 80
|year record high F = 105
|Jan high F = 46.2
|Feb high F = 50.4
|Mar high F = 58.9
|Apr high F = 69.0
|May high F = 76.6
|Jun high F = 82.9
|Jul high F = 85.5
|Aug high F = 85.0
|Sep high F = 80.1
|Oct high F = 70.0
|Nov high F = 58.5
|Dec high F = 49.5
|year high F = 67.7
|Jan mean F = 35.9
|Feb mean F = 39.2
|Mar mean F = 46.6
|Apr mean F = 55.5
|May mean F = 64.2
|Jun mean F = 71.2
|Jul mean F = 74.5
|Aug mean F = 73.7
|Sep mean F = 67.9
|Oct mean F = 57.0
|Nov mean F = 45.9
|Dec mean F = 39.2
|year mean F = 55.9
|Jan low F = 25.5
|Feb low F = 28.1
|Mar low F = 34.2
|Apr low F = 41.9
|May low F = 51.8
|Jun low F = 59.6
|Jul low F = 63.5
|Aug low F = 62.3
|Sep low F = 55.6
|Oct low F = 44.0
|Nov low F = 33.3
|Dec low F = 28.8
|year low F = 44.1
|Jan record low F = −21
|Feb record low F = −17
|Mar record low F = −2
|Apr record low F = 20
|May record low F = 28
|Jun record low F = 39
|Jul record low F = 46
|Aug record low F = 43
|Sep record low F = 31
|Oct record low F = 22
|Nov record low F = 10
|Dec record low F = −12
|year record low F = -21
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 3.78
|Feb precipitation inch = 3.76
|Mar precipitation inch = 3.97
|Apr precipitation inch = 3.81
|May precipitation inch = 4.43
|Jun precipitation inch = 5.16
|Jul precipitation inch = 5.86
|Aug precipitation inch = 4.20
|Sep precipitation inch = 3.00
|Oct precipitation inch = 2.80
|Nov precipitation inch = 3.36
|Dec precipitation inch = 3.90
|year precipitation inch = 48.03
|Jan snow inch = 1.9
|Feb snow inch = 2.1
|Mar snow inch = 0.1
|Apr snow inch = 0.0
|May snow inch = 0.0
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.0
|Nov snow inch = 0.1
|Dec snow inch = 1.8
|year snow inch = 6.0
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 12.5
|Feb precipitation days = 12.2
|Mar precipitation days = 13.1
|Apr precipitation days = 11.9
|May precipitation days = 12.7
|Jun precipitation days = 13.4
|Jul precipitation days = 13.5
|Aug precipitation days = 11.6
|Sep precipitation days = 9.0
|Oct precipitation days = 8.9
|Nov precipitation days = 10.2
|Dec precipitation days = 12.8
|year precipitation days = 141.8
|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 1.2
|Feb snow days = 1.2
|Mar snow days = 0.4
|Apr snow days = 0.0
|May snow days = 0.0
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.0
|Nov snow days = 0.3
|Dec snow days = 1.2
|year snow days = 4.3
| source 1 = [[NOAA]]<ref name=nws>
{{cite web
| url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=mrx
| title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = May 28, 2021}}</ref><ref name=NCEI>
{{cite web
| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00402806&format=pdf
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
| title = Station: Elizabethton, TN
| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020)
| access-date = May 28, 2021}}</ref>
}}

=== Connection with Interstate Highway System ===
The closest Interstate Highway is [[Interstate 26|I-26]] in Johnson City. To reach Elizabethton, drivers take Exit 24 and head east {{convert|8|mi|0}} on [[U.S. Route 321]] and [[Tennessee State Route 67]].