Signal Mountain, Tennessee
Encyclopedia
Hamilton County, Tennessee
Hamilton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It was named for Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury. The 2005 Census Estimate placed the population at 310,935 . Its county seat is Chattanooga....
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The town is a suburb of Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
and is located on Walden Ridge
Walden Ridge
Walden Ridge is a mountain ridge and escarpment located in Tennessee, in the United States. It marks the eastern edge of the Cumberland Plateau and is generally considered part of it. Walden Ridge is about long, running generally north-south...
, a land mass often mistakenly referred to as "Signal Mountain" itself. The population was 7,429 as of the 2000 census.
Geography
Signal Mountain is located at 35°8′N 85°21′W (35.1291, -85.3424).According to the United States Census Bureau
United 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 town has a total area of 6.7 square miles (17.3 km2), all of it land.
History
Signal Mountain's history dates back years before settlement of the mountain itself. Centuries prior to the Civil War, Native Americans used a location on the mountain known as Signal Point to send fire and smoke signals across the Tennessee Valley. Later, the Union ArmyUnion Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
used Signal Point as a communications station during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. At the outbreak of the war, only a few families lived on the mountain. However, when various health epidemics struck Chattanooga in 1873 and 1878, several wealthy families relocated to the mountain where they could find clear air and pure water. In the early 20th century, Charles E. James purchased 4400 acres (17.8 km²) of land in the Signal Point area and developed the mountain. In 1913, construction was completed of twelve miles (19 km) of streetcar track, which linked Chattanooga to Signal Mountain. While the streetcars are no longer used, the tracks remain in the streets of Signal Mountain's historic district named after Velma. On April 4, 1919, the Tennessee Legislature passed the bill that chartered the Town of Signal Mountain. During the 1970s, the town experienced significant growth.
Notable residents
- Byron De La BeckwithByron De La BeckwithByron De La Beckwith, Jr. was an American white supremacist and Klansman from Greenwood, Mississippi who was convicted in the 1994 state trial of assassinating the civil rights leader Medgar Evers on June 12, 1963....
, convicted murderer of civil rights leader Medgar EversMedgar EversMedgar Wiley Evers was an African American civil rights activist from Mississippi involved in efforts to overturn segregation at the University of Mississippi...
, moved to Signal Mountain near the end of his life and once called it "A little slice of heaven" in an interview. He lived there until his second conviction. - Mary Q. SteeleMary Q. SteeleMary Quintard Govan Steele was a noted American author and naturalist. She wrote over 20 books --- some adult-style, but mostly children's books. One of her books, Journey Outside, was a Newbery Honor Book. Steele sometimes wrote under the name Wilson Gage.Steele was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee...
, Newbery Honor-winning children's author - William O. SteeleWilliam O. SteeleWilliam O. Steele was an American author. He was married to another author, Mary Quintard Govan.Steele was born in Franklin, Tennessee, the son of Core and Sue, and spent a large amount of his youth exploring the woods around his home. This led to an interest in the history of the area and of its...
, Newbery Honor-winning children's author - Susan AkinSusan AkinSusan Akin, is an American beauty pageant titleholder from Meridian, Mississippi who won Miss America 1986. Born in 1965, she was a member of Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women at the University of Mississippi....
, 1986 Miss America - Zane BirdwellZane BirdwellZane Birdwell is an American Grammy award-winning recording engineer, sound designer, and composer. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, he now lives and works in New York City.-Career:...
, Grammy AwardGrammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning recording engineer - Suzanne Fisher StaplesSuzanne Fisher StaplesSuzanne Fisher Staples is the author of six books addressed to children and adolescents. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , she grew up in a small community around Northeastern Pennsylvania. She had three siblings, a sister and two brothers. Suzanne went to Lakeland High School in Jermyn,...
, Author of award-winning book Shiva's Fire and other books - Emma Bell MilesEmma Bell MilesEmma Bell Miles was a writer, poet, and artist whose works capture the essence of the natural world and the culture of Southern Appalachia.-Early life and education:...
, poet
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
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 7,429 people, 2,924 households, and 2,122 families residing in the town. 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 1,112.6 people per square mile (429.4/km2). There were 3,054 housing units at an average density of 457.4 per square mile (176.5/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.36% White, 0.22% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.35% Asian, and 0.22% 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...
.
There were 2,924 households, of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.9% 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, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.02.
The population of Signal Mountain was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 22.2% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males.
The median income for a household was $66,900, and the median income for a family was $86,997. Males had a median income of $70,241 versus $30,878 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 town was $37,134. About 2.3% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.
Attractions
Signal Mountain is home to a number of outdoors attractions including the Cumberland TrailCumberland Trail
The Cumberland Trail is a hiking trail following a line of ridges and gorges along the eastern escarpment of the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee. The trail begins at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and ends at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park and Prentice Cooper Wildlife...
, Mabbitt Springs, and Signal Point, which is a U.S. National Park. Visitors and citizens have many different locations where they can hike and backpack, such as Rainbow Lake and Edward's Point. http://www.sigmtn.com/community/interests.php
The Signal Mountain Playhouse presents two plays per year including an outdoor musical every summer in the natural amphitheatre behind the Town Hall. The MACC (Mountain Arts Community Center), located in the historic Signal Mountain Elementary School building, offers classes in music, dance, and visual arts. There is also a large outdoor public playground and pavilion called the Pumpkin Patch that is open for all to enjoy. Also, Bachman Community Center has many annual events as well as a small library and community garden plots.
Additionally, the Mountain Opry hosts a weekly bluegrass music show every Friday evening.
Schools
- Elementary Schools: Nolan Elementary, Thrasher Elementary, Signal Mountain Christian School
- Middle School: Signal Mountain Middle/High School
- High School: Signal Mountain Middle/High School