Sullivan County, Tennessee

Sullivan County, Tennessee
Sullivan County Courthouse in Blountville
Location in the state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location in the U.S.
Founded	1779
Named for	General John Sullivan
Seat	Blountville
Largest city	Kingsport
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	430 sq mi (1,114 km²) 413 sq mi (1,070 km²) 17 sq mi (44 km²), 3.88%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	156,823 370/sq mi (143/km²)
Website	www.sullivancountytn.gov

Sullivan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 156,823. Its county seat is Blountville. Sullivan County is part of the Kingsport–Bristol (TN)–Bristol (VA) Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport–Bristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area – commonly known as the "Tri-Cities" region.

When originally established in 1779, Sullivan was a North Carolina county; from 1784 to 1788 it was part of the extra-legal State of Franklin.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 430 square miles (1,113 km²), of which 413 square miles (1,070 km²) is land and 17 square miles (43 km²) (3.88%) is water. Sullivan County's border with Carter County and Johnson County is defined as the ridgeline of Holston Mountain.

Adjacent counties

• Washington County, Virginia & Bristol, Virginia (northeast)
• Johnson County (east)
• Carter County (southeast)
• Washington County (southwest)
• Hawkins County (west)
• Scott County, Virginia (northwest)

Protected areas

• Cherokee National Forest (part)

Morrill Cave

Morrill Cave (also known as Worleys Cave) is a Tennessee State Natural Area. The cave has a surveyed length of 4.4 miles (7.1 km), making it the second longest cave in East Tennessee and the 177th longest cave in the United States. Morrill Cave is located on the south side of the Holston River, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) east of Bluff City. During the Civil War, the cave was a major source of saltpeter, the main ingredient of gunpowder. Significant evidence of this mining activity remains in the cave, including evidence of large amounts of saltpeter-bearing dirt that were removed, pick marks in the dirt, and an elaborate system of trails used by the miners. Cave historian Marion O. Smith has determined that there were two companies of the Confederate Nitre and Mining Bureau, District No. 7, that were active in Sullivan County.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 153,048 people, 63,556 households, and 44,806 families residing in the county. The population density was 371 people per square mile (143/km²). There were 69,052 housing units at an average density of 167 per square mile (65/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.55% White, 1.89% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. 0.71% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Age pyramid Sullivan County

There were 63,556 households out of which 28.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.10% were married couples living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.50% were non-families.according to the United States Census Bureau. Of 63,556 households, 1,915 are unmarried partner households: 1,702 heterosexual, 97 same-sex male, 116 same-sex female. 26.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the county, the population was spread out with 21.80% under the age of 18, 7.30% from 18 to 24, 28.40% from 25 to 44, 26.50% from 45 to 64, and 15.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,529, and the median income for a family was $41,025. Males had a median income of $31,204 versus $21,653 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,202. About 9.70% of families and 12.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.10% of those under age 18 and 11.90% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Steve Godsey is the county mayor. The county commission has 24 members. Before 2010, commissioners were elected on a nonpartisan basis, but Sullivan County's commission election became a partisan election in 2010 after the county Republican Party decided to conduct a primary election for commission seats.

Notable people from Sullivan County

• Besse Cooper, (1896-2012), age 116, the world's oldest living person from June 21, 2011, until her death on December 4, 2012.

Populated places

• Bloomingdale (unincorporated)
• Blountville (unincorporated)
• Bluff City
• Bristol
• Buffalo (unincorporated)
• Colonial Heights (unincorporated)
• Johnson City (part)
• Kingsport (part)
• Morrison City (unincorporated)
• Piney Flats (unincorporated)
• Spurgeon (unincorporated)
• Sullivan Gardens (unincorporated)
• Walnut Hill (unincorporated)

See also

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

Further reading

• Sullivan County, Tennessee Veterans History. Nashville: Turner Publishing Company (2001). ISBN 1-56311-774-6

External links

• Official site
• Networks Sullivan County Partnership
• Sullivan County Department of Education
• Sullivan County Local History Network
• TNGenWeb
• Sullivan County at the Open Directory Project