Sevier County (pronounced "severe") is a
U.S. countyIn the United States, a county is a local level of government below the state . Counties are used in 48 of the 50 states, while Louisiana is divided into parishes and Alaska into boroughs. These are considered "county-equivalents", as are some cities not designated as part of a county. The U.S...
of the
stateA U.S. state is any one of 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...
of
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 States. Its population was 71,170 at the
2000 United States CensusThe Twenty-Second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. It is included in the
Sevierville, TennesseeSevierville is a city in Sevier County, Tennessee, located in the Southeastern United States. Its population was 11,757 at the 2000 United States Census; in 2004 the estimated population was 14,101. Sevierville is the county seat of Sevier County, Tennessee.-Geography:Sevierville is located at...
, Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the
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...
-Sevierville-La Follette, TN
Combined Statistical AreaThe United States Office of Management and Budget defines micropolitan and metropolitan statistical areas. Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas consist of one or more counties...
. 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...
is at Sevierville, the largest city in the county.
History
Prior to the encroachment of white settlers in present day Sevier County in the mid-18th century, the area had been inhabited for as many as 20,000 years by nomadic and semi-nomadic
Native AmericansNative Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
. In the mid-16th century, Spanish expeditions led by
Hernando de SotoHernando de Soto was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who, while leading the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern-day United States, was the first European to discover the Mississippi River....
(1540) and
Juan PardoJuan Pardo was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who was active in the later half of the sixteenth century. He led a Spanish expedition through what is now North and South Carolina and into eastern Tennessee. He established Fort San Felipe, South Carolina , and the village of Santa Elena on...
(1567) passed through what is now Sevier County, reporting that the region was part of the domain of
ChiahaChiaha was a horticultural Native American chiefdom located in the lower French Broad River valley in modern East Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. They lived in raised structures within boundaries of several stable villages, which themselves overlooked their fields of maize, beans,...
, a minor Muskogean chiefdom centered around a village located on a now-submerged island just upsteam from modern
Douglas DamDouglas Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the French Broad River in Sevier County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The dam is operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority , which built the dam in record time in the early 1940s to meet emergency energy demands at the height of World War II...
. By the late 17th-century, however, the
CherokeeThe Cherokee are a Native American people from the Southeastern United States...
— whose ancestors were living in the mountains at the time of the Spaniards' visit— had become the dominant tribe in the region. Although they used the region primarily as hunting grounds, the Cherokee vehemently fought white settlement in their territory, frequently leading raids on households in the area, even through the signing of various peace treaties, alternating short periods of peace with violent hostility
http://www.sevierlibrary.org/genealogy/indians/cherokee.htm, until forcibly marched from their territory by the U.S. government on the infamous "
Trail of TearsThe Trail of Tears was the relocation and movement of Native Americans in the United States from their homelands to Indian Territory in the Western United States. The phrase originated from a description of the removal of the Choctaw Nation in 1831...
."
http://www.nps.gov/trte/
Sevier County as it is known today was formed on September 18, 1794 from part of neighboring Jefferson County, and has retained its original boundaries ever since. The county takes its name from
John SevierJohn Sevier served four years as the only governor of the State of Franklin and twelve years as Governor of Tennessee, and as a U.S. Representative from Tennessee from 1811 until his death...
, governor of the failed
state of FranklinThe State of Franklin was an autonomous, secessionist United States territory created, not long after the end of the American Revolution, from territory that later was ceded by North Carolina to the federal government. Franklin's territory later became part of the state of Tennessee...
and first governor of Tennessee, who played a prominent role during the tumultuous early years of settlement in the region[www.state.tn.us/sos/bluebook/ online/section5/counties.pdf]. Since its establishment in 1795, the county seat has been situated at Sevierville (also named for Sevier), the eighth-oldest city in Tennessee.
Prior to the late 1930s, Sevier County's population, economy, and society— which relied primarily on
subsistence agricultureSubsistence agriculture is self-sufficient farming in which farmers grow only enough food to feed their family. The typical subsistence farm has a range of crops and animals needed by the family to eat during the year. Planting decisions are made with an eye toward what the family will need...
— held little significance vis-à-vis any other county in the rural South. However, with the creation of the
Great Smoky Mountains National ParkGreat Smoky Mountains National Park is a United States National Park that straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain. The border between Tennessee and North Carolina runs northeast to...
in the early 1930s, the destiny of Sevier County, within the bounds of which lies thirty percent of the total area of the national park, changed drastically. Today, rampant tourism supports the county's burgeoning economy which does not appear to be slowing any time in the near future.
Government
The head of the Sevier County government, the county mayor, is elected in county-wide elections. The mayor serves along with a 25 member commission of elected officials representing the many small communities spread across the county.
http://www.seviercountytn.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4&Itemid=8.
Larry Waters is the current county mayor.
Presidential elections
The county tends to go strongly Republican in Presidential elections. In 1916 it may have given
Charles HughesCharles Hughes may refer to:* Charles J. Hughes, Jr. , U.S. Senator from Colorado* Charles Evans Hughes , Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Secretary of State, governor of New York...
the highest percentage of any county in the nation. In 1932
Herbert HooverHerbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted government intervention under the rubric "economic...
reportedly received 77.01% of the vote and in 1936
Alf LandonAlfred "Alf" Mossman Landon was an American Republican politician, who served as Governor of Kansas from 1933–1937. He was best known for being the Republican Party's nominee for President of the United States, defeated in a landslide by Franklin D...
received 77.73%. Since 1992 no Republican candidate has received less than 55% of the county's vote and in 2008
John McCainJohn Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
received 73.4%.
Economy
From its beginnings as a traditional subsistence-based farming society, Sevier County has grown into a major tourist destination since the establishment of the
Great Smoky Mountains National ParkGreat Smoky Mountains National Park is a United States National Park that straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain. The border between Tennessee and North Carolina runs northeast to...
, which is dominates the southern portion of the county. One of the very reasons for the park's creation, however, was also one of the county's first major economic engines: the lumber industry. Establishments in what is now the national park felled large amounts of timber in the early 1900s. Though the park effectively killed the then-lagging industry in the late 1930s, it spurred the development of one of the largest tourist resorts in the United States of America, as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is now the most visited national park in the country
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0004743.html. In recent years the tourism bubble has expanded beyond the city of Gatlinburg, which borders the Northwestern segment of the national park, and into the nearby cities of Pigeon Forge and Sevierville
http://seviercountybusiness.com/parks.htm.
The commercial cabin rental industry has grown tremendously in recent years.
Tourist attractions
The tourism industry drives the county's economy. The following destinations are among the most lucrative for the area:
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a United States National Park that straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain. The border between Tennessee and North Carolina runs northeast to...
, southern Sevier County: Established in 1936 and propelling the tourism industry in Sevier County ever since, the national park is the most visited in the entire system, welcoming over 10 million nature enthusiasts every year, most of which arrive through Sevier Countyhttp://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/magazines/story/0,6277,95185,00.html.
- Dollywood
Dollywood is a theme park owned by country music singer Dolly Parton and the Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation. It is located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee...
, Pigeon Forge: The theme park named for part-owner Dolly PartonDolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best-known for her work in country music....
(who was born in Sevierville) admits 2.2 million guests a year, making it both the most popular theme park and most frequented attraction (after the Great Smoky Mountains National Park) in Tennesseehttp://www.tennessean.com/entertainment/news/archives/05/03/67993168.shtml?Element_ID=67993168.
- Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies, Gatlinburg: Opened in 2000 and designated the most visited aquarium in the United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 2001, when over 2 million tourists passed through its galleries, Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies is the largest single tourist draw in Gatlinburg http://www.cnn.com/2005/TRAVEL/DESTINATIONS/11/21/ga.aquarium.tourism/index.html.
- Ober Gatlinburg
Ober Gatlinburg is an amusement park and ski area, located in the mountains overlooking Gatlinburg, Tennessee, USA. Established in 1962, the area contains a large mall with indoor amusements, a skating rink, snack bars, a full-service lounge, restaurant, and gift and clothing stores...
, Gatlinburg: The Ober Gatlinburg ski resort sits above Gatlinburg, offering numerous attractions for visitors unique to the county, including winter ski slopes and an indoor ice skating rink. The tramway that takes visitors to and from the Gatlinburg ParkwayThe Great Smoky Mountains Parkway runs 23.5 miles from Interstate 40 at exit 407 in Sevierville, Tennessee, south to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park...
is touted as "America's Largest Aerial Tramway" http://skiing.about.com/od/tennesseeskiresorts/p/obergatlinburg.htm
Geography
According to the
U.S. 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 county has a total area of 598 square miles (1,548 km²), of which 592 square miles (1,534 km²) is land and 5 square miles (14 km²) (0.91%) is water.
As one of the largest counties in Tennessee, Sevier County's terrain varies from one of the most rugged portions of the Appalachian Mountains to the river valley of the French Broad River and Douglas Lake. The maximum elevation differential in Sevier County is the greatest in Tennessee, ranging from a high of 6,643 feet (2,025 m) at Clingmans Dome (the highest point in the state) to a low of 850 feet (259 m) at the French Broad River
http://www.cs.utk.edu/~dunigan/cohp/.
Geographic features
- Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains , often called the Appalachians, are a vast system of mountains in eastern North America. Definitions vary on the precise boundaries of the Appalachians...
- Clingmans Dome
Clingmans Dome is a mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, in the southeastern United States. At an elevation of , it is the highest mountain in the Great Smokies, the highest point in the state of Tennessee, and the highest point along the Appalachian Trail...
- Douglas Lake
Douglas Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the French Broad River in Sevier County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The dam is operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority , which built the dam in record time in the early 1940s to meet emergency energy demands at the height of World War II...
- French Broad River
The French Broad River flows from near Rosman in Transylvania County, North Carolina, into Tennessee. Its confluence with the Holston River at Knoxville, Tennessee is considered to be the headwaters of the Tennessee River. It was originally named for being one of two broad rivers in western North...
- Great Smoky Mountains
The Great Smoky Mountains are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee-North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, and form part of the Blue Ridge Physiographic Province. The range is sometimes called the Smoky Mountains or the...
- Little Pigeon River
The Little Pigeon River is a river located entirely within Sevier County, Tennessee.It rises from a series of streams which flow together on the dividing ridge between the states of Tennessee and North Carolina inside the boundary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The river is subdivided...
- Mount Le Conte
Adjacent counties
- Jefferson County, Tennessee
Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Together with Grainger and Hamblen counties, it is part of the Morristown, Tennessee, Metropolitan Statistical Area which is, as of December 2005, considered a component of the Knoxville-Sevierville-La Follette, TN Combined...
- north
- Cocke County, Tennessee
Cocke County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The county forms the Newport, Tennessee, Micropolitan Statistical Area which is, as of December 2005, considered a component of the Knoxville-Sevierville-La Follette, TN Combined Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was...
- east
- Haywood County, North Carolina
Haywood County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is part of the Asheville, North Carolina, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 54,033. Its county seat and largest city is Waynesville.-History:...
- southeast
- Swain County, North Carolina
Swain County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 12,968. Its county seat is Bryson City.Swain County is home of the Nantahala River...
- south
- Blount County, Tennessee
Blount County is a U.S. county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its population was 105,823 at the United States Census, 2000. The 2006 Census Estimate placed the population at 118,186...
- west
- Knox County, Tennessee
Knox 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...
- northwest
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 71,170 people, 28,467 households, and 20,837 families residing in the county. 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 120 people per square mile (46/km²). There were 37,252 housing units at an average density of 63 per square mile (24/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.27%
WhiteRace 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...
, 0.56%
BlackRace 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...
or
African AmericanRace 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...
, 0.32%
Native AmericanRace 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...
, 0.55%
AsianRace 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...
, 0.02%
Pacific IslanderRace 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...
, 0.42% 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 0.85% from two or more races. 1.24% of the population were
HispanicRace 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...
or
LatinoRace 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...
of any race.
There were 28,467 households out of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.30% 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, 10.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.80% were non-families. 22.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the county, the population was spread out with 23.00% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 29.80% from 25 to 44, 26.30% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $34,719, and the median income for a family was $40,474. Males had a median income of $27,139 versus $20,646 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 county was $18,064. About 8.20% of families and 10.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.10% of those under age 18 and 10.10% of those age 65 or over.
Sevier County was Tennessee's third fastest-growing county by percentage change in population between the 1990 census and 2000 census.
Education
The Sevier County School System is composed of thirty-two public and private institutions ranging from
Head StartHead Start is a program of the United States Department of Health and Human Services that provides comprehensive education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and their families....
programs through a number of secondary schools. One post-secondary institution is also located within the county.
Sevier County School Board personnel include:
- Director of Schools: Jack Parton
- Director of Instruction: Debra Cline
- Director of Finance: Karen King
- Purchasing/Personnel: Jim Wade
School board members:
- District 1: Mike Oakley
- District 2: John McClure
- District 3: Stanley Moore
- District 4: Charles Temple
- District 5: Becky Barnes
Head Start:
- Boyds Creek Headstart, on Boyds Creek Highway
- Douglas Dam Headstart, in Sevierville
- Harrisburg Headstart, on Old Harrisburg Road
- Wearwood Headstart, in Sevierville
Preschool:
- Trula Lawson Early Childhood Center, in Sevierville
Elementary/middle schools:
- Boyds Creek Elementary, in Sevierville
- Caton's Chapel Elementary, on Caton's Chapel Road
- Jones Cove Elementary, on Jones Cove Road
- New Center School, in Sevierville
- Northview Elementary, in Kodak
- Pi Beta Phi Elementary, in Gatlinburg
- Pigeon Forge Middle, in Pigeon Forge
- Pigeon Forge Primary, in Pigeon Forge
- Pittman Center School, in Pittman Center
- Sevierville Intermediate, in Sevierville
- Sevierville Middle, in Sevierville
- Sevierville Primary, in Sevierville
- Seymour Middle, Seymour
- Seymour Intermediate, Seymour
- Seymour Primary, Seymour
- Wearwood Elementary, Sevierville
High schools:
- Gatlinburg-Pittman High School
Gatlinburg-Pittman High School is a public high school located in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, USA. Current enrollment is estimated at 580 students and grades 9 to 12 are taught there. It also serves the neighboring town of Pittman Center, and is a part of the Sevier County school system....
, in Gatlinburg
- Pigeon Forge High School, in Pigeon Forge
- Sevier County High School, in Sevierville ::
- Seymour High School, in Seymour
- Vocational Center (at Sevier County High School), in Sevierville
Other schools:
- Covenant Christian Academy, on Old Newport Highway
- Day School, in Sevierville
- King's Academy, in Seymour
- My Audie's Place, in Pigeon Forge
- New Hope Church of God, in Sevierville
- Raggedy Andy's Playhouse Inc., in Sevierville
- Riverside Academy, in Sevierville
Colleges and universities
The one post-secondary institution in the county is a
satellite campusA satellite campus is a campus of a college or university that is physically detached from the main university or college area, and is often smaller than the main campus of an institution. Because a satellite campus is more likely to be used for adult education or continuing education, most...
of the
MorristownMorristown is a city in and the county seat of Hamblen County, Tennessee, United States. A small portion of the city extends into Jefferson County. The population was 24,965 at the 2000 census. It is the principal city of the Morristown, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses...
-based
Walters State Community CollegeWalters State Community College is a state-supported community college operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. It was established in 1970 in located Morristown, Tennessee and was named in honor of former United States Senator Herbert S...
.
Parks
In addition to the federally operated Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Sevier County is home to numerous smaller community parks, primarily within the cities of Sevierville
http://www.seviervilletn.org/Departments.htm#Parks%20&%20Recreation, Pigeon Forge
http://www.cityofpigeonforge.com/cs/parksandrec/index.htm, and Gatlinburg
http://www.ci.gatlinburg.tn.us/parksrec/cityparks.htm. The most significant of them are listed as follows:
- Sevierville City Park
- Pigeon Forge City Park
- Patriot Park (Pigeon Forge)
- Holt Park (Gatlinburg)
- Mills Park (Gatlinburg)
- Mynatt Park (Gatlinburg)
Transportation
The massive development of the tourism industry in Sevier County in recent years, while blessing the county with good economic fortunes, has indeed put a major stress on the county's roadways. In effort to control this the county has put forth numerous projects to widen existing highways, and the cities of Pigeon Forge
http://www.pigeonforgetrolley.org and Gatlinburg
http://www.ci.gatlinburg.tn.us/transit/trolley.htm have also implemented a bus service oriented towards visitors, which ferries tourists to and from various popular destinations throughout the towns via decorated buses referred to as "trolleys."
Highways
- Interstate highways:
- Interstate 40
Interstate 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,...
- U.S. highways:
- U.S. Route 321
U.S. Route 321 is a spur of U.S. Route 21. It runs for 526 miles from South Carolina to Tennessee. The northern terminus of U.S. 321 is between Lenoir City and Oak Ridge, Tennessee, at Interstate 40 exit 364, which is about 4 miles west of Interstate 40's junction with Interstate 75...
- U.S. Route 411
U.S. Route 411 is a spur of U.S. Route 11. It currently runs for 314 miles from U.S. Route 78 in Leeds, Alabama to U.S. Route 25 in Newport, Tennessee...
- U.S. Route 441
U.S. Route 441 is a spur route of U.S. Route 41. It currently runs for 939 miles from U.S. Route 41 in Miami, Florida to U.S. Route 25W in Lake City, Tennessee. Between its termini, US 441 passes through the states of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee...
- State highways:
- State Route 35
- State Route 66
- State Route 71
- State Route 73
- State Route 139
- State Route 338
- State Route 339
- State Route 416
A combination of many of these highways linked together as they run from Tenneessee Exit 407 of Interstate-40 through the cities of Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg to the entrance of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park functions as the
Great Smoky Mountains ParkwayThe Great Smoky Mountains Parkway runs 23.5 miles from Interstate 40 at exit 407 in Sevierville, Tennessee, south to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park...
. Along this stretch of U.S. and Tennessee highways a major, nearly uninterrupted tourist center (separated only by a spur route of the
Foothills ParkwayThe Foothills Parkway is a national parkway which, if completed, will traverse the foothills of the northern Great Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee, located in the Southeastern United States. The 71-mile parkway will ideally connect U.S...
, known as "the spur") has emerged in the three communities.
In popular culture
- Sevier County is the setting for the novel Child of God
Child of God is the third novel by American author Cormac McCarthy.Though the novel received critical praise, it was not a financial success. Like its predecessor, Outer Dark, Child of God established McCarthy's interest in using extreme isolation, perversity, and violence to represent normal...
by Cormac McCarthyCormac McCarthy, born Charles McCarthy , is an American novelist and playwright. He has written ten novels in the Southern Gothic, western, and post-apocalyptic genres, and has also written plays and screenplays...
.
- Gatlinburg was the site of the showdown between Sue and his father in the Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash , born J. R. Cash, was an American singer-songwriter and one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
hit single A Boy Named Sue"A Boy Named Sue" is a country song, written by Shel Silverstein and sung by Johnny Cash. Johnny Cash was at the height of his popularity when he recorded this song live at San Quentin State Prison in California. The concert was recorded for broadcast by Granada Television on February 24, 1969 and...
.
Cities and towns
Sevier County, like much of rural Tennessee, consists relatively few incorporated municipalities and numerous unincorporated settlements. The cities of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Pittman Center, and Sevierville (the four incorporated cities) account for only a small portion of the total population of over 70,000
http://www.insiders.com/smokymt/main-overviews.htm#tod.
Incorporated
- Gatlinburg
Gatlinburg is a city in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, Gatlinburg had a population of 3,828. The city is a popular vacation resort, as it rests on the border of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park along U.S...
- Pigeon Forge
Pigeon Forge is a city in Sevier County, Tennessee, located in the southeastern United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 5,083....
- Pittman Center
Pittman Center is a town in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 477 at the 2000 census.Pittman Center is situated in Emert's Cove, a broad valley along the Middle Fork of the Little Pigeon River...
- Sevierville
Sevierville is a city in Sevier County, Tennessee, located in the Southeastern United States. Its population was 11,757 at the 2000 United States Census; in 2004 the estimated population was 14,101. Sevierville is the county seat of Sevier County, Tennessee.-Geography:Sevierville is located at...
Other communities
- Alder Branch
Alder Branch is an unincorporated community in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. It is accessible via Tennessee Secondary Primary Route 338, outside of the city of Sevierville...
- Beech Springs
Beech Springs is an unincorporated community in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. Accessible by Tennessee Secondary Primary Route 139, it lies just south of Kodak.-Geography:The community is located at...
- Boyds Creek
Boyds Creek is an unincorporated community in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. It is named for a small southward-flowing tributary of the French Broad River of the same name, which itself derives its name from a Virginian trader killed by a band of Cherokee Indians whose body was thrown...
- Catlettsburg
Catlettsburg is an unincorporated community in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. It is accessible via Tennessee Route 66 and Tennessee Secondary Primary Route 338, north of downtown Sevierville.-Geography:...
- Caton
Caton is an unincorporated community in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. It is accessible via Birds Creek Road and Catons Chapel Road, near Tennessee Secondary Primary Route 416.-Geography:...
- Cherokee Hills
Cherokee Hills is an unincorporated community in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. It is accessible via U.S. Route 411, near extreme eastern Sevierville.-Geography:Cherokee Hills is located at and has a mean elevation of 994 feet ....
- Cedar Bluff
- Cobbly Knob
- Conner Heights
- Cusick
- DuPont
Dupont is a rural community within the small town of Seymour, Tennessee, within Sevier County, Tennessee, in the eastern division of the State of Tennessee, United States....
- DuPont Springs
- East Fork
- Glade
- Harrisburg
- Hatchertown
- Henderson Springs
- Hickory
- Hornet
- Jones Cove
- Knob Creek
- Kodak
- Laurel
Laurel is an unincorporated settlement, in Sevier County, Tennessee, on State Route 416 , north of U.S. Route 321, in the Great Smoky Mountains....
- Little Cove
- Little Sicily
- McCookville
- McMahan
- Middle Creek
- Millican Grove
- New Center
- New Era
- Oldham
- Park Settlement
- Pine Grove
- Pinnacle
- Pleasant Hill
- Richardson Cove
- Rocky Cove
- Seaton Spring
- Seymour
Seymour is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Blount and Sevier counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, United States. The CDP population was 8,850 at the 2000 U.S. census...
- Shady Grove
- Shady Thickett
- Starkeytown
- Trundles Crossroads
Seymour is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Blount and Sevier counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, United States. The CDP population was 8,850 at the 2000 U.S. census...
- Union Grove
- Union Valley
- Walden Creek
- Walnut Grove
- Wears Valley
Wears Valley is an unincorporated area in Sevier County, Tennessee, treated by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census county division. As of the 2000 Census, the population of Wears Valley was 6,486....
- Whites School
- Yettland Park
- Zion Grove
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