Carter County, Tennessee | |
|---|---|
 Carter County Courthouse inElizabethton | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofTennessee | |
 Tennessee's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:36°18′N82°07′W / 36.3°N 82.12°W /36.3; -82.12 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Tennessee |
| Founded | 1796 |
| Named after | Landon Carter[1] |
| Seat | Elizabethton |
| Largest city | Elizabethton |
| Area | |
• Total | 348 sq mi (900 km2) |
| • Land | 341 sq mi (880 km2) |
| • Water | 6.4 sq mi (17 km2) 1.8% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 56,356 |
• Estimate (2022) | 56,410 |
| • Density | 165/sq mi (63.8/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | www |
Carter County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofTennessee. As of the2020 census, the population was 56,356.[2] Its county seat isElizabethton.[3] The county is named in honor of Landon Carter (1760–1800), an early settler active in the"Lost State of Franklin" 1784-1788secession from the State of North Carolina. Carter County is part of theJohnson City, TNMetropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport–Bristol, TN-VACombined Statistical Area, located in northeastern Tennessee.
The area was originally claimed by Britain as part of the Clarendon settlements of theProvince of Carolina, although actually populated at the time by theCherokee.
The area was part of (though seldom actually administered by) the following jurisdictions in its early history:
The county is named forGeneral Landon Carter,[4] the son of John Carter ofVirginia, who was "chairman of the court" of the first majority-rule system of American democracy, known as theWatauga Association of 1772. The association was the first permanent settlement established outside the original thirteen American colonies and included the area that is today's Carter County. In 1775, the Association was absorbed intoNorth Carolina by petition, becoming known thereafter as theWashington District.
J. G. M. Ramsey records within his 1853Annals of Tennessee that the State of Franklin established Wayne County from sections of both Washington County and a part of Wilkes County "lying west of the extreme heights of the Apalachian or Alleghany Mountains, into a separate and distinct county by the name of Wayne... This new county covered the same territory now embraced in the limits of Carter and Johnson counties."[5]
The county seat, Elizabethton, is named for Carter's wife, Elizabeth MacLin Carter.[6]
Like most East Tennessee counties, Carter Countians opposed secession on the eve of the Civil War. In Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession referendum on June 8, 1861, Carter Countians rejected secession by a vote of 1,343 to 86.[7] A railroad bridge at Carter's Depot (modernWatauga) was among those targeted by theEast Tennessee bridge-burning conspiracy in November 1861.[8]
Carter County was served by thenarrow gaugeEast Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (TheET&WNC, nicknamed "Tweetsie") until the line ceased operations in 1950.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 348 square miles (900 km2), of which 341 square miles (880 km2) is land and 6.4 square miles (17 km2) (1.8%) is water.[9]
Carter County is situated entirely within theBlue Ridge Mountains, specifically theUnaka Range and theIron Mountains.[10]Roan Mountain, which at 6,285 feet (1,916 m) is the highest point in Tennessee outside theGreat Smoky Mountains, straddles the county's eastern border with North Carolina. The county's boundary with Sullivan County is defined as the ridgeline ofHolston Mountain.
Carter County is served by the Carter County Sheriff's Office, located in Elizabethton. During the Local General Election on August 4, 2022, Mike Fraley overcame the Independent candidate to become Sheriff of Carter County. Sheriff Fraley took over Official Duties as Sheriff on September 1.[12] Sheriff Fraley's term will run September 1, 2022, to August 31, 2026. Its duties include patrol of the county and all jail and prisoner matters.[13]
The Elizabethton Police Department services the City of Elizabethton inside Carter County. As of 2018, the Chief of Police is Jason Shaw.[14]
| Climate data for Carter County, Tennessee (Bristol-Johnson City) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 43.7 (6.5) | 48.0 (8.9) | 58.9 (14.9) | 67.4 (19.7) | 75.2 (24.0) | 82.2 (27.9) | 84.6 (29.2) | 84.1 (28.9) | 79.1 (26.2) | 69.1 (20.6) | 58.2 (14.6) | 48.1 (8.9) | 66.6 (19.2) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 34.0 (1.1) | 37.4 (3.0) | 47.2 (8.4) | 55.2 (12.9) | 63.4 (17.4) | 71.1 (21.7) | 74.4 (23.6) | 73.6 (23.1) | 67.9 (19.9) | 56.7 (13.7) | 47.0 (8.3) | 38.2 (3.4) | 55.5 (13.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 24.3 (−4.3) | 26.8 (−2.9) | 35.4 (1.9) | 43.0 (6.1) | 51.6 (10.9) | 59.9 (15.5) | 64.1 (17.8) | 63.1 (17.3) | 56.6 (13.7) | 44.2 (6.8) | 35.9 (2.2) | 28.2 (−2.1) | 44.4 (6.9) |
| Average rainfall inches (mm) | 3.2 (81) | 3.4 (86) | 3.7 (94) | 3.3 (84) | 3.8 (97) | 3.5 (89) | 4.3 (110) | 3.2 (81) | 3.3 (84) | 2.6 (66) | 2.9 (74) | 3.4 (86) | 40.7 (1,030) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 5.2 (13) | 4.2 (11) | 2.3 (5.8) | 0.4 (1.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.9 (2.3) | 2.6 (6.6) | 15.6 (40) |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 59.0 | 71.5 | 69.0 | 67.0 | 69.5 | 73.0 | 75.0 | 76.5 | 76.5 | 74.0 | 68.5 | 69.5 | 74.0 |
| Source: Climate-zone.com[15] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 4,813 | — | |
| 1810 | 4,190 | −12.9% | |
| 1820 | 4,835 | 15.4% | |
| 1830 | 6,414 | 32.7% | |
| 1840 | 5,372 | −16.2% | |
| 1850 | 6,296 | 17.2% | |
| 1860 | 7,124 | 13.2% | |
| 1870 | 7,909 | 11.0% | |
| 1880 | 10,019 | 26.7% | |
| 1890 | 13,389 | 33.6% | |
| 1900 | 16,688 | 24.6% | |
| 1910 | 19,838 | 18.9% | |
| 1920 | 21,488 | 8.3% | |
| 1930 | 29,223 | 36.0% | |
| 1940 | 35,127 | 20.2% | |
| 1950 | 42,432 | 20.8% | |
| 1960 | 41,578 | −2.0% | |
| 1970 | 42,575 | 2.4% | |
| 1980 | 50,205 | 17.9% | |
| 1990 | 51,505 | 2.6% | |
| 2000 | 56,742 | 10.2% | |
| 2010 | 57,424 | 1.2% | |
| 2020 | 56,356 | −1.9% | |
| 2022 (est.) | 56,410 | 0.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[16] 1790-1960[17] 1900-1990[18] 1990-2000[19] 2010-2014[20] | |||
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 51,790 | 91.9% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 702 | 1.25% |
| Native American | 153 | 0.27% |
| Asian | 231 | 0.41% |
| Pacific Islander | 7 | 0.01% |
| Other/Mixed | 2,292 | 4.07% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 1,181 | 2.1% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 56,356 people, 23,784 households, and 15,256 families residing in the county.
As of thecensus[23] of 2000, there were 56,742 people, 23,486 households, and 16,346 families residing in the county.[24] Thepopulation density was 166 people per square mile (64 people/km2). There were 25,920 housing units at an average density of 76 units per square mile (29/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.49%White, 1.00%Black orAfrican American, 0.20%Native American, 0.26%Asian, 0.01%Pacific Islander, 0.27% fromother races, and 0.78% from two or more races. 0.89% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 23,486 households, out of which 28.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.90% weremarried couples living together, 11.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.40% were non-families. 26.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.83.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.40% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $27,371, and the median income for a family was $33,825. Males had a median income of $26,394 versus $19,687 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $14,678. About 12.80% of families and 16.90% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 23.00% of those under age 18 and 16.00% of those age 65 or over.
Most of the county is in theCarter County School District, while portions in the Elizabethton city limits are in theElizabethton City School District.[25]
Schools include:
Carter County is a Republican stronghold, and, like most of East Tennessee, has voted consistently Republican since the Civil War. Carter County is even more heavily Republican than many other counties in East Tennessee and has not been won by a Democratic presidential candidate since before the Civil War. Since then, only one Democrat, southernerJimmy Carter in1976 (who also won several traditionally Republican counties in East Tennessee), has received over 40% of the popular vote.
Most recent Carter County Mayor Rusty Barnett died on September 21, 2020.[26]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 1,243 | 34.08% | 478 | 13.11% | 1,926 | 52.81% |
| 1916 | 2,961 | 85.60% | 498 | 14.40% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1920 | 6,059 | 89.99% | 674 | 10.01% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 3,657 | 86.33% | 551 | 13.01% | 28 | 0.66% |
| 1928 | 4,934 | 90.40% | 512 | 9.38% | 12 | 0.22% |
| 1932 | 5,055 | 76.26% | 1,574 | 23.74% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 4,858 | 72.27% | 1,837 | 27.33% | 27 | 0.40% |
| 1940 | 4,238 | 65.40% | 2,171 | 33.50% | 71 | 1.10% |
| 1944 | 4,873 | 74.33% | 1,662 | 25.35% | 21 | 0.32% |
| 1948 | 4,943 | 70.94% | 1,809 | 25.96% | 216 | 3.10% |
| 1952 | 9,019 | 76.15% | 2,707 | 22.86% | 118 | 1.00% |
| 1956 | 11,218 | 78.80% | 2,933 | 20.60% | 85 | 0.60% |
| 1960 | 12,214 | 77.31% | 3,412 | 21.60% | 172 | 1.09% |
| 1964 | 8,472 | 61.40% | 5,326 | 38.60% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 9,467 | 64.68% | 2,160 | 14.76% | 3,009 | 20.56% |
| 1972 | 11,102 | 82.15% | 2,191 | 16.21% | 221 | 1.64% |
| 1976 | 8,934 | 54.11% | 7,443 | 45.08% | 133 | 0.81% |
| 1980 | 11,648 | 64.44% | 6,006 | 33.22% | 423 | 2.34% |
| 1984 | 13,153 | 73.35% | 4,642 | 25.89% | 138 | 0.77% |
| 1988 | 12,036 | 71.74% | 4,634 | 27.62% | 108 | 0.64% |
| 1992 | 10,712 | 55.82% | 6,502 | 33.88% | 1,976 | 10.30% |
| 1996 | 10,540 | 57.65% | 6,218 | 34.01% | 1,524 | 8.34% |
| 2000 | 12,111 | 63.40% | 6,724 | 35.20% | 267 | 1.40% |
| 2004 | 15,768 | 70.67% | 6,395 | 28.66% | 150 | 0.67% |
| 2008 | 15,852 | 72.82% | 5,587 | 25.66% | 330 | 1.52% |
| 2012 | 15,503 | 75.20% | 4,789 | 23.23% | 325 | 1.58% |
| 2016 | 16,898 | 80.15% | 3,453 | 16.38% | 733 | 3.48% |
| 2020 | 19,584 | 79.96% | 4,529 | 18.49% | 379 | 1.55% |
| 2024 | 20,167 | 81.15% | 4,454 | 17.92% | 231 | 0.93% |
Places adjacent to Carter County, Tennessee | |
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Municipalities and communities ofCarter County, Tennessee,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
