Anderson County, Tennessee Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Anderson County

U.S. county

Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton

Seal

Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee

Tennessee's location within the U.S.

Country

United States

State

Tennessee

Founded

November 6, 1801

Joseph Anderson

Largest city

Area

• Total

345 sq mi (890 km²)

• Land

337 sq mi (870 km²)

• Water

7.6 sq mi (20 km²) 2.2%%

Population

(2020)

• Total

77,123

• Estimate

(2023)

80,234

• Density

223.5/sq mi (86.31/km²)

Time zone

UTC−5 (Eastern)

• Summer (DST)

UTC−4 (EDT)

Congressional district

3rd

Anderson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located in the northern part of the state in East Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, its population was 77,123. Its county seat is Clinton. Anderson County is included in the Knoxville, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
Geography
Demographics
- 2020 census
Economy
Communities
See also

History

Before the formation of Anderson County, Tennessee, that territory was initially land of what is today called the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, which had been settled by several pioneer families including the Wallace, Gibbs, Freels, Frost and Tunnell families. Although the Treaty of Holston, signed in 1791, was intended as a negotiation with the Cherokee to prohibit settlement of the area including what is today Anderson County, the treaty became ineffective as more settlers moved through the Appalachian Mountains from Virginia and North Carolina into Tennessee. The flooding of white settlers into the Indian domain was cause for several skirmishes, which eased after the Treaty of Tellico in 1798 (with an origination point for relinquished land from the Cherokee being the Tellico Blockhouse) allowed for greater ease in settling the area.

Anderson County was partitioned from a portion of Grainger County, Tennessee as well as a portion of Knox County, Tennessee, in 1801; neighboring Roane County, Tennessee, was also formed from a portion of Knox County, Tennessee, in 1801, making Anderson and Roane counties effectively called 'sister counties'. Anderson County was named in honor of Joseph Anderson (1757–1847), who was at that time U.S. senator from Tennessee, and whose career also included judge of the Superior Court of the Territory South of the River Ohio and Comptroller of the U.S. Treasury.

Like many East Tennessee counties, the residents of Anderson County were largely opposed to secession on the eve of the Civil War. On June 8, 1861, Anderson Countians voted against Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession, 1,278 to 97.

The construction of Norris Dam, the first dam built by the Tennessee Valley Authority, brought major changes to the county in the 1930s. Approximately 2900 families were relocated from reservoir lands in Anderson and nearby counties during the construction, which began in 1933 and was completed in 1936. The town of Norris was initially built as a planned community to house the workers involved in the construction of this dam. As a result of the dam completion and operation, the temperature of the downstream Clinch River bed changed, so that a former pearl industry which had been successful for many years evaporated as the mussels, once prevalent in the river, were not able to sustain life in the changed climate.

During World War II, the federal government's Manhattan Project brought more change to the county, including the displacement of more families and the founding of Oak Ridge.

The Museum of Appalachia in Norris commemorates pioneer and rural life of past decades in Anderson County and the surrounding region. It is also an antique shop that sells artifacts from the times of the first settlers to the times of the Coal Creek War

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 345 square miles (890 km²), of which 337 square miles (870 km²) is land and 7.6 square miles (20 km²) (2.2%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Campbell County (north)
Union County (northeast)
Knox County (southeast)
Roane County (southwest)
Morgan County (west)
Scott County (northwest)

National protected area

Manhattan Project National Historical Park (part)

State protected areas

Norris Dam State Park (part)
North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1810	3,959	—
1820	4,668	17.9%
1830	5,310	13.8%
1840	5,658	6.6%
1850	6,938	22.6%
1860	7,068	1.9%
1870	8,704	23.1%
1880	10,820	24.3%
1890	15,128	39.8%
1900	17,634	16.6%
1910	17,717	0.5%
1920	18,298	3.3%
1930	19,722	7.8%
1940	26,504	34.4%
1950	59,407	124.1%
1960	60,032	1.1%
1970	60,300	0.4%
1980	67,346	11.7%
1990	68,250	1.3%
2000	71,330	4.5%
2010	75,129	5.3%
2020	77,123	2.7%
2023 (est.)	80,234	6.8%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020

Age pyramid for Anderson County

2020 census

Anderson County racial composition
Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	66,044	85.63%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	2,841	3.68%
Native American	217	0.28%
Asian	975	1.26%
Pacific Islander	53	0.07%
Other/Mixed	4,173	5.41%
Hispanic or Latino	2,820	3.66%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 77,123 people, 30,175 households, and 19,074 families residing in the county.

Economy

Anderson County has a thriving tourism industry, thanks to major attractions such as Norris Lake, the Green McAdoo School, the Museum of Appalachia, and American Museum of Science and Energy, and the county is considered a part of the Norris Highlands.