Greene County, Tennessee

Greene County, Tennessee
Greene County Courthouse in Greeneville
Location in the state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location in the U.S.
Founded	1783
Seat	Greeneville
Largest city	Greeneville
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	626 sq mi (1,616 km²) 622 sq mi (1,610 km²) 2 sq mi (6 km²), .39%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	68,831 101/sq mi (39/km²)
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4

Greene County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population was 68,831. Its county seat is Greeneville, and the current county mayor is Alan Broyles (R).

History

See also: Maden Hall Farm

Greene County is rooted in the "Nolichucky settlement," which was established by pioneer Jacob Brown on land leased from the Cherokee in the early 1770s. The Nolichucky settlement aligned itself with the Watauga settlement, centered in modern Elizabethton. Greene County was formed in 1783 from the original Washington County, North Carolina, part of the former Washington District. John Crockett, father of Davy Crockett settled in the county near Limestone, and Davy was born there in 1786. The area was then part of the extra-legal state, Franklin.

Greene County is the home of the oldest college in Tennessee (Tusculum College), Tennessee's oldest Methodist congregation (the Ebenezer Methodist Church, near Chuckey), and Tennessee's second oldest continuously cultivated farm (Elmwood Farm, part of the Earnest Farms Historic District). Revolutionary War veteran, and state legislator, Col. Joseph Hardin made Greene County his home for a period of time, serving as justice of the peace and as one of the original trustees of Tusculum (then Greeneville) college. The county is named for Major General Nathanael Greene (1742-1786), a major general in the Continental Army from Rhode Island.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 624 square miles (1,616.2 km²), of which 622 square miles (1,611.0 km²) is land and 2 square miles (5.2 km²) is water. The total area is 0.39% water.

Adjacent Counties

• Hawkins County (north)
• Washington County (east)
• Unicoi County (southeast)
• Madison County, North Carolina (south)
• Cocke County (southwest)
• Hamblen County (west)

Cities and towns

• Afton (unincorporated)
• Baileyton
• Chuckey (unincorporated)
• Greeneville
• Limestone (unincorporated)
• Mohawk (unincorporated)
• Mosheim
• Tusculum

National protected areas

• Andrew Johnson National Historic Site
• Cherokee National Forest (part)

Demographics

Age pyramid Greene County

As of the census of 2000, there were 62,909 people, 25,756 households, and 18,132 families residing in the county. The population density was 101 people per square mile (39/km²). There were 28,116 housing units at an average density of 45 per square mile (17/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.42% White, 2.11% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. 1.02% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Farm in eastern Greene County

There were 25,756 households out of which 29.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.70% were married couples living together, 10.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.60% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the county, the population was spread out with 22.20% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 26.10% from 45 to 64, and 14.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,382, and the median income for a family was $36,889. Males had a median income of $26,331 versus $20,304 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,746. About 11.20% of families and 14.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.00% of those under age 18 and 16.70% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public schools in Greene County include the following, with their enrollments for the 2007-2008 school year:

• Baileyton Elementary - 365 students
• Camp Creek Elementary - 315 students
• Chuckey Elementary - 325 students
• DeBusk Elementary - 340 students
• Doak Elementary - 590 students
• Glenwood Elementary - 255 students
• McDonald Elementary - 410 students
• Mosheim Elementary and Middle School - 960 students
• Nolachuckey Elementary - 340 students
• Ottway Elementary - 260 students
• West Pines Elementary - 240 students
• Chuckey-Doak Middle School - 495 students
• Chuckey Doak High School - 710 students
• North Greene High School - 395 students
• South Greene High School - 525 students
• West Greene High School - 735 students
• Center for Technology - 488 students

Public schools within Greene County but part of the Greeneville City School System include:

• Highland Elementary
• Hal Henard Elementary
• Eastview Elementary
• Tusculum View Elementary
• Greeneville Middle School
• Greeneville High School

Hospitals

Two hospitals are located in Greene County:

• Laughlin Memorial Hospital
• Takoma Regional Hospital

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Greene County, Tennessee

External links

• The Greeneville Sun newspaper
• Greene County Tennessee Government
• Greene County Benchmarks: News Highlights from 2009-10
• Greene County Guidebook
• Greene County at the Open Directory Project