Somewhere in the eastern part of the state of Tennessee in the United States, there is a little dimple of a town that is often ignored by the rest of the state. This little town is called Oneida.

The townsfolk have something of a reputation in the state as being stubborn and rude. But this is unfair, because nowadays the people are some of the nicest to be found anywhere.

Pronouncing Oneida

Although the correct way to pronounce the town's name is Oh-nye-duh, many people tend to pronounce it Oh-nee-duh, as they would Oneida, the name of the nation of Native Americans of upper New York State and Wisconsin.

Another wild interpretation of the name has arisen recently: Oh-nee-i-duh. Who knows what the future will bring?

Geography of Oneida

Oneida lies on top of what is known as the Cumberland Plateau in the Appalachian Mountains. Most of the landscape is rather hilly. There is much coal to be found in the area and many companies have invested in that resource.

The town is relatively close to the much larger cities of Knoxville and Oak Ridge, where the first controlled nuclear reaction was created.

When asked where the town is, the more clever townsfolk will generally reply, 'About 80 miles from anything'. But, if pressed, they will admit that Oneida is 456 miles southwest of Washington DC and 130 miles east of the state capital, Nashville. A determined pedant might even manage to find out that Oneida is 36.5° north by 84.51° west, halfway between the Gulf Coast and the Great Lakes.

A Short History of Oneida

Like many towns in this part of the country, Oneida grew around the railroads that ran through. The trains carried coal and lumber from the many strip mines in the area to such bigger cities. One very interesting thing that has happened due to this is the fact that Oneida tried to tax the railroads passing through in the 1920's, so the state decided to disband the town charter. The town reclaimed the charter, and again tried to tax the trains. Finally, after a threat of total removal by the state, the town decided to not tax the trains anymore.

There are not any famous people from Oneida, but a quick look into his diary¹ shows that World War One hero Alvin C York passed through the town on his way to military training. Most of the townsfolk do not know this themselves.

The People

The population of the town of Oneida, 3,592 in the 1998 tally. The town is primarily Protestant, although there are a few Catholics, and other religions are represented in smaller numbers.

There are no persons of African descent in the town and lots of people are convinced that Oneida is very Southern and bigoted, referring often to the Ku Klux Klan, and speaking in fake Southern accents. But most are unaware that the county did not join the Confederacy or the Union. It separated from the rest of the State of Tennessee to become the 'Independent State of Scott' during the civil war.

The county was officially at war with the nation of Japan until the 1980s and it was only until the courthouse burned down did anyone realise that the town hadn't officially recognised that World War Two was over.

Things to Do in Oneida

Oneidians are very proud of their new Wal-Mart Supercentre that recently opened. The fact that a big discount department store has become such a prominent local landmark says much about the town... there is actually very little to do.

The town's inhabitants are proud of their football team. This is the American type, although the High School has a competent soccer team. Both teams are nicknamed the 'Indians', which is a choice of name that many would consider to be disrespectful of Native Americans.

Teens in town, just like teens almost anywhere, often complain of having no place to go. Most of the teens merely go 'cruising' on weekends, but the rapidly rising gasoline prices will most likely put an end to this soon.

Located just outside of town is Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, a park set in rolling hills and gorges. This beautiful setting offers a wide range of activities for all but the most jaded teen, including camping, hiking, whitewater rafting, canoeing, and horse riding. If fishing and hunting are your thing, you can even kill things, subject to certain legal restrictions and licensing requirements.

Places to Eat

The town contains a minor variety of choices for food. Most of the places to eat are burger joints such as McDonald's and Burger King. But there are also two Subways, which specialise in submarine sandwiches², and two pizza places; Pizza Hut and Domino's Pizza. Domino's is the only restaurant in town with free delivery and the prices there are appropriate for the quality of food.

There are no fancy 'sit down' restaurants, but there are two that come close: Rancho Grande, a Mexican place that also has take out; and Preston's Loft, 'Your Favourite Hometown Steak and Pizza'. The food there is rather expensive, and reports on the quality are skewed at best. Trey's V is the local Chinese food vendor, and is highly recommended for taste - the prices are actually quite appropriate for the amount and quality of food you get there. They have a lunch buffet that also comes highly recommended.

The 'Food Court' is a rather new addition to the town, and began with an Arby's (beef), a Long John Silver's (fish), a Taco Bell (incendiary), and a Baskin & Robbins (ice-cream). Now, however, there is only Arby's and LJS's. The food there is moderately priced and rather good.

One of the newest places to eat is the Kentucky Fried Chicken. But many people would recommend the older Mrs Winner's Chicken over the KFC.

The town has no bars of its own, but many people go to adjoining towns to drink and be merry. Rancho Grande, the Mexican restaurant, does sell tequila and liquor, and Pizza Hut sells Budweiser beer. The town does not allow beer to be sold on Sundays.