Straddling The Kentucky-Tennessee Border, The Town Of Middlesboro Is One Of The Most Unique Places You'll Ever Visit
By Sarah McCosham|Published April 17, 2023
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Sarah McCosham
Author
I write like it's my job - because it is! I have a Master's in English and love words: crossword puzzles, Scrabble games, Wordle, and, of course, good, old-fashioned books.
I'm a writer and editor at OnlyInYourState, and a contributing writer at Cincinnati Magazine. I love the Great Outdoors and am endlessly awestruck by this beautiful country of ours. Coffee keeps me going, yoga keeps me sane, my kids keep me grounded, and my writing keeps me inspired.
From the canyons of Red River Gorge to the shores of Land Between the Lakes, the mountains of Appalachia to small towns and big cities of the Bluegrass, there’s no state more wholly, wonderfully unique than Kentucky. Straddling the Kentucky-Tennessee border, the town of Middlesboro is quite literally an outlier; it’s betwixt and between two Southern states with a unique identity and culture all its own.
In the far southeast corner of Kentucky, straddling the line between the Bluegrass State and the Volunteer State sits the lovely little town of Middlesboro.
From all appearances, Middlesboro is your typical small town in Kentucky, boasting a bustling business district full of well-supported local shops and restaurants.
And indeed, Middlesboro is most certainly a charming small town in Kentucky -- one of the state's finest, in fact. But it's also one of the most wholly, wonderfully unique towns in Kentucky.
For starters? Middlesboro is built entirely within a meteorite impact crater which is 3.6 miles across. It was founded by an English land company in the 1880s and named for Middlesborough, England.
With its location in the heart of coal country, Middlesboro is your classic mining town. Its mining history is epitomized by the Coal House. Built in 1926 with 42 tons of coal, today, this historic site houses the town's Chamber of Commerce.
The town's geography -- both in terms of natural resources and natural beauty -- is immensely important to Middlesboro's identity. Adjacent to Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Middlesboro has the kind of mountainous views prevalent in its neighbor to the South (hi, Tennessee!) -- but they're all ours!
This Southern spirit is alive and well in Middlesboro, with the town home to some fantastic eateries such as Shades Cafe & Steakhouse and Conley's Drive-In Restaurant. Wherever you go, you'll be warmly welcomed and fed like family.
With its mining legacy, scenic beauty, and whole unique geography, topography, and location, Middlesboro is, without a doubt, the most unique town in Kentucky!
Have you visited this unique Kentucky town before? There really is no place like Middlesboro, Kentucky! But then again, there’s no place like home in Kentucky.
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