Signal Mountain is a town in
Hamilton CountyHamilton 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....
,
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...
. The town is a suburb of
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...
and is often mistaken to be in Chattanooga. The population was 7,429 as of the 2000 census.
Geography
Signal Mountain is located at .
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 town has a total area of 6.7 square miles (17.3 km
2), 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 ArmyThe 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 WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
. 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 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. 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 and has become a notable suburb of Chattanooga.
Notable residents
- Rachel Boston
-Biography:Boston was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee and grew up in Signal Mountain, Tennessee before moving to New York City at the age of seventeen to attend New York University. She was Miss Tennessee Teen USA in 1999, placing in the Top 10 at the national pageant.-Career:She starred in the NBC...
, actress
- Byron De La Beckwith
Byron De La Beckwith was an American white supremacist and Klansman who was convicted of killing civil rights leader Medgar Evers.-Early life:...
, convicted murderer of civil rights leader Medgar EversMedgar Wiley Evers was an African American civil rights activist from Mississippi who was murdered by Byron De La Beckwith.- Early life :...
, moved to Signal Mountain near the end of his life and lived there until his second conviction.
- Mary Q. Steele
Mary 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. Steele
William O. Steele was an award-winning 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...
, Newbery Honor-winning children's author
- Susan Akin
Susan Akin, from Meridian, Mississippi, was 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
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 7,429 people, 2,924 households, and 2,122 families residing in the town. 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 1,112.6 people per square mile (429.4/km
2). There were 3,054 housing units at an average density of 457.4/sq mi (176.5/km
2). 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 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...
.
There were 2,924 households, of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.9% 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, 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 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 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.
Culture And Attractions
Signal Mountain is home to a number of outdoors attractions including the
Cumberland TrailThe 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 to hike and backpack such as Rainbow Lake and Edward's Point.
http://www.sigmtn.com/community/interests.php
The Signal Mountain Playhouse presents 2 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 all forms of artistic expression including music, dance, and visual arts. Also, Bachman Community Center has many yearly 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
- Middle School: Signal Mountain Middle/High School
- High School: Signal Mountain Middle/High School (opened fall 2008)
External links