Oakdale, TN

Oakdale is a town located along the Emory River in Morgan County, Tennessee, United States. The 2020 census counted 203 residents. Oakdale was originally known as "Honeycutt" after an early settler, Allen Honeycutt. In the 1880s, the Cincinnati Southern Railway, which connected Chattanooga and Cincinnati, was built through the area, intersecting the vast system of the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad at Emory Gap near Harriman. Taken together, these details give a newcomer a usable picture of Oakdale, where its history, geography, and current gathering places meet.

For Oakdale, the memorable detail is the way older history and current gathering places share one local map. Oakdale is situated along the Emory River in a relatively hilly area atop the Cumberland Plateau, and is concentrated primarily in two areas on each side of the river. The western side is located along a slope that descends from State Route 299 to a flood plain along the river, and includes the town hall, fire department, and several houses.