Obion, TN

Obion grew from Obion Station, a railroad stop established in 1872 on William M. Wilson’s land along the Obion River. The Chesapeake, Ohio & Southwestern Railroad put the town on a regional line, and the river gave both the town and county their names. The 2020 census counted 991 residents. The surrounding farms grow wheat, cotton, corn, and soybeans, with farm trucks moving through town toward Obion Grain.

An industrial piece now sits in the same farm-to-market pattern. POET Bioprocessing’s facility near Obion was acquired in 2025 and produces 120 million gallons of bioethanol a year, with corn storage, rail infrastructure, and about 70 team members. Obion County Schools serves the area through schools based elsewhere in the county, while the town itself provides city hall, utilities, fire protection, three parks, a ballpark, and a community center. Obion’s present map is therefore a river town with a grain economy, a large bioprocessing plant, and civic services gathered around Palestine Avenue and the parks.