McMinn County, TN

McMinn County is located in eastern Tennessee along I-75 mid-way between the cities of Chattanooga and Knoxville. Within less than a one-hour drive, the regional amenities of either metro area may be enjoyed. The county is also within a short drive of the Oak Ridge National Laboratories, University of Tennessee Knoxville, University of Tennessee Chattanooga, the Great Smoky Mountains, and several outdoor recreational activities.  I-40 is within 35 miles and I-24 within 45 miles.  In addition to top rated interstate systems, McMinn County is also connected to many U.S and State Highways. U.S. Hwy. 11 and U.S. Hwy. 411 travel through the width of McMinn County providing secondary transportation routes.  McMinn County is served by two rail lines, CSX and Norfolk Southern, running the width of the county.  One of the largest available and certified industrial rail sites in the East Tennessee area – North Etowah Industrial Park – is located along the CSX line in the City of Etowah.  

McMinn County is included in Foreign Trade Zone #134.

McMinn County has its own general aviation airport – McMinn County Airport, Athens Air LLC – which serves as a gateway into McMinn County for visiting manufacturing companies and employees.  Seventy-five percent (75%) of traffic through the airport is business related and the airport’s general aviation runway (6,450 feet) is the longest in the State of Tennessee.  The airport can accommodate air cargo at hours convenient to industry.  Additionally, commercial and cargo airports McGhee Tyson and the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport are within an hour drive. 

McMinn County is home to several post‐secondary educational facilities, including: Tennessee Wesleyan University, Cleveland State Community College (CSCC), and Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT). The new McMinn Higher Education Center, expected to be complete in Fall 2021, will house both CSCC and TCAT. The Center will focus on advanced manufacturing training programs and will offer training space for industries to use for their internal training or third‐party vendor training.