French Broad River
| French Broad River | |
|---|---|
French Broad River in Henderson County, North Carolina | |
French Broad River watershed | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | North Carolina, Tennessee |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | North Fork French Broad River |
| • location | Transylvania County, North Carolina |
| • coordinates | 35°15′57″N 82°53′20″W / 35.26583°N 82.88889°W |
| • elevation | 3,189 ft (972 m) |
| 2nd source | West Fork French Broad River |
| • location | Transylvania County, North Carolina |
| • coordinates | 35°11′09″N 82°59′01″W / 35.18583°N 82.98361°W |
| • elevation | 3,440 ft (1,050 m) |
| Source confluence | |
| • location | Rosman, North Carolina |
| • coordinates | 35°08′33″N 82°50′19″W / 35.14250°N 82.83861°W |
| • elevation | 2,195 ft (669 m) |
| Mouth | Tennessee River |
• location | Knoxville, Tennessee |
• coordinates | 35°57′33″N 83°51′0″W / 35.95917°N 83.85000°W |
• elevation | 814 ft (248 m) |
| Length | 219 mi (352 km) |
| Basin size | 5,124 sq mi (13,270 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Riverdale, Tennessee, 7.5 miles (12.1 km) above the mouth(mean for water years 1945–1983) |
| • average | 7,878 cu ft/s (223.1 m3/s)(mean for water years 1945–1983) |
| • minimum | 67 cu ft/s (1.9 m3/s)October 1953 |
| • maximum | 160,000 cu ft/s (4,500 m3/s)July 1867 |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | French Broad → Tennessee → Ohio → Mississippi |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Pigeon River, Little Pigeon River |
| • right | Swannanoa River, Nolichucky River |
The French Broad River is a river in the U.S. states of North Carolina and Tennessee. It flows 218 miles (351 km) from near the town of Rosman in Transylvania County, North Carolina, into Tennessee, where its confluence with the Holston River at Knoxville forms the beginning of the Tennessee River. The river flows through the counties of Transylvania, Henderson, Buncombe, and Madison in North Carolina, and Cocke, Jefferson, Sevier, and Knox in Tennessee. It drains large portions of the Pisgah National Forest and the Cherokee National Forest.