Cocke County, Tennessee

History

Before the arrival of European settlers, the area that is now Cocke County probably was inhabited by the Cherokee. They were the most recent of a series of indigenous cultures who had occupied this country for thousands of years.

The first recorded European settlement in the county was in 1783 when land near the fork of the French Broad and the Pigeon Rivers was cleared and cultivated. The earliest European settlers were primarily Scots-Irish, Dutch, and Germans who came to the area over the mountains from the Carolinas or through Virginia from Pennsylvania and other northern states.

The county was established by an Act of the Tennessee General Assembly on October 9, 1797, from a part of Greene County, Tennessee. It was named after William Cocke, one of the state's first Senators. Located within the Appalachian and Great Smoky Mountains, it had difficult conditions for early settlers.

Like many East Tennessee counties, settled by yeomen farmers, Cocke County was largely pro-Union on the eve of the Civil War. In Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession referendum on June 8, 1861, the county's residents voted 1,185 to 518 against secession.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 443 sqmi, of which 435 sqmi are land and 8.6 sqmi (1.9%) are covered by water. The southern part of the county is located within the Great Smoky Mountains, and the lands are protected by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The northern part of the county is situated within the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians. The county's highest point is Old Black, which rises to 6370 ft in the Smokies along the county's border with North Carolina. English Mountain, a large ridge that peaks at 3629 ft, dominates the western part of the county.

Cocke County is drained by the French Broad River, which traverses the northern part of the county and forms much of its boundary with Jefferson County. A portion of this river is part of Douglas Lake, an artificial reservoir created by Douglas Dam further downstream. The Pigeon River flows northward across the county and empties into the French Broad north of Newport at Irish Bottoms.

Adjacent counties

• Hamblen County (north)
• Greene County (northeast)
• Madison County, North Carolina (southeast)
• Haywood County, North Carolina (south)
• Sevier County (southwest)
• Jefferson County (northwest)

National protected areas

• Appalachian Trail (part)
• Cherokee National Forest (part)
• Foothills Parkway (part)
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park (part)

State protected areas

• Rankin Wildlife Management Area (part)
• Martha Sundquist State Forest

Major highways

• [[File:Tennessee 73.svg|25px]] [[File:Secondary Tennessee 73.svg|20px]] SR 73

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2014

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 35,999 people, 15,246 households, and 9,196 families residing in the county. The median age was 46.6 years, 19.6% of residents were under the age of 18, and 22.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.0 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 91.7% White, 1.6% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian,

32.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 67.9% lived in rural areas.

There were 15,246 households in the county, of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 44.2% were married-couple households, 20.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 17,808 housing units, of which 14.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.0% were owner-occupied and 29.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.3%.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, 33,565 people, 13,762 households, and 9,715 families were residing in the county. The population density was 77 /mi2. The 15,844 housing units averaged 36 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 96.16% White, 1.99% African American, 0.40% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.33% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. About 1.05% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 13,762 households, 29.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.10% were married couples living together, 13.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.40% were not families. About 25.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the county, the population was distributed as 22.80% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 28.80% from 25 to 44, 26.40% from 45 to 64, and 13.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,553, and for a family was $30,418. Males had a median income of $26,062 versus $18,826 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,881. About 18.70% of families and 22.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.80% of those under age 18 and 18.70% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

• Newport, county seat

Town

• Parrottsville

Census-designated Place

• Cosby

Unincorporated communities

• Allen Grove
• Baltimore
• Boomer
• Briar Thicket
• Bridgeport
• Bybee
• Del Rio
• Hartford
• Liberty Hill
• Midway
• Tom Town
• Wasp

Notable residents

• Ben W. Hooper, governor of Tennessee from 1911 to 1915
• J. E. Rankin, banker and mayor of Asheville, North Carolina
• Popcorn Sutton, moonshiner
• Marshall Teague, actor

In popular culture

The novel Christy and the television series of the same name are based on historical events, people, and localities of Cocke County. The fictional small town of El Pano, where the novel begins, is based on the existing village of Del Rio, Tennessee. The fictional Cutter Gap, where most of the plot unfolds, represents the locale now known as Chapel Hollow. Several area landmarks associated with the story are marked for visitors, including the site of the Ebenezer Mission in Chapel Hollow, which is located off the Old Fifteenth Rd., about 5 mi from Del Rio.

Politics

Like all of Unionist East Tennessee, Cocke County has been overwhelmingly Republican ever since the Civil War. Since the first postwar election in 1868, Cocke County has voted for every Republican presidential candidate, even supporting William Howard Taft during the divided 1912 election. No Democratic presidential candidate has managed to receive forty percent of the county's vote in this time, although Franklin D. Roosevelt in his 1932 landslide got within 0.23 percent of this figure.

References

References

1. E.R. Walker III, "[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=282 Cocke County]," ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture''. Retrieved: June 24, 2013.
2. "Census - Geography Profile: Cocke County, Tennessee". [[United States Census Bureau]].
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
4. Office of Management and Budget, [https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/omb/bulletins/fy2006/b06-01_rev_2.pdf Update of Statistical Area Definitions and Guidance on Their Uses] {{webarchive. link. (April 24, 2009 , December 5, 2005)
5. Gannett, Henry. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". Govt. Print. Off..
6. Oliver Perry Temple, [https://archive.org/details/easttennesseean00tempgoog/page/n227 ''East Tennessee and the Civil War''], (R. Clarke Company, 1899), p. 199.
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12. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
13. (April 2, 2001). "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
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16. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
17. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
18. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
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20. Robertson, Campbell. (February 20, 2012). "Yesterday's Moonshiner, Today's Microdistiller". [[The New York Times]].
21. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".