Jefferson County, Tennessee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jefferson County
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Jefferson County Courthouse in Dandridge
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Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
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 Tennessee's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Tennessee |
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| Founded | June 15, 1792 | |
| Named for | Thomas Jefferson | |
| Seat | Dandridge | |
| Largest city | Jefferson City | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 314 sq mi (810 km2) | |
| • Land | 274 sq mi (710 km2) | |
| • Water | 40 sq mi (100 km2) 13%% | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 54,683  |
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| • Density | 195/sq mi (75/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | |
| ZIP Codes |
37725, 37760, 37820, 37871, 37877, 37890
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| Area code | 865 | |
| Congressional districts | 1st, 2nd | |
Jefferson County is an exurban county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 54,683. Its county seat is Dandridge. Jefferson County is part of the Morristown Metropolitan Statistical Area with neighboring Grainger and Hamblen counties. The county, along with the Morristown MSA, is included in the Knoxville-Morristown-Sevierville Combined Statistical Area.
Contents
History
Jefferson County was established on June 11, 1792, by William Blount, Governor of the Southwest Territory. It had been a part of Caswell County during the State of Franklin period (1784–1789). Its county seat, Dandridge, was settled in 1783.
On the eve of the Civil War, Jefferson County, like most other counties in mountainous East Tennessee, was opposed to secession. In Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession referendum on June 8, 1861, Jefferson County voters rejected secession by a margin of 1,987 to 603. A railroad bridge at Strawberry Plains was among those targeted by the East Tennessee bridge-burning conspiracy in November 1861. This led to internal conflict in the area throughout the war, with men from the county enlisting in both of the rival armies.
On October 2, 2013, on I-40 in Jefferson County near the I-40 and I-81 split, a multi-vehicle collision involving a church bus, a tractor-trailer, and a SUV occurred at mile marker 423. Tennessee Highway Patrol officials discovered that the church bus had blown a tire, leading it to merge into oncoming traffic, clipping the SUV and colliding with the semi-truck, causing it to burst into flames. The accident resulted in 8 fatalities and 14 injuries.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 18,651 | 78.98% | 4,654 | 19.71% | 311 | 1.32% |
| 2016 | 14,776 | 77.47% | 3,494 | 18.32% | 802 | 4.21% |
| 2012 | 13,038 | 74.25% | 4,232 | 24.10% | 289 | 1.65% |
| 2008 | 13,092 | 70.65% | 5,178 | 27.94% | 262 | 1.41% |
| 2004 | 11,625 | 67.53% | 5,469 | 31.77% | 121 | 0.70% |
| 2000 | 8,657 | 61.45% | 5,226 | 37.10% | 204 | 1.45% |
| 1996 | 6,446 | 53.03% | 4,688 | 38.57% | 1,021 | 8.40% |
| 1992 | 6,184 | 50.02% | 4,740 | 38.34% | 1,438 | 11.63% |
| 1988 | 6,832 | 67.85% | 3,168 | 31.46% | 69 | 0.69% |
| 1984 | 7,721 | 70.35% | 3,185 | 29.02% | 69 | 0.63% |
| 1980 | 6,944 | 66.82% | 3,180 | 30.60% | 268 | 2.58% |
| 1976 | 5,459 | 57.23% | 3,995 | 41.89% | 84 | 0.88% |
| 1972 | 5,925 | 80.26% | 1,357 | 18.38% | 100 | 1.35% |
| 1968 | 5,494 | 67.11% | 1,494 | 18.25% | 1,199 | 14.65% |
| 1964 | 4,923 | 65.44% | 2,600 | 34.56% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 6,141 | 78.79% | 1,620 | 20.79% | 33 | 0.42% |
| 1956 | 4,870 | 77.63% | 1,338 | 21.33% | 65 | 1.04% |
| 1952 | 4,622 | 78.87% | 1,228 | 20.96% | 10 | 0.17% |
| 1948 | 2,979 | 74.12% | 900 | 22.39% | 140 | 3.48% |
| 1944 | 3,159 | 76.25% | 966 | 23.32% | 18 | 0.43% |
| 1940 | 1,921 | 63.95% | 1,062 | 35.35% | 21 | 0.70% |
| 1936 | 2,356 | 68.33% | 1,079 | 31.29% | 13 | 0.38% |
| 1932 | 2,275 | 68.59% | 975 | 29.39% | 67 | 2.02% |
| 1928 | 2,582 | 85.55% | 436 | 14.45% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 2,699 | 78.39% | 712 | 20.68% | 32 | 0.93% |
| 1920 | 3,583 | 81.58% | 741 | 16.87% | 68 | 1.55% |
| 1916 | 1,648 | 75.84% | 520 | 23.93% | 5 | 0.23% |
| 1912 | 540 | 26.96% | 514 | 25.66% | 949 | 47.38% |
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 314 square miles (810 km2), of which 274 square miles (710 km2) is land and 40 square miles (100 km2) (13%) is water. The county is affected by two artificial lakes: Douglas Lake, created by the damming of the French Broad River in the south, and Cherokee Lake, created by the damming of the Holston River in the north.
Adjacent counties
- Hamblen County (northeast)
- Cocke County (southeast)
- Sevier County (south)
- Knox County (west)
- Grainger County (north)
State protected areas
- Henderson Island Refuge
Transportation
Principal highways
Major surface routes
SR 113
SR 139
SR 341
SR 363
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1810 | 7,309 | — | |
| 1820 | 8,953 | 22.5% | |
| 1830 | 11,801 | 31.8% | |
| 1840 | 12,076 | 2.3% | |
| 1850 | 13,204 | 9.3% | |
| 1860 | 16,043 | 21.5% | |
| 1870 | 19,476 | 21.4% | |
| 1880 | 15,846 | −18.6% | |
| 1890 | 16,478 | 4.0% | |
| 1900 | 18,590 | 12.8% | |
| 1910 | 17,755 | −4.5% | |
| 1920 | 17,677 | −0.4% | |
| 1930 | 17,914 | 1.3% | |
| 1940 | 18,621 | 3.9% | |
| 1950 | 19,667 | 5.6% | |
| 1960 | 21,493 | 9.3% | |
| 1970 | 24,940 | 16.0% | |
| 1980 | 31,284 | 25.4% | |
| 1990 | 33,016 | 5.5% | |
| 2000 | 44,294 | 34.2% | |
| 2010 | 51,407 | 16.1% | |
| 2020 | 54,683 | 6.4% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 57,838 | 12.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2014 |
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2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 48,975 | 89.56% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 787 | 1.44% |
| Native American | 159 | 0.29% |
| Asian | 257 | 0.47% |
| Pacific Islander | 20 | 0.04% |
| Other/Mixed | 2,093 | 3.83% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 2,392 | 4.37% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 54,683 people, 20,154 households, and 13,998 families residing in the county.
Economy
According to a data profile produced by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development in 2023, the top employers in the county are:
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Dominion Freight Line | 1,100 |
| 2 | Jefferson County Board of Education | 1,100 |
| 3 | Bush Brothers and Company | 500 |
| 4 | Nyrstar | 450 |
| 5 | Carson–Newman University | 404 |
| 6 | Oshkosh Corporation | 325 |
| 7 | Jefferson Memorial Hospital | 305 |
| 8 | Jefferson County Government | 300 |
| 9 | Walmart (Jefferson City) | 300 |
| 10 | Ball MetalPack | 159 |
Education
K-12 public education in the county is conducted by Jefferson County Public Schools.
Communities
Cities
- Baneberry
- Jefferson City
- Morristown (partial, mostly in Hamblen)
Towns
- Dandridge (county seat)
- New Market
- White Pine (small portion in Hamblen)
Census-designated place
- Strawberry Plains (partial, portions in Knox and Sevier)
Unincorporated communities
- Belmont
- Chestnut Hill
- Shady Grove
- Talbott (partial)
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Jefferson (Tennessee) para niños
