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2016 Map of Rural Retreat

Name: 2016 Topographic Map of Rural Retreat
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2016
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2016

About this map

Rural Retreat and its neighboring communities sit within a complex valley system shaped by the Tennessee Valley Divide, where the waters of the Middle Fork Holston River and N Fork Holston River originate. The settlement pattern follows the lower elevations between Walker Mtn and Brushy Mtn, with a series of small hamlets like Murpheyville, Summit, and Groseclose clustered along the rail and road corridors.

Evidence of established family history and rural organization is clear through numerous burial sites, such as Kimberling Cem and Sunset Memorial Gardens Cem. The northern reach of the sheet is dominated by the Jefferson National Forest, where the Appalachian National Scenic Trail winds across high ridges like Little Brushy Mountain. This landscape serves as a transition from the agricultural valley floor to the timbered heights of the Blue Ridge, anchored by the Mountain Empire Airport near the Wythe and Smyth county line.