Claiborne County, Tennessee

Claiborne County, Tennessee
Claiborne County Courthouse in Tazewell
Location in the state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location in the U.S.
Founded	October 29, 1801
Seat	Tazewell
Largest city	Harrogate
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	442 sq mi (1,144 km²) 434 sq mi (1,125 km²) 7 sq mi (19 km²), 1.65%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	32,213 69/sq mi (27/km²)
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4

Claiborne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 32,213. Its county seat is Tazewell.^[1]

History

Claiborne County was established on October 29, 1801, created from Grainger and Hawkins counties and extended the southern boundary to Anderson County. It was named for Virginia tidewater aristocrat William C. C. Claiborne, one of the first judges of the Superior Court and one of the first representatives in U.S. Congress from Tennessee.^[2]

The Four Seasons Hotel was built on the location of present-day Lincoln Memorial University in 1892 by an English land company, the American Association Limited. At the time, it was reported by its promoters to be the largest hotel in the United States. The main building was four stories high with a lobby 75 feet square and a dining room 50 feet by 160 feet. It was reported to contain 700 rooms. Also included in the complex were a hospital, an inn, a sanitarium, and other smaller buildings. The hotel was not a success and was demolished in 1895. During its operation, the Four Seasons Hotel offered buggy rides to nearby English Cave, which had been improved with wooden stairways, walkways, and bridges. The rotting remains of these wooden structures can still be seen in the cave.^[3]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 442 square miles (1,144.8 km²), of which 434 square miles (1,124.1 km²) is land and 7 square miles (18.1 km²) (1.65%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Bell County, Kentucky (north)
• Lee County, Virginia (northeast)
• Hancock County (east)
• Grainger County (southeast)
• Union County (southwest)
• Campbell County (west)
• Whitley County, Kentucky (northwest)

National protected area

• Cumberland Gap National Historical Park (part)

Demographics

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 29,862 people, 11,799 households, and 8,684 families residing in the county. The population density was 69 people per square mile (27/km²). There were 13,262 housing units at an average density of 30 per square mile (12/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.79% White, 0.75% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. 0.64% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Age pyramid Claiborne County^[5]

There were 11,799 households out of which 32.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.80% were married couples living together, 11.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.40% were non-families. 23.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.60% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 13.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,782, and the median income for a family was $31,234. Males had a median income of $26,280 versus $19,951 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,032. About 18.40% of families and 22.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.70% of those under age 18 and 19.90% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

• Arthur (unincorporated)
• Clairfield (unincorporated)
• Cumberland Gap
• Eagan (unincorporated)
• Harrogate
• Hopewell (unincorporated)
• Little Sycamore (unincorporated)
• Lone Mountain (unincorporated)
• New Tazewell
• Pruden (unincorporated)
• Shawanee (unincorporated)
• Speedwell (unincorporated)
• Tazewell

See also

• Alexander Arthur
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Claiborne County, Tennessee

References

1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
2. ^ Origins Of Tennessee County Names, Tennessee Blue Book 2005-2006, page 509
3. ^ Larry E. Matthews, "Caves of Knoxville and the Great Smoky Mountains", 2008, Published by the National Speleological Society, ISBN 978-1-879961-30-2, Chapter 2 - English Cave, pages 37–46
4. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
5. ^ Based on 2000 census data

External links

• Claiborne County at the Open Directory Project
• Mountain top removal mining in Claiborne County

Coordinates: 36°29′N 83°40′W / 36.48°N 83.66°W / 36.48; -83.66