Last modified on December 30, 2011, at 00:00

Tennessee River

The Tennessee River is a tributary of the larger Ohio River, and in turn a part of the Mississippi River System. It is approximately 652 miles in length and flows into the Ohio river at Paducah, Kentucky. The Tennessee River had an important part to play in the distribution of electricity in the Southeastern United States, when it was damed several times by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which was created in 1933 by an act of Congress. Nine separate dams control flooding, provide navigation far inland, produce electricity and provide opportunity for recreation on the Tennessee River.

Important cities along the Tennessee include Chattanooga and Knoxville in the state of Tennessee, and Huntsville in Alabama.