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Sullivan County, Tennessee facts for kids

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Sullivan County
U.S. county
Sullivan County Courthouse in Blountville
Sullivan County Courthouse in Blountville
Map of Tennessee highlighting Sullivan County
Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
Map of the United States highlighting Tennessee
Tennessee's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Tennessee
Founded 1779
Named for General John Sullivan
Seat Blountville
Largest city Kingsport
Area
 • Total 430 sq mi (1,100 km2)
 • Land 413 sq mi (1,070 km2)
 • Water 16 sq mi (40 km2)  3.8%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 158,163
 • Estimate 
(2023)
 162,135 Increase
 • Density 368/sq mi (142.0/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 1st

Sullivan County is a county in the state of Tennessee. It's located in the northeastern part of Tennessee, right on the border. In 2020, about 158,163 people lived there. The main town, or county seat, is Blountville.

Sullivan County is part of a larger area called the "Tri-Cities" region. This area includes Kingsport, Johnson City, and Bristol. Sullivan County is very old; it was created in 1779. Back then, this land was still part of North Carolina. For a few years, from 1784 to 1788, it was even part of a special, unofficial state called the State of Franklin.

History of Sullivan County

Sullivan County was formed in 1779. It was created from a part of Washington County. The county was named after John Sullivan, who was a general during the American Revolutionary War.

A place called Long Island of the Holston in Kingsport was very important to the Cherokee people for a long time. They lived in this area. Later, in 1761, British colonists built Fort Robinson on Long Island. This fort was built after another fort, Fort Loudoun, fell to attacks. Building Fort Robinson helped bring more settlers to the area. This made Sullivan County one of the first places in Tennessee where European Americans settled.

Before the American Civil War, there were strong disagreements in the country. Sullivan County was one of the few counties in East Tennessee that supported leaving the United States. It was even known as the "Little Confederacy." In June 1861, the county voted to separate from the Union.

Geography of Sullivan County

Sullivan County covers about 430 square miles. Most of this area, about 413 square miles, is land. The rest, about 16 square miles, is water.

The western part of the county is in the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians. This area has long, narrow mountains that run from northeast to southwest. For example, the northeastern end of Bays Mountain is found here. The eastern part of the county is in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Holston Mountain is the highest point in Sullivan County. It is 4,284 feet tall and sits on the border with Johnson County.

In Kingsport, two rivers, the South Fork Holston River and the North Fork Holston River, join together. They form the Holston River, which eventually flows into the Tennessee River. The Watauga River is another important river. It forms part of Sullivan County's border with Washington County to the south. The North Fork Holston River forms part of the border with Hawkins County to the west. There are also two large artificial lakes in the county. These lakes were created by the Fort Patrick Henry Dam and Boone Dam on the South Fork Holston River.

Blountville, the county seat, is special because it's Tennessee's only county seat that is an unincorporated area. This means it doesn't have its own city government.

Morrell Cave

Morrell Cave, also known as Worleys Cave, is a special natural area in Tennessee. It is about 4.4 miles long, making it the second-longest cave in East Tennessee. It's also one of the longest caves in the entire United States. Morrell Cave is located south of the Holston River, near Bluff City.

During the Civil War, this cave was very important. It was a major source of saltpeter. Saltpeter was a key ingredient needed to make gunpowder. You can still see signs of this mining activity in the cave today. There are places where a lot of dirt containing saltpeter was removed. You can also see pick marks in the dirt and a system of trails that the miners used.

Neighboring Areas

Protected Natural Areas

Main Roads

  • I-26
  • I-81
  • US 11E
  • US 11W
  • US 19
  • US 19E
  • US 19W
  • US 23
  • US 421
  • SR 1
  • SR 34
  • SR 36
  • SR 44
  • SR 75
  • SR 93
  • SR 126
  • SR 346
  • SR 347
  • SR 357
  • SR 358
  • SR 390
  • SR 394
  • SR 435

Population of Sullivan County

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1800 10,218 —
1810 6,847 −33.0%
1820 7,015 2.5%
1830 10,073 43.6%
1840 10,736 6.6%
1850 11,742 9.4%
1860 13,552 15.4%
1870 13,136 −3.1%
1880 18,321 39.5%
1890 20,879 14.0%
1900 24,935 19.4%
1910 28,120 12.8%
1920 36,259 28.9%
1930 51,087 40.9%
1940 69,085 35.2%
1950 95,063 37.6%
1960 114,139 20.1%
1970 127,329 11.6%
1980 143,968 13.1%
1990 143,596 −0.3%
2000 153,048 6.6%
2010 156,823 2.5%
2020 158,163 0.9%
2023 (est.) 162,135 3.4%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2019
USA Sullivan County, Tennessee.csv age pyramid
Age pyramid Sullivan County

In 2020, the census counted 158,163 people living in Sullivan County. There were 68,560 households and 44,284 families. Most people, about 90.64%, identified as White (non-Hispanic). About 2.02% were Black or African American, and 0.8% were Asian. People of Hispanic or Latino background made up about 2.24% of the population.

In 2010, the population was 156,823. At that time, about 95.1% of the people were White, 2.1% were Black or African American, and 0.6% were Asian. About 1.5% of the people were Hispanic or Latino.

Towns and Communities

Cities

Census-Designated Places

These are areas that are like towns but are not officially incorporated as cities.

Other Communities

These are smaller, unincorporated communities.

Education

There are three main school districts in Sullivan County:

  • Bristol Tennessee City Schools
  • Kingsport City School District
  • Sullivan County School District

Famous People from Sullivan County

  • Besse Cooper (1896-2012): She was known as the world's oldest living person for a time.
  • Austin Augustus King (1802–1870): A lawyer and politician who became the tenth governor of Missouri. He also served as a United States congressman.
  • John Smith: An important early leader in a religious movement called the Restoration Movement.

Images for kids

  • Sullivan-county-courthouse-tn1

    Sullivan County Courthouse in Blountville

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Sullivan (Tennessee) para niños

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