Crab Orchard, TN

Tucked into a natural gap in the Crab Orchard Mountains, Crab Orchard is a quiet Cumberland Plateau community of around 700 residents. Life here moves at an easy pace, surrounded by wooded ridges, open skies, and quick access to outdoor spots like Ozone Falls and the Cumberland Trail. The town itself is small and rural, with a few local churches and neighborhood businesses, while the larger town of Crossville is just ten miles west for groceries, hospitals, and everyday shopping.

ATTRBrian Stansberry / CC BY 3.0

The community traces its history back to the late 1700s, when travelers named the mountain pass for the wild crabapple trees growing along the trail. The area is also world-famous for Crab Orchard stone, a distinctive, durable sandstone that has been quarried here for generations and shipped across the country. For newcomers, Crab Orchard offers a friendly, small-town atmosphere and plenty of space to settle down, with mountain views right outside your door.