Gruetli-Laager, Tennessee
Gruetli-Laager is a city of 1,480 people in Grundy County, Tennessee, founded in 1869.
Why visit Gruetli-Laager
Townapedia lists 1 museum or landmark, 1 park or trail and 3 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Fults Hill, Ross Mountain and Coalmont Bank Building.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 83°F; January lows average 26°F.
Weather in Gruetli-Laager
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Gruetli-Laager
Gruetli-Laager is a city in Grundy County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 census, Gruetli-Laager had a population of 1,742. As its name implies, Gruetli-Laager consists of two communities, Gruetli and Laager, incorporated as a single city.
From the Wikipedia article Gruetli-Laager, Tennessee (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do3
Museums and landmarks1
Coalmont Bank Building
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 4.4 mi
Rathaus in Tennessee, United States of America
Parks, trails and playgrounds1
Churches and places of worship4
History
Gruetli was founded by German-speaking Swiss immigrants in 1869. The town was part of a greater initiative— conducted by an organization known as the Tennessee Kolonisation Gesellschaft— to establish Swiss colonies atop the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee. Gruetli was probably named after a commune in the Swiss canton of Glarus. Peter Staub, a member of Knoxville's thriving Swiss community, helped purchase the initial tract of land for Gruetli. The land was advertised in Switzerland, where the opportunity for a new start appealed to many families struggling with difficult economic conditions in Europe.
Although over 100 Swiss families moved to the Gruetli area in the 1870s, many were disappointed by the land's poor quality and relative isolation, and thus relocated to nearby cities. Nevertheless, by 1880, Grundy County had the largest Swiss population of any county in Tennessee. Prominent early settlers at Gruetli included Christian Marugg, who operated an inn along the stagecoach road between Chattanooga and McMinnville, and Melchior Thoni, Jr. (1849–1926), a woodcarver whose work was displayed in the old Governor's Mansion and the Christ Church in Nashville.
From the History section of Gruetli-Laager, Tennessee on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Schools, colleges and libraries8
Map of Gruetli-Laager
17 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45°F | 26°F | 5.8 in |
| Feb | 49°F | 28°F | 5.5 in |
| Mar | 57°F | 34°F | 6.1 in |
| Apr | 66°F | 42°F | 6.2 in |
| May | 74°F | 52°F | 5.1 in |
| Jun | 80°F | 60°F | 5.3 in |
| Jul | 83°F | 63°F | 6.1 in |
| Aug | 83°F | 62°F | 4.3 in |
| Sep | 78°F | 55°F | 4.2 in |
| Oct | 68°F | 43°F | 3.5 in |
| Nov | 57°F | 34°F | 4.8 in |
| Dec | 48°F | 29°F | 6.4 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Coalmont (4 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Grundy County has had 12 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2026-02-06: Severe Winter Storm (Winter Storm)
- 2026-01-24: Severe Winter Storm (Winter Storm)
- 2025-06-19: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2025-04-02: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2023-05-17: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornado (Severe Storm)
- 2020-04-02: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Franklin County Airport (UOS) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 19 miles away.
- Altamont 7 mi northwest, about 11 min by car
- Dunlap 14 mi east, about 22 min by car
- Fairmount 22 mi southeast, about 35 min by car
- McMinnville 23 mi north, about 37 min by car
- Manchester 25 mi west, about 41 min by car
- Falling Water 25 mi southeast, about 40 min by car
- Red Bank 26 mi southeast, about 42 min by car
- Soddy-Daisy 27 mi east, about 44 min by car
- Middle Valley 28 mi southeast, about 45 min by car
- Chattanooga 31 mi southeast, about 49 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Gruetli-Laager-TN108-tn2, Brian Stansberry (photographer), CC BY 3.0
- Coalmont Bank Building, Skye Marthaler, CC BY-SA 3.0
Page built October 30, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.