McMinn County, Tennessee

History

McMinn County was created in 1819 from Indian lands and was named in honor of Joseph McMinn (1758–1824).

The first railroad in East Tennessee, the Hiwassee Railroad, began construction in McMinn County in the late 1830s, but was halted due to financial difficulties. Work was resumed by the East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad (ET&G) in 1849, and by the mid-1850s rail lines connected Chattanooga, Knoxville, and the Tri-Cities. The ET&G was headquartered in Athens before moving to Knoxville in 1855. A train depot from this early railroad period still stands in Niota. A number of communities sprang up along the railroads in subsequent years, most notably Etowah, where the L&N built a large depot in the early 1900s, and Englewood, which developed into a textile manufacturing center in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Like many East Tennessee counties, McMinn was polarized by the Civil War and the issue of secession. The county provided 12 regiments for the Union Army and eight for the Confederate Army during the course of the war.

On August 18, 1920, State Rep. Harry T. Burn of Niota cast the deciding vote in the Tennessee General Assembly to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment. Burn credited a letter from his mother, Febb Ensminger Burn, for his decision to vote in favor of the amendment. McMinn County voters, although divided on the women's suffrage issue, reelected Burn to the state legislature three months later.

In August 1946, an uprising known as the Battle of Athens erupted when the McMinn County sheriff and several other county officials (who had ties to Memphis political boss E.H. Crump) tried to steal the election. A group of World War II veterans launched an armed assault on the jail in Athens, where the county officials had retreated with the ballot boxes. After an exchange of gunfire, the county officials turned over the ballot boxes, and the votes were counted in a public setting, proving the bipartisan reform ticket won the election.

On December 11, 1990, a crash involving 99 vehicles occurred along Interstate 75 near Calhoun in heavy fog, killing 12 and injuring 42. The accident, which occurred in an area prone to fog, was reportedly the largest motor vehicle crash in United States history at the time, in terms of the number of vehicles involved, and was blamed by some on the nearby Bowater (now Resolute Forest Products) paper mill.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 432 sqmi, of which 430 sqmi is land and 2.1 sqmi (0.5%) is water. Most of the county is within the Ridge and Valley province of the Appalachian Mountains, which is characterized by a series of parallel ridges separated by valleys oriented in a northeast-to-southwest direction. The Hiwassee River forms the county's border with Bradley County to the southwest. Starr Mountain, a large ridge in the southeastern part of the county on the edge of the Unicoi Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Appalachian province, forms part of the county's border with Polk County to the south and Monroe County to the north and east.

Adjacent counties

• Roane County (north)
• Loudon County (northeast)
• Monroe County (east)
• Polk County (southeast)
• Bradley County (southwest)
• Meigs County (west)

National protected area

• Cherokee National Forest (part)

State protected area

• Chickamauga Wildlife Management Area (part)

Demographics

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

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 53,276. The median age was 43.2 years, with 21.1% of residents under the age of 18 and 20.2% 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.4 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 87.4% White, 3.5% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% Asian,

38.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 61.7% lived in rural areas.

There were 21,340 households in the county, of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.7% were married-couple households, 17.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 23,934 housing units, of which 10.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.8% were owner-occupied and 28.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.3%.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 52,266 people, 20,865 households, and 14,632 families living in the county. The population density was 121.55 persons per square mile and the housing unit density was 48.52 units per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 91.96% White, 3.95% Black, 0.34% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, and 1.79% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic of Latino origins made up 2.84% of the population.

Of all of the households, 26.93% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 53.88% were married couples living together, 4.86% had a male householder with no wife present, 11.38% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.87% were non families. 26.02% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.65% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.94.

The population was distributed with 22.57% under the age of 18, 60.57% ages 18 to 64, and 16.86% age 65 years and older. The median age was 40.4 years. 51.43% of the population were females and 48.57% were males.

The median household income was $37,146 and the median family income was $47,726. Males had a median income of $38,459 versus $31,342 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,796. About 13.7% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.0% of those under the age of 18 and 11.9% of those over the age of 65.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 49,015 people, 19,721 households and 14,317 families living in the county. The population density was 114 /mi2. There were 21,626 housing units at an average density of 50 /mi2.

The racial makeup of the county was 92.72% White, 4.48% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.75% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. 1.80% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 19,721 households, of which 31.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.70% were married couples living together, 10.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.40% were non-families. 24.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45, and the average family size was 2.90.

Age distribution was 23.90% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 28.50% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 14.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.80 males.

The median household income was $31,919, and the median family income was $38,992. Males had a median income of $31,051 versus $20,524 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,725. About 10.90% of families and 14.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.20% of those under age 18 and 16.80% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Athens (county seat)
• Etowah
• Niota
• Sweetwater

Towns

• Calhoun
• Englewood

Census-designated place

• Delano (part)
• Riceville

Unincorporated communities

• Claxton
• Conasauga
• Goodsprings
• Liberty Hill
• Mount Verd
• Reagan
• Regret (historical)
• Spring Creek
• Williamsburg

Schools

The 1870 Tennessee constitution prevented black and white children from attending the same public schools. In 1875, McMinn County had 56 white schools and 10 "colored" schools. After the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, Tennessee began to integrate schools.

McMinn County Schools operates public schools serving most of the county for grades K-12. Included are McMinn County High School and McMinn Central High School. In 2020, the district had 5,493 students. It had two high schools, seven middle schools, seven elementary schools, and seven preschools. As of 2022, a total of 31% of elementary school students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 40% tested did so for math. Also, 31% of middle school students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 40% did so for math. Furthermore 34% of high school students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 22% did so for math.

Athens City Schools and the Etowah School District, respectively, serve their areas for grades K-8, with McMinn County Schools operating the high schools for those respective cities.

Politics

In the 2024 United States Presidential Election in Tennessee, 81.73% of voters in the county voted for Donald Trump, who also won the popular vote nationwide. In the 2020 US presidential election, 79.7% of voters in the county voted for Donald Trump, who attracted 46.9% of the vote nationwide. Following Trump, in the county vote were Democrat Joe Biden, Libertarian Jo Jorgensen, coal mining business executive Don Blankenship, and rapper Kanye West.

References

References

1. Bill Akins, "[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=875 McMinn County]", ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture''. Retrieved: March 11, 2013.
2. McMinn was a militia commander during the [[American Revolutionary War. Revolutionary War]], a member of the territorial legislature, speaker of the state senate, and eventually governor of the state of Tennessee. McMinn died on October 17, 1824, and is buried at Shiloh Presbyterian Cemetery in [[Calhoun, Tennessee
3. Boyd, Tyler L., ''Tennessee Statesman Harry T. Burn: Woman Suffrage, Free Elections and a Life of Service'' (Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2019)
4. Information obtained from Tennessee Historical Commission marker 2A 102 in Athens, Tennessee. Information accessed: November 26, 2007.
5. (November 1, 2020). "'Get the Hell Out of Here and Get Something to Shoot With'". Politico.
6. Sneed, Calvin. (December 11, 2015). ""Stumbling Out Of The Fog:" Memories Of The Worst Traffic Accident in Tennessee History". [[WTVC-TV]].
7. Speaks, Dewaine A.. (August 5, 2019). "Historic Disasters of East Tennessee". Arcadia Publishing.
8. "''Forensic Files'': Killer Fog (Season 2, Episode 3)".
9. Ashdown, Kyle. (January 13, 2018). "That Time A Paper Mill Was Blamed For A Massive Highway Crash".
10. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
11. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates".
12. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
13. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
14. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
15. (April 2, 2001). "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
16. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
17. "Explore Census Data".
18. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
19. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
20. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
21. . ["U.S. Census website"](https://www.census.gov).
22. Based on [[2000 United States census. 2000 census]] data
23. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
24. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
25. Knaff, Sheila. (May 1998). "A Case Study of the Effects of Integration on Two Black High Schools in East Tennessee". Electronic Theses and Dissertations.
26. (April 2008). "School Desegregation in Tennessee".
27. (1875). "Annual Report of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction of Tennessee for the Scholastic Year Ending Aug. 31, 1874". Tennessee Department of Public Instruction.
28. "Tennessee State Board of Education Records 1815-1958". Tennessee State Library and Archives.
29. "Mcminn County".
30. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: McMinn County, TN". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
31. "Tennessee Presidential Election Results".
32. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".