Monteagle, Tennessee

Monteagle, Tennessee
—  Town  —
Location of Monteagle, Tennessee
Coordinates: 35°14′24″N 85°50′4″W / 35.24°N 85.83444°W / 35.24; -85.83444Coordinates: 35°14′24″N 85°50′4″W / 35.24°N 85.83444°W / 35.24; -85.83444
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
Counties	Grundy, Marion, Franklin
Area
- Total	8.2 sq mi (21.4 km2)
- Land	8.1 sq mi (21.1 km2)
- Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)
Elevation	1,923 ft (586 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	1,238
- Density	152.2/sq mi (58.7/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	37356
Area code(s)	931
FIPS code	47-49740[1]
GNIS feature ID	1314141[2]

Monteagle is a town in Franklin, Grundy, and Marion counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, in the Cumberland Plateau region of the southeastern part of the state. The population was 1,238 at the 2000 census – 804 of the town's 1,238 residents (64.9%) lived in Grundy County, 428 (34.6%) in Marion County, and 6 (0.5%) in Franklin County.^[3]

The Marion County portion of Monteagle is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Franklin County portion is part of the Tullahoma, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Monteagle is most famous for the treacherous stretch of Interstate 24 that passes through the town. It is here that the highway passes over what is colloquially referred to as "The Monteagle" or "Monteagle Mountain", a section of the southern Cumberland Plateau which is a major landmark on the road between Chattanooga and Nashville. The interstate regularly shuts down in inclement weather, routing traffic onto U.S. Highway 41. In the Jerry Reed song "The Legend", which is the opening track in the film Smokey and the Bandit, Reed tells the story of the Bandit miraculously surviving brake failure on the "Monteagle Grade." There is also a song called "Monteagle Mountain" by Johnny Cash on the album Boom Chicka Boom.

The town is home to the Monteagle Sunday School Assembly. The Highlander Folk School, long involved in the labor and civil rights movements, was located here from 1932 to 1961. Rosa Parks attended workshops there shortly before the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Geography

Monteagle is located at 35°14′24″N 85°50′4″W / 35.24°N 85.83444°W / 35.24; -85.83444 (35.239941, -85.834372)^[4].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 8.2 square miles (21.4 km²), of which, 8.1 square miles (21.1 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (1.33%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 1,238 people, 477 households, and 321 families residing in the town. The population density was 152.2 people per square mile (58.7/km²). There were 701 housing units at an average density of 86.2 per square mile (33.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.45% White, 1.37% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.73% Asian, 0.08% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.48% of the population.

There were 477 households out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the town the population was spread out with 19.5% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 25.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $24,464, and the median income for a family was $29,886. Males had a median income of $24,643 versus $17,708 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,983. About 21.7% of families and 25.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.4% of those under age 18 and 17.6% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• Right Rev. William Millsaps is the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Missionary Church, a former member of the UECNA.
• William Alexander Percy bought Brinkwood, a summerhouse in Monteagle with Huger Jervey, a professor of International Law at Columbia University.^[5]

Places of Interest

• DuBose Conference Center
• Monteagle Sunday School Assembly
• Home of the Highlander Folk School

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "Subcounty population estimates: Tennessee 2000-2006" (CSV). United States Census Bureau, Population Division. 2007-06-28. http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/files/SUB-EST2006_47.csv. Retrieved 2007-10-12. 
4. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
5. ^ William Armstrong Percy, 'William Alexander Percy,' in Carryin' On in the Lesbian and Gay South, John Howard (ed.), New York and London: New York University Press, 1997, p. 87