Sequatchie County, Tennessee

Last updated

Sequatchie County
County
Sequatchie-county-ch-tn1.jpg
Sequatchie County Courthouse in Dunlap
Map of Tennessee highlighting Sequatchie County.svg
Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
Tennessee in United States.svg
Tennessee's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35°22′N85°25′W / 35.37°N 85.41°W / 35.37; -85.41
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
StateFlag of Tennessee.svg Tennessee
FoundedDecember 9, 1857 [1]
Named after Cherokee chief [2]
Seat Dunlap
Largest cityDunlap
Area
 • Total
266 sq mi (690 km2)
 • Land266 sq mi (690 km2)
 • Water0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2)  0.07%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
15,826 Increase2.svg
 • Density53/sq mi (20/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 4th
Website sequatchiecounty-tn.gov

Sequatchie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,826. [3] Its county seat is Dunlap. [4] Sequatchie County is part of the Chattanooga metropolitan area.

Contents

History

Sequatchie County was created in 1857 from two districts of Marion County and one district of Bledsoe County. It was named for the Sequatchie Valley, which in turn had been named for a Cherokee chief. The word sequachee from ᏏᏆ ᎤᏤᏥᏍᏘsiqua utsedsdi in Cherokee means 'opossum' or 'he grins.' [5] Settlers began arriving in what is now Sequatchie by the early 19th century, drawn to the area by the fertile land in the valley. [1]

At the outset of the Civil War, Sequatchie was divided over the issue of secession. On June 8, 1861, Sequatchie Countians voted in favor of Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession by a vote 153 to 100. [6] In October 1863, Confederate General Joseph Wheeler led a raid into Sequatchie, burning nearly a thousand wagons and capturing livestock. [1]

During the late 19th century, the Douglas Coal and Coke Company (later the Chattanooga Iron and Coal Corporation) conducted extensive mining activities in the Dunlap area. The company constructed 268 beehive ovens, now known as the Dunlap Coke Ovens, to convert coal into coke. The ovens are now the focus of a local park. [1]

Geography

View over Sequatchie County from an overlook off TN-111 Sequatchie-valley-111-tn1.jpg
View over Sequatchie County from an overlook off TN-111

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 266 square miles (690 km2), of which 266 square miles (690 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) (0.07%) is water. [7]

Sequatchie is one of three counties (along with Bledsoe and Marion) situated in the Sequatchie Valley, a long, narrow valley running northeast-to-southwest across the eastern portion of the Cumberland Plateau. The county is flanked by the Plateau's Walden Ridge escarpment on the east. The Sequatchie River, which spans the valley, passes through the county.

Two major highways, U.S. Route 127 and Tennessee State Route 111, intersect in Dunlap.

While the two other counties in the Sequatchie Valley, Bledsoe and Marion, are grouped with the East Tennessee grand division, Sequatchie is grouped with Middle Tennessee. [8]

Adjacent counties

State protected areas

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1860 2,120—
1870 2,33510.1%
1880 2,5659.9%
1890 3,02718.0%
1900 3,3269.9%
1910 4,20226.3%
1920 3,632−13.6%
1930 4,04711.4%
1940 5,03824.5%
1950 5,68512.8%
1960 5,9154.0%
1970 6,3317.0%
1980 8,60535.9%
1990 8,8633.0%
2000 11,37028.3%
2010 14,11224.1%
2020 15,82612.1%
U.S. Decennial Census [9]
1790-1960 [10] 1900-1990 [11]
1990-2000 [12] 2010-2014 [13] Its county seat is Dunlap. [4]
Age pyramid Sequatchie County USA Sequatchie County, Tennessee.csv age pyramid.svg
Age pyramid Sequatchie County

2020 census

Sequatchie County racial composition [15]
RaceNumberPercentage
White (non-Hispanic)14,40991.05%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)720.45%
Native American 490.31%
Asian 650.41%
Pacific Islander 40.03%
Other/Mixed 6063.83%
Hispanic or Latino 6213.92%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 15,826 people, 5,528 households, and 4,192 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the census [16] of 2010, there were 14,112 people, 4,463 households, and 3,311 families residing in the county. The population density was 43 inhabitants per square mile (17/km2). There were 4,916 housing units at an average density of 18 units per square mile (6.9/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.66% White, 0.19% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.48% from two or more races. 0.82% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Sequatchie County was mentioned as an "Extreme Whitopia" in Rich Benjamin's book, Searching for Whitopia . [17]

There were 4,463 households, out of which 33.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.80% were married couples living together, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.80% were non-families. 22.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.60% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 30.00% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 12.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,959, and the median income for a family was $36,435. Males had a median income of $27,535 versus $20,422 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,468. About 13.50% of families and 16.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.50% of those under age 18 and 20.30% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Sequatchie County has a consolidated school system which is located in Dunlap. The system operates with a superintendent and an elected school board.

The Sequatchie County school system has three schools:

Recreation

Sequatchie County is known as "The Hang Gliding Capital of the East", due in part to the presence of an active hang gliding association, the Tennessee Tree Toppers. This group maintains a hang gliding ramp at Henson's Gap, along the eastern wall of the Sequatchie Valley, where favorable flying conditions allow these unpowered aircraft to fly well into northwestern Georgia and northeastern Alabama after launch. The gap is the site of numerous hang gliding competitions, and is a popular tourist attraction for aficionados of the sport from all over the world.

Communities

City

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

Media

Sequatchie County is served by numerous local, regional and national media outlets which reach approximately one million people in four states including: Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina.

Newspapers

Radio

Sequatchie County is part of the Chattanooga Arbitron radio market. The following radio stations are licensed to cities within Sequatchie County:

AM
FM

Notable people

Politics

United States presidential election results for Sequatchie County, Tennessee [18]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No. %No. %No. %
1912 13922.60%35457.56%12219.84%
1916 23841.11%33557.86%61.04%
1920 50948.16%54551.56%30.28%
1924 24739.46%37459.74%50.80%
1928 29843.76%38356.24%00.00%
1932 28926.86%77772.21%100.93%
1936 35329.47%84070.12%50.42%
1940 40128.48%1,00371.24%40.28%
1944 41732.89%85167.11%00.00%
1948 42030.59%90766.06%463.35%
1952 53537.57%88261.94%70.49%
1956 68343.89%85955.21%140.90%
1960 70342.48%93056.19%221.33%
1964 80440.90%1,16259.10%00.00%
1968 66329.82%54924.70%1,01145.48%
1972 1,29864.58%62931.29%834.13%
1976 1,06537.47%1,73360.98%441.55%
1980 1,51249.54%1,50949.44%311.02%
1984 1,78558.68%1,23840.70%190.62%
1988 1,65957.83%1,19641.69%140.49%
1992 1,38138.80%1,75449.28%42411.91%
1996 1,39142.18%1,59848.45%3099.37%
2000 2,16955.80%1,64842.40%701.80%
2004 2,95159.22%1,98639.86%460.92%
2008 3,61066.40%1,71731.58%1102.02%
2012 3,54168.72%1,48928.90%1232.39%
2016 4,44177.99%1,05318.49%2003.51%
2020 5,85580.74%1,29817.90%991.37%
2024 6,52282.66%1,29216.38%760.96%

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Holly Anne Rine, "Sequatchie County," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: March 23, 2013.
  2. ↑ Larry Miller, Tennessee Place Names (Indiana University Press, 2001), p. 239.
  3. ↑ "Census - Geography Profile: Sequatchie County, Tennessee". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Sequatchie Valley Called a 'Magnet' for Visitors," Chattanooga Times Free Press, September 18, 2011. Retrieved: November 5, 2013.
  6. ↑ Oliver Perry Temple, East Tennessee and the Civil War (R. Clarke Company, 1899), p. 199.
  7. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  8. ↑ TNGenWeb Project, Three Grand Divisions of Tennessee. 1999. Retrieved: November 5, 2013.
  9. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  11. ↑ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  12. ↑ "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 14, 2015.
  13. ↑ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  14. ↑ Based on 2000 census data
  15. ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  16. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Searching for Whitopia". Richbenjamin.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
  18. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 12, 2018.

35°22′N85°25′W / 35.37°N 85.41°W / 35.37; -85.41

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