Roan Mountain is a census-designated place (CDP) in Carter County, Tennessee, United States.

In September 1780, the Overmountain Men— a group of American soldiers from the trans-Appalachian frontier who fought during the American Revolution— passed through Roan Mountain en route to North Carolina, where they would engage and defeat a group of loyalists at the Battle of Kings Mountain.

[6] During the 1870s, John T. Wilder, an industrialist and former Union general, began purchasing large tracts of iron ore-rich lands in the Roan Mountain area, and established several mining operations in the region.

In 1885, he established a resort atop the mountain, the Cloudland Hotel, which catered to people seeking relief from hay fever and other seasonal allergies.

[7][8] In 1998, Roan Mountain was victim of massive flooding due to a devastating winter storm which caused widespread damage.

[9] According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 6.6 square miles (17.2 km2), all land.

The Roan Mountain Rhododendron Festival is held each summer at the lower elevation of Roan Mountain State Park, offering visitors opportunities to sample traditional foods, purchase locally handmade crafts, and listen to a variety of traditional Southern Appalachian musicians, as well as to view the alpine catawba rhododendron gardens whose blooming season usually peaks during the third or fourth weekend in June.

This family band has been featured at venues including the Smithsonian Museum's American Folklife Festival, the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee, and the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.

The band has received numerous awards and recognitions, and acquired an unexpected audience after Malcolm McLaren sampled some of its music in his 1982 hit song, "Buffalo Gals."

While US 19W heads directly for Interstate 26 at Exits 35 and 36 in Johnson City, Tennessee, US 19E takes a 70-mile (113 km) path through the heart of the Unaka Mountains.