Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Mount Mitchell
Mount Mitchell, western North Carolina.
Mount Mitchell
mountain, North Carolina, United States
Also known as: Black Dome
Mount Mitchell, highest peak in North Carolina and in the United States east of the Mississippi River, reaching an elevation of 6,684 feet (2,037 metres). It is located in Yancey county, in the western part of the state, about 20 miles (30 km) northeast of Asheville in the Black Mountains. The peak, covered with a mantle of hardwoods, pine, spruce, and balsam, is within Mount Mitchell State Park and Pisgah National Forest. Known by the Cherokee as Attakulla and formerly called Black Dome, it was renamed for a University of North Carolina professor, Elisha Mitchell, who in 1835 surveyed it as the highest point in the eastern United States. In 1857 Mitchell fell to his death on the mountain and was buried at its top.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.
Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica
Privacy Policy
and
Terms of Use.