Scott County, Tennessee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Scott County
U.S. county
Scott County Courthouse in Huntsville
Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
Founded	1849
Named for	Winfield Scott
Seat	Huntsville
Largest town	Oneida
Area
• Total	533 sq mi (1,380 km2)
• Land	532 sq mi (1,380 km2)
• Water	0.9 sq mi (2 km2)  0.2%
Population  (2020)
• Total	22,039
• Density	41/sq mi (16/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	3rd, 6th

Scott County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, its population was 22,039, down from 22,228 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is Huntsville and the largest town is Oneida. Scott County is known for having seceded from Tennessee in protest of the state's decision to join the Confederacy during the Civil War, and subsequently forming The Free and Independent State of Scott.

History

Scott County was formed in 1849 from portions of Anderson, Campbell, Fentress and Morgan counties. It is named for U.S. Army General Winfield Scott, a hero of the Mexican War.

State of Scott

During the Civil War, the county was a Southern Unionist bastion, voting against secession from the Union in Tennessee's June 1861 referendum by a higher percentage (521 to 19, or 96%) than in any other Tennessee county. This sentiment was encouraged by a June 4, 1861, speech in Huntsville by U.S. Senator Andrew Johnson. In 1861, the county assembly officially enacted a resolution seceding from the state of Tennessee, and thus the Confederacy, forming the "Free and Independent State of Scott," also known simply as the "State of Scott." The county remained a pro-Union enclave throughout the war. Ulysses S. Grant received over 90% of the vote in Scott County during both the 1868 United States presidential election and the 1872 United States presidential election.

The proclamation was finally repealed, over a hundred years later, by Scott County in 1986.

Geography

Big South Fork of the Cumberland

US-27 at the Tennessee-Kentucky state line, looking south into Scott County

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 533 square miles (1,380 km²), of which 532 square miles (1,380 km²) is land and 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²) (0.2%) is water. The county is located in a relatively hilly area atop the Cumberland Plateau. In the southwestern part of the county, the Clear Fork and New River converge to form the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River, a major tributary of the Cumberland River, and the focus of a national river and recreation area.

U.S. Route 27 is the county's primary north–south road. State Route 63 connects Scott County with Campbell County to the east. State Route 52 connects Scott County with the Fentress County area to the west. A portion of State Route 297 connects Oneida with the Big South Fork Recreation Area. State Route 456 is another major road in the area.

Adjacent counties

• McCreary County, Kentucky (north)
• Campbell County (east)
• Anderson County (southeast)
• Morgan County (southwest)
• Fentress County (west/CST Border)
• Pickett County (northwest/CST Border)
• Wayne County, Kentucky (northwest)

National protected area

• Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area (part)

State protected areas

• North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area (part)
• Scott State Forest (part)
• Twin Arches State Natural Area (part)

Demographics

1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2014 }}

Age pyramid Scott County

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 21,850 people, 8,664 households, and 6,059 families residing in the county.

2010 ancestry

As of 2010, the largest self-reported ancestry groups in the county were:

• American - 18.1%
• English - 16.7%
• Irish - 8.4%
• German - 4.2%
• Scots-Irish - 3.2%
• Scottish - 2.0%
• Italian - 1.2%
• Polish - 1.1%

Education

Scott County School District (Website)

• Burchfield Elementary School; "The Rams" (Website)
• Farview Elementary School; "The Rebels" (Website)
• Huntsville Elementary School; "The Bears" (Website)
• Huntsville Middle School; "The Bears" (Website)
• Robbins Elementary School; "The Hawks" (Website)
• Scott High School; "The Highlanders" (Website)
• Winfield Elementary School; "The Bobcats" (Website)

Oneida Special School District (Website)

• Oneida Elementary School; "The Indians" (Website)
• Oneida Middle School; "The Indians" (Website)
• Oneida High School; "The Indians" (Website)

Private schools

• Landmark Christian School

Public safety

Includes the Scott County Sheriff Department; Oneida and Winfield Police Department; a full-time ambulance service with two stations; a volunteer rescue squad; and nine volunteer fire stations placed throughout the county.

Media

• The Independent Herald
• The Scott County News
• Hive 105, WBNT-FM

Communities

Towns

• Huntsville (county seat)
• Oneida
• Winfield

Census-designated places

• Elgin
• Helenwood
• Robbins

Unincorporated communities

Notable people

• Howard Baker Sr.- U.S. Representative for Tennessee's 2nd congressional district.
• Howard Baker Jr. - U.S. senator from Tennessee; first Republican elected to the U.S. senate from Tennessee since Reconstruction.
• Mike Duncan- Former chairman of the Republican National Committee. Former governor of The United States Postal Service. Former chairman of The Tennessee Valley Authority.
• Sparky Woods- Former college football coach.
• Mike Marlar- American dirt track and stock car racing driver.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Scott (Tennessee) para niños