ELIZABETHTON

city, seat (1796) of Carter county, northeastern Tennessee, U.S., at the confluence of the Doe and Watauga rivers, in the southern Appalachian Mountains and the Unaka Division of the Cherokee National Forest, just east of Johnson City. Situated in Happy Valley, it is one of the region's oldest settlements, where a compact for self-government (the Watauga Association) was made in 1772. The community was named for Elizabeth (wife of Landon Carter, an early settler, for whom the county was named). From nearby Sycamore Shoals (now a state historic area), Revolutionary War patriots marched to the Battle of Kings Mountain (1780) in South Carolina. President Andrew Johnson died at Stover House, on the banks of the Watauga. The city's varied manufactures include synthetic yarns, twine, clothing, corrugated boxes, piano strings, and furniture. Milligan College (founded 1866) is 5 miles (8 km) east. Nearby Watauga and Boone lakes are impounded by Tennessee Valley Authority dams and provide recreational facilities. Inc. 1905. Pop. (1992 est.) 11,945.