Hancock County, TN
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Hancock County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,662, making it the fourth-least populous county in Tennessee. Its county seat is
Sneedville Sneedville is the only city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Tennessee, Hancock County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,282 per the 2020 census. History Settlement began in the 1790s, following the American Revolutionary Wa ...
.


History

Hancock County was created from parts of Hawkins and Claiborne counties. The act establishing the county was passed by the state legislature in 1844, but several Hawkins residents sued to block its creation. In 1848, the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled in favor of the new county. The county seat, Sneedville, was named in honor of the attorney
William H. Sneed William Henry Sneed (August 27, 1812 – September 18, 1869) was an American attorney and politician, active initially in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and later in Knoxville, Tennessee, during the mid-19th century. He was a member of the United S ...
, who represented the county in the court case. The county was named after the Revolutionary War patriot John Hancock.


Geography

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 county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.5%) is water.


Adjacent counties

* Lee County, Virginia (north) * Scott County, Virginia (northeast) *
Hawkins County Hawkins County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 56,721. Its county seat is Rogersville, Tennessee, Rogersville, Hawkins County is par ...
(east) *
Grainger County Grainger County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,527. Its county seat is Rutledge. Grainger County is a part of both the Knoxville Metropolitan Statistical Area and Morristown ...
(southwest) * Claiborne County (west)


State protected areas

*Kyles Ford Wildlife Management Area (part)


Major Highways

There are 3 primary state highways and 4 secondary state highways that run through Hancock County. * (to / and Hawkins County) * (Turns to after the fork in Kyles Ford) then becomes in VA. Southbound to Tazewell and Central Claiborne County) * (To Harrogate and Northern Claiborne County) * (Turns to after the fork from SR 33 to the Virginia border. Then it becomes in VA. Southbound goes to Rogersville) * (to / and NE Grainger County) * Back Valley Rd (Connects downtown
Sneedville Sneedville is the only city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Tennessee, Hancock County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,282 per the 2020 census. History Settlement began in the 1790s, following the American Revolutionary Wa ...
with other communities with a terminus at going towards Tazewell)


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 6,662 people, 2,742 households, and 1,729 families residing in the county.


2010 census

At the
2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...
, there were 6,819 people living in the county. 98.0% were White, 0.4% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.1%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.1% of some other race and 1.1% of two or more races. 0.2% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).


2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 6,786 people, 2,769 households and 1,938 families living in the county. The population density was 30 per square mile (12/km2). There were 3,280 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile (6/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.91% White, 0.49% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.07%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 0.37% of the population were Hispanic or
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
of any race. There were 2,769 households, of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.10% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 11.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.00% were non-families. 27.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.91. 23.10% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.80% from 18 to 24, 26.90% from 25 to 44, 25.50% from 45 to 64, and 15.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.30 males. The median household income was $19,760, which was the lowest median household income of any county in Tennessee, and the 27th lowest in the United States. The median family income was $25,372. Males had a median income of $23,150 and females $18,199. The per capita income was $11,986. About 25.30% of families and 29.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.50% of those under age 18 and 30.70% of those age 65 or over. The county as of the fiscal year 2020, was designated as an "economically distressed" area by the state government, and is one of the poorest in the state. Hancock County is estimated to experience a massive population decline.


Culture

Hancock County is known particularly for its population of people of Melungeon ancestry, who are believed to be of mixed European, African, and Native American heritage. The
Vardy Community School The Vardy Community School was a Presbyterian mission school established in the Vardy community of Hancock County, Tennessee, United States, in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. At the time of its founding, the school was the only instituti ...
, which provided state-mandated education for Melungeon children in the early 20th century, is now a historic site located in the Newman's Ridge area.


Communities


City

*
Sneedville Sneedville is the only city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Tennessee, Hancock County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,282 per the 2020 census. History Settlement began in the 1790s, following the American Revolutionary Wa ...
(county seat)


Unincorporated communities

* Alanthus Hill * Kyles Ford * Mulberry Gap * Treadway * Xenophon


Politics

Like all of Unionist East Tennessee, Hancock County has been overwhelmingly Republican since the Civil War. Since the Republican Party first contested the state in 1868, every official Republican nominee has gained an absolute majority of Hancock County's vote, even William Howard Taft during 1912 when the GOP was bitterly divided. The only post-Civil War Democratic presidential nominee to even reach forty percent of Hancock County's vote has been Bill Clinton in 1992, when he was aided by the local popularity of Tennessee Senator
Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic Part ...
, whose native home is in Smith County, Tennessee.


See also

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Hancock County, Tennessee


References


Further reading

*Johnson, Mattie Ruth (1997). ''My Melungeon Heritage: A Story of Life on Newman's Ridge''. Johnson City, Tennessee: Overmountain Press. *Price, Henry R. (1966). "Melungeons: The Vanishing Colony of Newman's Ridge." Conference paper. American Studies Association of Kentucky and Tennessee. March 25–26, 1967. *Winkler, Wayne (2004) "Walking Toward the Sunset: The Melungeons of Appalachia," Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press


External links


Official website
*
The Hancock County Public Library website

Hancock County, TNGenWeb
- free genealogy resources for the county
Sneedville/Hancock Chamber & Community Partners, Inc. website
{{authority control Counties of Appalachia 1844 establishments in Tennessee Populated places established in 1844 East Tennessee