Knox County, Tennessee
Knox County | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 35°59′N 83°56′W / 35.99°N 83.94°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Tennessee |
Founded | June 15, 1792[1] |
Named for | Henry Knox[2] |
Seat | Knoxville |
Largest city | Knoxville |
Government | |
• Mayor | Glenn Jacobs (R) |
Area | |
• Total | 526 sq mi (1,360 km2) |
• Land | 508 sq mi (1,320 km2) |
• Water | 18 sq mi (50 km2) 3.5% |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 478,971 |
• Estimate (2023) | 500,669 |
• Density | 910.6/sq mi (351.6/km2) |
Congressional district | 2nd |
Website | knoxcounty |
Knox County is located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 478,971,[3] making it the third-most populous county in Tennessee. Its county seat is Knoxville,[4] which is the third-most populous city in Tennessee. Knox County is included in the Knoxville metropolitan area. The county is located at the geographical center of the Great Valley of East Tennessee. Near the heart of the county is the origin of the Tennessee River, at the confluence of the Holston and French Broad rivers.
History
Knox County was created after the American Revolutionary War on June 11, 1792, by Governor William Blount from parts of Greene and Hawkins counties. It was one of the few counties created when this area was still known as the Southwest Territory.[2] It is one of nine United States counties named for American Revolutionary War general Henry Knox, who was appointed as the first United States Secretary of War.[5] As population increased, parts of Knox County were taken out to form Blount (1795), Anderson (1801), Roane (1801), and Union (1850) counties.
In 1783,
Blount began construction of his house,
Civil War
Important railroad lines passed through Knox County, making it a strategic area both for Union and for Confederate forces throughout the Civil War. Since the mountainous terrain of East Tennessee was mostly unsuitable for plantation crops such as cotton, slavery was not as prevalent as it was in Middle and West Tennessee. The US 1860 census of Knox County showed a population of 20,020 white citizens and 2,370 enslaved African Americans.[11] The lack of slavery combined with the vestiges of a once-strong abolitionist movement were two reasons most residents of Knox County, along with much of East Tennessee, were pro-Union. In February 1861, 89% of Knox Countians voted for the pro-Union ballot in a statewide referendum on secession. On June 8, 1861, the county voted against Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession by a margin of 3,108 to 1,226.[12]
Prior to secession, Unionists from Knox County collaborated with other East Tennessee Unionists in an attempt to secede from Tennessee itself and remain part of the Union. Oliver Perry Temple, a Knoxville lawyer, was named to a three-man commission to appear before the General Assembly in Nashville and request East Tennessee and pro-Union Middle Tennessee counties be allowed to secede from the state.[13] The attempt failed. After the second state referendum for secession passed in 1861, Knox County and the rest of Tennessee joined the Confederacy.[14]
Knox County remained under Confederate control until September 3, 1863, when General Ambrose Burnside and the Union army marched into Knoxville unopposed. Parts of Middle Tennessee had been occupied by Union troops since 1862.
Union Colonel William Harris, son of New York Senator Ira Harris, wrote his father:[11]
'Glory be to God, the Yankees have come! The flag's come back to Tennessee!' Such were the welcomes all along the road, as we entered Knoxville, it was past all description. The people seemed frantic with joy. I never knew what the Love of Liberty was before. The old flag has been hidden in mattresses and under carpets. It now floats to the breeze at every staff in East Tennessee. Ladies wear it – carry it – wave it! Little children clap their hands and kiss it.
With the success of Burnside's troops in the
Tennessee marble
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Knox County was an important venue for the quarrying and finishing of
Geography
According to the
The Holston and French Broad rivers join to form the Tennessee River in the eastern part of the county, an area known as "Forks-of-the-River." This section of the river is part of Fort Loudoun Lake, which is created by Fort Loudoun Dam on the river several miles downstream in Lenoir City.
Cherokee Caverns
Cherokee Caverns is 14 miles west of Knoxville and can be accessed by Highway 62. It was discovered in 1854 by Robert Crudgington, who noticed fog emerging between rocks on his farm. He dug the entrance open and explored the cave. His daughter Margaret Crudgington opened the cave to the public in 1929 under the name Gentrys Cave; the next year she changed the name to Grand Caverns.
The cave has been open to the public, sporadically, ever since, under a variety of names. It is currently called Cherokee Caverns, referring to the historic tribe who occupied this area at the time of European encounter.[19]
Indian artifacts located in the cave indicate that another entrance to the cave existed at some time in the past.[19]
Adjacent counties
- Union County (north)
- Grainger County (northeast)
- Jefferson County (east)
- Sevier County (southeast)
- Blount County (south)
- Loudon County (southwest)
- Roane County (west)
- Anderson County (northwest)
State protected areas
- Forks of the River Wildlife Management Area
- Fort Loudoun Wildlife Management Area
- House Mountain State Natural Area
- Marble Springs (state historic site)
- Seven Islands State Birding Park
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1800 | 12,446 | — | |
1810 | 10,171 | −18.3% | |
1820 | 13,034 | 28.1% | |
1830 | 14,498 | 11.2% | |
1840 | 15,485 | 6.8% | |
1850 | 18,807 | 21.5% | |
1860 | 22,813 | 21.3% | |
1870 | 28,990 | 27.1% | |
1880 | 39,124 | 35.0% | |
1890 | 59,557 | 52.2% | |
1900 | 74,302 | 24.8% | |
1910 | 94,187 | 26.8% | |
1920 | 112,926 | 19.9% | |
1930 | 155,902 | 38.1% | |
1940 | 178,468 | 14.5% | |
1950 | 223,007 | 25.0% | |
1960 | 250,523 | 12.3% | |
1970 | 276,293 | 10.3% | |
1980 | 319,694 | 15.7% | |
1990 | 335,749 | 5.0% | |
2000 | 382,032 | 13.8% | |
2010 | 432,226 | 13.1% | |
2020 | 478,971 | 10.8% | |
2023 (est.) | 500,669 | [20] | 4.5% |
U.S. Decennial Census[21] 1790–1960[22] 1900–1990[23] 1990–2000[24] 2010–2014[3] |
2000 census
As of the
There were 157,872 households, out of which 28.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.80% were married couples living together, 10.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.20% were non-families. 29.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.30% under the age of 18, 11.60% from 18 to 24, 30.40% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 12.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $37,454, and the median income for a family was $49,182. Males had a median income of $35,755 versus $25,140 for females. The
2010 census
As of the census[26] of 2010, there were 432,226 people, 177,249 households, and 110,757 families residing in the county. The population density was 821.72 persons per square mile (317.27 persons/km2). The average housing unit density was 348.92 units per square mile (134.72/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 86.78% White, 8.8% Black or African American, 0.29% Native American, 1.87% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, and 1.91% multiracial. Hispanics and/or Latinos (of any race) were 3.47% of the population.
Out of all the households, 29.68% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 47.04% were family households, 3.95% had a male householder with no wife present, 11.49% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.51% were non families. 29.65% of all households were made up of individuals living alone, and 9.14% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.95.
21.86% of the population was under the age of 18, 65.07% from ages 18 to 64, and 13.05% aged 65 and older. The median age was 37.2 years. 51.39% of the population was female, and 48.61% was male.
The median household income was estimated to be $52,458, and the per capita income was estimated to be $30,541. Approximately 13.5% of the population was below the poverty line.
2020 census
Race | Number | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic)
|
392,756 | 82.00% |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
|
39,853 | 8.32% |
Native American
|
1,079 | 0.23% |
Asian
|
11,881 | 2.48% |
Pacific Islander
|
300 | 0.06% |
Other/Mixed
|
23,500 | 4.91% |
Latino
|
28,568 | 5.96% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 478,971 people, 191,925 households, and 118,160 families residing in the county.
Government and politics
Like most counties in heavily Unionist East Tennessee, Knox County has historically been strongly Republican. Although it is somewhat conservative for an urban county, it is slightly less Republican than the rest of East Tennessee. This is largely due to the influence of Knoxville, which has elected Democratic mayors and regularly sends Democrats to the state legislature. However, the suburban and rural areas are among the most Republican areas of Tennessee and the South.
Presidentially,
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 124,540 | 56.47% | 91,422 | 41.45% | 4,594 | 2.08% |
2016 | 105,767 | 58.53% | 62,878 | 34.80% | 12,052 | 6.67% |
2012 | 109,707 | 63.60% | 59,399 | 34.43% | 3,401 | 1.97% |
2008 | 113,015 | 60.73% | 70,215 | 37.73% | 2,856 | 1.53% |
2004 | 110,803 | 62.10% | 66,013 | 37.00% | 1,603 | 0.90% |
2000 | 86,851 | 57.68% | 60,969 | 40.49% | 2,766 | 1.84% |
1996 | 70,761 | 50.53% | 61,158 | 43.67% | 8,126 | 5.80% |
1992 | 66,607 | 46.75% | 59,702 | 41.90% | 16,167 | 11.35% |
1988 | 73,092 | 63.27% | 41,829 | 36.21% | 600 | 0.52% |
1984 | 76,965 | 63.61% | 43,448 | 35.91% | 574 | 0.47% |
1980 | 66,153 | 56.26% | 45,634 | 38.81% | 5,798 | 4.93% |
1976 | 56,013 | 50.73% | 53,034 | 48.03% | 1,362 | 1.23% |
1972 | 64,747 | 71.56% | 24,076 | 26.61% | 1,661 | 1.84% |
1968 | 47,202 | 52.44% | 24,528 | 27.25% | 18,277 | 20.31% |
1964 | 42,797 | 50.20% | 42,463 | 49.80% | 0 | 0.00% |
1960 | 50,811 | 61.00% | 31,990 | 38.40% | 499 | 0.60% |
1956 | 46,167 | 60.09% | 29,768 | 38.74% | 896 | 1.17% |
1952 | 44,358 | 62.32% | 26,681 | 37.48% | 139 | 0.20% |
1948 | 21,074 | 53.77% | 15,946 | 40.68% | 2,176 | 5.55% |
1944 | 20,742 | 52.58% | 18,482 | 46.85% | 228 | 0.58% |
1940 | 13,877 | 40.45% | 20,226 | 58.96% | 201 | 0.59% |
1936 | 12,183 | 37.93% | 19,837 | 61.76% | 100 | 0.31% |
1932 | 9,774 | 46.71% | 10,755 | 51.39% | 398 | 1.90% |
1928 | 14,627 | 71.55% | 5,767 | 28.21% | 49 | 0.24% |
1924 | 10,709 | 56.41% | 6,935 | 36.53% | 1,340 | 7.06% |
1920 | 12,005 | 63.41% | 6,801 | 35.93% | 125 | 0.66% |
1916 | 5,791 | 57.27% | 4,214 | 41.68% | 106 | 1.05% |
1912 | 1,984 | 19.86% | 4,069 | 40.73% | 3,938 | 39.42% |
1908 | 5,817 | 56.56% | 4,090 | 39.77% | 378 | 3.68% |
1904 | 4,309 | 55.61% | 3,196 | 41.25% | 243 | 3.14% |
1900 | 3,982 | 46.35% | 4,389 | 51.08% | 221 | 2.57% |
1896 | 6,243 | 59.83% | 4,020 | 38.52% | 172 | 1.65% |
1892 | 4,182 | 49.11% | 3,987 | 46.82% | 347 | 4.07% |
1888 | 6,123 | 59.12% | 3,929 | 37.94% | 305 | 2.94% |
1884 | 5,248 | 59.11% | 3,481 | 39.21% | 149 | 1.68% |
1880 | 4,361 | 58.18% | 3,119 | 41.61% | 16 | 0.21% |
The government of Knox County, Tennessee operates under a
Executive branch
The county mayor is the head of the executive branch of Knox County Government. The current county mayor is Glenn Jacobs, better known by his WWE persona Kane. According to the county's charter, the mayor is the chief financial officer of the county, which includes developing the county's annual budget, approving county contracts, etc. Other responsibilities of the county mayor's office include maintaining county roads, highways and bridges, codes enforcement and operating the county's health department and library system.[29]
The mayor has the authority to veto resolutions and ordinances passed by the Knox County Commission. A majority-plus-one vote is required to override a mayoral veto, unless the vetoed legislation was required to have a two-thirds vote for original passage. In such cases, a two-thirds vote of the commission is required to override the veto.[29]
Executive branch departments
- Finance
- Purchasing
- Community Development
- Engineering & Public Works
- Highway Engineering
- Highway Maintenance
- Stormwater Management
- Codes Enforcement
- Solid Waste & Recycling
- Fire Prevention Bureau
- Probation
- Risk Management & Human Resources
- Veterans Services
- Senior Services
- Health Department
- Air Quality
- Knox County Public Library
- Constituent Services
- Communications
- Information Technology
Legislative branch
The Knox County Board of Commissioners is the legislative body of Knox County and consists of 11 members: nine elected at the district level and two elected countywide to serve at-large.[30] Commissioners meet multiple times each month, with their primary business meetings being a monthly work session and a monthly voting meeting. During the work session, commissioners generally debate items on the monthly agenda and take a non-binding vote on each item in advance of the more formal voting meeting, which is generally held the following week.[29]
The Board of Commissioners approves resolutions, ordinances, honorariums, road names, as well as most county contracts and large expenditures. Resolutions require a single vote for passage, while ordinances require two votes, or "two readings". The County Commission also serves as the appropriating body of the county and must approve an annual budget – presented by the mayor – which includes funding for the various county departments, including the Knox County Schools. The body also sets the property tax rate for the county.[29]
District | Name | Party | First elected | Neighborhoods |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Dasha Lundy | Democratic | 2020 | Downtown Knoxville, East Knoxville, Fort Sanders, Holston Hills, Lonsdale |
2 | Courtney Durrett | Democratic | 2020 | Alice Bell, Fountain City, North Knoxville, Oakwood-Lincoln Park, Old North Knoxville |
3 | Gina Oster | Republican | 2022 | Amherst, Cedar Bluff, Deep Creek |
4 | Kyle Ward | Republican | 2020 | Sequoyah Hills, West Hills, West Knoxville
|
5 | John Schoonmaker | Republican | 2016 | Concord, Farragut, Shady Grove, Turkey Creek |
6 | Terry Hill | Republican | 2020 | Hardin Valley, Karns, Ridgedale |
7 | Rhonda Lee | Republican | 2022 | Halls Crossroads, Heiskell, Powell |
8 | Richie Beeler | Republican | 2020 | Carter, Corryton, Harbison Crossroads, Mascot, Strawberry Plains |
9 | Carson Dailey | Republican | 2016 | Colonial Village, Island Home Park, Kimberlin Heights, Lake Forest, New Hopewell, South Knoxville |
10 | Larsen Jay | Republican | 2018 | at-large |
11 | Kim Frazier | Republican | 2022 | at-large |
Sheriff
The Knox County Sheriff serves as the top law enforcement office of the county, and is elected countywide. The sheriff is responsible for overseeing the county jail, providing courtroom officers, serving warrants and providing general law enforcement functions, such as patrol and criminal investigation.
Controversies
On February 11, 2017, Brandon Lambert was wanted on multiple warrants for property crimes. Sheriffs Deputies shot him to death in a Turkey Creek parking lot after, allegedly, his vehicle moved towards them. He was unarmed. There is no video of the shooting or the alleged movement of the vehicle. Knoxville Police Department investigated the incident and cleared all deputies.[31]
On July 27, 2019, Johnathan Binkley, age 35, died after being hogtied face down for four minutes. At least seven law enforcement officers were present at the time of death. Binkley was pronounced dead within an hour of being stopped. An autopsy revealed Binkley to have elevated levels of multiple illegal substances in his system at his time of death.[32] Binkley's mother sued the Sheriff's department.[33] The wrongful death suit was settled for $750,000 in March 2021.[34]
Transportation
Mass transportation
Knoxville Area Transit provides city bus service, while McGhee Tyson Airport features a variety of regional flights to Midwestern and Southern cities.
Major highways
- Future I-3
- I-40
- I-75
- I-140
- I-275
- I-640
- US 11
- US 11E
- US 11W
- US 25W
- Kingston Pike)
- US 129
- US 441
- SR 1
- SR 7
- SR 9
- SR 33
- SR 34
- SR 61
- SR 62
- SR 71
- SR 115
- SR 131
- SR 158
- SR 162
- SR 168
- SR 169
- SR 170
- SR 331
- SR 332
Communities
City
- Knoxville (county seat)
Town
Census-designated places
Unincorporated communities
Education
Tennessee School for the Deaf is a state operated school in the county.
Further reading
- East Tennessee Historical Society, Mary Rothrock (ed.), The French Broad-Holston Country: A History of Knox County, Tennessee. Knoxville, Tenn.: East Tennessee Historical Society, 1946; revised 1972. ISBN 978-0941199025
See also
References
- ^ William Blount, "[1]," Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Knox County. Retrieved: August 5, 2023.
- ^ a b Steve Cotham, "Knox County," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: October 18, 2013.
- ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Government Printing Office. pp. 177.
- ^ Stanley Folmsbee and Lucile Deaderick, "The Founding of Knoxville," East Tennessee Historical Society Publications, Vol. 13 (1941), pp. 3–20.
- ^ "The Wonderful 18th Century House of Alexander Bishop", "Ask Doc Knox," Metro Pulse, 9 August 2010. Accessed at the Internet Archive, 2 October 2015.
- ^ Nicholas Gibbs Historical Society website Archived October 19, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved: October 18, 2013.
- ^ Doris Woods Owen, Kate Clabough, Concord-Farragut (Arcadia Publishing, 2009), p. 32.
- ^ Carroll Van West, "Marble Springs." The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, 2002. Retrieved: April 4, 2008.
- ^ a b Tumblin, J.C. "Knoxville in the Civil War". Retrieved August 9, 2008.
- ^ Eric Lacy, Vanquished Volunteers: East Tennessee Sectionalism from Statehood to Secession (Johnson City, Tenn.: East Tennessee State University Press, 1965), p. 217 (Appendix B). Oliver Perry Temple (East Tennessee and the Civil War, p. 199) gives the margin as 3,196 to 752.
- ^ "Furman:East Tennessee Anti-Secession Resolutions". Retrieved August 9, 2008.
- ^ "Ordinance of Secession ofTennessee". Archived from the original on February 6, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2008.
- ^ John Wooldridge, George Mellen, William Rule (ed.), Standard History of Knoxville, Tennessee (Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company, 1900; reprinted by Kessinger Books, 2010), pp. 204–206.
- ^ Charles Gordon, The Marbles of Tennessee (State of Tennessee Geological Survey, 1911), pp. 5–33.
- ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ^ House Mountain State Natural Area, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. Retrieved: October 19, 2013.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-879961-30-2, Published by the National Speleological Society, Chapter 1 – Cherokee Caverns, pages 17–36.
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ^ Based on 2000 census data
- ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
- ^ a b Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e "Knox County Charter". Municode.com. Retrieved April 21, 2013.
- ^ "Knox County Commission".
- ^ "Fugitive killed in officer-involved shooting at Turkey Creek struggled with addiction". wbir.com. February 14, 2017. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
- ^ "Mother of Powell man who died while in deputies' custody sues, alleging they hogtied and kneed him". July 27, 2020.
- ^ Court document {wate.com
- ^ "Knox County settles lawsuit in death of man who overdosed after being hog-tied by deputies".