Ocoee River
| Toccoa/Ocoee River | |
|---|---|
|
Toccoa River near the Blue Ridge Dam
|
|
| Basin features | |
| Main source |
Confluence of Canada and Mauldin Creeks in Union County, Georgia ~ 2,120 ft (650 m) |
| River mouth |
Hiwassee River in Polk County, Tennessee ~ 750 ft (230 m) |
The Toccoa River and Ocoee River are the names in use for a single 93-mile-long (150 km)river that flows northwestward through the southern Appalachian Mountains of the southeastern United States. It is a tributary of the Hiwassee River, which it joins in Polk County, Tennessee, near the town of Benton. Three power generating dams are operated along it.
The river is called the Toccoa for its 56 miles (90 km) through Georgia, until it reaches the twin cities of McCaysville, Georgia and Copperhill, Tennessee, at the truss bridge which connects Georgia 5 (Blue Ridge Street) with Tennessee 68 and Georgia 60 (Ocoee Street and Toccoa Street). The remainder is called the Ocoee through Tennessee, known for its whitewater rafting, and host to whitewater slalom events during the Centennial 1996 Summer Olympics held primarily in Atlanta, about 100 miles (160 km) to the south.
The name Ocoee originates from the Cherokee name for Passiflora incarnata, ocoee. Toccoa comes from the Cherokee term for "where the Catawbas lived".
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Wikipedia