Roan Mountain, Tennessee
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Roan Mountain is a
census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
(CDP) in Carter 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. The population was 1,360 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Johnson City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City– Kingsport
Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
, TN- VA Combined Statistical Area – commonly known as the Tri-Cities region.


History

In September 1780, the Overmountain Men— a group of American soldiers from the trans-Appalachian frontier who fought during the American Revolution— passed through Roan Mountain en route to North Carolina, where they would engage and defeat a group of
loyalists Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...
at the Battle of Kings Mountain. On the night of September 26, this force camped at Shelving Rock, between what is now the Roan Mountain CDP and Roan Mountain State Park, where a rocky outcropping provided a convenient place for the soldiers to store their weapons and gunpowder. The site is now part of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, and the field where the soldiers camped is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
. During the 1870s, John T. Wilder, an industrialist and former Union general, began purchasing large tracts of
iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...
-rich lands in the Roan Mountain area, and established several mining operations in the region. In the early 1880s, he established the Roan Mountain community, originally known as Roan Mountain Station, as a stop along the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad ("Tweetsie"). He laid out streets, planted trees, and built a hotel, the Roan Mountain Inn, as well as a house for his family (the house still stands at the corner of Main and Stratton). In 1885, he established a resort atop the mountain, the Cloudland Hotel, which catered to people seeking relief from
hay fever Allergic rhinitis, of which the seasonal type is called hay fever, is a type of rhinitis, inflammation in the nose that occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. It is classified as a Allergy, type I hypersensitivity re ...
and other seasonal allergies. In 1998, Roan Mountain was victim of massive flooding due to a devastating winter storm which caused widespread damage. The flood killed 7 people, and 200 mobile homes and 15 houses were destroyed. Bridges and cars were swept away by the flood water.


Geography

Roan Mountain is located in northeast Tennessee at (36.194219, -82.068417). 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 CDP has a total area of 6.6 square miles (17.2 km2), all land. The elevation of Roan Mountain near the center of the CDP is . Roan Mountain is located in southeastern Carter County, near the Tennessee-
North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
border. The community is situated along the upper
Doe River The Doe River is a tributary of the Watauga River in northeast Tennessee in the United States. The river forms in Carter County near the North Carolina line, just south of Roan Mountain State Park, and flows to Elizabethton. Hydrography Th ...
at the river's confluence with Buck Creek. The mountain with which the community shares its name, Roan Mountain, rises several miles to the south. Reaching an elevation of , the mountain is the highest point in Tennessee outside 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 ...
. The
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 ...
traverses the mountain before descending and crossing U.S. Route 19E near the state line east of the CDP, and then turning westward across the crest of White Rocks Mountain, which rises immediately north of the CDP.
Roan Mountain State Park Roan Mountain State Park is a Tennessee state park in Carter County, in Northeast Tennessee. It is close to the Tennessee-North Carolina border and near the community of Roan Mountain, Tennessee. Situated in the Blue Ridge of the Appalachia ...
lies immediately south of the CDP.
Elk Park, North Carolina Elk Park is a town in Avery County, North Carolina, Avery County, North Carolina, United States. The town was so named because of the number of elk killed there. The population was 452 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. Geography Ac ...
is located across the state line in
Avery County, North Carolina Avery County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 17,806. The county seat is Newland, North Carolina, Newland. The county seat was ...
. Hampton, Tennessee, is located further down the Doe Valley to the northwest.


Demographics

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 1,160 people, 484 households, and 351 families residing in the CDP. 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 60.4/km2 (156.4/sq mi) and there were 539 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 99.48%
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 ...
, 0.26%
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 ...
, 0.09% Native American, and 0.17% 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 0.17% of the population. There were 484 households, out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% 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, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.3% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.86. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 23.6% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $17,813, and the median income for a family was $24,524. Males had a median income of $19,044 versus $20,792 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 CDP was $12,046. About 23.4% of families and 27.1% 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 35.4% of those under age 18 and 26.4% of those age 65 or over.


Education

Cloudland Elementary School and Cloudland High School are located in Roan Mountain.


Culture

The Roan Mountain Rhododendron Festival is held each summer at the lower elevation of
Roan Mountain State Park Roan Mountain State Park is a Tennessee state park in Carter County, in Northeast Tennessee. It is close to the Tennessee-North Carolina border and near the community of Roan Mountain, Tennessee. Situated in the Blue Ridge of the Appalachia ...
, offering visitors opportunities to sample traditional foods, purchase locally handmade crafts, and listen to a variety of traditional Southern Appalachian musicians, as well as to view the alpine catawba
rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; : ''rhododendra'') is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the Ericaceae, heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are native to eastern Asia and the Himalayan ...
gardens whose blooming season usually peaks during the third or fourth weekend in June. The festival began in 1947. The Roan Mountain Hilltoppers, a well-known old-time string band performing traditional Appalachian music, hail from the Roan Mountain area. This family band has been featured at venues including the Smithsonian Museum's American Folklife Festival, the 1982 World's Fair in
Knoxville, Tennessee 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 the
Country Music Hall of Fame The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amass ...
in
Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
. The band has received numerous awards and recognitions, and acquired an unexpected audience after
Malcolm McLaren Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren (22 January 1946 – 8 April 2010) was an English fashion designer and music manager. He was a promoter and a manager for punk rock and new wave bands such as New York Dolls, Sex Pistols, Adam and the Ants, and ...
sampled some of its music in his 1982 hit song, "Buffalo Gals." Later the Hilltoppers' home was visited by the
Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...
and
Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer-songwriter and DJ who rose to fame as the lead singer of the pop band Culture Club. He began his solo career in 1987. Boy George grew up in Eltham a ...
.Marsha Barber
God save the Hilltoppers
''Mountain XPress'', Vol. 10 / Iss. 44, September 6, 2004


Transportation

*
Interstate 26 Interstate 26 (I-26) is a main route of the Interstate Highway System in the Southeastern United States. Nominally east–west, as indicated by its even number, I-26 runs from the junction of U.S. Route 11W, US Route 11W (US 11W) ...
to Exit 31 (Elizabethton); * U.S. Route 321 east to Elizabethton, and; * U.S. Route 19E at Elizabethton then south into Roan Mountain, Tennessee. US 19 splits into US 19E and US 19W in Bluff City, Tennessee, north of Elizabethton. The routes rejoin in rural
Yancey County, North Carolina Yancey County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 18,470. Its county seat is Burnsville, North Carolina, Burnsville. History The ...
. While US 19W heads directly for
Interstate 26 Interstate 26 (I-26) is a main route of the Interstate Highway System in the Southeastern United States. Nominally east–west, as indicated by its even number, I-26 runs from the junction of U.S. Route 11W, US Route 11W (US 11W) ...
at Exits 35 and 36 in
Johnson City, Tennessee Johnson City is a city in Washington, Carter, and Sullivan counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, mostly in Washington County. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 71,046, making it Tennessee's eighth-most populous cit ...
, US 19E takes a 70-mile (113 km) path through the heart of the Unaka Mountains. US 19W splits from I-26 shortly before reaching the Tennessee-North Carolina border, and passes through the mountains of
Yancey County, North Carolina Yancey County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 18,470. Its county seat is Burnsville, North Carolina, Burnsville. History The ...
. Alternate US 19W is co-signed with
Interstate 26 Interstate 26 (I-26) is a main route of the Interstate Highway System in the Southeastern United States. Nominally east–west, as indicated by its even number, I-26 runs from the junction of U.S. Route 11W, US Route 11W (US 11W) ...
for much of its length in Tennessee. US 19E in Tennessee runs concurrently with State Route 37. Tennessee State Route 143 intersects US-19E in the Roan Mountain community, and connects the area with both the state park and Carvers Gap (near the summit of Roan Mountain).


References


External links


Roanmountain.com
{{authority control Census-designated places in Carter County, Tennessee Census-designated places in Tennessee Johnson City metropolitan area, Tennessee