Dunlap, Tennessee | |
|---|---|
 Location of Dunlap in Sequatchie County, Tennessee. | |
| Coordinates:35°22′38″N85°23′18″W / 35.37722°N 85.38833°W /35.37722; -85.38833 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Tennessee |
| County | Sequatchie |
| Founded | 1858 |
| Incorporated | 1901[1] |
| Named after | William Dunlap, state legislator |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Clint Huth[2] |
| • County Executive | Keith Cartwright[2] |
| Area | |
• Total | 10.80 sq mi (27.98 km2) |
| • Land | 10.80 sq mi (27.98 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 712 ft (217 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 5,357 |
| • Density | 495.88/sq mi (191.46/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 37327 |
| Area code | 423 |
| FIPS code | 47-22000[6] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1283187[4] |
| Website | www |
Dunlap is a city in and thecounty seat[7] ofSequatchie County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 5,357 at the 2020 census and 4,815 at the 2010 census.
Dunlap is part of theChattanooga metropolitan area.
Dunlap was founded in 1858 as a county seat for Sequatchie County, which had been created the previous year. The city was named for state legislatorWilliam Claiborne Dunlap, who played a prominent role in the county's creation. The city's initial 40 acres (16 hectares), which were deeded to the county commissioners by Willam Rankin, were chosen due to their central location within the new county. Dunlap was incorporated as a city in 1941.[8]
Around 1900, the Douglas Coal and Coke Company purchased 14,000 acres (5,700 hectares) of land in the Dunlap vicinity with plans to mine coal and convert the coal into industrialcoke. Coke, which is created by heating coal and removing its volatile matter, is used primarily as adeoxidizing agent in the production ofpig iron. To convert coal mined on nearby Fredonia Mountain into coke, Douglas built the first of 268 ovens. The company used an incline railway to move the coal from the mountain to the ovens. Although Douglas went bankrupt in 1904, the Chattanooga Iron and Coal Company purchased the ovens, and continued producing coke until 1927.[9] In the 1980s and 1990s, the Sequatchie Valley Historical Association acquired the ruins of the coke ovens and establishedDunlap Coke Ovens Park.[10]
Dunlap is located at35°22′38″N85°23′18″W / 35.37722°N 85.38833°W /35.37722; -85.38833 (35.377236, -85.388455).[11] The city is located near the center ofSequatchie Valley, a narrow, 65-mile-long (105 km) valley that slices through theCumberland Plateau in southeastern Tennessee and northeasternAlabama. The plateau's western Sequatchie Valley escarpment, known locally as "Fredonia Mountain," rises over 1,000 feet (300 m) above the valley just west of Dunlap. The Sequatchie River forms the city's southeastern boundary.
U.S. Route 127 (called "Rankin Avenue" in Dunlap), which traverses much of the Tennessee section of Sequatchie Valley, connects Dunlap toPikeville andCrossville to the north andChattanooga oppositeSignal Mountain to the southeast.S.R. 28, which intersects with U.S. 127 in Dunlap, connects the city toJasper to the southwest.S.R. 111, which intersects US 127 a few miles north of Dunlap, connects the city to Chattanooga to the southeast andSpencer atop the plateau to the west.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.6 square miles (22 km2), all land.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 133 | — | |
| 1890 | 332 | 149.6% | |
| 1910 | 1,166 | — | |
| 1920 | 1,465 | 25.6% | |
| 1930 | 1,295 | −11.6% | |
| 1940 | 721 | −44.3% | |
| 1950 | 873 | 21.1% | |
| 1960 | 1,488 | 70.4% | |
| 1970 | 1,672 | 12.4% | |
| 1980 | 3,681 | 120.2% | |
| 1990 | 3,731 | 1.4% | |
| 2000 | 4,173 | 11.8% | |
| 2010 | 4,815 | 15.4% | |
| 2020 | 5,357 | 11.3% | |
| Sources:[12][13][5] | |||
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 4,719 | 88.09% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 32 | 0.6% |
| Native American | 17 | 0.32% |
| Asian | 29 | 0.54% |
| Pacific Islander | 4 | 0.07% |
| Other/Mixed | 188 | 3.51% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 368 | 6.87% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 5,357 people, 2,007 households, and 1,414 families residing in the city.
As of thecensus[6] of 2000, there were 4,173 people, 1,642 households, and 1,182 families residing in the city. The population density was 484.2 inhabitants per square mile (187.0/km2). There were 1,767 housing units at an average density of 205.0 units per square mile (79.2 units/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 98.87%White, 0.17%African American, 0.19%Native American, 0.24%Asian, 0.10% fromother races, and 0.43% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 0.81% of the population.
There were 1,642 households, out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% weremarried couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.7% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,647, and the median income for a family was $34,542. Males had a median income of $26,118 versus $19,952 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $17,567. About 18.1% of families and 20.1% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 25.5% of those under age 18 and 27.9% of those age 65 or over.
Sequatchie County has a consolidated school system which is located in Dunlap. The system operates with a superintendent and an elected school board.
The Sequatchie County school system has three schools:
Several annual festivals, including abluegrass festival, are held at the Dunlap Coke Ovens Park every year. Dunlap is often referred to as the "Hang Gliding Capital of the East" and is home to the East Coast Hang Gliding Championships and ahang gliding organization known as the Tennessee Tree Toppers.[15]The Mount Airy Golf Course is located just north of the city at the Sequatchie-Bledsoe county line.Savage Gulf State Natural Area is located atop the Cumberland Plateau to the west and Prentice Cooper State Forest is located atop the plateau to the east.
Municipalities and communities ofSequatchie County, Tennessee,United States | ||
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