Tullahoma (Coffee County) was founded in 1852 as a work camp for the new Chattanooga/Nashville Railroad. The name Tullahoma is derived from the Choctaw language and it means red rock. A different idea regarding the name is that Peter Decherd who donated the land for the railroad right of way for Decherd named one station Decherd after himself and the other Tulkahoma (later changed to Tullahoma) after his favorite horse.
The Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) was the site of early wind tunnel testing by the Air Force and NASA. Later the state established two institutions of higher learning here, Motlow State Community College, and the University of Tennessee Space Institute.
Today manufacturing makes up a smaller part of the Tullahoma economy. The town’s growth has been steady since the late 20th century, based on a mixture of education, services, tourism, and retail. The presence of AEDC and the Space Institute, combined with a convenient proximity to the aerospace center of Huntsville, Alabama, has bred a small but thriving aeronautical industry as well.
Tullahoma today is a thriving area with new homes as well as stately old homes that have been remodeled. It has farms, city developments as well as homes developed outside of the city limits. Beautiful area with lots to do.