Strawberry Plains, Tennessee

Last updated

Strawberry Plains
CDP
StrawberryPlainsTNPostOffice.jpg
Post office in Strawberry Plains
Nickname: 
Straw Plains [1]
USA Tennessee location map.svg
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Strawberry Plains
Usa edcp location map.svg
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Strawberry Plains
Coordinates: 36°3′47″N83°41′10″W / 36.06306°N 83.68611°W / 36.06306; -83.68611
Country United States
State Tennessee
Counties Jefferson, Knox, Sevier
Settled1785 [2]
Area
[3]
 • Total4.24 sq mi (10.98 km2)
 • Land4.19 sq mi (10.85 km2)
 • Water0.05 sq mi (0.14 km2)
Elevation
[4]
928 ft (283 m)
Population
 (2020) [5]
 • Total2,405
 • Density574.40/sq mi (221.75/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
37871, 37914, 37924
Area code 865
FIPS code 47093
GNIS feature ID1303876, [1] 2804643 [4]

Strawberry Plains is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson, Knox, and Sevier counties in the State of Tennessee, United States. [4] Before 2010, it was treated by the United States Census Bureau as a census county division. It is included in both the Knoxville Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Morristown Metropolitan Statistical Area. [6]

Contents

The population of the CDP, which only covers the Jefferson County portion of the community, was 2,405 at the 2020 census. [7]

History

A Union sentry guards the railroad bridge over the Holston River at Strawberry Plains in 1863 Strawberry-plains-bridge-cropped.jpg
A Union sentry guards the railroad bridge over the Holston River at Strawberry Plains in 1863

The community that would become Strawberry Plains would be settled in 1785 by Adam Meek, a pioneer from North Carolina who would first settle in nearby Rocky Valley, and the first established settlement of newly founded Jefferson County. Meek would resettle near the banks of the Holston River in present-day Strawberry Plains following conflicts with inhabiting Native Americans. [2]

Strawberry Plains is said to be named for the wild strawberries that grew there in abundance when white settlers from North Carolina first arrived in the area. [2] William Williams, a North Carolina man, would acquire 1,200 acres in the community in 1808, and begin an agricultural industry on the wild strawberries grown in the land Williams had maintained. According to a history of the community written by local high school students circa 1935, the name Straw Plains was a shorthand name used by railroad porters and flagmen on trains that passed through Strawberry Plains, and that came to be used as the name of the local railroad depot and on some local post office postmarks. [2]

Early in the Civil War, in 1861, the railroad bridge at Strawberry Plains was one target of Union sympathizers who aimed to burn several East Tennessee bridges to hinder Confederate military progress. The conspirators failed in their efforts to burn the Strawberry Plains bridge, but succeeded in their attacks of some of their other targets. In 1864, the bridge was destroyed in a artillery duel between Confederate and Union forces. [8]

By the 1920s and 1930s, Strawberry Plains would emerge as an unincorporated town, with an established downtown area consisting several general stores, a gristmill, auto repair shops, several restaurants, gas stations, a bank, a train depot, and a post office. Immediate access to Knoxville, Dandridge, and Mascot courtesy of U.S. Route 11E (Andrew Johnson Highway), and the Southern Railroad would influence this growth of the community. [2] By 1930, Strawberry Plains had a estimated population of nearly 500 residents. [2]

By the 1970s into the 1990s, suburban sprawl would enter the community with the widening of US 11E and the increasing job market in the neighboring cities of Morristown, Sevierville, Jefferson City, and Knoxville. [9]

With the completion of Interstate 40 in the southwestern part of the community in the late 1970s, the community would face confrontations, with the Knoxville City Council in the 1990s, with their controversial "finger" annexation of the commercial and retail corridors of exits 398 and 402 on I-40 on behalf of Knoxville mayor Victor Ashe's efforts to increase sales tax revenue in Knoxville. [10]

Through much of the 20th century, Strawberry Plains was the site of a Tennessee limestone quarry and an underground zinc mine. [2] The zinc mine shut down in 2001, but reopened in 2006. [11] In December 2008 it was announced that the mine would close again in February 2009. [12]

Geography

Strawberry Plains is located on the bank of the Holston River on the tri-county border of Jefferson, Knox, and Sevier counties. According to the United States Geological Survey, a variant name is Straw Plains. [1] Strawberry Plains has been the site of a post office since 1806. [2] The zip code is 37871, though parts of Strawberry Plains are located in the Knoxville zip codes 37914 and 37924.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
2020 2,405—
U.S. Decennial Census [13]

Economy

In September 2007, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced plans to build an office facility and crime lab in Strawberry Plains at Interstate 40 exit 398, having an estimated cost of more than $10 million. [14] The 33,000-square-foot facility was completed in July 2009. [15]

Exit 398 on I-40 at Strawberry Plains Pike has seen a increased amount of development since the 1990s. There are several hotels, restaurants and gas stations, with more under construction. With the increased growth around the interchange, the location has since been annexed into the City of Knoxville. [16]

The Tennessee Department of Transportation administrative office for Region 1 is also located on Strawberry Plains Pike. [17]

Strawberry Plains has a Food City supermarket, a Price Less Foods supermarket, a Family Dollar store, three Dollar General stores and several pharmacies. [18]

Plans for a mixed-use town centre in the Carter area of Strawberry Plains have been proposed by the Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission to provide a community hub space for eastern Knox County as the area's population grows. [18]

Education

Public schools

Community college

Strawberry Plains is home to a satellite campus of Pellissippi State Community College located in the Knox County portion of the community.

Infrastructure

Transportation

All U.S. routes, state routes in Strawberry Plains, along with I-40, are maintained by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) in TDOT Region 1, which consists of 24 counties in East Tennessee. [19] Streets, sidewalks, and greenways in the Strawberry Plains area are maintained by the Knox County Engineering & Public Works Department, the Jefferson County Highway Department, or the City of Knoxville Engineering Department for portions inside the Knoxville city limits. [20] [21] [22] [23]

Principal highways

Major surface routes

  • Secondary Tennessee 139.svg SR 139 (Old Dandridge Pike)
  • Big Bend Road
  • Brakebill Road
  • Mascot Road
  • North Ruggles Ferry Pike
  • Strawberry Plains Pike

Notable people

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knox County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

Knox County is located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 478,971, making it the third-most populous county in Tennessee. Its county seat is Knoxville, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jefferson County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

Jefferson County is an exurban county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 54,683. Its county seat is Dandridge. Jefferson County is part of the Morristown Metropolitan Statistical Area with neighboring Grainger and Hamblen counties. The county, along with the Morristown MSA, is included in the Knoxville-Morristown-Sevierville Combined Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mascot, Tennessee</span> CDP in Tennessee, United States

Mascot is a census-designated place (CDP) in Knox County, Tennessee. The population was 2,760 at the 2020 census up from 2,411 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seymour, Tennessee</span> CDP in Tennessee, United States

Seymour is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Blount and Sevier counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The CDP population was 14,705 at the 2020 U.S. census. It is included in the Knoxville, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morristown, Tennessee</span> Largest city and county seat of Hamblen County, Tennessee, United States

Morristown is a city in and the county seat of Hamblen County, Tennessee, United States. Morristown also extends into Jefferson County on the western and southern ends. The city lies within the Ridge and Valley of the Appalachians. The city's population was recorded to be 30,431 at the 2020 United States census. It is the principal city of the Morristown Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Grainger, Hamblen, and Jefferson counties. The Morristown metropolitan area is also part of the Knoxville-Morristown-Sevierville Combined Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee State Route 168</span> State highway in Tennessee, United States

State Route 168 is a state highway in Knox County, Tennessee, that is 18.1 miles long. Its western terminus is with US 129/SR 115, and its eastern terminus is with US 11/US 11E/US 11W/US 70/SR 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee State Route 1</span> State highway in Tennessee, United States

State Route 1, known as the Memphis to Bristol Highway, is a 538.8-mile-long (867.1 km) mostly-unsigned state highway in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It stretches from the Arkansas state line at Memphis in the southwest corner of the state to Bristol in the northeast part. Most of the route travels concurrently with U.S. Route 70 and US 11W. It is the longest highway of any kind in the state of Tennessee. The route is signed as both in the state of Tennessee, a Primary and Secondary Highway

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pellissippi Parkway</span> Highway in Tennessee, United States

The Pellissippi Parkway is a major highway in Knox and Blount counties in the Knoxville metropolitan area in Tennessee that extends 19.75 miles (31.78 km) from State Route 62 at Solway to SR 33 in Alcoa. It provides access to the cities of Oak Ridge and Maryville from Interstates 40 and 75 in the western part of Knoxville and also serves a major corridor that includes Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Y-12 National Security Complex, and a number of science and technology firms. The central portion of the Pellissippi Parkway is included in the Interstate Highway System and is designated Interstate 140 (I-140), while the remainder is designated as State Route 162. The entire highway is part of the National Highway System, a national network of roads identified as important to the national economy, defense, and mobility. It takes its name from an older name for the Clinch River of Native American origin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 11W</span> Suffixed section of U.S. Highway in Tennessee and Virginia in the United States

U.S. Route 11W (US 11W) is the western branch of US 11 from the twin cities of Bristol, Tennessee/Bristol, Virginia, where US 11 splits into US 11E and US 11W, to Knoxville, Tennessee, where the two highways rejoin. The highway serves the Appalachia region's Ridge-and-Valley section of East Tennessee, bounded by the Clinch Mountain ridge to the north and the Holston River to the south. US 11W from Bristol to Bean Station and Blaine to Knoxville are designated as part of the National Highway System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 11E</span> Suffixed U.S. Highway in Tennessee and Virginia in the United States

U.S. Route 11E (US 11E) is a divided highway of US 11 in the U.S. states of Tennessee and Virginia. The United States Numbered Highway, which is complemented by US 11W to the north and west, runs 120.94 miles (194.63 km) from US 11, US 11W, and US 70 in Knoxville, Tennessee, north and east to US 11, US 11W, US 19, and US 421 in Bristol, Virginia. US 11E connects Knoxville and the twin cities of Bristol, Virginia, and Bristol, Tennessee, with the East Tennessee communities of Morristown, Greeneville, and Johnson City. The U.S. Highway runs concurrently with US 70 and US 25W east of Knoxville, US 321 from Greeneville and Johnson City, and both US 19W and US 19 between Johnson City and Bristol. US 11E also has an unsigned concurrency with State Route 34 (SR 34) for almost all of its course in Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee State Route 475</span> Former proposed highway in Tennessee

Interstate 475 (I-475)/State Route 475, officially known as the Knoxville Parkway and commonly known as the Orange Route, was a proposed Interstate highway and state route in Loudon, Knox, Anderson, Grainger, Jefferson and Sevier counties within the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee. The proposed route would have allowed through traffic on I-75 to bypass the Knoxville-Knox County urbanized area. If constructed, SR 475 was to begin at the I-40/I-75 junction near Farragut, and travel northeast through the communities of Hardin Valley, Solway and Claxton, then join I-75 again northwest of Heiskell. It was also considered to be extended to I-40 at exit 407, serving as a northern semi-beltway of the Knoxville area. Driven by opposition spearheaded by state representative H.E. Bittle of Hardin Valley and Knoxville mayor Victor Ashe, the project was scrapped by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee State Route 9</span> Highway in Tennessee

State Route 9 (SR 9) is a west-to-east state highway in the U.S. state of Tennessee that is 131.33 miles (211.36 km) long. It begins in Campbell County and ends in Cocke County. SR 9 is little-known by the general public by this designation as it is overlain by U.S. Route 25W and U.S. Route 25 east of Newport; the "9" designation is seen on mileposts. The entire route is located in East Tennessee. Despite running concurrent with a North-South US Route, Route 9 is signed as east-west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee State Route 71</span> State highway in Tennessee, United States

State Route 71 is a north–south state highway in Tennessee. For most of the length it is a "hidden" route, as it coincides with US 441 in all but a short section in Knoxville. The road begins at the North Carolina state line in Sevier County within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park at Newfound Gap and ends at an intersection with US 25W, SR 116, and SR 9 (hidden) in Rocky Top. Along its length SR 71 passes through Sevier County, a small portion of Blount County, Knox County, Anderson County, and in and out of Campbell County. Despite being signed on Hall of Fame Parkway in Knoxville, Tennessee, the Knox County TDOT map ignores SR 71 while SR 33 has a concurrency with US 441.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knoxville metropolitan area</span> Metropolitan area in Tennessee, United States

The Knoxville metropolitan area, commonly known as Greater Knoxville, is a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) centered on Knoxville, Tennessee, the third largest city in Tennessee and the largest city in East Tennessee. It is the third largest metropolitan area in Tennessee. In 2020, the Knoxville metro area had a population of 879,773, and a population of 903,300 including Grainger County. The Knoxville–Morristown–Sevierville Combined Statistical Area (CSA) had a population of 1,156,861 according to the census bureau in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kodak, Tennessee</span> Neighborhood of Sevierville in Tennessee, United States

Kodak is an unincorporated community and a neighborhood of Sevierville in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. It is located along State Highway 139 and State Highway 66, and just south of I-40 and Knoxville, Tennessee. The elevation of Kodak is about 896 feet above sea level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 129 in Tennessee</span> Segment of American highway

U.S. Route 129 is a north–south United States highway that runs for 52.8 miles (85.0 km) in East Tennessee, from the North Carolina state line, near Tapoco, to Knoxville. In Tennessee, the highway is completely overlapped by unsigned State Route 115. In the Greater Knoxville area, US 129 serves as a six-lane controlled-access highway known as Alcoa Highway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 11 in Tennessee</span> Highway in Tennessee

U.S. Route 11 (US 11) in the U.S. state of Tennessee travels from the Georgia state line in Chattanooga to Knoxville, where it then splits into US 11E and US 11W. These two highways then travel to the Virginia state line near Kingsport and Bristol. During its length, it shares concurrencies with State Route 2 (SR 2) and SR 38.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee State Route 139</span> State highway in Tennessee, United States

State Route 139 is a 25-mile-long (40 km) state highway in Jefferson and Sevier counties in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It connects Strawberry Plains to Dandridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee State Route 34</span> State highway in East Tennessee, U.S.

State Route 34 is a state highway located in East Tennessee. The 155.7-mile-long (250.6 km) route traverses several cities through eight counties from the Knoxville area to the North Carolina state line via Greeneville and Bristol. The portion from Carter to Bristol is concurrent with U.S. Route 11E (US 11E) while the portion from Bristol to North Carolina is concurrent with US 421.

Carter is an unincorporated community in eastern Knox County, Tennessee. It is included in the Knoxville Metropolitan Statistical Area.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Strawberry Plains, Tennessee". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "History of Strawberry Plains & Its Surrounding Communities". Jefferson County Genealogy and History. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  3. ↑ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 "Strawberry Plains Census Designated Place". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  5. ↑ "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of the Delineations of These Areas" (PDF). Office of Management and Budget. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Strawberry Plains CDP, Tennessee Demographics and Housing 2020 Decennial Census".
  8. ↑ Ferrero, Edward. "Skirmish at Strawberry Plains". eHistory. Ohio State University. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  9. ↑ Campbell, Connie (1986). Coming home to Strawberry Plains: a history of Strawberry Plains . Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  10. ↑ Wheeler, William (2005). Knoxville, Tennessee: A Mountain City in the New South. University of Tennessee Press. pp. 178–182. ISBN   9781572333369 . Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  11. ↑ With the Reopening of Three Zinc Sites in East Tennessee, Positions Being Added by Michael Silence, Knoxville News Sentinel , November 9, 2006
  12. ↑ Jake Jost, East Tennessee Zinc Company to mothball 3 mines, lay off 300, WBIR-TV, December 3, 2008
  13. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  14. ↑ Flory, Josh (September 20, 2007). "TBI to build office facility in Strawberry Plains area". Knoxville News Sentinel . Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved September 21, 2007.
  15. ↑ Lakin, Matt (July 30, 2009). "$17 million regional TBI office opens". Knoxville News Sentinel . Archived from the original on August 2, 2009. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  16. ↑ "NPDES Permit Annual Report 2004-2005" (PDF). City of Knoxville Engineering Division. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  17. ↑ "TDOT Region 1 Director Fred Corum Retires After 53 Years of Service". Tennessee Department of Transportation . Knoxville, Tennessee. June 30, 2009. Retrieved August 4, 2020. During a special ceremony today, state and local officials along with TDOT employees surprised Corum, removing a large Tennessee state flag to unveil the newly renamed Fred B. Corum Administration Building at the TDOT Regional Headquarters on Strawberry Plains Pike in East Knoxville.
  18. 1 2 "East County Sector Plan 2011" (PDF). Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Find Information". Tennessee Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Engineering". City of Knoxville . Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Engineering & Public Work". Knox County, Tennessee . Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  22. ↑ "Highway Department". Sevier County, Tennessee . Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Highway Department". Jefferson County, Tennessee . Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  24. ↑ "Baseball great Ed Bailey honored with adult baseball league". wvlt.tv. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  25. ↑ Mary Louise McBee 1924-2021
  26. ↑ Randal Rust. "Thornburgh, Lucille". Tennessee Encyclopedia. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
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