Bluff City is a city in

Sullivan County, Tennessee Sullivan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee on its northeast border. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,163. Its county seat is Blountville. Sullivan County is part of the Kingsport–Bristol TN-VA Metro ...

. The population of this town according to the 2024 census is 1,839 occupants. It is part of the Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area, commonly known as the " Tri-Cities" region.

History

Bluff City underwent several name changes before incorporating on July 1, 1887, under its present name. The town was originally known as Choate's Ford, and later took the name Middletown. After the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad was built, crossing the

Holston River The Holston River is a river that flows from Kingsport, Tennessee, to Knoxville, Tennessee. Along with its three major forks (North Fork, Middle Fork and South Fork), it comprises a major river system that drains much of northeastern Tennessee ...

at the town site, the name Union was adopted. During the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

it was called Zollicoffer after

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

General Felix Zollicoffer, but became Union again at the end of the war and until 1887.

Geography

Bluff City is located at (36.463352, -82.275049). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (3.21%) is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,822 people, 842 households, and 541 families residing in the city.

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, there were 1,559 people, 662 households, and 450 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 728 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.52%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.19%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.13% Native American, 0.58% Asian, and 0.58% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.71% of the population. There were 662 households, out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.84. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,587, and the median income for a family was $36,938. Males had a median income of $26,422 versus $19,957 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 city was $14,175. About 11.0% of families and 14.7% 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 26.3% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

Climate

The climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Bluff City has a

marine west coast climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring co ...

, abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps.

Police department

The town has a police department. On January 1, 2010, the department installed a speed camera on US Highway 11E that reportedly issued 1,662 tickets in its first six months. The town splits the revenue with the operator of the camera. In 2014, the town expected to gain less than $100,000 from the cameras.Bluff City's tax revenues down, expenses up ; by James Shea, January 9, 2014, Bristol Courier However the town's budget for FY 2017 reports expected "Speed Cameras" revenue of $600,000. This represents the largest single income line item for the city at 35% of total operating revenue. In 2010,

Gray Grey (more frequent in British English) or gray (more frequent in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning that it has no chroma. It is the color of a cloud-covered s ...

, Tennessee resident Brian McCrary bought the former police department website after police failed to renew it. He used it to post information about fighting camera tickets. Police, lacking education on website matters, assumed they had been hacked. Negotiations to regain control of the domain name were unsuccessful.

References

External links

Official siteCity charter
{{authority control Cities in Tennessee Cities in Sullivan County, Tennessee Kingsport–Bristol metropolitan area Populated places established in 1887