Claiborne County, Tennessee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Claiborne County
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| County of Claiborne | ||
Claiborne County Courthouse in Tazewell
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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 | October 29, 1801 | |
| Named for | William C. C. Claiborne | |
| Seat | Tazewell | |
| Largest city | Harrogate | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 442 sq mi (1,140 km2) | |
| • Land | 435,043 sq mi (1,126,760 km2) | |
| • Water | 7.0 sq mi (18 km2) 1.6%% | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 32,043  |
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| • Density | 74/sq mi (29/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | |
| Congressional district | 2nd | |
Claiborne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the population was 32,213. Its county seat is Tazewell.
Contents
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 Tennessee Superior Court and one of the first representatives in U.S. Congress from Tennessee.
Like many East Tennessee counties, Claiborne County was largely opposed to secession on the eve of the Civil War. In Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession referendum on June 8, 1861, the county's residents voted against secession by a margin of 1,243 to 250.
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, which was led locally by flamboyant businessman Alexander Arthur. 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.
Notable people from Claiborne County include State Representative Boyd C. Fugate (1884-1967).
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 442 square miles (1,140 km2), of which 435 square miles (1,130 km2) is land and 7.0 square miles (18 km2) (1.6%) 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
State protected areas
- Cumberland Trail (part)
- Powell River Preserve State Natural Area
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1810 | 4,798 | — | |
| 1820 | 5,508 | 14.8% | |
| 1830 | 8,470 | 53.8% | |
| 1840 | 9,474 | 11.9% | |
| 1850 | 9,369 | −1.1% | |
| 1860 | 9,643 | 2.9% | |
| 1870 | 9,321 | −3.3% | |
| 1880 | 13,373 | 43.5% | |
| 1890 | 15,103 | 12.9% | |
| 1900 | 20,696 | 37.0% | |
| 1910 | 23,504 | 13.6% | |
| 1920 | 23,286 | −0.9% | |
| 1930 | 24,313 | 4.4% | |
| 1940 | 24,657 | 1.4% | |
| 1950 | 24,788 | 0.5% | |
| 1960 | 19,067 | −23.1% | |
| 1970 | 19,420 | 1.9% | |
| 1980 | 24,595 | 26.6% | |
| 1990 | 26,137 | 6.3% | |
| 2000 | 29,862 | 14.3% | |
| 2010 | 32,213 | 7.9% | |
| 2020 | 32,043 | −0.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2014 |
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2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
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| White (non-Hispanic) | 29,966 | 93.52% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 314 | 0.98% |
| Native American | 58 | 0.18% |
| Asian | 148 | 0.46% |
| Pacific Islander | 11 | 0.03% |
| Other/Mixed | 1,056 | 3.3% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 490 | 1.53% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 32,043 people, 13,281 households, and 8,683 families residing in the county.
Communities
City
Towns
- Cumberland Gap
- New Tazewell
- Tazewell (county seat)
Unincorporated communities
- Arthur
- Clairfield
- Eagan
- Hopewell
- Little Sycamore
- Lone Mountain
- Midway
- Pruden
- Shawanee
- Speedwell
- Springdale
Infrastructure
Transportation
U.S. Routes 25E, and State Route 63 are the major arterial roadways in the county. US 25E, established as the East Tennessee Crossing Byway and Appalachian Development Corridor S, provides four-lane expressway north-south access to Grainger County and the Kentucky-Tennessee state-line. SR 63, provides two-lane access from the city of Harrogate to Campbell County.
Notable people
from Claiborne County include State Representative Boyd C. Fugate (1884-1967). Claiborne County's musical heritage includes musicians Rodney Atkins, Cindy Morgan and Michael McMeel as well as bluegrass musicians Steve Gulley, Milton Estes, CF Bailey and Shadow Ridge, Vic Graves, Scott and Alan Powers, The Honeycutt Brothers, Buster Turner and the Turner Brothers, Bryan Turner, Patrick Beeler, Larry Carter, Randall Massengill, and Jerry Cole. Lincoln Memorial University's literary heritage includes authors Silas House, James Still, and Jesse Stuart.
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