These Are The 10 Most Redneck Cities in Tennessee


We used science and data to determine which cities in the Volunteer State are redneck heaven.

Nick James, RoadSnacks
July 11, 2015 - 438,563 views
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This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as info-tainment. Don’t freak out.

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Due to Popular Demand: Bolivar residents click here to get your ‘Number One Redneck City in Tennessee’ T-Shirts.

Is there anything really wrong with being called a redneck?

It’s a part of our culture. Rednecks are hailed as being great in our song lyrics. They’re prominently featured in reality television. There are even video games about rednecks.

So, you’d think people who are rednecks would be proud to be called a redneck.

Wait. What is a redneck anyways? Well, according to the official bible of literature, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a redneck is:

“A white person who lives in a small town or in the country especially in the southern U.S., who typically has a working-class job, and who is seen by others as being uneducated and having opinions and attitudes that are offensive.”

Plus, we thought why not add in a few stereotypes? Cause, you know, rednecks like to hunt, drink, smoke and shoot things. And shop at Walmart.

Using that criteria, it’s not hard to scrape the internet, run some scientific data on where rednecks might live in Tennessee, and then put out a list.

Because, the data never lies, does it?

So, hold our beers and watch this. After analyzing all 106 cities with a decent amount of people in them, we came up with this list as The Most Redneck Cities in Tennessee:

  1. Bolivar (Photos)
  2. Rockwood (Photos)
  3. Winchester (Photos)
  4. Pulaski (Photos)
  5. Lexington (Photos)
  6. Lawrenceburg (Photos)
  7. Lewisburg (Photos)
  8. Elizabethton (Photos)
  9. Maryville (Photos)
  10. Springfield (Photos)

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked.

For more Tennessee reading, check out:

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What redneck criteria did we use?

In order to rank the most redneck cities in Tennessee, we first limited it to places with more than 5,00 people to keep things as apples-to-apples as possible.

We then had to determine what criteria makes a redneck.

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using Yelp and the Walmart store locator, this is the criteria we used:

The dictionary definition categories

  • Small towns
  • Least amount of high school graduates per capita
  • Lives in the south

And the stereotypical categories

  • Number of dive bars per city
  • Number of dentists per capita
  • Number of tobacco stores per city
  • Number of guns and ammo stores per city
  • Number of Walmarts per capita

Note: For the sake of getting reliable numbers, we counted places within a city’s border, as well as within a short driving distance.

If you’d like to see the complete list of cities, scroll to the bottom of this post to see a link to the abridged chart.

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1. Bolivar

Population: 5,364
Gun stores per capita: 2nd in the state
Tobacco shops per capita: 5th in Tennessee
High school graduates per capita: 4th lowest
Walmarts per capita: 1st in Tennessee

Congratulations, Bolivar. You have the official bragging rights as being named the most redneck city in the entire state of Tennessee. You may now brag to your friends and share this endlessly on your Facebook walls.

Lets see why. Bolivar has a Walmart Supercenter. And there’s only 5,300 people there. That means they get an entire Walmart all to their own!

In all seriousness, Bolivar has the second-highest number of gun stores per capita, the second-highest number of smoke shops per capita and the fourth-lowest number of high school graduates in the entire state of Tennessee.

Little Bolivar won by a landslide.

For all interested parties, Bolivar is located about 90 minutes east of Memphis. Go there and prosper, young rednecks!

Bolivar residents click here to get your ‘Number One Redneck City in Tennessee’ T-Shirts.

2. Rockwood

Population: 5,537
High school graduates per capita: 9th lowest in the state
Tobacco stores per capita: 7th highest
Walmarts per capita: 2nd in Tennessee

Rockwood has everything a redneck needs. There’s a Walmart and a community college in town. You’ve got two tobacco stores in a very small area. You got Sam’s Place to drown your sorrows in (pictured above). Plus, it’s 92% white.

Rednecks love to fish, and Watts Bar Lake is a huge, sprawling waterway perfect for a long day out in the boat.

Did you know actress Megan Fox is from Rockwood? Didn’t know she was a redneck.

3. Winchester

Population: 8,475
Gun stores per capita: 7th highest
Fishing stores per capita: 3rd most in the state

Can you think of a more redneck name for a town than Winchester? You can bet there are a lot of gun and ammo stores here. In fact, Winchester has the seventh-highest number of gun stores in the state, per capita. You can bet they fill a lot of turkey and deer tags down there.

There are almost more fishing and tackle shops per capita here than anywhere else in Tennessee, too. And there’s a lot of opportunity to catch some bass, as Tim’s Ford Lake has some of the best bass fishing in the state. Locals enjoy going to Larry’s Bar-B-Q, a place so redneck they don’t even have a website.

4. Pulaski

Population: 7,850
Bars in region per capita: 12th most in Tennessee
Fishing gear per capita: 18th in the state
Tobacco stores per capita: 17th

Somewhere down in southern Tennessee you’ll find the tiny town of Pulaski. Locals can choose from Sarge’s or Kathy’s Tavern after they’re done trolling down at Richland Creek, which meanders right through town.

Plus, this little place has a Walmart and a Home Depot, all in the same parking lot. So, while dad is getting some plywood for that new deck, mom and the kids can get their shopping on, too.

However, maybe Pulaski rednecks are a little stubborn. As one local put it on City-Data, “If you aint’ from Pulaski, you ain’t part of the ‘community’ ‘.

5. Lexington

Population: 7,703
Dentists in town: 3
Tobacco shops per capita: 4th most in Tennessee
Bars per capita in the region: 12th most in the state

Lexington has three tobacco stores, a Walmart, and is right on the banks of Beech Lake. Locals also have the option of trolling at the nearby Big Sandy River and Forked Deer River. Plus, there aren’t many pesky dentists in town reminding Lexingtonians they should probably quit chewing tobacco.

What else would a redneck want?

6. Lawrenceburg

Population: 10,413
Fishing gear per capita: 4th most in Tennessee
Bars per capita and nearby: 12th highest in the state
High school graduates per capita: 14th lowest

Lawrenceburg is a little west of Pulaski on Route 64 in southern Tennessee. Outside of Shoals Creek, there’s limited fishing in the area, but plenty of smaller ponds and lakes. When did a ‘no fishing’ sign ever stop a redneck?

Lawrenceburg ranks high in Tennessee for least number of high school graduates and number of bars in the area. Plus, the city is 94% white, and according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, that means lots and lots of rednecks.

Plus, possible the most redneck American of them all, Davy Crockett, lived here for a long period of his life.

7. Lewisburg

Population: 11,121
Bars per capita and the area: 12th most in the state
Gun stores per person: 11th highest
High school graduates per capita: 15th lowest in Tennessee

On the banks of Big Rock Creek is the little city of Lewisburg. Located along I-65 an hour south of Nashville, Lewisburg ranks high as a redneck city primarily due to the number of bars and gun stores in the area. Daryl’s Guns is pictured above.

Local rednecks pile into Trolls Tavern. And since Lewisburg is in the ‘rolling hills of Middle Tennessee’, there’s lot of good hunting year round. Lewisburg rednecks who don’t want to drive to the many lakes and rivers in the area can simply head down to the Big Whiskers Catfish Farm, just outside of town.

8. Elizabethton

Population: 14,228
Fishing gear per capita: 6th most in Tennessee
Bars per capita: 13th highest in the state
Tobacco shops per person: 15th highest

Elizabethton has it made if you’re a redneck. It’s at the base of the Cherokee National Forest, which includes Watauga Lake as well as South Holston Lake. So you know there’s plenty of hunting and fishing nearby. And the Walmart is right at the base of the hills, so locals can stock up on the cheap before heading up the mountain.

There’s plenty of cigarette smoking going on as well. Locals don’t have a lot of opportunities for alcohol consumption within city limits, but there are plenty of dive bar options in nearby Johnson City.

And it’s 96% white.

Elizabethton might as well be redneck central in Tennessee when you consider all of those factors.

9. Maryville

Population: 27,547
High school graduates per capita: 3rd lowest in Tennessee
Bars per capita and nearby: 2nd most in the state
Fishing gear per person: 8th most

Maryville is actually the largest of the cities to top this list, meaning it has the most rednecks in the state of Tennessee. Congratulations.

While some will chime in that Maryville is a college town, take these numbers into consideration: Maryville residents actually have less education than those in Bolivar. There are only two other cities in Tennessee with less education, per capita. And, Maryville has nearly more dive bars per person than any other city in Tennessee. They’ll drink to that.

We didn’t factor in Maryville High School’s graduation rate. We simply looked at the number of people who live there who don’t have a high school diploma.

Per capita, Maryville has the fifth-most gun stores in the general vicinity as well.

So while most of the bars downtown Maryville might be considered ‘fratty’, the true rednecks who live here know how to find the dive bars just outside of town.

10. Springfield

Population: 16,445
Tobacco stores per capita: 6th most
Bars per capita: 12th most
Fishing gear per person: 18th most

Springfield is surrounded by creeks and has a Walmart smack dab in the middle. There’s plenty of places to get guns, beer, and to hunt, too, making it one of the most redneck cities in Tennessee.

There You Have It

We used the official dictionary definition of a redneck and stereotypes that the internet says are true. Then using science, we figured out the most redneck cities in Tennessee. If you’re analyzing smaller towns in Tennessee with blue collar workers, where people have lots of options for drinking, smoking, hunting and Walmarting, this is an accurate list.

Click here to see the data for all categories

Additionally, you might be interested in reading our post: 41 Photos Of Tennessee That Will Make You Want to Move There

Or, here’s a video we found that shows off Tennessee from above. A must watch!

If you’re curious enough, here are the least redneck cities in Tennessee, according to science.

  1. Tellico Village (Pop. 5,700)
  2. Farragut (Pop. 20,688)
  3. Germantown (Pop. 38,954)
  4. Spurgeon (Pop. 3,752)
  5. Lake City (Pop. 1,883)
City Population Worst Score Rank
Bolivar 5,432 7 1
Rockwood 5,537 13.67 2
Winchester 8,475 17.17 3
Pulaski 7,850 18.67 4
Lexington 7,703 18.67 5
Lawrenceburg 10,413 19.17 6
Lewisburg 11,121 19.17 7
Elizabethton 14,228 19.33 8
Maryville 27,547 19.67 9
Springfield 16,445 19.83 10
Clinton 9,827 20 11
Paris 10,139 20.67 12
Manchester 10,090 21.17 13
Humboldt 8,452 21.5 14
Fayetteville 6,887 21.83 15
Crossville 10,894 21.83 16
Dayton 7,217 22 17
Spencer 1,835 22.33 18
Brownsville 10,223 22.5 19
Harriman 6,369 23.17 20
Columbia 34,785 24.67 21
Covington 9,068 24.83 22
Lebanon 26,510 25.33 23
Loudon 5,460 25.83 24
Lenoir City 8,653 25.83 25
Greenbrier 6,420 26.33 26
Ripley 8,408 15 27
Henderson 6,263 27 28
Oakland 6,508 27 29
Goodlettsville 15,960 27.17 29
Morristown 29,112 27.67 31
Cleveland 41,461 27.83 32
Somerville 3,114 28.17 33
Dickson 14,629 28.5 34
Jonesborough 5,020 28.67 35
Sweetwater 5,827 28.83 35
Erwin 6,080 29 37
Tullahoma 18,769 29.17 38
Cookeville 30,439 29.5 39
Knoxville 179,973 30 39
Bristol 26,639 30 41
Union City 10,878 30.17 42
La Grange 91 30.83 43
Signal Mountain 7,573 31 44
Jackson 66,009 31.67 45
Jefferson City 8,118 31.67 45
Athens 13,492 31.83 47
Scotts Hill 925 31.83 47
New Union 1,111 32 49
Millington 10,377 32 50
Chattanooga 167,869 32.17 50
Milan 7,842 32.17 52
Dyersburg 17,132 32.17 53
Hartsville 7,827 32.33 54
Kingston 5,915 32.33 55
Alcoa 8,498 32.83 56
Middleton 836 32.83 57
Fairview 7,778 33.17 58
Maynardville 2,368 33.33 59
Gallatin 30,449 33.67 60
Pigeon Forge 5,917 34.33 61
Arlington 11,108 35 62
Mason 1,792 35 63
Kingsport 50,131 35.17 64
Millersville 6,181 35.17 64
Nashville 629,113 35.5 66
Memphis 651,050 35.83 67
South Fulton 1,999 35.83 68
Sewanee 2,959 36 69
Portland 11,454 36.33 70
Murfreesboro 109,172 37.17 71
Atoka 8,356 38.17 71
Bloomingdale 9,981 38.17 73
Mount Juliet 24,557 38.33 74
Lynchburg 6,349 38.33 74
Munford 5,929 39.17 76
White House 10,243 39.17 76
Clarksville 133,583 40 78
Lakewood Park 611 40 79
East Ridge 20,996 40.33 80
Johnson City 62,998 40.83 81
Hendersonville 51,500 41.33 82
Maury City 785 41.67 83
Franklin 64,833 42 84
Collegedale 8,367 42 85
Red Bank 11,723 42.17 86
Bartlett 54,452 42.5 87
Nolensville 5,812 42.67 88
Shackle Island 3,488 43.17 88
Collierville 44,613 43.33 90
Harrison 7,631 43.33 91
Church Hill 6,710 44 92
Sneedville 1,772 44.33 93
Mount Pleasant 4,576 45.33 94
Greenback 1,076 45.5 95
Greenfield 2,363 45.83 96
Oakdale 277 46.17 97
Brentwood 37,288 46.5 97
Silerton 267 46.5 99
Fairfield Glade 6,893 46.67 100
Lake City 1,883 46.83 101
Spurgeon 3,742 47 102
Germantown 38,954 47.33 102
Farragut 20,688 47.67 104
Tellico Village 5,700 48.17 105

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61 thoughts on “These Are The 10 Most Redneck Cities in Tennessee”

  1. Maryville 3rd LOWEST High School grad rate…based on what data? Maryville is one of the highest rated high schools in the state, you numbnuts. Where did you go to school to learn bogus research? That would be the 3rd lowest in the state. Thank you, and enjoy your day in fantasyland.

    Reply

    1. Maryville City School Snobs are always forgetting there is more than 1 school system in Blount County and the output of those school systems all end up in the population within the city limits. Realityville wishes you a lovely day!

      Reply

    2. If you had actually read the article you would have seen where it said “We didn’t factor in Maryville High School’s graduation rate. We simply looked at the number of people who live there who don’t have a high school diploma.” Way to prove the stereotype right there numbnuts.

      Reply

  2. The picture used and identified as Winchester is in Decherd, not Winchester. Your stats are wrong on gun stores and Wal marts. There is no Walmart in Winchester.

    Reply

    1. Actually, Walmart’s address is in Winchester. Everything along in there is in Winchester, Walmart, Hall’s Furniture, Credit Union, etc. I know, it’s strange, but it’s true.

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    2. West Tennessee is beyond a festering pit of hell. Jackson Tn is a big town of nothing! 100,000 people here, and there is nothing because of the Mafia 12 on the chamber and the political churches. Unless you want to eat, shop, or drink.

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    5. No it is NOT! I live in a beautiful place in TN. If you don’t like it, move. If you don’t live here, don’t come back.

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  5. Well she is right as far as Wal-Mart and Larry’s bbq is in Decherd but as far as Franklin County goes everyone knows every one and Redneck isn’t all we are but it’s the best town (Franklin County) to grow up in. You have everything a town needs from fishing, swimming, boating, riding trails for fourwheeler or horseback. We have golf, bars and Wal-Mart. Plus Dogwood festival, fishing tournaments, Parades several times a year, Polly Crockett festival, fireworks, High on the Hog bbq contest, and Christmas on the square and so much more that I can’t name them all. We stick together as a community and anyone able to be a part of it are lucky. But ranking Franklin County as 3rd would be more accurate. And we just had a rebel flag fly so yea Redneck and proud of our heritage. Southern hospitality is all you’ll find and we stand for our rights and beliefs.

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    2. Sounds like a great place! I’m in upper east Tennessee and I’ve never been to you town but I love festivals! We have the Covered Bridge festival here. We have the oldest covered bridge in the state here and a river flows right thru the middle of town. I guess we all have our rednecks, “bless their hearts”, but the warm, southern charmers out number them!

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    3. yea if u r a redneck. if u r from a city then its not the best place to grow up in. what if u r a black kid or urban teen? hmmmm?

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  6. Hey, where’s Selmer and Bucksnort? I grew up in Bolivar and live in Selmer now. Y’all also forgot Dean burg, Whiteville and Hornsby.

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  7. Junk journalism at it’s finest!!! Only 240 cities in TN not listed… with no obvious filter on population, since some of the included cities have less than 1k population.. go find a real article to write, and do your research if you plan to post something even semi serious..

    Reply

  8. Lake City is the 5th LEAST redneck. You do realize this is the town that just changed their name to “Rocky Top”…right? Your “data”, and the associated narrative, come across as myopic drivel.

    For the record, Maryville High School has a 91.7% graduation rate. You do understand the difference between lowest and highest, don’t you?

    Reply

  9. You left out the most redneck of redneck spots. Newport. Where cock fighting, moonshining and more are at the top of the list. Don’t think they have a Wal Mart which actually makes them more redneck because the closest one is going to be quite some distance.
    And I would maintain Dollar General and Family Dollar are far better indicators of redneck life.

    Reply

    1. Exactly what I wa thinking man, Newport is my home town. If they think those cities are redneck then I guess they ain’t ever seen our communities like del rio, parrottsville, cosby, and bybee

      Reply

  10. Very inaccurate conclusions based on questionable criteria. What is that quote that has been attributed to Mark Twain? “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” For example: Lake City, aka Rocky Top, scores least Redneck because, per capita, it has virtually no businesses, because everything there is boarded up, destitute or bankrupt. Farragut deserves least Redneck however. Just got back from a shopping trip. Yes, the Fresh Market had my favorite imported Italian biscotti, but I’m not paying $4.99 Lb. for Heirloom tomatoes when I can get Grainger Co. ones for $2.99! Shocking what one has to deal with.

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  11. Lexington has at least three dentists. Not sure what sources you used but they’re wrong. Please be accurate before you make potentially offensive allegations. I can take a joke but painting a picture of my hometown as a den of toothless idiots is maybe not so funny.

    Reply

      1. You’ve been there and you’re entitled to your opinion. I live there. It’s my home. If you want to laugh about the number of storage units per capita or the fact that Sonic is the center of our social structure, I’d laugh. But at least be accurate. There are five or six dental practices in Lexington. Big Sandy isn’t even in our town. Neither is the Forked Deer River. But Cub Lake, Pine Lake, Dogwood lake, Beech Lake, Pin Oak Lake and others are. I’m not offended by humor. I’m irritated by sloppy snooty journalism.

        Reply

      1. They updated the article. It initially said zero. They changed it to three because I said that there were “at least 3”. But that’s still wrong. After I got irritated that my community was misrepresented, I looked it up. There are 6. So that means about one dentist per 900 residents. What’s so shabby about that? Plus there’s the part of things where Big Sandy isn’t even in Lexington. If all that played into my hometown being such a redneck “haven” it seems to me that we don’t belong on the list at all. Cowardly to update the article without giving us the apology we’re owed. But I guess we “rednecks” from Lexington don’t deserve that.

        Reply

  14. If this where nothing more than a way for the writer to get his name recognized and click rates up then there would be a reason for people to get excited about this. If he were legit he would share his data and the weight he puts on each of the categories. I happen to live in the wealthiest county in the state (not bragging just true fact) and seeing some of the cities that ranked better than us on this is pretty funny. The publisher of this post should be a comedian.

    Reply

  15. Why was there not “scientific data” used in this by number of meth labs? Or how about firearm permits? Mobile homes vs homes without mobility? How many fast foods vs real restaurants ?? Maybe this could be another statistic formula!!

    Reply

  17. WERE I LEAVE IS A LOVEING TOWN CALLED ( Hohenwald Tennessee ) love every one an have fun an play BUT WE NEED SOMETHING FOR OUR KIDS A MALL BE GOOD AN A THEATER BE GOOD HAVE COOL RIGHTS IN TOWN FOR KIDS OR A THEM PARK BE GOOD IF SOMEONE OPEN THE DOOR FOR THIS AN SHOPS LIFE MUSIC AN MORE THAT WILL HELP BRING PEOPLE IN HOHENWALD TENNESSEE LIKE A MYSTERY THEATER YOU RIDE THE RIDE EVERY WHERE THAT BE FUN AN MORE YOU CAN DO ? WHAT DO YOU THANK WE NEED ?

    Reply

  18. Elizabethton probably should be top 3… when it comes to being redneck… Carter County would most likely be number 1 most redneck “County”…there are some truly good southern folk here. And there is plenty of fishing and hunting. Lots of tobacoo stores and used car lots… there is a great bar in Roan Mountain called the Beer Wash. Good folk.

    Reply

  20. For those who commented the entire state of Tennessee is a pit, hellhole or whatever.
    I am 99.9% certain no one has set you in cement. You are free to leave at any time and I of course wish you well. Having lived in the following states, California, Oregon, New Jersey, New York, New Hampshire and Delaware I would advise you to avoid them at all costs. I am near positive you will not like any of them, but go ahead & find out for yourself.
    I took this article as tongue in cheek, not really meant to be taken seriously. Really, who would judge a person by where they live? I wasn’t born here, but I have lived here for a good long while and I absolutely love Tennessee. It’s my favorite state.

    Reply

  21. LOL this list is not correct. You couldn’t even find Sunbright or never heard of it, where I was born and raised, which makes it #1 on redneck list.

    Reply

  23. Just so you know, we live in small town Tennessee. My husband and i were both raised here. We get deer and turkey tags EVERY year. We raise our own chicken for meat and eggs every year. We have a garden and raise our own vegetables. We do this because we have EDUCATED ourselves and choose to. My husband is a research engineer with a PHD. We both own our own businesses. If I am a redneck, I am proud of it!

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  24. they must have never heard of Samburg, Camden, or Big Sandy….Camden used to have a sign in town – and may still – that said “don’t let the sun set on your black a** here”…not endorsing, just saying…

    Reply

      1. I remember back in the late 1970’s there was a sign on 69A just before you entered Big Sandy that said something along the line of “Blacks, don’t let the sun set on you in this town.”

        The sign was located opposite of where the Big Sandy Supermarket is today.

        I don’t recall it after 1983 when I regularly went to Big Sandy to mussel dive with family from the area. But anyone who gets off on some of the back roads down Danville Road will realize there are still racist factions back there among the meth cookers.

        Reply

    2. never saw the sign so if wrong accept my apology, and also to the residents of this gem of a river city, perhaps urban legend but heard from many people including son in law who grew up nearby, I do know that an older brother nearly got killed there, was mussel diving on TN River during day and having beer at local dive with friend one evening, some of the locals thought his friend was looking at local girls in a manner not suiting them, they jumped them outside and sucker punched him, he held his own…they followed them to cabin they were staying in later that night with guns and knives and intent to finish them off but luckily the owner of cabin showed up with a .45 and ran them off…not exactly southern hospitality….and if you are from the NW TN area then you know about Samburg near Reelfoot Lake, another friendly little town…years ago locals dynamited a beer joint due to a turf issue….and if you want a fight, all you have to do is show up at the Lake Club as an out of towner and the wheels are in motion….

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  25. The picture you showed of Winchester it not even in winchester. . The winchester square is one of the nicest I’ve seen. And lots of money in Franklin county. The is BS

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  26. I live in Baileyton Tn. and this is a quite, nice little town outside of Greeneville Tn. I’ve lived here about 30 years of my 55years on this earth. Yes we are all rednecks that live here. I have a bachelor degree in human behavior and the people in Tn.are the friendliest people I’ve known in the United States. So call us rednecks but we stand together as one when you bad talk our state.

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  27. How is Soddy Daisy not even on the list? I’ve lived in Tennessee my entire life, and I find this list very humorous (in a good way). If I’m “offended” by anything, it’s the fact that Soddy Daisy didn’t make the list.

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  28. It makes no difference how they arrived at their top 10, I’m mighty proud to be from Lawrenceburg, “The Dimple of the Universe. Best place in Tennessee. And by the way, those who don’t know where Hohenwald is …. it’s only about an hour away. Pulaski is maybe 20 minutes away. One more thing….. don’t mess with us!

    Reply

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