Jay Honeck wrote:

Just curious: Is there a reason for specifying "East" Tennessee?

There are sufficient reasons that the "welcome" signs at the Tennessee borders used
to say "Welcome to the Three Great States of Tennessee". I am in central New Jersey
at the moment. If I drove to the point in Tennessee which is closest to me, I would
not be even halfway to Memphis. When you have an area that long, you can expect a lot
of differences in the residents.

George Patterson
If you don't tell lies, you never have to remember what you said.