Carter County, Tennessee
Encyclopedia
Carter County is a county located in the U.S. state
of Tennessee
. As of 2010, the population was 57,424. Its county seat
is Elizabethton
.
Carter County is part of the Johnson City
Metropolitan Statistical Area
, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport
–Bristol
, TN-VA
Combined Statistical Area
– commonly known as the "Tri-Cities
" region of Northeast Tennessee.
, the county has a total area of 348 square miles (901.3 km²), of which 341 square miles (883.2 km²) is land and 7 square miles (18.1 km²) (2.01%) is water.
Carter County's boundary with Sullivan County is defined as the ridgeline of Holston Mountain
.
As of the census
of 2000, there were 56,742 people, 23,486 households, and 16,346 families residing in the county. The population density
was 166 people per square mile (64/km²). There were 25,920 housing units at an average density of 76 per square mile (29/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.49% White
, 1.00% Black
or African American
, 0.20% Native American
, 0.26% Asian
, 0.01% Pacific Islander
, 0.27% from other races
, and 0.78% from two or more races. 0.89% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 23,486 households out of which 28.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.90% were married couples
living together, 11.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.40% were non-families. 26.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.83.
In the county the population was spread out with 21.40% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $27,371, and the median income for a family was $33,825. Males had a median income of $26,394 versus $19,687 for females. The per capita income
for the county was $14,678. About 12.80% of families and 16.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.00% of those under age 18 and 16.00% of those age 65 or over.
, it is named in honor of Landon Carter, son of John Carter, Chairman of the Court as defined by the articles of the Petition. The county seat, Elizabethton, is named for Landon's wife, Elizabeth MacLin Carter.
East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad
(The ET&WNC, nicknamed "Tweetsie") until the line ceased operations in 1950.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. As of 2010, the population was 57,424. Its county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
is Elizabethton
Elizabethton, Tennessee
Elizabethton is the county seat of Carter County, Tennessee, United States. Elizabethton is also the historical site both of the first independent American government located west of both the Eastern Continental Divide and the original thirteen British American colonies.Elizabethton is also the...
.
Carter County is part of the Johnson City
Johnson City, Tennessee
Johnson City is a city in Carter, Sullivan, and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, with most of the city being in Washington County...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Johnson City metropolitan area
The Johnson City Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in eastern Tennessee, anchored by the city of Johnson City...
, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport
Kingsport, Tennessee
Kingsport is a city located mainly in Sullivan County with some western portions in Hawkins County in the US state of Tennessee. The majority of the city lies in Sullivan County...
–Bristol
Bristol, Tennessee
Bristol is a city in Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 26,702 at the 2010 census. It is the twin city of Bristol, Virginia, which lies directly across the state line between Tennessee and Virginia. The boundaries of both cities run parallel to each other along State...
, TN-VA
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
Combined Statistical Area
Combined Statistical Area
The United States Office of Management and Budget defines micropolitan and metropolitan statistical areas. Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas consist of one or more counties...
– commonly known as the "Tri-Cities
Tri-Cities, Tennessee
In Tennessee and Virginia the name "Tri-Cities" refers to the region comprising the cities of Kingsport, Johnson City and Bristol and the surrounding smaller towns and communities in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia...
" region of Northeast Tennessee.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the county has a total area of 348 square miles (901.3 km²), of which 341 square miles (883.2 km²) is land and 7 square miles (18.1 km²) (2.01%) is water.
Carter County's boundary with Sullivan County is defined as the ridgeline of Holston Mountain
Holston Mountain
Holston Mountain is a mountain ridge in Upper East Tennessee and southwest Virginia, in the United States. It is in the Blue Ridge Mountains part of the Appalachian Mountains...
.
Lakes
- Watauga LakeWatauga LakeWatauga Lake, located southeast of Elizabethton, Tennessee, was created by the Tennessee Valley Authority with the completion of the TVA Watauga Dam and Reservoir....
- Wilbur Reservoir (immediately below the TVA Watauga DamWatauga DamWatauga Dam is a hydroelectric and flood control dam on the Watauga River in Carter County, in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the 1940s as part of efforts to control flooding in the Tennessee River watershed...
Lat: 36.3408 Lon: -82.1203] - Ripshin Lake (6 km southwest of Roan MountainRoan Mountain (Roan Highlands)Roan Mountain is the highpoint of the Roan-Unaka Range of the Southern Appalachian Mountains, located in the Southeastern United States. The mountain is clad in a dense stand of Southern Appalachian spruce-fir forest, and includes the world's largest natural rhododendron garden, and the longest...
Lat: 36.1838646 Lon: -82.1356583)
Waterfalls
Adjacent counties
Demographics
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 56,742 people, 23,486 households, and 16,346 families residing in the county. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 166 people per square mile (64/km²). There were 25,920 housing units at an average density of 76 per square mile (29/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.49% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 1.00% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.20% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.26% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.01% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.27% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.78% from two or more races. 0.89% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 23,486 households out of which 28.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.90% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 11.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.40% were non-families. 26.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.83.
In the county the population was spread out with 21.40% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $27,371, and the median income for a family was $33,825. Males had a median income of $26,394 versus $19,687 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the county was $14,678. About 12.80% of families and 16.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.00% of those under age 18 and 16.00% of those age 65 or over.
Cities
Census-designated places
Schools
As part of North Carolina counties
- Clarendum;
- New Hanover Precinct (1729-1734)New Hanover County, North Carolina-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 160,307 people, 68,183 households, and 41,591 families residing in the county. The population density was 806 people per square mile . There were 79,616 housing units at an average density of 400 per square mile...
; - Bladen County (1734-1749)Bladen County, North Carolina-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 32,278 people, 12,897 households, and 8,937 families residing in the county. The population density was 37 people per square mile . There were 15,316 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile...
- current county seat is Elizabethtown, North Carolina)Elizabethtown, North CarolinaElizabethtown is a town in Bladen County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,698 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Bladen County.-Geography:Elizabethtown is located at ....
; - Anson County (1749-1753)Anson County, North Carolina-See also:*National Register of Historic Places listings in Anson County, North Carolina-External links:*...
; - Rowan County (1753-1777)Rowan County, North Carolina-Demographics and economics:As of the census of 2010, there were 138,428 people, 53,140 households, and 37,058 families residing in the county. The population density was 270.7 people per square mile . There were 60,211 housing units at an average density of 117.7 per square mile...
; - Burke County (1777)Burke County, North Carolina-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 89,148 people, 34,528 households, and 24,342 families residing in the county. The population density was 176 people per square mile . There were 37,427 housing units at an average density of 74 per square mile...
.
Watauga Association
Carter County was the first permanent settlement outside the original 13 American colonies. The site of the first majority-rule system of American democracy, known as the Watauga AssociationWatauga Association
The Watauga Association was a semi-autonomous government created in 1772 by frontier settlers living along the Watauga River in what is now present day Elizabethton, Tennessee...
, it is named in honor of Landon Carter, son of John Carter, Chairman of the Court as defined by the articles of the Petition. The county seat, Elizabethton, is named for Landon's wife, Elizabeth MacLin Carter.
Railroad
Carter County was served by the narrow gaugeNarrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad
East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad
The East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad , affectionately called the "Tweetsie" in reference to the sound of its steam whistles, was primarily a railroad established in 1866 for the purpose of serving the mines at Cranberry, North Carolina.The narrow gauge portion of the ET&WNC was...
(The ET&WNC, nicknamed "Tweetsie") until the line ceased operations in 1950.
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External links
- http://www.cs.utk.edu/~dunigan/landforms/countylf.php?county=Carter Carter County Landforms (links to Carter County waterfalls]
- National Register of Historical Places - Carter County, Tennessee
- Cy Crumley ET&WNC Photo Collection