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Blount County, Tennessee
Blount-county-tennessee-courthouse1
Blount County Courthouse in Maryville
Seal of Blount County, Tennessee
Seal
Map of Tennessee highlighting Blount County
Location in the state of Tennessee
Map of the U.S
Tennessee's location in the U.S.
Founded 1795
Named for William Blount[1]
Seat Maryville
Largest city Maryville
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

567 sq mi (1,469 km²)
559 sq mi (1,448 km²)
7.8 sq mi (20 km²), 1.4%
Population
 - (2020)
 - Density

135,280
242/sq mi (93/km²)
Congressional district 2nd
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website www.blounttn.org

Blount County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 135,280.[2] The county seat is Maryville,[3] which is also the county's largest city.

Blount County is included in the Knoxville, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History[]

What is today Blount County was for many thousands of years Indian territory, passed down to the Cherokee tribe that claimed the land upon the arrival of white settlers in the late 18th century. Shortly thereafter, on July 11, 1795, Blount County became the tenth county established in Tennessee, when the Territorial Legislature voted to split adjacent Knox and Jefferson counties. The new county was named for the governor of the Southwest Territory, William Blount, and its county seat, Maryville, was named for his wife Mary Grainger Blount. This establishment, however, did little to settle the differences between white immigrants and Cherokee natives, which was, for the most part, not accomplished until an 1819 treaty.

Like a majority of East Tennessee counties, Blount County was opposed to secession on the eve of the Civil War. In Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession referendum on June 8, 1861, Blount Countians voted against secession by a margin of 1,766 to 414.[4] Residents of pro-Union Cades Cove and pro-Confederate Hazel Creek (on the other side of the mountains in North Carolina) regularly launched raids against one another during the war.[5]

Throughout its history the boundaries of Blount County have been altered numerous times, most notably in 1870 when a large swath of western Blount was split into Loudon and portions of other counties. Also, the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1936, while not affecting the legal boundaries of Blount County, has significantly impacted the use of southeastern Blount County.[6]

Blount County has been served by The Daily Times, currently published in Maryville, since 1883.[7]

On July 2, 2015, a freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed. About 5,000 residents were displaced from their homes within a two-mile (three-kilometer) radius.[8][9][10][11][12]

Geography[]

Chilhowee-mountain-blount-tn4

Chilhowee Mountain in winter

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 567 square miles (1,470 km2), of which 559 square miles (1,450 km2) is land and 7.8 square miles (20 km2) (1.4%) is water.[13]

The southern part of Blount County is part of the Great Smoky Mountains, and is protected by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The crest of the range forms the county's border with Swain County, North Carolina, and includes Blount's highest point, 5,527-foot (1,685 m) Thunderhead Mountain, and the 4,949-foot (1,508 m) Gregory Bald, a prominent grassy bald. The northern part of the county is part of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians.[14] The geologic boundary between the Blue Ridge (which includes the Smokies) and Ridge-and-Valley provinces runs along Chilhowee Mountain, a long and narrow ridge that stretches across the central part of the county.[15] Much of Blount's topography is characterized by elongate ridges and rolling hills— known locally as "The Foothills"— which emanate outward from the Smokies range.

The mountainous southern portion of Blount County is dotted by relatively isolated valleys known as Appalachian coves. The best known of these valleys, Cades Cove, is one of the most visited sections of the national park, and is noted for the remnants of the Appalachian community that occupied the cove prior to the park's formation, as well as an abundance of wildlife, especially white-tailed deer. Tuckaleechee Cove is occupied by the city of Townsend, and Millers Cove is occupied by the community of Walland. This part of the county is also home to two large caves: Tuckaleechee Caverns, a popular show cave, and Bull Cave, which at 924 feet (282 m) is the deepest in Tennessee.[16]

The Tennessee River forms part of Blount's border with Knox County to the northwest. This section of the Tennessee is part of Fort Loudoun Lake, an artificial lake created by the Tennessee Valley Authority. The Little Tennessee River, a tributary of the Tennessee, forms part of Blount's southern border with Monroe County, and includes three artificial lakes: Tellico, Chilhowee, and Calderwood (two others, Cheoah and Fontana, are located just upstream in North Carolina). Little River, another tributary of the Tennessee, flows northward from deep within the Smokies and traverses the central part of the county. The river's confluence with its Middle Prong forms a popular swimming area known as the "Townsend Wye," which is located just inside the park south of Townsend.

Geographical features[]

  • Great Smoky Mountains
  • Chilhowee Mountain
  • Thunderhead Mountain
  • Gregory Bald
  • Lake in the Sky
  • Look Rock
  • Fort Loudoun Lake
  • Chilhowee Lake
  • Little River
  • Little Tennessee River

Adjacent counties[]

National protected areas[]

  • Appalachian Trail (part)
  • Foothills Parkway (part)
  • Great Smoky Mountains National Park (part)

State protected areas[]

  • Foothills Wildlife Management Area
  • Sam Houston Schoolhouse (state historic site)
  • Kyker Bottoms Refuge
  • Tellico Lake Wildlife Management Area (part)
  • Whites Mill Refuge

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1800 5,587
1810 12,098 116.5%
1820 11,258 −6.9%
1830 11,028 −2.0%
1840 11,745 6.5%
1850 12,424 5.8%
1860 13,270 6.8%
1870 14,237 7.3%
1880 15,985 12.3%
1890 17,589 10.0%
1900 19,206 9.2%
1910 20,809 8.3%
1920 28,800 38.4%
1930 33,989 18.0%
1940 41,116 21.0%
1950 54,691 33.0%
1960 57,525 5.2%
1970 63,744 10.8%
1980 77,700 21.9%
1990 85,969 10.6%
2000 105,823 23.1%
2010 123,010 16.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[17]
1790-1960[18] 1900-1990[19]
1990-2000[20]
2010-2020[2]
USA Blount County, Tennessee

Age pyramid Blount County[21]

2020 census[]

Blount County racial composition[22]
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 117,952 87.19%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 3,552 2.63%
Native American 339 0.25%
Asian 1,280 0.95%
Pacific Islander 23 0.02%
Other/Mixed 6,425 4.75%
Hispanic or Latino 5,709 4.22%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 135,280 people, 50,813 households, and 35,299 families residing in the county.

2000 census[]

As of the census[23] of 2000, there were 105,823 people, 42,667 households, and 30,634 families residing in the county. The population density was 190 people per square mile (73/km2). There were 47,059 housing units at an average density of 84 per square mile (33/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 94.73% White, 2.91% Black, 0.29% Native American, 0.72% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. 1.06% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 42,667 households, out of which 30.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.40% were married couples living together, 10.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.20% are classified as non-families by the United States Census Bureau. Of the 42,667 households, 1,384 are unmarried partner households: 1,147 heterosexual, 107 same-sex male, 130 same-sex female. 24.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.80% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 29.40% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 14.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.80 males. However, these data are distorted by female longevity. As verified by 2000 U.S. Census, for every 100 females under 65 there were 98.7 males, for every 100 females under 55 there were 99.5 males, and for every 100 females under 20 there were 105 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,862, and the median income for a family was $45,038. Males had a median income of $31,877 versus $23,007 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,416. About 7.30% of families and 9.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.30% of those under age 18 and 9.10% of those age 65 or over.


Government[]

United States presidential election results for Blount County, Tennessee[24]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 47,369 71.12% 17,932 26.92% 1,308 1.96%
2016 37,443 71.72% 12,100 23.18% 2,665 5.10%
2012 35,441 71.98% 12,934 26.27% 859 1.74%
2008 35,571 68.88% 15,253 29.53% 821 1.59%
2004 33,241 68.24% 15,047 30.89% 424 0.87%
2000 25,273 62.15% 14,688 36.12% 701 1.72%
1996 19,310 52.29% 14,687 39.77% 2,933 7.94%
1992 18,415 48.91% 14,655 38.92% 4,581 12.17%
1988 20,027 67.26% 9,602 32.25% 147 0.49%
1984 20,525 68.74% 9,188 30.77% 146 0.49%
1980 17,959 63.81% 9,412 33.44% 773 2.75%
1976 13,851 52.79% 12,096 46.10% 293 1.12%
1972 16,078 73.85% 5,303 24.36% 390 1.79%
1968 12,753 57.10% 5,176 23.17% 4,407 19.73%
1964 11,876 58.40% 8,459 41.60% 0 0.00%
1960 13,552 68.20% 6,213 31.27% 107 0.54%
1956 12,667 70.90% 5,076 28.41% 124 0.69%
1952 11,708 69.22% 5,163 30.53% 42 0.25%
1948 6,152 64.47% 3,141 32.91% 250 2.62%
1944 6,193 68.30% 2,836 31.28% 38 0.42%
1940 4,312 55.85% 3,363 43.56% 45 0.58%
1936 4,119 57.22% 3,056 42.45% 24 0.33%
1932 3,275 67.29% 1,515 31.13% 77 1.58%
1928 4,125 85.16% 712 14.70% 7 0.14%
1924 2,754 72.93% 968 25.64% 54 1.43%
1920 5,540 78.09% 1,550 21.85% 4 0.06%
1916 2,462 70.42% 1,015 29.03% 19 0.54%
1912 870 27.92% 836 26.83% 1,410 45.25%
1908 2,568 74.80% 847 24.67% 18 0.52%
1904 1,987 75.52% 618 23.49% 26 0.99%
1900 2,201 71.35% 825 26.74% 59 1.91%
1896 2,652 72.20% 970 26.41% 51 1.39%
1892 1,933 66.77% 821 28.36% 141 4.87%
1888 2,237 67.73% 1,009 30.55% 57 1.73%
1884 1,823 67.32% 849 31.35% 36 1.33%
1880 1,597 64.42% 882 35.58% 0 0.00%



Like most of East Tennessee, Blount County has been a Republican bastion for decades. The last non-Republican to carry the county was Theodore Roosevelt, during his third-party run in 1912. As a measure of how Republican Blount County is, Franklin D. Roosevelt lost the county by large margins in all four of his successful campaigns, and Barry Goldwater carried it in 1964 by one of his largest margins in the state. Democrats have only come close to winning here twice in recent memory. In 1976, Jimmy Carter took 46 percent of the vote. In 1992, George H. W. Bush was held to 48.9 percent of the vote—the only time in over a century that a Republican has failed to win a majority in Blount County.

The following list consists of the current elected members of the Blount County government:

  • Commissioners:
Blount County government
County Executive Ed Mitchell
Assessor of Property Tim Helton
Clerk and Master Stephen Ogle
County Clerk Gaye Hasty
Clerk of Courts Thomas Hatcher
County Treasurer
District Attorney Mike Flynn
Registrar of Deeds Phyllis Crisp
Chief Highway Officer Jeff Headrick
Registrar of Probate
County Sheriff James Berrong
Trustee Scott Graves
State government
State Representative(s) 2 Representatives:Jerome Moon (R-Tennessee District 8), Bob Ramsey (R-Tennessee District 20)
State Senator(s) 1 Senators:Art Swann (R-Tennessee District 8)
Federal government
U.S. Representative(s) Tim Burchett (R-2nd District)
U.S. Senators Bill Hagerty (R)
Marsha Blackburn (R)

Economy[]

Most of the early European-American settlers were of little means; they were subsistence farmers throughout the early years of the county's establishment. The first industry to make its mark on Blount County, as in other neighboring counties, was that of lumber.

It was the massive development of this industry in the mountains of east Blount that, in part, led to the creation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It includes the southeastern portion of the county. Today manufacturing has replaced lumber in importance, with over 100 manufacturing plants located in the county.[25]

Denso Manufacturing Tennessee Inc., a division of Denso Global, is the county's largest employer, with about 3,000 employees.[26]

Education[]

Wilson-center-mc-tn1

Wilson Center at Maryville College

Public schools in Blount County are part of the Blount County Schools system, with the exception of schools in the cities of Maryville and Alcoa, both of which operate separate, independent school systems. Private schools located in the county include: Maryville Christian School;[27][28] Montessori Middle School (opening in 2009[29]); New Horizon Montessori School and Clayton-Bradley STEM school (2013).

Blount County is home to two post-secondary educational institutions: Maryville College, a Presbyterian-related, liberal arts college, founded in 1819 in downtown Maryville, and a satellite campus of Knoxville-based Pellissippi State Technical Community College, referred to as Pellissippi State Technical Community College, or P.S.T.C.C., Blount County Campus.

Transportation[]

Paratransit[]

Blount County is served by the East Tennessee Human Resource Agency's Public Transit system. ETHRA operates in about sixteen counties in eastern Tennessee, and is headquartered in the nearby city of Loudon. The service offers residents of any of the counties covered by ETHRA door-to-door pickup transportation across its service area by request only."Transportation | ETHRA". http://www.ethra.org/services/transportation. </ref>

Airports[]

TYS, McGhee Tyson Airport

Highways[]

  • Interstate highways
    • Interstate 140 (Pellissippi Parkway)
  • U.S. highways
    • US Route 129 (Airport Hwy, Alcoa Hwy, Hwy 411 South & Calderwood Hwy)
    • US Route 321 (Lamar Alexander Pkwy & Wears Valley Road)
    • US Route 411 (Broadway Ave & Sevierville Road)
    • US Route 441 (Chapman Highway)
  • State highways
    • Tennessee State Route 33 (Old Knoxville Hwy, Broadway Ave & Hwy 411 South)
    • Tennessee State Route 35 (Sevierville Road, Washington Street & North Hall Road)
    • Tennessee State Route 72
    • Tennessee State Route 73 (Lamar Alexander Pkwy & Wears Valley Road)
    • Tennessee State Route 115 (Airport Hwy, Alcoa Hwy, Hwy 411 South & Calderwood Hwy)
    • Tennessee State Route 162 (Pellissippi Parkway)
  • Secondary Routes
    • Tennessee State Route 71 (Chapman Highway)
    • Tennessee State Route 73 Scenic (Lamar Alexander Pkwy & Little River Road)
    • Tennessee State Route 333 (Topside Road, Louisville Road, Quarry Rd & Miser Station Road)
    • Tennessee State Route 334 (Louisville Road)
    • Tennessee State Route 335 (William Blount Drive, Hunt Road & Old Glory Road)
    • Tennessee State Route 336 (Montvale Road, Six Mile Road & Brick Mill Road)
    • Tennessee State Route 429 (Airbase Road)
    • Tennessee State Route 446 (Foothills Mall Drive)
    • Tennessee State Route 447
  • US Park Service Roads
    • Foothills Parkway
    • Little River Road
    • Laurel Creek Road
    • Cades Cove Loop Road

Parks[]

In addition to the federally operated Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which draws many visitors to the county each year, Blount County operates numerous smaller community parks and recreation centers, primarily in the cities of Alcoa and Maryville. Some of these facilities include:[30]

  • Amerine Park (Maryville)
  • Bassell Courts (Alcoa)
  • Bicentennial Greenbelt Park (Maryville)
  • Eagleton Park (Maryville)
  • Everett Athletic Complex (Maryville)
  • Everett Park/Everett Senior Center (Maryville)
  • Howe Street Park (Alcoa)
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center (Alcoa)
  • Louisville Point Park (Louisville)
  • Oldfield Mini Park (Alcoa)
  • Pearson Springs Park (Maryville)
  • Pole Climbers Athletic Fields (Alcoa)
  • Rock Garden Park (Alcoa)
  • Sandy Springs Park (Maryville)
  • John Sevier Park/Pool (Maryville)
  • Springbrook Park/Pool (Alcoa)
  • Richard Williams Park (Alcoa)

An integral part of keeping the parks, and other parts of Blount County beautiful, is the organization called Keep Blount Beautiful.[31] This organization works in coordination with other companies including The City of Alcoa Residential Recycling Pick Up Service[32] and Blount County HGS Trash and Recycling Same Day Residential Pick Up Service,[33] as well as many other recycling resources in Blount County,[34] to work towards the community goals of reducing air, water, and land pollution in order to reduce particulate matter and smog,[35] and to improve the overall health of local parks and preserved ecosystems in Blount County, as well as surrounding areas, of East Tennessee. These organizations and companies are appreciated by thousands of East Tennesseans due to their honorable work in the Blount County Community.

Communities[]

Map of Blount County Tennessee

Map of Blount County, Tennessee showing cities, CDPs, and Census county divisions.

Retention-pond-wildwood-tn1

Wildwood area

Cities[]

  • Alcoa
  • Friendsville
  • Maryville (county seat)
  • Rockford
  • Townsend

Towns[]

  • Louisville
  • Vonore (partial)

Census-designated places[]

  • Eagleton Village
  • Seymour (partial)
  • Walland
  • Wildwood

Unincorporated communities[]

  • Armona
  • Disco
  • Fairfield
  • Happy Valley
  • Old Glory
  • Tallassee
  • Top of the World

Former communities[]

  • Cades Cove
  • Calderwood
  • Tremont

See also[]

  • Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Blount County, Tennessee
  • Blount County Rescue Squad

References[]

  1. ^ Tara Mitchell Mielnik, "Blount County," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: 31 March 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Blount County, Tennessee". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/blountcountytennessee. 
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. 
  4. ^ Oliver Perry Temple, East Tennessee and the Civil War (R. Clarke Company, 1899), p. 199.
  5. ^ Durwood Dunn, Cades Cove: The Life and Death of An Appalachian Community (University of Tennessee Press, 1988), pp. 134-136.
  6. ^ Lansford, D., and D. Waterworth. "Blount County History," TNGenWeb Project
  7. ^ "About Us" (in en). http://www.thedailytimes.com/site/about.html. 
  8. ^ "Thousands Evacuated After Derailed Train Hauling Chemicals Catches Fire in Tennessee" (in en-US). https://gma.yahoo.com/train-hauling-chemicals-catches-fire-tennessee-residents-evacuated-082819002--abc-news-topstories.html#. 
  9. ^ "Tennessee Train Derailment: 5,000 Residents Evacuated From Maryville" (in en). NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/tennessee-train-derailment-5-000-residents-evacuated-maryville-n385576. 
  10. ^ "5,000 Evacuated in Tennessee After Train Derailment Releases Toxic Fumes" (in en). Newsweek. 2015-07-02. http://www.newsweek.com/5000-evacuated-tennessee-after-train-derailment-releases-toxic-fumes-349375. 
  11. ^ "Quick Links". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/02/us/tennessee-train-derailment-toxic-chemical-fire/. 
  12. ^ "Train Carrying Toxic Substance Derails Near Knoxville, Tennessee; Thousands Evacuated". Huffington Post. July 2, 2015. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/02/tennessee-train-derailme_n_7711660.html. 
  13. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_47.txt. 
  14. ^ Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, et al., "Ambient Air Monitoring Plan," Environmental Protection Agency website, 1 July 2010, p. 6. Accessed: 18 March 2015.
  15. ^ Harry Moore, A Roadside Guide to the Geology of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1988), p. 149.
  16. ^ Larry E. Matthews, "Caves of Knoxville and the Great Smoky Mountains", 2008, ISBN 978-1-879961-30-2, pages 171-173.
  17. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html. 
  18. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. 
  19. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/tn190090.txt. 
  20. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf. 
  21. ^ Based on 2000 census data
  22. ^ "Explore Census Data". https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US47009&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2. 
  23. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov. 
  24. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS. 
  25. ^ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named About Blount County
  26. ^ "DENSO Plant 203 is a key marker in 20-year history," The Maryville-Alcoa Daily Times, April 7, 2008
  27. ^ Maryville Christian School website
  28. ^ Millard, B. "Maryville Christian welcomes record class," The Maryville-Alcoa Daily Times, Sept. 17, 2006
  29. ^ Tucker, M. "New Montessori Middle construction progressing," The Maryville-Alcoa Daily Times, April 15, 2008
  30. ^ Maryville-Alcoa-Blount County Parks & Rec website
  31. ^ "Recycling Pick Up Options". http://www.keepblountbeautiful.org/recycling-pick-up. 
  32. ^ Alcoa, City of. "Recycling / Sanitation & Recycling Services / Public Works & Engineering Department / City Departments / City of Alcoa - City of Alcoa". http://www.cityofalcoa-tn.gov/city_departments/public_works_engineering_department/sanitation_recycling_services/recycling. 
  33. ^ "Trash Garbage Recycling Services Blount County Maryville". http://www.hgstrashremoval.com. 
  34. ^ "Recycling". http://www.keepblountbeautiful.org/recycling-resources/. 
  35. ^ "Particulate Matter | Air & Radiation | US EPA". http://www3.epa.gov/pm/. 

Further reading[]

  • Inez Burns (1995). History of Blount County, Tennessee. Windmill Publications.

External links[]

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Coordinates: 35°41′N 83°56′W / 35.69, -83.93

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