Erin, TN

Erin is Houston County’s seat, and every March the town leans hard into its Irish name. The city was perhaps named for Erin, the poetic name for Ireland; in 1962, local organizers began building what became the annual Wearing of the Green celebration, now a week of parades, pageants, music, crafts, and banquets. The Irish story also nods to the railroad workers who helped connect the town to the wider world. Erin became the county seat in 1878, when courts moved there from Arlington. So the local map has two strong lines: a courthouse town in the Tennessee hills and a St. Patrick’s season that takes over downtown every spring.