GEORGIA
DADE COUNTY
Dade County Georgia is the northwestern-most county in the state. It was established in 1837 and named after Major Francis Langhorne Dade. Historically isolated by mountains, it was known as the “Independent State of Dade” because it seceded from the Union in 1860 due to political isolation and did not officially return until 1945. The US Mint recognized this issue when it produced the Georgia state quarter in 1999, leaving Dade County off of the northwestern-most portion of the outline of the state.
Rising Fawn was named for the child of a Cherokee chieftain whose tribal custom was to name a newborn after the first thing seen at dawn. Cloudland State Park is nearby, as is the Lookout Mountain Flight Park, the largest hang gliding school in the country. The iconic Georgia Game Park, with its “two headed calf” and “cow with five legs”, long closed, was here.
TRENTON
Named after the town in New Jersey, the historic Dade County courthouse built in 1926 is located here. The town contains a mural commemorating the “Independent State of Dade”. If you’re hungry, Thatcher’s BBQ on US 11 has spuds, “buckets”, and “shovels” that will satisfy the most-famished of your group.
Named for the region where most of the first settlers originated, New England was one of many unsuccessful attempts by Northern investors (this one in 1888) to develop a town in the South.
WILDWOOD
The Outdoor Wilderness Theater in Wildwood is the largest outdoor drive-in theater in the world.
ROCK CITY
Although Rock City is technically in Georgia, we will discuss it with our information on Chattanooga Tennessee.
Our next state is Tennessee, which gets its name from the Cherokee word “Tanasi” (or “Tanasse”) which was the name of a Cherokee town in the eastern part of the state. US 11 has two routes through Tennessee–11E and 11W–and a length of 234 miles. Get ready for caves, trains and basketballs!