Calhoun is a town in
McMinn County,
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 ...
, United States. It is part of the Athens Micropolitan Statistical Area . The population was estimated at 536 in 2020.
History
The area where Calhoun is located was settled by John Walker (c. 1770-1834), a part-
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 ...
grandson of
Nancy Ward and a prominent figure in the formation of McMinn County. Walker helped contract the Cherokee Turnpike Company in 1808 to maintain a road between
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 ...
and
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
. What is now Cahoun began around 1808, when Walker established a ferry across the Hiwassee River between the present locations of Calhoun and
Charleston. In 1819, Walker helped negotiate the Calhoun Treaty, where the Cherokee ceded the remaining lands between the Hiwassee River and the
Little Tennessee River to the U.S. government. That same year McMinn County was organized at Walker's home in Calhoun. In 1820, Walker laid out the town of Calhoun, which he named for
John C. Calhoun
John Caldwell Calhoun (; March 18, 1782March 31, 1850) was an American statesman and political theorist who served as the seventh vice president of the United States from 1825 to 1832. Born in South Carolina, he adamantly defended American s ...
, the Calhoun Treaty's chief U.S. negotiator. Walker's son, John "Jack" Walker Jr., would eventually be assassinated by two anti-removal Cherokees, who felt he had betrayed the Cherokee Nation.
Joseph McMinn
Joseph McMinn (June 22, 1758 – October 17, 1824) was an American politician who served as the fourth Governor of Tennessee from 1815 to 1821. A veteran of the American Revolutionary War, American Revolution, he had previously served in the leg ...
, governor of Tennessee from 1815 to 1821, spent the last few years of his life in Calhoun, and is buried in the Shiloh Presbyterian Cemetery, which is located in Calhoun.
In 1954, the pulp and paper giant
Bowater (now
Resolute Forest Products
Resolute Forest Products (French: ''Produits forestiers Résolu''), formerly known as AbitibiBowater Inc., is a Canada-based Pulp and paper industry in Canada, pulp and paper company. Headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, the company was formed in 2 ...
) established a plant in Calhoun that soon grew to become one of the largest newsprint mills in North America. The mill, which dominates the western half of Calhoun, produces 750,000 metric tons of newsprint and specialty paper per year.
There is one government building in the city which functions as the town's library, courthouse, police station, and fire station. Directly across the road from this building is a baseball field where Little League games are held.
Calhoun had its own high school that shut down in 1980. They had some very successful baseball teams. They also had basketball teams. Their cross river rivals were the Charleston panthers who also later closed their high school in 2001.
On December 11, 1990, a heavy fog led to a
crash involving 99 vehicles along
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...
near Calhoun, killing 12 and injuring 42. As a result, electronic speed limit signs equipped with fog sensors have been installed along the Calhoun section of the interstate.
Geography
Calhoun is situated along the north bank of the
Hiwassee River
The Hiwassee River is a
river in the states of
Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. It originates from a spring on the north slope of Rocky Mountain (Georgia), Rocky Mountain in Towns County, Georgia, Towns County in n ...
, which flows from the
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...
to the east and empties into the
Chickamauga Lake impoundment of 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 ...
a few miles to the west. The river forms the boundary between McMinn County and
Bradley County. The town of
Charleston is located across the river to the south, on the Bradley County side.
Calhoun is situated around the junction of
U.S. Route 11, which connects the town to
Athens
Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
to the north and Charleston and
Cleveland
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
to the south, and
State Route 163 (Bowater Road), which connects Calhoun to
U.S. Route 411 in
Delano to the east and
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...
(Exit 36) to the west.
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 town has a total area of , of which is land and (4.67%) is water.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 536 people, 230 households, and 144 families residing in the town.
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 496 people, 205 households, and 148 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 225 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.78%
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 ...
, 0.81%
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 ...
, 1.01%
Asian, and 0.40% 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 3.43% of the population.
There were 205 households, out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% 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, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.6% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 29.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $38,438, and the median income for a family was $44,688. Males had a median income of $36,563 versus $20,333 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 town was $19,984. About 5.3% of families and 10.2% 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 3.5% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.
Education
McMinn County Schools
McMinn County School District or McMinn County Schools is a school district headquartered in Athens, Tennessee.
Most of McMinn County is zoned to the district for all grade levels. Residents of Athens and Etowah however have separate school ...
operates public schools, including Calhoun Elementary School.
Calhoun had its own high school that shut down in 1980
References
External links
Municipal Technical Advisory Service entry for Calhoun— information on local government, elections, and link to charter
*
{{authority control
Towns in McMinn County, Tennessee
Towns in Tennessee
Populated places on the Hiwassee River