Sand Mountain is a sandstone plateau in northeastern Alabama that extends slightly into northwestern Georgia and southeastern Tennessee, where it is known as Raccoon Mountain and Elder Mountain. At the southern tip of the Appalachian chain, it is the largest plateau in that system. Geologically a continuation of Walden Ridge, it belongs to the Cumberland Plateau and is separated from its main section by the Tennessee River and Sequatchie Valley. Averaging about 1500 feet above sea level, far higher than the surrounding area, it has Alabama’s coolest climate. Its largest city is Albertville in Marshall County, which had a population of 22,386 in 2020.