Elkton, TN

Elkton is a Giles County city on the Elk River in southern Tennessee, where the 2020 census counted 545 residents. Most of the city sits on the river’s north bank. U.S. Route 31 passes along the west side, running 14 miles northwest to Pulaski, the county seat, and five miles south to Ardmore at the Alabama border; Interstate 65 lies just east.

The Elk River was one of the routes used by early settlers entering Giles County, and two early communities grew along this stretch of water. Lower Elkton formed near the mouth of Richland Creek, while another settlement three miles upstream became Elkton proper. Flatboats once carried farm produce from the river, and Highway 31 later became the road residents remembered as the town’s main paved connection. Elkton still sits where river, state line, highway, and county roads meet, with the waterway shaping how this small city became a recognizable stop in southern Middle Tennessee for travelers and local families alike.