Hancock 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 northeastern part 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 6,662, making it the fourth-least populous county in Tennessee. 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 Sneedville.

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, who represented the county in the court case. The county was named after the Revolutionary War patriot

John Hancock John Hancock ( – October 8, 1793) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father, merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot of the American Revolution. He was the longest-serving Presi ...

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 is land and (0.5%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Lee County, Virginia Lee County is the westernmost county in the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,173. Its county seat is Jonesville. History The area of far western Virginia and eastern Kentucky supported large Arch ...

(north) * Scott County, Virginia (northeast) * Hawkins County (east) * Grainger County (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 Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and civil parish in the North Yorkshire District, district and North Yorkshire, county of North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist de ...

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 with other communities with a terminus at going towards Tazewell)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,662 people, 2,742 households, and 1,729 families residing in the county.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 6,819 people living in the county. 98.0% were

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 ...

, 0.4% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 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 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 3,280 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.91% White, 0.49% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 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 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 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 ...

couples 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 The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...

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 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 ...

was $11,986. About 25.30% of families and 29.40% 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 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 Melungeon ( ) (sometimes also spelled Malungean, Melangean, Melungean, Melungin) was a slur historically applied to individuals and families of mixed-race ancestry with roots in colonial Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina who were primarily ...

ancestry, who are believed to be of mixed European, African, and Native American heritage. The Vardy Community School, 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 (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

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

Xenophon Xenophon of Athens (; ; 355/354 BC) was a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian. At the age of 30, he was elected as one of the leaders of the retreating Ancient Greek mercenaries, Greek mercenaries, the Ten Thousand, who had been ...

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 William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...

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 William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

in 1992, when he was aided by the local popularity of Senator

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...

, a Smith County native.

Education

There is one school district in the county, Hancock County School District.
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References

External links

Official websiteThe Hancock County Public Library website

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