Clarkrange is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in

Fentress County Fentress County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,489. Its county seat is Jamestown. History Fentress County was formed on November 28, 1823, from portions of Morgan, Overton ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, United States. It is concentrated around the intersection of

U.S. Route 127 U.S. Route 127 (US 127) is a north–south U.S. Highway in the eastern half of the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at US 27 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The northern terminus is at Interstate 75 (I-75) near G ...

and

Tennessee State Route 62 State Route 62 (SR 62) is a west-to-east highway in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is designated as a primary route except for the short segment between SR 169 and its eastern terminus, which is secondary. State Route 62 begins in Putnam Count ...

, in Tennessee's western

Cumberland Plateau The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau in the Appalachian Mountains of the United States. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, and portions of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia. The terms "Alle ...

region. The 2010 census reported the population of Clarkrange as 575. The community has a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

, established in 1885, and which has the ZIP code 38553. Clarkrange is also the site of Clarkrange High School, the only public

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

operated by the county school district (

York Institute York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a m ...

, which serves the Jamestown area, is operated by the state). Clarkrange is named for Cyrus Clark, who operated an inn and cattle ranch in the community during the late 19th century. Prior to Clark's arrival, the land had been used by local farmers as a

free range Free range denotes a method of farming husbandry where the animals, for at least part of the day, can roam freely outdoors, rather than being confined in an enclosure for 24 hours each day. On many farms, the outdoors ranging area is fenced, ...

area for cattle.Carson Key, "Clarkrange," ''History of Fentress County, Tennessee'' (Fentress County Historical Society, 1987), pp. 24-25. Clarkrange has a JROTC raider team, which has placed 1st two years in a row in the national raider competition.

Geography

The community is located in southern Fentress County and is bordered to the south by

Cumberland County Cumberland County may refer to: Australia * Cumberland County, New South Wales * the former name of Cumberland Land District, Tasmania, Australia Canada *Cumberland County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom *Cumberland, historic county *Cumberlan ...

. The crossroads at the center of town sits south of the

Tennessee Valley Divide The Tennessee Valley Divide is the boundary of the drainage basin of the Tennessee River and its tributaries. The Tennessee River drainage basin begins with its tributaries in southwestern Virginia and flows generally west to the confluence of t ...

: the south side of town drains to Clear Creek (forming the Cumberland County line), which flows east to the

Obed River Obed River is a stream draining a part of the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee. It, and particularly its tributaries, are important streams for whitewater enthusiasts. The Obed River rises in Cumberland County, Tennessee, just south of Crossville ...

and then via the

Emory Emory may refer to: Places * Emory, Texas, U.S. * Emory (crater), on the moon * Emory Peak, in Texas, U.S. * Emory River, in Tennessee, U.S. Education * Emory and Henry College, or simply Emory, in Emory, Virginia, U.S. * Emory University ...

and Clinch rivers to the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names, ...

. The northwest side of town drains via Slate Creek to the East Fork of the

Obey River The Obey River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 8, 2011 tributary of the Cumberland River in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It joins the Cumberland River near the t ...

and ultimately to the

Cumberland River The Cumberland River is a major waterway of the Southern United States. The U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 8, 2011 river drains almost of southern Kentucky and ...

, and the northeast side drains via the North Prong of Clear Fork to the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River. US 127 leads north to Jamestown, the Fentress County seat, and south 18 miles to Crossville. TN 62 leads east to

Wartburg The Wartburg () is a castle originally built in the Middle Ages. It is situated on a precipice of to the southwest of and overlooking the town of Eisenach, in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It was the home of St. Elisabeth of Hungary, the p ...

and west to Monterey. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the Clarkrange CDP has an area of , all of it land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 596 people, 289 households, and 241 families residing in the CDP.

Athletics

Clarkrange High School has claimed eight state championship titles in Tennessee Class A Girls' Basketball. The Clarkrange Lady Buffaloes won the title in 1983, 1984, 1985, 1990, 1991, 1995, 2004, and 2009.

Chess

Clarkrange High School has also been known for their chess team, winning national championships in 2000, 2004, and 2008.

References

Census-designated places in Fentress County, Tennessee Unincorporated communities in Tennessee Census-designated places in Tennessee Unincorporated communities in Fentress County, Tennessee {{FentressCountyTN-geo-stub