Kingston is a city in and the
county seatA county 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...
of
Roane CountyRoane County is a U.S. county of the U.S. state of Tennessee , United States. Its population was 51,910 at the 2000 United States census. Its county seat is at Kingston. The U.S...
,
TennesseeTennessee is a state located in the Southeastern United States. According to the 2008 census, it has a population of 6,214,888, an increase of nearly 9.5% since 2000. Tennessee is the 14th fastest growing state in the US and is ranked 17th by population. It is ranked 36th by total land area. In...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and is adjacent to
Watts Bar LakeWatts Bar Lake is a reservoir on the Tennessee River created by Watts Bar Dam as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority system.-Geography:Located about midway between Chattanooga and Knoxville, the lake begins as the Tennessee River below Fort Loudon Dam in Lenoir City, Tennessee and stretches...
. Kingston, with a population of 5,264 at the 2000 United States census, is included in the
Harriman, TennesseeHarriman is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, primarily in Roane County, with a small extension into Morgan County. It is the principal city of and is included in the Harriman Micropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of Roane County and is a component of the Knoxville-Sevierville-La...
Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Kingston is located at . The town is situated at the confluence of the
Clinch RiverThe Clinch River rises in Southwest Virginia near Tazewell, VA and flows southwest through the Great Appalachian Valley, gathering various tributaries including the Powell River before joining the Tennessee River in East Tennessee.-Course:...
and the
Tennessee RiverThe Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley...
. This confluence is now part of Watts Bar Lake, a reservoir created by the impoundment of the Tennessee by
Watts Bar DamWatts Bar Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River in Meigs County and Rhea County, Tennessee, USA. The dam is one of nine dams on the main Tennessee River channel operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in early 1940s to provide flood control and electricity and...
several miles to the southwest.
Kingston is centered around the junction of
U.S. Route 70U.S. Route 70 is an east-west United States highway that runs for 2,385 miles from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. As can be derived from its number, it is a major east-west highway of the Southern and Southwestern United States...
, which connects Kingston with
KnoxvilleFounded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is also the largest city in East Tennessee. As of the 2000 United States Census, Knoxville had a total population of 173,890; the July 2007...
to the east and
NashvilleNashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is the second most populous city in the state after Memphis. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state...
to the west, and
State Route 58State Route 58 is a north-south state highway in the U.S. state of Tennessee that serves as a major route for many communities in Roane County, Meigs County, and Hamilton County...
, which connects Kingston with
Oak RidgeOak Ridge is a city in Anderson and Roane counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about 25 miles west of Knoxville. Oak Ridge's population was 27,387 at the 2000 census...
to the northeast and
ChattanoogaChattanooga is the fourth-largest city in Tennessee , and the seat of Hamilton County. Located in southeastern Tennessee on Chickamauga Lake and Nickajack Lake, which are both part of the Tennessee River, Chattanooga lies approximately 120 miles to the northwest of Atlanta, Georgia, about 135...
to the south.
Kingston is a city in and the
county seatA county 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...
of
Roane CountyRoane County is a U.S. county of the U.S. state of Tennessee , United States. Its population was 51,910 at the 2000 United States census. Its county seat is at Kingston. The U.S...
,
TennesseeTennessee is a state located in the Southeastern United States. According to the 2008 census, it has a population of 6,214,888, an increase of nearly 9.5% since 2000. Tennessee is the 14th fastest growing state in the US and is ranked 17th by population. It is ranked 36th by total land area. In...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and is adjacent to
Watts Bar LakeWatts Bar Lake is a reservoir on the Tennessee River created by Watts Bar Dam as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority system.-Geography:Located about midway between Chattanooga and Knoxville, the lake begins as the Tennessee River below Fort Loudon Dam in Lenoir City, Tennessee and stretches...
. Kingston, with a population of 5,264 at the 2000 United States census, is included in the
Harriman, TennesseeHarriman is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, primarily in Roane County, with a small extension into Morgan County. It is the principal city of and is included in the Harriman Micropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of Roane County and is a component of the Knoxville-Sevierville-La...
Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
Kingston is located at . The town is situated at the confluence of the
Clinch RiverThe Clinch River rises in Southwest Virginia near Tazewell, VA and flows southwest through the Great Appalachian Valley, gathering various tributaries including the Powell River before joining the Tennessee River in East Tennessee.-Course:...
and the
Tennessee RiverThe Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley...
. This confluence is now part of Watts Bar Lake, a reservoir created by the impoundment of the Tennessee by
Watts Bar DamWatts Bar Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River in Meigs County and Rhea County, Tennessee, USA. The dam is one of nine dams on the main Tennessee River channel operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in early 1940s to provide flood control and electricity and...
several miles to the southwest.
Kingston is centered around the junction of
U.S. Route 70U.S. Route 70 is an east-west United States highway that runs for 2,385 miles from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. As can be derived from its number, it is a major east-west highway of the Southern and Southwestern United States...
, which connects Kingston with
KnoxvilleFounded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is also the largest city in East Tennessee. As of the 2000 United States Census, Knoxville had a total population of 173,890; the July 2007...
to the east and
NashvilleNashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is the second most populous city in the state after Memphis. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state...
to the west, and
State Route 58State Route 58 is a north-south state highway in the U.S. state of Tennessee that serves as a major route for many communities in Roane County, Meigs County, and Hamilton County...
, which connects Kingston with
Oak RidgeOak Ridge is a city in Anderson and Roane counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about 25 miles west of Knoxville. Oak Ridge's population was 27,387 at the 2000 census...
to the northeast and
ChattanoogaChattanooga is the fourth-largest city in Tennessee , and the seat of Hamilton County. Located in southeastern Tennessee on Chickamauga Lake and Nickajack Lake, which are both part of the Tennessee River, Chattanooga lies approximately 120 miles to the northwest of Atlanta, Georgia, about 135...
to the south.
Interstate 40Interstate 40 is a major west-east Interstate Highway in the United States. Its western terminus is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern terminus is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina. Much of the western portion of I-40,...
passes through Kingston, running roughly parallel to US 70.
According to the
United States Census BureauThe 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. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the city has a total area of 7.3 square miles (18.9 km²), of which, 6.6 square miles (17.0 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.0 km²) of it (10.40%) is water.
Demographics
As of the
censusA "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.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 5,264 people, 2,263 households, and 1,532 families residing in the city. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 803.7 people per square mile (310.3/km²). There were 2,478 housing units at an average density of 378.4/sq mi (146.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.75% White, 3.55% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from
other racesRace 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-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 1.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.97% of the population.
There were 2,263 households out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.77.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.5% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 88.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,071, and the median income for a family was $44,979. Males had a median income of $40,186 versus $22,971 for females. The
per capita incomePer 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. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the city was $20,301. About 6.0% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.6% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.
History
Kingston has its roots in
Fort Southwest PointFort Southwest Point was a federal frontier outpost at what is now Kingston, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. Constructed in 1797 and garrisoned by federal soldiers until 1811, the fort served as a major point of interaction between the Cherokee and the United States government as...
, which was built just south of what is now Kingston in 1792. At the time, Southwest Point was on the fringe the legal settlement area for Euro-Americans. A
CherokeeThe Cherokee are a Native American people from the Southeastern United States...
village, headed by Chief Tollunteeskee, was situated just across the river, at what is now
RockwoodRockwood is a city in Roane County, Tennessee, United States. Its population was 5,774 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Harriman, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
. In 1805,
Colonel Return J. MeigsReturn Jonathan Meigs [born December 17 or December 28 , 1740; died January 28, 1823] was a colonel who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and later served as a federal government Indian agent working with the Cherokee in Tennessee.-Early life and Revolutionary...
, who operated out of Southwest Point, was appointed Cherokee Agent, effectively moving the agency from the
Tellico BlockhouseThe Tellico Blockhouse was an early American outpost located along the Little Tennessee River in Monroe County, Tennessee. Completed in 1794, the blockhouse operated until 1807 with the purpose of keeping the peace between nearby Overhill Cherokee towns and early Euro-American settlers in the area...
to Southwest Point. The city of Kingston was established on October 23, 1799, as part of an effort to partition
Knox CountyKnox County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its 2007 population was estimated at 423,874 by the United States Census Bureau. Its county seat is Knoxville, as it has been since the creation of the county. The county is at the geographical center of the Great Valley of East Tennessee...
(the effort to form a separate county failed, but succeeded two years later). Kingston was named after Major Robert King, an officer at Fort Southwest Point in the 1790s.
On September 21, 1807, Kingston was Tennessee's
state capital for one day. The
Tennessee General AssemblyThe Tennessee General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional structure:According to the Tennessee State Constitution of 1870, the General Assembly is a bicameral legislature and consists of a Senate of thirty-three members and a House of Representatives of...
convened in Kingston that day due to an agreement with the Cherokee, who had been told that if the Cherokee Nation ceded the land that is now Roane County, Kingston would become the capital of Tennessee. After adjourning that day, the Assembly resumed meeting in
KnoxvilleFounded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is also the largest city in East Tennessee. As of the 2000 United States Census, Knoxville had a total population of 173,890; the July 2007...
.
Kingston today
In 1955, the
Tennessee Valley AuthorityThe Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly impacted...
completed work on the
Kingston Fossil PlantKingston Fossil Plant, commonly known as Kingston Steam Plant, is a Tennessee Valley Authority 1.7-GW coal-burning power plant located at in Kingston, Tennessee on the shore of Watts Bar Lake....
, which at the time was the world's largest coal-burning power plant. The plant, which consumes roughly of
coalCoal is a readily combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock normally occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
daily, can produce up to 1,456 megawatts of electricity. The plant's 1,000-foot (305-meter) smokestacks are a familiar sight to drivers on the Roane County stretch of
Interstate 40Interstate 40 is a major west-east Interstate Highway in the United States. Its western terminus is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern terminus is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina. Much of the western portion of I-40,...
. On December 22, 2008, a impoundment containing
fly ashFly ash is one of the residues generated in the combustion of coal. Fly ash is generally captured from the chimneys of coal-fired power plants, and is one of two types of ash that jointly are known as coal ash; the other, bottom ash, is removed from the bottom of coal furnaces...
slurryA slurry is, in general, a thick suspension of solids in a liquid.-Examples of slurries:Examples of slurries include:* A mixture of water and cement to form concrete* A mixture of water, gelling agent, and oxidizers used as an explosive...
from the power plant broke, spilling more than 1 billion gallons of waste into the surrounding area.
External links