Dixie Lee Junction, Tennessee
Encyclopedia
Dixie Lee Junction is an unincorporated community
in Loudon County, Tennessee
, United States
, situated at the intersection of U.S. Route 70
and U.S. Route 11
. The community is named for its historical location at the junction of the eastern leg of the Dixie Highway
(which followed US-70 through the region) and the Lee Highway
(which followed US-11). From the advent of automobile travel in the late 1920s until the construction of the Interstate Highway System
in the late 1950s and 1960s, these two highways were major cross-country routes, and Dixie Lee Junction developed as a "last chance" stopover for tourists traveling southward from Knoxville
. While the completion of the interstates drew away most of the cross-country traffic, the US-70/US-11 intersection still serves a strategic role as the western end of the four-lane Kingston Pike, a major commercial thoroughfare in western Knox County
.
The Dixie Lee Junction community lies adjacent to the town of Farragut
, with the Knox-Loudon county line (which runs perpendicular
to Kingston Pike) being the technical boundary between the two communities. US-70 approaches Dixie Lee Junction from Kingston
to the west, and US-11 approaches from Lenoir City
to the southwest. The merged highways then continue eastward for 20 miles (32.2 km) through Farragut and Knoxville. Two major interstate highways, Interstate 40
and Interstate 75
, merge just northwest of Dixie Lee Junction.
The Dixie Highway was conceived in 1914 to provide a convenient route from the Midwestern United States
to Florida. Its eastern section entered downtown Knoxville via Broadway before veering westward along Cumberland Avenue and out into West Knoxville along Kingston Pike. The Lee Highway which connected New York and San Francisco, entered Knoxville from Rutledge
to the northeast, and merged with the Dixie Highway in downtown Knoxville.
Knoxville lay along the Dixie Highway roughly halfway between the Midwestern states and Florida, and thus made a convenient place for Florida-bound tourists to stop for the night. Throughout the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, Kingston Pike was lined with motor courts and motels, and restaurants with oddly-shaped buildings and flashy signs designed to catch the attention of passers-by. Businesses in Dixie Lee Junction during this period consisted of "last-chance" ventures that provided food, fuel, and other supplies before south-bound drivers entered a predominantly-rural stretch of the highway en route to Chattanooga.
There is another Dixie Lee Junction, formally named simply Dixie Lee, in Marion County, Tennessee
, where Lee Highway intersects the western leg of the Dixie Highway just west of Kimball
.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Loudon County, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, situated at the intersection of U.S. Route 70
U.S. Route 70
U.S. Route 70 is an east–west United States highway that runs for 2,385 miles from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. As can be derived from its number, it is a major east–west highway of the Southern and Southwestern United States...
and U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11 is a north–south United States highway extending 1,645 miles across the eastern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 90 in the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge in eastern New Orleans, Louisiana. The northern terminus is at the United...
. The community is named for its historical location at the junction of the eastern leg of the Dixie Highway
Dixie Highway
The Dixie Highway was a United States automobile highway, first planned in 1914 to connect the US Midwest with the Southern United States. It was part of the National Auto Trail system, and grew out of an earlier Miami to Montreal highway. The final result is better understood as a small network of...
(which followed US-70 through the region) and the Lee Highway
Lee Highway
The Lee Highway was a National Auto Trail in the United States connecting New York City and San Francisco, California via the South and Southwest. It was named after Robert E...
(which followed US-11). From the advent of automobile travel in the late 1920s until the construction of the Interstate Highway System
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
in the late 1950s and 1960s, these two highways were major cross-country routes, and Dixie Lee Junction developed as a "last chance" stopover for tourists traveling southward from Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
. While the completion of the interstates drew away most of the cross-country traffic, the US-70/US-11 intersection still serves a strategic role as the western end of the four-lane Kingston Pike, a major commercial thoroughfare in western Knox County
Knox County, Tennessee
Knox County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its 2007 population was estimated at 423,874 by the United States Census Bureau. Its county seat is Knoxville, as it has been since the creation of the county. The county is at the geographical center of the Great Valley of East Tennessee...
.
The Dixie Lee Junction community lies adjacent to the town of Farragut
Farragut, Tennessee
Farragut is a town in Knox and Loudon counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, and is generally a suburb of nearby Knoxville. Farragut's population was 20,689 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area...
, with the Knox-Loudon county line (which runs perpendicular
Perpendicular
In geometry, two lines or planes are considered perpendicular to each other if they form congruent adjacent angles . The term may be used as a noun or adjective...
to Kingston Pike) being the technical boundary between the two communities. US-70 approaches Dixie Lee Junction from Kingston
Kingston, Tennessee
Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Roane County, Tennessee, United States, and is adjacent to Watts Bar Lake. Kingston, with a population of 5,264 at the 2000 United States census, is included in the Harriman, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area....
to the west, and US-11 approaches from Lenoir City
Lenoir City, Tennessee
Lenoir City is a city in Loudon County, Tennessee, United States. Its population was 8,642 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area....
to the southwest. The merged highways then continue eastward for 20 miles (32.2 km) through Farragut and Knoxville. Two major interstate highways, Interstate 40
Interstate 40
Interstate 40 is the third-longest major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90 and I-80. Its western end is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern end is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina...
and Interstate 75
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
, merge just northwest of Dixie Lee Junction.
The Dixie Highway was conceived in 1914 to provide a convenient route from the Midwestern United States
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
to Florida. Its eastern section entered downtown Knoxville via Broadway before veering westward along Cumberland Avenue and out into West Knoxville along Kingston Pike. The Lee Highway which connected New York and San Francisco, entered Knoxville from Rutledge
Rutledge, Tennessee
Rutledge is a town in Grainger County, Tennessee, United States. It is the county seat of Grainger County. It is part of the Morristown, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area...
to the northeast, and merged with the Dixie Highway in downtown Knoxville.
Knoxville lay along the Dixie Highway roughly halfway between the Midwestern states and Florida, and thus made a convenient place for Florida-bound tourists to stop for the night. Throughout the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, Kingston Pike was lined with motor courts and motels, and restaurants with oddly-shaped buildings and flashy signs designed to catch the attention of passers-by. Businesses in Dixie Lee Junction during this period consisted of "last-chance" ventures that provided food, fuel, and other supplies before south-bound drivers entered a predominantly-rural stretch of the highway en route to Chattanooga.
There is another Dixie Lee Junction, formally named simply Dixie Lee, in Marion County, Tennessee
Marion County, Tennessee
Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 27,776. Its county seat is Jasper.Marion County is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:According to the U.S...
, where Lee Highway intersects the western leg of the Dixie Highway just west of Kimball
Kimball, Tennessee
Kimball is a town in Marion County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,312 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Kimball is located at ....
.