Middle Tennessee was a combination of vast farms and plantations, but it lacked a cotton culture, except a few counties in the southern half of the state. Because the soil in West Tennessee was suitable for big farms and plantations, a planter society similar to that of the Deep South flourished. The steepness of the ground simply did not allow for plantations. Middle Tennessee has a patchwork of terrain, generally mountainous but with some flat areas in the southern tier of counties.Īs a result, various cultures emerged, with East Tennessee being predominantly Appalachian and comprised of tiny farms.

West Tennessee is flat, while East Tennessee is mountainous. The topography is the most noticeable distinction. What is the difference between East and West Tennessee? That's how unique we like to believe we are. So, at the very least, we got ONE of our desires. As a result, we're trapped in Eastern.Įast Tennessee is known for doing things differently from the rest of the state. 'Hey, we want more daylight hours too!' we reasoned. But then East Tennessee, being the hipsters that we are, always thinks we're better than the other two divisions because, well, look at East Tennessee's history and you'll see why. Because that is where the dateline was placed to divide the state into two time zones.Īnd my science teacher once told me that save for the Smokiest, they were going to place all of Tennessee in Central. You might as well inquire as to why a slice of Texas is on Mountain Time.

It simply divides the state into two-thirds, with one-third in Eastern and the other two-thirds in Central. You're wondering why East Tennessee has Eastern, while Middle and West Tennessee has Central.īecause that's where the dateline is, it's simple. To know the current time zone in Tennessee: Tennessee is split between the Eastern and Central Time Zones in North America.Įastern Daylight Saving Time (EDT/UTC-4) is observed in counties east of and including Scott, Morgan, Roane, Rhea, and Hamilton from the second Sunday in March at 2 AM EST (07:00 UTC) until the first Sunday in November at 2 AM EDT (06:00 UTC), and Eastern Standard Time (EST/UTC-5) is observed the rest of the year.įrom the second Sunday in March at 2 AM CST (08:00 UTC) until the first Sunday in November at 2 AM CDT (07:00 UTC), counties west of Pickett, Fentress, Cumberland, Bledsoe, Sequatchie, and Marion are on Central Daylight Saving Time (CDT/UTC-5) and on Central Standard Time (CST/UTC-6) during the rest of the year.

Time zones map tennessee