Union County, Tennessee

Union County, Tennessee
Union County Courthouse in Maynardville
Location in the state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location in the U.S.
Founded	information needed
Seat	Maynardville
Largest city	Plainview
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	247 sq mi (640 km²) 224 sq mi (579 km²) 24 sq mi (61 km²), 9.54%
Population  - (2000)  - Density	17,808 80/sq mi (31/km²)
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4

Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its population was 17,808 as of the United States Census, 2000. Its county seat is Maynardville. It is included in the Knoxville, Tennessee, Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Union County was formed in 1850 from portions of Grainger, Claiborne, Campbell, Anderson and Knox counties. There are at least two theories on the source of its name. The name may commemorate the "union" of sections of five counties, or it may reflect East Tennessee's support for the preservation of the Union in the years before the Civil War.

In the 1930s, the damming of the Clinch River by Norris Dam to form Norris Lake inundated a large part of the county, including the community of Loyston, and displaced many residents. With assistance from the National Park Service and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) developed Big Ridge State Park as a demonstration park on the shore of the lake in Union County. The park's recreational facilities opened in May 1934.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 247 square miles (640 km²), of which 224 square miles (580 km²) is land and 24 square miles (62 km²) (9.54%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Claiborne County (north)
• Grainger County (east)
• Knox County (south)
• Anderson County (southwest)
• Campbell County (northwest)

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 17,808 people, 6,742 households, and 5,191 families residing in the county. The population density was 80 people per square mile (31/km²). There were 7,916 housing units at an average density of 35 per square mile (14/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.46% White, 0.10% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. 0.79% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Age pyramid Union County

There were 6,742 households out of which 35.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.20% were married couples living together, 10.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.00% were non-families. 19.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county, the population was spread out with 25.70% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 31.00% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 10.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 98.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,335, and the median income for a family was $31,843. Males had a median income of $26,436 versus $18,665 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,375. About 16.80% of families and 19.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.10% of those under age 18 and 27.80% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

• Braden (unincorporated)
• Luttrell
• Maynardville
• Plainview
• Sharps Chapel (unincorporated)

In 1900 the community of Lickskillet, also known as Esco was located about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) north of Manardville near what today is the intersection of Old State Route 33 and Fall Creek or Cox Road with TN 170.

Notable people

• Roy Acuff, entertainer
• Chet Atkins, entertainer
• Jake Butcher, former banker and politician, convicted of fraud
• Kenny Chesney, entertainer
• John Rice Irwin, historian and founder of Museum of Appalachia
• Florence Reece, who wrote the song "Which Side Are You On?", was born in Sharps Chapel in 1900.
• Carl Smith, entertainer

Education

Schools in Union County include:

• Big Ridge Elementary School
• Horace Maynard Middle School (previously Horace Maynard High School until 1997)
• Luttrell Elementary School
• Maynardville Elementary School
• Paulette Elementary School
• Sharps Chapel Elementary School
• Union County Alternative Center Grades 6-12
• Union County High School

Attractions and historic buildings

See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Tennessee#Union County

• Big Ridge State Park
• Roy Acuff Museum
• Booker Farm 01999-06-25 June 25, 1999 Corryton-Luttrell Rd.
• Booker Farm, Luttrell
• Hamilton-Lay Store 02011-03-15 March 15, 2011 Intersection of Mill Pond Hollow Rd. and Walkers Ford Rd.
• (Hamilton-Lay Store) Maynardville vicinity
• Hamilton-Tolliver Complex 02010-03-12 March 12, 2010 158 Kettle Hollow Rd.
• Maynardville State Bank 02001-11-21 November 21, 2001 1001 Main St.
• Baite Ousley House 01975-03-04 March 4, 1975 15 miles southwest of Tazewell, north of Norris Lake on Big Valley Rd.

External links

• Union County Government official site
• Union County Chamber of Commerce
• Union County Public Schools
• Union County Historical Society
• Union County Tourism
• Union County Community Resources Website
• Union County at the Open Directory Project