Map of Sweetwater city, Tennessee

Sweetwater is a city in Monroe and McMinn counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the most populous city in Monroe County. The population was 5,764 at the 2010 census and 6,312 at the 2020 census. Sweetwater is the home of the Craighead Caverns which contains the Lost Sea, the United States’ largest underground lake. In 2022, TravelMag named Sweetwater one of Tennessee’s Ten Most Charming Cities.

Sweetwater city overview:
Name:	Sweetwater city
LSAD Code:	25
LSAD Description:	city (suffix)
State:	Tennessee
County:	McMinn County, Monroe County
Incorporated:	1875
Elevation:	915 ft (279 m)
Total Area:	8.85 sq mi (22.92 km²)
Land Area:	8.84 sq mi (22.89 km²)
Water Area:	0.01 sq mi (0.03 km²)
Total Population:	6,312
Population Density:	714.27/sq mi (275.79/km²)
ZIP code:	37874
Area code:	423
FIPS code:	4772540
GNISfeature ID:	1303970
Website:	www.sweetwatertn.net

Online Interactive Map

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Sweetwater online map. Source: Basemap layers from Google Map, Open Street Map (OSM), Arcgisonline, Wmflabs. Boundary Data from Database of Global Administrative Areas.

Sweetwater location map. Where is Sweetwater city?

Sweetwater location on the U.S. Map. Where is Sweetwater city. — Sweetwater location on the U.S. Map.

Sweetwater location on the Tennessee map. Where is Sweetwater city. — Location of Sweetwater in Tennessee.

History

A legend states that the town’s name originated from settlers’ descriptions of area springs.

Sweetwater was established in the 1850s on a series of lots sold by Isaac Lenoir (1807–1875), a local politician and son of the founder of Lenoir City (located a few miles to the northeast in Loudon County). Sweetwater was officially incorporated in 1875.

Sweetwater Road Map

Sweetwater city Satellite Map

Geography

Sweetwater is located at 35°36′9″N 84°28′1″W / 35.60250°N 84.46694°W / 35.60250; -84.46694 (35.602604, -84.466992). The city lies along Sweetwater Creek, which flows northeast for several miles before emptying into the Watts Bar Lake impoundment of the Tennessee River. The creek’s drainage has created a lowland area known as Sweetwater Valley, which is surrounded by low hills.

Sweetwater is centered along U.S. Route 11 between its junction with State Route 68 to the south and State Route 322 to the north. Interstate 75 passes along the western boundary of Sweetwater.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.9 square miles (18 km), all land.

Sweetwater is located in a valley amidst the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, and is surrounded by farmland.