Blount County, Tennessee
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Blount County is a
county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
located in the
East Tennessee East Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. Geographically and socioculturally distinct, it comprises approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee. East Tennessee consists of 33 coun ...
Grand Division of the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
. As of the 2020 census, its population was 135,280. The
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
is Maryville, which is also the county's largest city. Blount County is included in the Knoxville metropolitan area.


History

What is today Blount County was for many thousands of years Indian territory, passed down to the
Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...
tribe that claimed the land upon the arrival of White settlers in the late 18th century. Shortly thereafter, on July 11, 1795, Blount County became the 10th county established in Tennessee, when the Territorial Legislature voted to split adjacent Knox and Jefferson Counties. The new county was named for the governor of the
Southwest Territory The Territory South of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Southwest Territory or the old Southwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1790, until June 1, 1796, when it was ...
, William Blount, and its county seat, Maryville, was named for his wife Mary Grainger Blount. This establishment, however, did little to settle the differences between White immigrants and Cherokee natives, which was, for the most part, not accomplished until an 1819 treaty.About Blount County
Blount County official website
Like a majority of East Tennessee counties, Blount County was opposed to secession on the eve of the Civil War. In Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession referendum on June 8, 1861, Blount Countians voted against secession by a margin of 1,766 to 414. Residents of pro-Union Cades Cove and pro-Confederate Hazel Creek (on the other side of the mountains in North Carolina) regularly launched raids against one another during the war. Throughout its history, the boundaries of Blount County have been altered numerous times, most notably in 1870, when a large swath of western Blount was split into Loudon and portions of other counties. Also, the establishment of the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in the southeastern United States, southeast, with parts in North Carolina and Tennessee. The park straddles the ridgeline o ...
in 1936, while not affecting the legal boundaries of Blount County, has significantly impacted the use of southeastern Blount County. Blount County has been served by ''The Daily Times'', currently published in Maryville, since 1883. On July 2, 2015, a
freight train A freight train, also called a goods train or cargo train, is a railway train that is used to carry cargo, as opposed to passengers. Freight trains are made up of one or more locomotives which provide propulsion, along with one or more railroad ...
carrying hazardous materials derailed. About 5,000 residents were displaced from their homes within a two-mile (three-kilometer) radius.


Geography

According to the
U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
, the county has a total area of , of which (1.4%) are covered by water. The southern part of Blount County is part of the
Great Smoky Mountains The Great Smoky Mountains (, ''Equa Dutsusdu Dodalv'') are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains and form part of the Blue Ridg ...
, and is protected by the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in the southeastern United States, southeast, with parts in North Carolina and Tennessee. The park straddles the ridgeline o ...
. The crest of the range forms the county's border with
Swain County, North Carolina Swain County is a County (United States), county located on the far western border of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 14,117. Its county seat is Bryson City, North Carolina, ...
, and includes Blount's highest point, Thunderhead Mountain, and the Gregory Bald, a prominent grassy bald. The northern part of the county is part of the
Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, also called the Ridge and Valley Province or the Valley and Ridge Appalachians, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands division. The physiographic province is divided into three se ...
. The geologic boundary between the Blue Ridge (which includes the Smokies) and Ridge-and-Valley provinces runs along Chilhowee Mountain, a long and narrow ridge that stretches across the central part of the county. Much of Blount's topography is characterized by elongate ridges and rolling hills— known locally as "The Foothills"— which emanate outward from the Smokies range. The mountainous southern portion of Blount County is dotted by relatively isolated valleys known as Appalachian coves. The best known of these valleys, Cades Cove, is one of the most visited sections of the national park, and is noted for the remnants of the
Appalachia Appalachia ( ) is a geographic region located in the Appalachian Mountains#Regions, central and southern sections of the Appalachian Mountains in the east of North America. In the north, its boundaries stretch from the western Catskill Mountai ...
n community that occupied the cove prior to the park's formation, as well as an abundance of wildlife, especially
white-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known Common name, commonly as the whitetail and the Virginia deer, is a medium-sized species of deer native to North America, North, Central America, Central and South America. It is the ...
. Tuckaleechee Cove is occupied by the city of Townsend, and Millers Cove is occupied by the community of Walland. This part of the county is also home to two large caves:
Tuckaleechee Caverns Tuckaleechee Caverns () is a tourist attraction and the largest and highest rated cave or cavern by AAA east of the Mississippi River. Tuckaleechee runs under the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Townsend, Tennessee. The caverns were used ...
, a popular show cave, and Bull Cave, which at , is the deepest in Tennessee. The
Tennessee River The Tennessee River is a long river located in the Southern United States, southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. Flowing through the states of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, it begins at the confluence of Fren ...
forms part of Blount's border with Knox County to the northwest. This section of the Tennessee is part of Fort Loudoun Lake, an artificial lake created by the
Tennessee Valley Authority The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolin ...
. The Little Tennessee River, a tributary of the Tennessee, forms part of Blount's southern border with Monroe County, and includes three artificial lakes: Tellico, Chilhowee, and Calderwood (two others, Cheoah and Fontana, are located just upstream in North Carolina). Little River, another tributary of the Tennessee, flows northward from deep within the Smokies and traverses the central part of the county. The river's confluence with its Middle Prong forms a popular swimming area known as the "Townsend Wye", which is located just inside the park south of Townsend.


Geographical features

*
Great Smoky Mountains The Great Smoky Mountains (, ''Equa Dutsusdu Dodalv'') are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains and form part of the Blue Ridg ...
* Chilhowee Mountain * Thunderhead Mountain * Gregory Bald * Lake in the Sky * Look Rock * Fort Loudoun Lake * Chilhowee Lake * Little River * Little Tennessee River


Adjacent counties

*
Knox County, Tennessee Knox County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The population was 500,669 as of a 2023 estimate, making it the third-most populous county in Tennessee. Its county seat is Knoxville, which is the third-most populous city in Te ...
- north *
Sevier County, Tennessee Sevier County ( ) is a county of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 98,380. Its county seat and largest city is Sevierville. Sevier County comprises the Sevierville, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area, which ...
- east *
Swain County, North Carolina Swain County is a County (United States), county located on the far western border of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 14,117. Its county seat is Bryson City, North Carolina, ...
- southeast * Graham County, North Carolina - south *
Monroe County, Tennessee Monroe County is a County (United States), county located on the eastern border of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 46,250. Its county seat is Madisonville, Tennessee, Madisonville, ...
- southwest * Loudon County, Tennessee - west


National protected areas

*
Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail, also called the A.T., is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tra ...
(part) * Foothills Parkway (part) *
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in the southeastern United States, southeast, with parts in North Carolina and Tennessee. The park straddles the ridgeline o ...
(part)


State protected areas

* Foothills Wildlife Management Area * Sam Houston Schoolhouse (state historic site) * Kyker Bottoms Refuge * Tellico Lake Wildlife Management Area (part) * Whites Mill Refuge


Demographics


2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, 135,280 people, 50,813 households, and 35,299 families were residing in the county.


2000 census

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, 105,823 people, 42,667 households, and 30,634 families were residing in the county. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . The 47,059 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 94.73% White, 2.91% Black, 0.29% Native American, 0.72% Asian, 0.37% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. About 1.06% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. Of the 42,667 households, 30.5% had children under 18 living with them, 58.4% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.2% were not families, and 1,384 were unmarried partner households: 1,147 heterosexual, 107 same-sex male, 130 same-sex female. About 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.43, and the average family size was 2.88. In the county, the age distribution was 22.8% under 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 29.40% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 14.10% who were 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.80 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 90.80 males. As verified by 2000 U.S. Census, for every 100 females under 65, there were 98.7 males, for every 100 females under 55 there were 99.5 males, and for every 100 females under 20 there were 105 males. The median income for a household in the county was $37,862, and for a family was $45,038. Males had a median income of $31,877 versus $23,007 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the county was $19,416. About 7.3% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 12.3% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those 65 or over.


Government

Like most of East Tennessee, Blount County has been a Republican bastion for decades. The last non-Republican to carry the county was
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...
, during his third-party run in 1912. In 1976,
Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
took 46% of the vote. In 1992,
George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...
was held to 48.9% of the vote—the only time in over a century that a Republican has failed to win a majority in Blount County. No Democrat since
Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...
in 1832 has won Blount County at the presidential level. The current elected members of the Blount County government are: *Commissioners:


Economy

Most of the early European-American settlers were of little means; they were subsistence farmers throughout the early years of the county's establishment. The first industry to make its mark on Blount County, as in other neighboring counties, was that of lumber. It was the massive development of this industry in the mountains of east Blount that, in part, led to the creation of the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in the southeastern United States, southeast, with parts in North Carolina and Tennessee. The park straddles the ridgeline o ...
. It includes the southeastern portion of the county. Today, manufacturing has replaced lumber in importance, with over 100 manufacturing plants located in the county. Denso Manufacturing Tennessee Inc., a division of Denso Global, is the county's largest employer, with about 3,000 employees.


Education

Public schools in Blount County are part of the Blount County Schools system, with the exception of schools in the cities of Maryville and
Alcoa Alcoa Corporation (an acronym for "Aluminum Company of America") is an American industrial corporation. It is the world's eighth-largest producer of aluminum. Alcoa conducts operations in 10 countries. Alcoa is a major producer of primary alu ...
, both of which operate separate, independent school systems. Private schools located in the county include Maryville Christian School and Clayton-Bradley STEM school. Blount County is home to two postsecondary educational institutions:
Maryville College Maryville College is a Private college, private liberal arts college in Maryville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1819 by Presbyterian minister Isaac L. Anderson for the purpose of furthering education and enlightenment into the West. The colleg ...
, a Presbyterian-related, liberal-arts college, founded in 1819 in downtown Maryville, and a satellite campus of
Knoxville Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...
-based Pellissippi State Community College, referred to as Pellissippi State Community College, or PSCC, Blount County Campus.


Transportation


Paratransit

Blount County is served by the East Tennessee Human Resource Agency's Public Transit system. ETHRA operates in about 16 counties in eastern Tennessee, and is headquartered in the nearby city of Loudon. The service offers residents of any of the counties covered by ETHRA door-to-door pickup transportation across its service area by request only. ETHRA provides a large variety of services in Blount County and other parts of East Tennessee.


Airports

TYS -
McGhee Tyson Airport McGhee Tyson Airport is a public/military airport south of Knoxville, Tennessee, Knoxville,. Federal Aviation Administration. effective April 17, 2025. in Alcoa, Tennessee. It is named for United States Navy pilot Charles McGhee Tyson, who wa ...


Highways

*
Interstate highways The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National H ...
** Interstate 140 (
Pellissippi Parkway The Pellissippi Parkway is a major highway in Knox and Blount counties in the Knoxville metropolitan area in Tennessee that extends from State Route 62 at Solway to SR 33 in Alcoa. It provides access to the cities of Oak Ri ...
) * U.S. highways ** US Route 129 (Airport Hwy, Alcoa Hwy, Hwy 411 South and Calderwood Hwy) ** US Route 321 (Lamar Alexander Pkwy and Wears Valley Road) ** US Route 411 (Broadway Ave and Sevierville Road) ** US Route 441 (Chapman Highway) *State highways ** Tennessee State Route 33 (Old Knoxville Hwy, Broadway Ave and Hwy 411 South) **
Tennessee State Route 35 State Route 35 (SR 35) is a north–south state highway in East Tennessee. The long state highway traverses Blount, Sevier, a small portion of Jefferson, Cocke, and Greene Counties. Most of the route is a secret, or hidden designation, a ...
(Sevierville Road, Washington Street and North Hall Road) ** Tennessee State Route 72 ** Tennessee State Route 73 (Lamar Alexander Pkwy & Wears Valley Road) ** Tennessee State Route 115 (Airport Hwy, Alcoa Hwy, Hwy 411 South and Calderwood Hwy) ** Tennessee State Route 162 (
Pellissippi Parkway The Pellissippi Parkway is a major highway in Knox and Blount counties in the Knoxville metropolitan area in Tennessee that extends from State Route 62 at Solway to SR 33 in Alcoa. It provides access to the cities of Oak Ri ...
) *Secondary Routes ** Tennessee State Route 71 (Chapman Highway) ** Tennessee State Route 73 Scenic (Lamar Alexander Pkwy and Little River Road) ** Tennessee State Route 333 (Topside Road, Louisville Road, Quarry Rd and Miser Station Road) ** Tennessee State Route 334 (Louisville Road) ** Tennessee State Route 335 (William Blount Drive, Hunt Road and Old Glory Road) ** Tennessee State Route 336 (Montvale Road, Six Mile Road and Brick Mill Road) ** Tennessee State Route 429 (Airbase Road) ** Tennessee State Route 446 (Foothills Mall Drive) ** Tennessee State Route 447 *US Park Service Roads ** Foothills Parkway ** Little River Road **Laurel Creek Road **Cades Cove Loop Road


Parks

In addition to the federally operated Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which draws many visitors to the county each year, Blount County operates numerous smaller community parks and recreation centers, primarily in the cities of Alcoa and Maryville. Some of these facilities include: *Amerine Park (Maryville) *Bassell Courts (Alcoa) * Bicentennial Greenbelt Park (Maryville) *Eagleton Park (Maryville) *Everett Athletic Complex (Maryville) *Everett Park/Everett Senior Center (Maryville) *Howe Street Park (Alcoa) *Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center (Alcoa) *Louisville Point Park (Louisville) *Oldfield Mini Park (Alcoa) * Pearson Springs Park (Maryville) *Pole Climbers Athletic Fields (Alcoa) *Rock Garden Park (Alcoa) * Sandy Springs Park (Maryville) *John Sevier Park/Pool (Maryville) *Springbrook Park/Pool (Alcoa) *Richard Williams Park (Alcoa) An integral part of keeping the parks and other parts of Blount County beautiful is the organization called Keep Blount Beautiful. This organization works in coordination with other companies including The City of Alcoa Residential Recycling Pick Up Service and Blount County HGS Trash and Recycling Same Day Residential Pick Up Service, as well as many other recycling resources in Blount County, to work towards the community goals of reducing air, water, and land pollution in order to reduce particulate matter and smog, and to improve the overall health of local parks and preserved ecosystems in Blount County, as well as surrounding areas, of East Tennessee. These organizations and companies are appreciated by thousands of East Tennesseans due to their honorable work in the Blount County community.


Communities


Cities

*
Alcoa Alcoa Corporation (an acronym for "Aluminum Company of America") is an American industrial corporation. It is the world's eighth-largest producer of aluminum. Alcoa conducts operations in 10 countries. Alcoa is a major producer of primary alu ...
* Friendsville * Maryville (county seat) * Rockford * Townsend


Towns

*
Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...
* Vonore (partial)


Census-designated places

* Eagleton Village * Seymour (partial) * Walland * Wildwood


Unincorporated communities

* Armona *
Disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
* Fairfield * Happy Valley * Old Glory * Tallassee * Top of the World


Former communities

* Cades Cove * Calderwood * Tremont


See also

* Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center * National Register of Historic Places listings in Blount County, Tennessee * Blount County Rescue Squad


References


Further reading

*Inez Burns (1995). ''History of Blount County, Tennessee''. Windmill Publications.


External links


Official siteBlount County Chamber of CommerceTNGenWebBlount County
o
FamilySearch Wiki
– genealogical resources
Tennessee Department of Transportation Map of Blount County
*
The Daily Times
'
Blount County Fire DepartmentBlount County Keep Blount Beautiful Organization
{{authority control 1795 establishments in the Southwest Territory Populated places established in 1795 Knoxville metropolitan area Second Amendment sanctuaries in Tennessee East Tennessee