Greene 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 on the eastern border 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 ...

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, the population was 70,152. Its

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 Greeneville. Greene County comprises the Greeneville, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Greene County developed from the "Nolichucky settlement," established by pioneer Jacob Brown on land leased in the early 1770s from the Cherokee people. The Nolichucky settlement was aligned with the Watauga settlement, centered in modern Elizabethton. After the United States became independent, Greene County was formed in 1783 from the original Washington County, North Carolina, part of the former Washington District. The county is named for Major General

Nathanael Greene Major general (United States), Major General Nathanael Greene (August 7, 1742 – June 19, 1786) was an American military officer and planter who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War. He emerge ...

(1742-1786), a major general in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

from

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

. John Crockett, father of

Davy Crockett Colonel (United States), Colonel David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American politician, militia officer and frontiersman. Often referred to in popular culture as the "King of the Wild Frontier", he represented Tennesse ...

, and his wife settled in the county near

Limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

. Davy Crockett was born there in 1786. At the time, the area was part of the extra-legal state Franklin. Greene County is the home of Tusculum College, the oldest

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

in Tennessee; the state's oldest

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

congregation (the Ebenezer Methodist Church, near Chuckey), and the state's second oldest continuously cultivated farm (Elmwood Farm, part of the Earnest Farms Historic District). Revolutionary War veteran, and state legislator, Col. Joseph Hardin made Greene County his home for a period of time, serving as justice of the peace and as one of the original trustees of Tusculum (then Greeneville) College. As with yeomen farmers in much of East Tennessee, those in Greene County were generally Unionist and opposed to secession on the eve of the Civil War. In Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession referendum on June 8, 1861, Greene Countians voted against secession by a vote of 2,691 to 744. Following the vote (the call for secession was passed statewide), the second session of the East Tennessee Convention convened in Greeneville. It called for a separate, Union-aligned state to be formed in East Tennessee. A railroad bridge near Mosheim was among those destroyed by the East Tennessee bridge-burning conspiracy in November 1861. Several of the conspirators who had taken part in the burning of this bridge were later captured and executed by Confederate supporters, including Jacob Hensie, Henry Fry, Jacob and Henry Harmon, and noted local potter Alex Haun.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.3%) is water. Most of Greene County is located within 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 ...

, a range characterized by long, narrow ridges alternating with similarly shaped valleys. Bays Mountain, a prominent ridge in this range, forms much of Greene's northern border with Hawkins County. The extreme southeastern part of Greene County is located within the

Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the United States, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States and extends 550 miles southwest from southern ...

, specifically a subrange of the Blue Ridge known as the Bald Mountains. This range straddles Greene's border with North Carolina, and includes the county's two highest points: Gravel Knob, which rises to over , and Camp Creek Bald (it's uncertain which is higher due to lack of an exact measurement for Gravel Knob's elevation). Greene County is drained by the Nolichucky River, which traverses the southern half of the county. This river is impounded by Nolichucky Dam south of Greeneville, creating Davy Crockett Lake.

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Adjacent counties

* Hawkins County (north) * Washington County (east) * Unicoi County (southeast) *

Madison County, North Carolina Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,193. Its county seat is Marshall. Madison County is part of the Asheville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. History ...

(south) * Cocke County (southwest) * Hamblen County (west)

National protected areas

* Andrew Johnson National Cemetery * Andrew Johnson National Historic Site *

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) * Cherokee National Forest (part)

State protected areas

* Bible Covered Bridge State Historic Site * Joachim Bible Refuge * David Crockett Birthplace State Park (part) * Lick Creek Bottoms Wildlife Management Area * Nolichucky Wildlife Management Area * Rocky Fork State Park (part)

Other historic sites

* Earnest Farms Historic District * Greeneville Historic District * Maden Hall Farm

Government

Elected Officials

County Mayor

Kevin Morrison was elected County Mayor in August 2018 and began as mayor on September 1, 2018.

County Commission

Members of the county commission are elected by geographic district. They are as follows: * District 1: Baileyton, Ottway, West Pines ** Charles Tim White ** Dale Tucker ** Kathy Crawford * District 2: Chuckey, Chuckey Doak ** Brad Peters ** Kaleb Powell ** Joshua Arrowood * District 3: Doak, Tusculum View ** Robin Quillen ** Jason Cobble ** Clifford "Doc" Bryant * District 4: Camp Creek, Courthouse ** George Clemmer ** Bill Dabbs ** Lyle Parton * District 5: Debusk, Nolachuckey, Middle School, South Greene ** Lloyd "Hoot" Bowers ** Pamela Carpenter ** Gary Shelton * District 6: McDonald, Mosheim ** Jeffrey Bible ** Josh Kesterson ** John Waddle * District 7: Glenwood, Greeneville High School ** Teddy Lawing ** Paul Burkey ** Lisa Anderson

Constables

Constables are elected law enforcement officials pursuant to T.C.A. 8-1-101. Constables, much like County Commissioners are elected by geographic district. They are as follows: * District 1: Baileyton, Ottway, West Pines ** Travis Dearstone * District 2: Chuckey, Chuckey Doak ** Wayne Wilhoit * District 3: Doak, Tusculum View ** Kenneth Bitner * District 4: Camp Creek, Courthouse ** William Parton * District 5: Debusk, Nolachuckey, Middle School, South Greene ** Freddie Sams * District 6: McDonald, Mosheim ** Matthew Brobeck * District 7: Glenwood, Greeneville High School ** Timothy Vonglis

Presidential elections

Like all of East Tennessee, Greene County is a Republican stronghold. The last Democratic presidential candidate to carry this county was

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

in 1936.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 70,152 people, 28,323 households, and 18,481 families 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, there were 62,909 people, 25,756 households, and 18,132 families 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 . There were 28,116 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.42%

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 ...

, 2.11%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

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 ...

, 0.18% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.43% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. 1.02% of the population were

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. There were 25,756 households, out of which 29.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.70% 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, 10.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.60% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.84. In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.20% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 26.10% from 45 to 64, and 14.80% 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 91.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $30,382, and the median income for a family was $36,889. Males had a median income of $26,331 versus $20,304 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 $15,746. About 11.20% of families and 14.50% 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 19.00% of those under age 18 and 16.70% of those age 65 or over.

Education

There are two school districts: Greene County School District and Greeneville City School District. The latter includes the Greeneville city limits, and the former includes all other areas of the county. Public schools in Greene County school system include the following: *Baileyton Elementary *Camp Creek Elementary *Chuckey Elementary *Doak Elementary *McDonald Elementary *Mosheim Elementary *Nolachuckey Elementary *Chuckey-Doak Middle School * Chuckey-Doak High School *North Greene Middle School * North Greene High School *South Greene Middle School * South Greene High School *West Greene Middle School * West Greene High School Public schools that are within Greene County but are part of the Greeneville City School System include: *Eastview Elementary *Hal Henard Elementary *Highland Elementary *Tusculum View Elementary *Greeneville Middle School * Greeneville High School *Greene Technology Center

Hospitals

Two

hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

s are located in Greene County, Greeneville Community Hospital West campus and Greeneville Community East campus. These hospitals were formally Takoma Regional Hospital and Laughlin Memorial Hospital, respectively, after Ballad Health formed from the merger between Mountain States Health Alliance and Wellmont Health System.

Communities

City

Tusculum Tusculum is a ruined Classical Rome, Roman city in the Alban Hills, in the Latium region of Italy. Tusculum was most famous in Roman times for the many great and luxurious patrician country villas sited close to the city, yet a comfortable dist ...

Towns

* Baileyton * Greeneville (county seat) * Mosheim

Census-designated place

* Fall Branch (partial)

Unincorporated communities

* Afton * Camp Creek * Cedar Creek * Chuckey * Cross Anchor * DeBusk * Grandview * Horse Creek * Jearoldstown * Liberty Hill *

* Midway * Mohawk * Newmansville * Ottway * Rheatown *

Romeo Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Characters in Romeo and Juliet#Lord Montague, Lord Montague and his wife, Characters in Romeo and Juliet#Lady Montague, Lady Montague, he ...

* St. James * South Greene * Warrensburg

Notable people

* Rachel Belden Brooks (c. 1829–1910), American pioneer

References

External links

Official site

''The Greeneville Sun'' newspaper
{{coord, 36.17, -82.85, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-TN_source:UScensus1990 1783 establishments in North Carolina Populated places established in 1783 State of Franklin Second Amendment sanctuaries in Tennessee East Tennessee