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Carter County, Tennessee

 

 
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Carter County, Tennessee
 
 
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Carter County is a county
County

A county is a land area of Local government government within a larger state. A county may have city and towns within its area....
 located in the U.S. state
U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 state of the United States that share sovereignty with the federal government of the United States . Because of this shared sovereignty, an United States is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of Domicile ....
 of Tennessee
Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States United States. In 1796, it became the sixteenth state to join the United States....
. As of 2000, the population was 56,742. The 2005 Census Estimate placed the population at 58,865. Its county seat
County seat

A county seat or parish seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there....
 is Elizabethton
Elizabethton, Tennessee

Elizabethton is the county seat of Carter County, Tennessee, Tennessee, United States. Elizabethton is also the historical site of the first independent Human settlement on American soil and located west of both the Eastern Continental Divide and the original thirteen British colonization of the Americas....
.

Carter County is part of the Johnson City
Johnson City, Tennessee

Johnson City is a city in Carter County, Tennessee, Sullivan County, Tennessee, and Washington County, Tennessee 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 East Tennessee Tennessee, anchored by the city of Johnson City, Tennessee....
, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport
Kingsport, Tennessee

Kingsport is a city in Hawkins County, Tennessee and Sullivan County, Tennessee counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The majority of the city lies in Sullivan County....
–Bristol
Bristol, Tennessee

Bristol is a city in Sullivan County, Tennessee, Tennessee, United States. The population was 24,821 at the United States Census, 2000. It is the Twin cities of Bristol, Virginia, which lies directly across the border between Tennessee and Virginia....
, TN-VA
Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia is an United States U.S. state on the East Coast of the United States of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of Lists of United States Presidents by place of birth#By state....
 Combined Statistical Area
Combined Statistical Area

The United States Office of Management and Budget defines United States micropolitan area and United States metropolitan area. 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, Tennessee, Johnson City, Tennessee and Bristol, Tennessee and the surrounding smaller towns and communities in East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia....
" region of Northeast Tennessee.

rding to the U.S. 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 county has a total area of 348 square miles (900 km²), of which, 341 square miles (883 km²) of it is land and 7 square miles (17 km²) of it (1.89%) is water.

Carter County's boundary with Sullivan County is defined as the ridgeline of Holston Mountain
Holston Mountain

Holston Mountain is a mountain in northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia Virginia, in the United States. It is in the Blue Ridge Mountains part of the Appalachian Mountains....
.



Adjacent counties
f the census
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....
 of 2000, there were 56,742 people, 23,486 households, and 16,346 families residing in the county.






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Encyclopedia


Carter County is a county
County

A county is a land area of Local government government within a larger state. A county may have city and towns within its area....
 located in the U.S. state
U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 state of the United States that share sovereignty with the federal government of the United States . Because of this shared sovereignty, an United States is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of Domicile ....
 of Tennessee
Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States United States. In 1796, it became the sixteenth state to join the United States....
. As of 2000, the population was 56,742. The 2005 Census Estimate placed the population at 58,865. Its county seat
County seat

A county seat or parish seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there....
 is Elizabethton
Elizabethton, Tennessee

Elizabethton is the county seat of Carter County, Tennessee, Tennessee, United States. Elizabethton is also the historical site of the first independent Human settlement on American soil and located west of both the Eastern Continental Divide and the original thirteen British colonization of the Americas....
.

Carter County is part of the Johnson City
Johnson City, Tennessee

Johnson City is a city in Carter County, Tennessee, Sullivan County, Tennessee, and Washington County, Tennessee 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 East Tennessee Tennessee, anchored by the city of Johnson City, Tennessee....
, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport
Kingsport, Tennessee

Kingsport is a city in Hawkins County, Tennessee and Sullivan County, Tennessee counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The majority of the city lies in Sullivan County....
–Bristol
Bristol, Tennessee

Bristol is a city in Sullivan County, Tennessee, Tennessee, United States. The population was 24,821 at the United States Census, 2000. It is the Twin cities of Bristol, Virginia, which lies directly across the border between Tennessee and Virginia....
, TN-VA
Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia is an United States U.S. state on the East Coast of the United States of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of Lists of United States Presidents by place of birth#By state....
 Combined Statistical Area
Combined Statistical Area

The United States Office of Management and Budget defines United States micropolitan area and United States metropolitan area. 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, Tennessee, Johnson City, Tennessee and Bristol, Tennessee and the surrounding smaller towns and communities in East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia....
" region of Northeast Tennessee.

Geography

According to the U.S. 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 county has a total area of 348 square miles (900 km²), of which, 341 square miles (883 km²) of it is land and 7 square miles (17 km²) of it (1.89%) is water.

Carter County's boundary with Sullivan County is defined as the ridgeline of Holston Mountain
Holston Mountain

Holston Mountain is a mountain in northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia Virginia, in the United States. It is in the Blue Ridge Mountains part of the Appalachian Mountains....
.

Lakes

  • Watauga Lake
    Watauga Lake

    Watauga Lake, located southeast of Elizabethton, Tennessee, was created by the Tennessee Valley Authority of the with completion of the TVA Watauga Dam and Reservoir....
  • Wilbur Reservoir (immediately below the TVA Watauga Dam
    Watauga Dam

    Watauga Dam is a hydroelectric and flood control dam on the Watauga River in Carter County, Tennessee, 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 Mountain
    Roan 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 one of the thickest stands of coniferous forest in the southern Appalachians, the world's largest natural rhododendron garden, and the longest stretch of Appalachian balds in the Appa...
     Lat: 36.1838646 Lon: -82.1356583)


Rivers

  • Watauga River
    Watauga River

    The Watauga River is a large stream of western North Carolina and East Tennessee. It is 60 miles long with its headwaters on the slopes of Grandfather Mountain in Watauga County, North Carolina....
  • Doe River
    Doe River

    The Doe River is a naturally flowing river in northeast Tennessee that forms in Carter County, Tennessee near the North Carolina line, just south of Roan Mountain State Park....


Waterfalls

Bluehole

Adjacent counties


Demographics

As of the census
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....
 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 United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, 1.00% Black
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
 or African American
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, 0.20% Native American
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, 0.26% Asian
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, 0.01% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, 0.27% from other races
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, 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 United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
 or Latino
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
 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, spirituality, or law union of individuals. This union may also be called matrimony, while the ceremony that marks its beginning is usually called a wedding and the married status created is sometimes called wedlock....
 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 means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone....
 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


Early history


As part of North Carolina counties

  • Clarendum;
  • New Hanover Precinct (1729-1734)
    New Hanover County, North Carolina

    New Hanover County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 160,307. Its county seat is Wilmington, North Carolina....
    ;
  • Bladen County (1734-1749)
    Bladen County, North Carolina

    Bladen County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 32,278. Its county seat is Elizabethtown, North Carolina....
    - current county seat is Elizabethtown, North Carolina)
    Elizabethtown, North Carolina

    Elizabethtown is a town in Bladen County, North Carolina, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,698 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Bladen County, North Carolina....
    ;
  • Anson County (1749-1753)
    Anson County, North Carolina

    Anson County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 25,275. Its county seat is Wadesboro, North Carolina....
    ;
  • Rowan County (1753-1777)
    Rowan County, North Carolina

    Rowan County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 130,340. Its county seat is Salisbury, North Carolina....
    ;
  • Burke County (1777)
    Burke County, North Carolina

    Burke County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 89,148. Its county seat is Morganton, North Carolina....
    .


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 Association
Watauga Association

The Watauga Association was a semi-autonomous government from 1772 to 1777 in what is now East Tennessee. The settlers negotiated a ten-year lease of the land from the Cherokee in 1772 and, being beyond the jurisdiction of any existing government, established their own....
, it is named in honor of Landon Carter
Landon Carter

Landon Carter was a planter from Virginia, best known for his account of life before the American War of Independence, The Diary of Colonel Landon Carter....
, son of John Carter
John Carter

John Carter may refer to:*John Carter * John Carter , Nottingham cricketer* John Carter * John Carter , Seventh-day Adventist evangelist* 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 gauge
Narrow 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 or less....
 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 a primarily narrow gauge railway Railroads in the United States established in 1866 for the purpose of the serving the minings at Cranberry, North Carolina....
 (The ET&WNC, nicknamed "Tweetsie") until the line ceased operations in 1950.

Notable natives and residents

  • Paul Edward Anderson
    Paul Edward Anderson

    Paul Edward Anderson was an weightlifter, strongman , and professional Powerlifting.Anderson was born in Toccoa, Georgia, United States of America....
    : weightlifter, gold medalist in Men's Heavyweight Lifting
    Weightlifting at the 1956 Summer Olympics

    The weightlifting competition at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne consisted of seven weight classes, all for men only....
     at the 1956 Summer Olympics
    1956 Summer Olympics

    The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the Equestrian at the 1956 Summer Olympics, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations....
     in Melbourne, Australia and listed in Guinness World Records
    Guinness World Records

    Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing an internationally recognized...
    .
  • William Gannaway Brownlow
    William Gannaway Brownlow

    William Gannaway Brownlow was List of Governors of Tennessee of Tennessee from 1865 to 1869 and a List of United States Senators from Tennessee from Tennessee from 1869 to 1875....
    : newspaper publisher, Tennessee Governor; Radical Republican, U.S. Senator (1805-1877).
  • Rear Admiral/
    Admiral

    Admiral is the military rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above Vice Admiral and below Admiral of the Fleet/Fleet Admiral....
    Major General
    General

    A General officer is an Officer of high military rank. The term or equivalent is used by nearly every country in the world. General can be used as a generic term for all grades of general officer, or it can specifically refer to a single rank that is just called general....
     Samuel Powhattan (S.P.) Carter
    Samuel P. Carter

    Samuel Perry "Powhatan" Carter was a United States naval officer who served in the Union Army as a Major general during the American Civil War and became a Rear admiral in the postbellum United States Navy....
     - (August 6, 1819-May 26, 1891). Only U.S. military officer to have held the rank of Army General and Navy Admiral. The May 28, 1891 Washington Post obituary for Carter presents a timeline that suggests that Carter may have also been a member of one of the earliest classes of midshipmen (1846) to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy.
  • Robert Love Taylor
    Robert Love Taylor

    Robert Love Taylor was a United States House of Representatives from Tennessee from 1879 to 1881, List of Governors of Tennessee from 1887 to 1891 and from 1897 to 1899, and subsequently a United States Senate from that state from 1907 until his death....
    , Tennessee politician (July 31, 1850 - March 31, 1912).
  • Alfred A. Taylor
    Alfred A. Taylor

    Alfred Alexander Taylor was a Congressman from 1889-1895 and later the List of Governors of Tennessee from 1921 to 1923. Notably, in 1886 he lost the gubernatorial race to his younger brother, Robert Love Taylor....
    , Tennessee politician (August 6, 1848 - November 23, 1931).
  • Dayton E. Phillips
    Dayton E. Phillips

    Dayton E. Phillips was an United States politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for the Tennessee's 1st congressional district of Tennessee....
    , U.S. House of Representatives (January 3, 1947 to January 3, 1951), Judge.
  • Jason Witten
    Jason Witten

    Christopher Jason Witten is an American football player who currently plays as a tight end for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League....
    , American football
    American football

    American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive team sport known for mixing strategy with physical play....
     tight end player for the Dallas Cowboys
    Dallas Cowboys

    The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team in the National Football Conference East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League ....
    .
  • Kent Williams
    Kent Williams (politician)

    Kent Williams is a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, representing District 4. He is the Speaker of that body in the 106th Tennessee General Assembly ....
    , Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives
    Tennessee House of Representatives

    The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the U.S. state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee....
    , and Elizabethton restaurant owner.


Climate of Carter County, Tennessee
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
Avg °F(°C)
34.0°F 1.1°C
37.4°F 3.0°C
47.2°F 8.4°C
55.2°F 12.9°C
63.4°F 17.4°C
71.1°F 21.7°C
74.4°F 23.6°C
73.6°F 23.1°C
67.9°F 19.9°C
56.7°F 13.7°C
47.0°F 8.3°C
38.2°F 3.4°C
55.5°F 13.1°C
Avg high °F(°C)
43.7°F 6.5°C
48.0°F 8.9°C
58.9°F 14.9°C
67.4°F 19.7°C
75.2°F 24.0°C
82.2°F 27.9°C
84.6°F 29.2°C
84.1°F 28.9°C
79.1°F 26.2°C
69.1°F 20.6°C
58.2°F 14.6°C
48.1°F 8.9°C
66.6°F 19.2°C
Avg low °F(°C)
24.3°F
-4.3°C
26.8°F
-2.9°C
35.4°F 1.9°C
43.0°F 6.1°C
51.6°F 10.9°C
59.9°F 15.5°C
64.1°F 17.8°C
63.1°F 17.3°C
56.6°F 13.7°C
44.2°F 6.8°C
35.9°F 2.2°C
28.2°F -2.1°C
44.4°F 6.9°C
Rain (inches)
3.2 in.
3.4 in.
3.7 in.
3.3 in.
3.8 in.
3.5 in.
4.3 in.
3.2 in.
3.3 in.
2.6 in.
2.9 in.
3.4 in.
40.7 in.
Snow (inches)
5.2 in.
4.2 in.
2.3 in.
0.4 in.
0.05 in.
0.05 in.
0.0 in.
0.0 in.
0.05 in.
0.0 in.
0.9 in.
2.6 in.
15.6 in.
Sources for Carter County (Bristol-Johnson City, Tennessee) climate statistics: climate-zone.com


External links

  • Carter County Landforms (links to Carter County waterfalls]