# Tennessee Valley Divide > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Tennessee_Valley_Divide > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Tennessee_Valley_Divide.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Valley_Divide > Source revision: 1306331718 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) The **Tennessee Valley Divide** is the boundary of the [drainage basin](/source/Drainage_basin) of the [Tennessee River](/source/Tennessee_River) and its tributaries. The Tennessee River drainage basin begins with its tributaries in southwestern [Virginia](/source/Virginia) and flows generally west to the confluence of the Tennessee with the [Ohio River](/source/Ohio_River) at [Paducah, Kentucky](/source/Paducah,_Kentucky). The Tennessee Valley Divide forms a loop surrounding the drainage basin, beginning and ending at the river's mouth in Paducah. The divide passes through or touches the states of [West Virginia](/source/West_Virginia), [Virginia](/source/Virginia), [North Carolina](/source/North_Carolina), [South Carolina](/source/South_Carolina), [Georgia](/source/Georgia_(U.S._state)), [Alabama](/source/Alabama), [Mississippi](/source/Mississippi), [Tennessee](/source/Tennessee) and [Kentucky](/source/Kentucky). ## Course ### Northern portion The northern portion of the divide mostly separates the Tennessee River watershed from that of [Cumberland River](/source/Cumberland_River),[1] except for a portion in the northeast that bounds the [Big Sandy River](/source/Big_Sandy_River_(Ohio_River_tributary)) and [New River](/source/New_River_(Kanawha_River)) watersheds.[2] All four rivers empty into the [Ohio River](/source/Ohio_River). Following the Divide in a clockwise direction, it leads east and southeast through western Kentucky through the [Land Between the Lakes](/source/Land_Between_the_Lakes), a narrow area between the Tennessee River and Cumberland River, then passes into Tennessee, where it continues southeast, passing south of the [Nashville Basin](/source/Nashville_Basin) on top of Duck River Ridge. Turning more to the east, the Divide climbs onto the low plateau of The Barrens, and then onto the higher [Cumberland Plateau](/source/Cumberland_Plateau). The Divide turns northeast along the crest of the Cumberland Plateau, then follows the ridgecrest of [Cumberland Mountain](/source/Cumberland_Mountains#Cumberland_Mountain) northeast to [Cumberland Gap](/source/Cumberland_Gap), at the junction of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia. The Divide continues northeast along the Kentucky–Virginia border, first following Cumberland Mountain, then Little Black and [Black Mountain](/source/Black_Mountain_(Kentucky)), after which it turns east into Virginia. The Divide follows the crest of Sandy Ridge northeast until it briefly touches the West Virginia border, then turns southeast near [Tazewell, Virginia](/source/Tazewell,_Virginia). From there, the divide follows an irregular line towards the south. In this area of southwestern [Virginia](/source/Virginia), the divide forms the boundary between the drainage of the Tennessee River and the [New River](/source/New_River_(Kanawha_River)), which also flows to the [Ohio River](/source/Ohio_River). ### Eastern portion Past a point near [Blowing Rock, North Carolina](/source/Blowing_Rock,_North_Carolina) in the [Blue Ridge Mountains](/source/Blue_Ridge_Mountains), the Tennessee Valley Divide coincides with the [Eastern Continental Divide](/source/Eastern_Continental_Divide). To the east, water drains into the [Santee River](/source/Santee_River) and [Savannah River](/source/Savannah_River) watersheds, both of which lead directly to the [Atlantic Ocean](/source/Atlantic_Ocean).[3] The Tennessee Valley Divide diverges from the Eastern Continental Divide at a point just northeast of [Tray Mountain](/source/Tray_Mountain). ### Southern portion From there, the Tennessee Valley Divide trends generally westward, dividing the Tennessee Valley in [Alabama](/source/Alabama) from the generally southward-flowing rivers of [Alabama](/source/Alabama) and [Mississippi](/source/Mississippi). The [Mobile River](/source/Mobile_River) watershed makes up the greatest portion of this, but is a short divide with the [Apalachicola River](/source/Apalachicola_River) in the southeast.[4] Some of those rivers, such as the [Tombigbee River](/source/Tombigbee_River), have their headwaters remarkably close to the Tennessee River. The divide then turns north, with smaller rivers draining to the west directly into the [Mississippi River](/source/Mississippi_River): the [Hatchie River](/source/Hatchie_River), [Forked Deer River](/source/Forked_Deer_River), [Obion River](/source/Obion_River), and [Mayfield Creek](/source/Mayfield_Creek_(Kentucky)). Finally, there is a divide with [Massac Creek](/source/Massac_Creek_(Kentucky)), which drains into the Ohio River.[1][5] It ends at the foot of Broadway in downtown Paducah, Kentucky, which also marks Mile 0 of the Tennessee River at its confluence with the Ohio. ## References 1. ["Tennessee Watersheds"](https://www.tn.gov/environment/program-areas/wr-water-resources/watershed-stewardship/tennessee-watersheds.html). *Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20241217044107/https://www.tn.gov/environment/program-areas/wr-water-resources/watershed-stewardship/tennessee-watersheds.html) 2024-12-17 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-01-03. 1. ["Virginia's Major Watersheds"](https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil-and-water/wsheds). *Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation*. Retrieved 2025-01-03. 1. ["Map of North Carolina River Basins"](https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/map-north-carolina-river-basins). *U.S. Geological Survey*. Retrieved 2025-01-03. 1. ["River Systems"](http://www.alh2o.org/river-systems/). *Alabama Rivers and Streams Network*. Retrieved 2025-01-03. 1. ["Kentucky Surface Water"](https://www.uky.edu/KGS/water/water-surface-water.php). *Kentucky Geological Survey*. Retrieved 2025-01-02. There are three [GNIS](/source/GNIS) entries for the Tennessee Valley Divide, with coordinates: - (Most locations) - (Georgia) - (North Carolina) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Tennessee Valley Divide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Valley_Divide) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Valley_Divide?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.