Editing Rhea County, Tennessee (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Watts-bar-cooling-towers-tn1.jpg|right|225px|thumb|The cooling towers of Watts Bar Nuclear Generating Station, with the Tennessee River in the foreground]]

According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|336|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|21|sqmi}} (6.3%) are covered by water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_47.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 14, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}}</ref>

[[Walden Ridge]], part of the [[Cumberland Plateau]], provides Rhea County's border with [[Bledsoe County, Tennessee|Bledsoe County]] to the west. The Tennessee River forms Rhea's border with [[Meigs County, Tennessee|Meigs County]] to the east. Whites Creek, a tributary of the Tennessee River, forms Rhea's border with [[Roane County, Tennessee|Roane County]] to the north.  [[Watts Bar Dam]] straddles the Tennessee River near Spring City. The section of the river upstream from the dam is part of Watts Bar Lake, and the section downstream is part of [[Chickamauga Dam|Chickamauga Lake]]. A nuclear power plant, [[Watts Bar Nuclear Generating Station]], is located near Watts Bar Dam.

The major north–south road in Rhea County is [[U.S. Route 27]]. Major east–west roads include State Route 30, which intersects US-27 in Dayton, and State Route 68, which connects Spring City with [[Madisonville, Tennessee|Madisonville]] and [[Crossville, Tennessee|Crossville]].

===Adjacent counties===
*[[Cumberland County, Tennessee|Cumberland County]] (northwest/CST Border)
*[[Roane County, Tennessee|Roane County]] (northeast)
*[[Meigs County, Tennessee|Meigs County]] (east)
*[[Hamilton County, Tennessee|Hamilton County]] (south)
*[[Bledsoe County, Tennessee|Bledsoe County]] (west/CST Border)

===State protected areas===
*Chickamauga Wildlife Management Area (part)
*[[Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park|Cumberland Trail]] (part)
*Hiwassee Refuge (part)
*Laurel-Snow State Natural Area
*Piney Falls State Natural Area
*Stringing Fork Falls State Natural Area
*Yuchi Refuge