Harriman, Tennessee | |
|---|---|
 Harriman City Hall | |
 Location of Harriman inRoane County,Tennessee. | |
| Coordinates:35°55′50″N84°33′37″W / 35.93056°N 84.56028°W /35.93056; -84.56028 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Tennessee |
| Counties | Roane,Morgan |
| Incorporated | 1891[1] |
| Named after | Walter Harriman |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Wayne Best |
| Area | |
• Total | 10.70 sq mi (27.70 km2) |
| • Land | 10.50 sq mi (27.19 km2) |
| • Water | 0.19 sq mi (0.50 km2) |
| Elevation | 883 ft (269 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 5,892 |
| • Density | 561.2/sq mi (216.68/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 37748 |
| Area code | 865 |
| FIPS code | 47-32520[5] |
| GNIS feature ID | 2403803[3] |
| Website | www |
Harriman is a city located primarily inRoane County, Tennessee, with a small extension intoMorgan County. The population of Harriman was 5,892 at the time of the2020 census.[6]
Harriman is situated along the physiographic boundary between theTennessee Valley region and theCumberland Plateau region, with the Plateau—namely itsWalden Ridge escarpment—rising several hundred feet above the city to the west. TheEmory River enters the Tennessee Valley just west of Harriman at a pass known as Emory Gap, and forms anoxbow bend that surrounds the original section of Harriman.
U.S. Route 27, known as Roane Street in Harriman, runs north-to-south through the city along the base of Walden Ridge.Interstate 40 runs east-to-west through the city's southern section. Harriman's southwestern boundary, which it shares withRockwood, is located along US-27 about a half-mile south of the road's intersection with I-40. The city's southeastern boundary runs along Pine Ridge, which overlooks theKingston Fossil Plant. Harriman's northern boundary is near US-27's split withState Highway 61.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.6 square miles (27.4 km2), of which 10.4 square miles (26.9 km2) is land and 0.19 square miles (0.5 km2), or 1.86%, is water.[6]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 716 | — | |
| 1900 | 3,442 | 380.7% | |
| 1910 | 3,061 | −11.1% | |
| 1920 | 4,019 | 31.3% | |
| 1930 | 4,588 | 14.2% | |
| 1940 | 5,620 | 22.5% | |
| 1950 | 6,389 | 13.7% | |
| 1960 | 5,931 | −7.2% | |
| 1970 | 8,734 | 47.3% | |
| 1980 | 8,303 | −4.9% | |
| 1990 | 7,119 | −14.3% | |
| 2000 | 6,744 | −5.3% | |
| 2010 | 6,350 | −5.8% | |
| 2020 | 5,892 | −7.2% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 6,171 | 4.7% | |
| Sources:[7][8][4] | |||
Harriman is included in theKnoxville, TennesseeMetropolitan Statistical Area.
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 5,014 | 85.1% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 352 | 5.97% |
| Native American | 27 | 0.46% |
| Asian | 38 | 0.64% |
| Pacific Islander | 2 | 0.03% |
| Other/Mixed | 344 | 5.84% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 115 | 1.95% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 5,892 people, 2,567 households, and 1,408 families residing in the city.
As of thecensus[5] of 2000, there were 6,744 people, 2,907 households, and 1,802 families residing in the city. The population density was 671.5 inhabitants per square mile (259.3/km2). There were 3,309 housing units at an average density of 329.5 per square mile (127.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 90.11%White, 7.43%African American, 0.22%Native American, 0.27%Asian, 0.01%Pacific Islander, 0.18% fromother races, and 1.78% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 0.76% of the population.
There were 2,907 households, out of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.9% weremarried couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.0% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.9% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,736, and the median income for a family was $31,190. Males had a median income of $26,616 versus $20,278 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $14,763. About 18.6% of families and 22.8% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 32.1% of those under age 18 and 18.7% of those age 65 or over.
Harriman was founded as aTemperance Town in 1889 bytemperance movement activists led by New York-born minister and plant manager Frederick Gates. Seeking a land venture that could attract industrial and economic development while avoiding the vice-driven pitfalls of late 19th centurycompany towns, Gates and fellowprohibitionists chartered the East Tennessee Land Company in May 1889. In subsequent months, the company acquired several hundred thousand acres of land around what is now Harriman, including the plantation of Union Army colonel and state senator,Robert K. Byrd. The company's early investors included 1888Prohibition Party presidential candidate GeneralClinton B. Fisk, who served as the company's first president,Quaker Oats co-founderFerdinand Schumacher, and publishersIsaac K. Funk andA. W. Wagnalls.[10]
The East Tennessee Land Company's plan was to purchase land, build a town based on prohibitionist and other reform movement principles, and establish subsidiary companies to attract industry. After a successful land auction in Harriman in 1890, the company established three subsidiaries: the East Tennessee Mining Company to administer the region's coal and iron extraction operations, the Harriman Coal & Iron Railroad Company to develop the local railroad system, and the Harriman Manufacturing Company to attract industries by providing start-up capital.[10] To project its prosperity and advertise Harriman, the company built an imposing brick headquarters (now Harriman City Hall), with its four picturesqueNorman towers, at the corner of Walden Avenue and Roane Street near the center of the new town.[11] By 1892, severalrolling mills, factories, and other businesses had relocated to Harriman.[11]
To help finance its early operations, the East Tennessee Land Company borrowed just over one million dollars from the Central Trust Company of New York. In late 1891, capital markets in the U.S. began to freeze, leading to thePanic of 1893. The East Tennessee Land Company, unable to pay the interest on its million-dollar loan, attempted a last-ditch stock sale to raise money to pay off the loan, but the sale failed. In November 1893, the company was forced intobankruptcy.[12]
Harriman is named forWalter Harriman, a governor ofNew Hampshire whose son, Walter C. Harriman, was managing director of the East Tennessee Land Company. As a colonel (later general) in theUnion Army during theCivil War, he had traveled on foot through the area with his 11th New Hampshire Regiment and camped for several days on the Emory River near the future site of the city. An elderly local later told the directors that Harriman had said that the site would be the perfect place for a town, and based on this conversation, the directors chose the name of "Harriman".[13]
The site of Harriman was chosen primarily for its proximity to Emory Gap, where theCincinnati Southern Railway joined theEast Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway. The city, platted on Christmas Day in 1889, was laid out in a grid pattern that conformed to the Emory's oxbow bend at the base of Walden Ridge. The block bounded by Roane, Walden, Morgan, and Clinton streets was set aside for the city's public buildings (this block is now the location of the city hall, library, and fire department). Lots in the heights around Cumberland and Clinton streets (nowCornstalk Heights) were substantially larger, as it was expected that the city's wealthy and professional-class residents would buy homes here. The areas along the river (Emory Street) were for mills and residential areas for skilled laborers.[14]
The initial land auction for Harriman was held in late February 1890, and was attended by over 4,000 prospective buyers from across the nation. Several hundred lots were sold, raising over $600,000. The most expensive lots were along Roane Street and in what is now Cornstalk Heights, most of which sold for over $2,000 apiece, while the lots closer to the river typically sold for less than $500 apiece. Shortly after the initial auction, the company platted several more lots outside the city in what is now the Walnut Hills and Oak View neighborhoods for the city's wage workers.[14]
In spite of the East Tennessee Land Company's collapse, Harriman continued to grow, although its growth was very gradual. TheAmerican Temperance University was established in 1894, and operated out of the East Tennessee Land Company's abandoned headquarters.[11] In 1929, the combination of thestock market crash and a devastatingflood of the Emory River wiped out much of the city's industry. Apaper mill and twohosiery mills provided the largest share of jobs in the city through the rest of the twentieth century, with the paper mill (aMead Corporation property) and the hosiery companies (Harriman Hosiery, formerly a Burlington Corp. plant, and independent Roane Hosiery) operating into the 1980s.
The city got a boost in the 1940s and 1950s from heavy automobile traffic along US-27, which was a primary route connecting theGreat Lakes region withFlorida beforeI-75 was completed. The routing of Interstate 40 through southwestern Harriman connected the community more closely with Knoxville but never produced the kind of modern industrial development inside the town that community leaders expected.
The city, still quaint but clearly different now from its economic heyday, still shows considerable evidence of being a "planned community". Its streets still remain in its original grid pattern, as the collapse of the East Tennessee Land Company in 1893 "froze" the city in its original developmental state. There remains a considerable number of homes—especially in Cornstalk Heights—displayingVictorian architecture as well—many of which have been either painstakingly maintained or restored. The Temperance heritage was slow to depart. There was no liquor store in Harriman until 1992.
Harriman was home toAmerican Temperance University from 1893 until 1908.[15]
Harriman's K-12 public schools are operated by the Roane County school system:
Institutions of higher education include the main campus ofRoane State Community College (located just outside Harriman city limits) and theTennessee College of Applied Technology - Harriman, located just north of the city.
Tennessee Magnet Publications
The city was home to aMinor League Baseball team called theHarriman Boosters that played in theAppalachian League in 1914.[16]
Municipalities and communities ofMorgan County, Tennessee,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
Municipalities and communities ofRoane County, Tennessee,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Town | ||
| CDP | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns/ neighborhoods | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
