Strawberry Plains is an unincorporated community straddling the boundary between Jefferson and Knox counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Strawberry Plains is located on the bank of the Holston River. According to the United States Geological Survey, a variant name is Straw Plains. Strawberry Plains has been the site of a post office since 1806. The postal zip code is 37871. Strawberry Plains is said to be named for the wild strawberries that grew there in abundance when white settlers from North Carolina first arrived in the area. According to a history of the community written by local high school students circa 1935, the name Straw Plains was a shorthand name used by railroad porters and flagmen on trains that passed through Strawberry Plains, and that came to be used as the name of the local railroad depot and on some local post office postmarks. Through much of the 20th century, Strawberry Plains was the site of a Tennessee limestone quarry and an underground zinc mine. The zinc mine shut down in 2001, but reopened in 2006. In December 2008 it was announced that the mine would close again in February 2009. In September 2007 the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced plans to build an office facility and crime lab in Strawberry Plains, with an estimated cost of more than $10 million. The Strawberry Plains exit of Interstate 40, exit 398 at Strawberry Plains Pike (several miles southwest from Strawberry Plains) has grown rapidly. There are several hotels and restaurants, with more under construction.