Jalapa was a very small, rural community in
Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe:
* Monroe County, Alabama
*Monroe County, Arkansas
* Monroe County, Florida
* Monroe County, Georgia
*Monroe County, Illinois
*Monroe County, Indian ...
,
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
,
approximately five miles (8 km) south (on Mecca Pike) of
Tellico Plains. Located in the
Unicoi Mountains
The Unicoi Mountains are a mountain range rising along the border between Tennessee and North Carolina in the southeastern United States. They are part of the Blue Ridge Mountain Province of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. The Unicois are ...
(a section of the
Blue Ridge), this southeast Tennessee settlement is now considered by the Post Office to be part of greater Tellico Plains.
It is uncertain as to how the community got its name (a name which is no longer used, for the most part). There is some conjecture that it might have come from a
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...
word, or perhaps from a mispronunciation of
Jalapa, Mexico (perhaps brought back by a Mexican War veteran). Today, Jalapa is locally referred to as Rural Vale.
It is pronounced by locals as "juh-lap-ee," which may have some indication on the name's provenance.
References
Unincorporated communities in Monroe County, Tennessee
Unincorporated communities in Tennessee
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