Anderson County, Tennessee | |
|---|---|
 Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton | |
 Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofTennessee | |
| Coordinates:36°07′N84°12′W / 36.11°N 84.2°W /36.11; -84.2 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Tennessee |
| Founded | November 6, 1801 |
| Named after | Joseph Anderson[1] |
| Seat | Clinton |
| Largest city | Oak Ridge |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Terry Frank (R) |
| Area | |
• Total | 345 sq mi (890 km2) |
| • Land | 337 sq mi (870 km2) |
| • Water | 7.6 sq mi (20 km2) 2.2% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 77,123 |
• Estimate (2023) | 80,234 |
| • Density | 229/sq mi (88.4/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Website | andersoncountytn |
Anderson County is acounty in theU.S. state ofTennessee. It is located in the northern part of the state inEast Tennessee. As of the2020 census, its population was 77,123.[2] Itscounty seat isClinton.[3] Anderson County is included in theKnoxville, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Before the formation of Anderson County, Tennessee, that territory was initially land of what is today called theEastern Band of Cherokee Indians, which had been settled by several pioneer families including the Wallace, Gibbs, Freels, Frost and Tunnell families. Although theTreaty of Holston, signed in 1791, was intended as a negotiation with the Cherokee to prohibit settlement of the area including what is today Anderson County, the treaty became ineffective as more settlers moved through theAppalachian Mountains from Virginia and North Carolina into Tennessee. The flooding of white settlers into the Indian domain was cause for several skirmishes, which eased after the Treaty of Tellico in 1798 (with an origination point for relinquished land from the Cherokee being theTellico Blockhouse) allowed for greater ease in settling the area.[4]
Anderson County was partitioned from a portion ofGrainger County, Tennessee as well as a portion ofKnox County, Tennessee, in 1801; neighboringRoane County, Tennessee, was also formed from a portion of Knox County, Tennessee, in 1801, making Anderson and Roane counties effectively called 'sister counties'.[5] Anderson County was named in honor ofJoseph Anderson (1757–1847), who was at that timeU.S. senator from Tennessee, and whose career also included judge of the Superior Court of theTerritory South of the River Ohio andComptroller of theU.S. Treasury.
Like many East Tennessee counties, the residents of Anderson County were largely opposed to secession on the eve of the Civil War. On June 8, 1861, Anderson Countians voted against Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession, 1,278 to 97.[6]
The construction ofNorris Dam, the first dam built by theTennessee Valley Authority, brought major changes to the county in the 1930s. Approximately 2900 families were relocated from reservoir lands in Anderson and nearby counties during the construction, which began in 1933 and was completed in 1936. The town ofNorris was initially built as aplanned community to house the workers involved in the construction of this dam. As a result of the dam completion and operation, the temperature of the downstreamClinch River bed changed, so that a former pearl industry which had been successful for many years evaporated as themussels, once prevalent in the river, were not able to sustain life in the changed climate.
DuringWorld War II, the federal government'sManhattan Project brought more change to the county, including the displacement of more families and the founding ofOak Ridge.
TheMuseum of Appalachia in Norris commemorates pioneer and rural life of past decades in Anderson County and the surrounding region. It is also an antique shop that sells artifacts from the times of the first settlers to the times of theCoal Creek War.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 345 square miles (890 km2), of which 337 square miles (870 km2) is land and 7.6 square miles (20 km2) (2.2%) is water.[7]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1810 | 3,959 | — | |
| 1820 | 4,668 | 17.9% | |
| 1830 | 5,310 | 13.8% | |
| 1840 | 5,658 | 6.6% | |
| 1850 | 6,938 | 22.6% | |
| 1860 | 7,068 | 1.9% | |
| 1870 | 8,704 | 23.1% | |
| 1880 | 10,820 | 24.3% | |
| 1890 | 15,128 | 39.8% | |
| 1900 | 17,634 | 16.6% | |
| 1910 | 17,717 | 0.5% | |
| 1920 | 18,298 | 3.3% | |
| 1930 | 19,722 | 7.8% | |
| 1940 | 26,504 | 34.4% | |
| 1950 | 59,407 | 124.1% | |
| 1960 | 60,032 | 1.1% | |
| 1970 | 60,300 | 0.4% | |
| 1980 | 67,346 | 11.7% | |
| 1990 | 68,250 | 1.3% | |
| 2000 | 71,330 | 4.5% | |
| 2010 | 75,129 | 5.3% | |
| 2020 | 77,123 | 2.7% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 80,234 | [8] | 4.0% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11] 1990-2000[12] 2010-2020[2] | |||
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 66,044 | 85.63% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 2,841 | 3.68% |
| Native American | 217 | 0.28% |
| Asian | 975 | 1.26% |
| Pacific Islander | 53 | 0.07% |
| Other/Mixed | 4,173 | 5.41% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 2,820 | 3.66% |
As of the2020 census, there were 77,123 people, 31,993 households, and 19,074 families residing in the county.[14]
The racial makeup of the county was 86.7%White, 3.7%Black or African American, 0.4%American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%Asian, 0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 1.6% from some other race, and 6.3% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.7% of the population.[15]
The median age was 43.2 years, with 21.1% of residents under the age of 18 and 20.5% aged 65 or older. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.3 males.[14]
Among the 31,993 households, 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them. Of all households, 46.3% were married-couple households, 18.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[14]
There were 35,143 housing units, of which 9.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 68.8% were owner-occupied and 31.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.4%.[14]
63.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 36.5% lived in rural areas.[16]
As of thecensus[17] of 2000, there were 71,330 people, 29,780 households, and 20,518 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 211 people per square mile (81 people/km2). There were 32,451 housing units at an average density of 96 units per square mile (37/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 93.36%White, 3.88%Black orAfrican American, 0.32%Native American, 0.83%Asian, 0.01%Pacific Islander, 0.38% fromother races, and 1.22% from two or more races. 1.10% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
According to the2000 Census the largest ancestry groups in Anderson County wereEnglish (37%),Irish (14.7%),German (13.5%),Scots-Irish (4.5%) andScottish (3.1%).
There were 29,780 households, out of which 29.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.80% weremarried couples living together, 11.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.10% were non-families. 27.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.20% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 27.30% from 25 to 44, 25.50% from 45 to 64, and 16.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,483, and the median income for a family was $42,584. Males had a median income of $33,710 versus $23,467 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $19,009. About 10.20% of families and 13.10% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 18.40% of those under age 18 and 8.80% of those age 65 or over.
Anderson County has a thriving tourism industry, thanks to major attractions such asNorris Lake, theGreen McAdoo School, theMuseum of Appalachia, andAmerican Museum of Science and Energy, and the county is considered a part of the Norris Highlands.
Anderson County has traditionally leaned Republican, consistent with East Tennessee’s Unionist roots, but the creation ofOak Ridge during World War II, when the federal government established the city in 1942 as part of theManhattan Project, brought in thousands of scientists, engineers, and federal employees who provided Democrats with a stronger base of support than in surrounding counties.[18][19] Oak Ridge made Anderson County more politically competitive through much of the mid-20th century, but in recent decades the county has trended back Republican, with Democratic strength largely confined to parts of Oak Ridge.[20] The last Democratic presidential candidate to carry the county wasBill Clinton in 1996.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 539 | 23.04% | 597 | 25.52% | 1,203 | 51.43% |
| 1916 | 1,730 | 75.68% | 537 | 23.49% | 19 | 0.83% |
| 1920 | 3,127 | 80.30% | 748 | 19.21% | 19 | 0.49% |
| 1924 | 1,495 | 69.28% | 548 | 25.39% | 115 | 5.33% |
| 1928 | 2,304 | 81.27% | 531 | 18.73% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 1,605 | 59.51% | 1,081 | 40.08% | 11 | 0.41% |
| 1936 | 1,805 | 42.84% | 2,348 | 55.73% | 60 | 1.42% |
| 1940 | 1,852 | 45.27% | 2,218 | 54.22% | 21 | 0.51% |
| 1944 | 3,424 | 49.48% | 3,476 | 50.23% | 20 | 0.29% |
| 1948 | 5,372 | 45.38% | 5,915 | 49.97% | 550 | 4.65% |
| 1952 | 10,489 | 53.88% | 8,939 | 45.92% | 38 | 0.20% |
| 1956 | 11,071 | 52.42% | 9,368 | 44.35% | 682 | 3.23% |
| 1960 | 11,153 | 52.56% | 9,878 | 46.55% | 190 | 0.90% |
| 1964 | 8,860 | 42.18% | 12,146 | 57.82% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 10,233 | 47.04% | 7,198 | 33.09% | 4,323 | 19.87% |
| 1972 | 13,865 | 66.03% | 6,713 | 31.97% | 421 | 2.00% |
| 1976 | 10,494 | 43.29% | 13,455 | 55.50% | 293 | 1.21% |
| 1980 | 14,235 | 55.31% | 10,194 | 39.61% | 1,307 | 5.08% |
| 1984 | 16,783 | 61.31% | 10,415 | 38.05% | 176 | 0.64% |
| 1988 | 15,056 | 60.74% | 9,589 | 38.68% | 143 | 0.58% |
| 1992 | 11,838 | 41.38% | 13,482 | 47.12% | 3,291 | 11.50% |
| 1996 | 11,943 | 43.40% | 13,457 | 48.91% | 2,116 | 7.69% |
| 2000 | 14,688 | 51.04% | 13,556 | 47.10% | 535 | 1.86% |
| 2004 | 18,510 | 58.42% | 12,896 | 40.70% | 276 | 0.87% |
| 2008 | 19,675 | 62.32% | 11,396 | 36.10% | 499 | 1.58% |
| 2012 | 18,968 | 63.95% | 10,122 | 34.13% | 569 | 1.92% |
| 2016 | 19,212 | 64.30% | 9,013 | 30.16% | 1,656 | 5.54% |
| 2020 | 23,184 | 65.18% | 11,741 | 33.01% | 645 | 1.81% |
| 2024 | 24,582 | 67.26% | 11,525 | 31.53% | 441 | 1.21% |
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Places adjacent to Anderson County, Tennessee | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofAnderson County, Tennessee,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| Principal city |     | |
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36°07′N84°12′W / 36.11°N 84.20°W /36.11; -84.20
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