Jefferson County, Tennessee

History

Jefferson County was established on June 11, 1792, by William Blount, Governor of the Southwest Territory. It had been a part of Caswell County during the State of Franklin period (1784–1789). Its county seat, Dandridge, was settled in 1783.

On the eve of the Civil War, Jefferson County, like most other counties in mountainous East Tennessee, was opposed to secession. In Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession referendum on June 8, 1861, Jefferson County voters rejected secession by a margin of 1,987 to 603. A railroad bridge at Strawberry Plains was among those targeted by the East Tennessee bridge-burning conspiracy in November 1861. This led to internal conflict in the area throughout the war, with men from the county enlisting in both of the rival armies.

On October 2, 2013, on I-40 in Jefferson County near the I-40 and I-81 split, a multi-vehicle collision involving a church bus, a tractor-trailer, and a SUV occurred at mile marker 423. Tennessee Highway Patrol officials discovered that the church bus had blown a tire, leading it to merge into oncoming traffic, clipping the SUV and colliding with the semi-truck, causing it to burst into flames. The accident resulted in 8 fatalities and 14 injuries.

In 2013, Jefferson County officials explored developing an 1,800-acre megasite north of the I-81/I-40 junction outside of Dandridge to attract major manufacturers to locate to the county, following the successful efforts in Chattanooga with a Volkswagen assembly plant and in Smyrna with a Nissan assembly plant. The project was later cancelled following an organized opposition group by local farmers and the lack of financial support from federal and Tennessee state government agencies.

Politics

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 314 sqmi, of which 274 sqmi is land and 40 sqmi (13%) is water. The county is affected by two artificial lakes: Douglas Lake, created by the damming of the French Broad River in the south, and Cherokee Lake, created by the damming of the Holston River in the north.

Adjacent counties

• Hamblen County (northeast)
• Cocke County (southeast)
• Sevier County (south)
• Knox County (west)
• Grainger County (north)

State protected areas

• Henderson Island Refuge

Transportation

Principal highways

Major surface routes

Demographics

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

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 54,683 people, 21,461 households, and 13,998 families residing in the county. The median age was 44.7 years, 20.0% of residents were under the age of 18, and 21.2% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.8 males age 18 and over.

There were 21,461 households in the county, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 53.3% were married-couple households, 16.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 24,828 housing units, of which 13.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 75.4% were owner-occupied and 24.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.7%.

The racial makeup of the county was 90.6% White, 1.5% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian,

24.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 75.8% lived in rural areas.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 44,294 people, 17,155 households, and 12,608 families residing in the county. The population density was 162 /mi2. There were 19,319 housing units at an average density of 71 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 95.66% White, 2.32% Black or African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.63% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. 1.33% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 17,155 households, out of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.90% were married couples living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.50% were non-families. 22.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.90% under the age of 18, 10.60% from 18 to 24, 29.10% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.00 males. However, the last statistic is somewhat misleading because of female longevity, and if adults 18-65 were considered, the numbers would be very close to equal.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,824, and the median income for a family was $38,537. Males had a median income of $29,123 versus $20,269 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,841. About 9.60% of families and 13.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.90% of those under age 18 and 12.60% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

According to a data profile produced by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development in 2023, the top employers in the county are:

Education

K-12 public education in the county is conducted by Jefferson County Public Schools.

Communities

Cities

• Baneberry
• Jefferson City
• Morristown (partial, mostly in Hamblen)

Towns

• Dandridge (county seat)
• New Market
• White Pine (small portion in Hamblen)

Census-designated place

• Strawberry Plains (partial, portions in Knox and Sevier)

Unincorporated communities

• Belmont
• Chestnut Hill
• Shady Grove
• Talbott (partial)

References

References

1. [https://sos.tn.gov/tsla/pages/genealogical-fact-sheets-about-jefferson-county], ''Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Jefferson County''
2. [http://www.state.tn.us/sos/bluebook/05-06/44-counties.pdf Origins Of Tennessee County Names], ''[[Tennessee Blue Book]]'' 2005-2006, pages 508-513
3. "Jefferson". [[University of Tennessee]].
4. (May 1, 2018). "Results: County mayor races in 10 East Tenn. counties". [[WBIR-TV]].
5. (March 17, 2009). "The United States: By Rural, Urban and Exurban Counties".
6. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
7. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
8. "Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of the Delineations of These Areas". [[Office of Management and Budget]].
9. Estle Muncy, "[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=703 Jefferson County]," ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture''. Retrieved: October 18, 2013.
10. Oliver Perry Temple, [https://books.google.com/books?id=g8xYAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22The+detailed+vote+of+the+several+counties+was+as+follows%22&pg=PA199 East Tennessee and the Civil War] (R. Clarke Company, 1899), p. 199.
11. Temple, ''East Tennessee and the Civil War'', pp. 370-406.
12. (October 2, 2013). "8 dead in church bus crash on I-40 in Tennessee". [[USA Today]].
13. (January 9, 2013). "Jefferson County to pursue megasite to lure manufacturers".
14. (February 21, 2013). "Jefferson County, TN To Pursue Megasite".
15. (March 4, 2013). "Commissioner Hagerty Addresses East TN Megasite During TN State House Budget Hearings".
16. (April 4, 2013). "Mega Collapse – Plug Pulled on East TN Regional Megasite Proposal".
17. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
18. (December 2, 2024). "State of Tennessee General Election Results, November 5, 2024, Results By County". Secretary of State of Tennessee.
19. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
20. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau.
21. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
22. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
23. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
24. (April 2, 2001). "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
25. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
26. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
27. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
28. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
29. (2023). "Jefferson County: County Profile Tool". [[Tennessee.