I was wondering if anybody knew where and when the term/name “Mountain Empire” originated. 

With all the businesses, clubs, churches, airports, community colleges, etc. that use this moniker from Wytheville to Bristol I’m surprised at the lack of information available.

Of course I’m lazy and have only looked on the internet for info for about 20 minutes but I still expected to find something on this name.  :-)

Anybody out there in forum land know the history?

Thanks!

Good question.  Found this:
http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:daWBoD4dNXgJ:www.southernfoodways.com/images/BristolFT_events.pdf+“mountain+empire+name”&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a

Welcome to the Mountain Empire! We’re delighted that you’ve chosen to explore the food and
the music of Southern Appalachia with us. Strawberries are still in season, pots of soup beans are
simmering, and fresh hams are smoking.
You may wonder exactly where the Mountain Empire is. There are no clearly defined borders.
It’s East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, generally, but when it’s convenient or expedient, we’ve
been known to claim a corner of Southeast Kentucky or a swatch of Western North Carolina, too.
You’ll find the Mountain Empire name on a college, a furniture store, a realty office, an oil company, a
credit union, an animal hospital, an arts alliance, and a motel. It’s a name some folks around here tried
to kill, but it wouldn’t die. And we’re glad, for we think it captures the glory and majesty of the area
we call home.

Not very helpful either!