Hawkins County, Tennessee

Hawkins County
Hawkins County
County
	The Hawkins County Courthouse in Rogersville, built c. 1836, is the oldest courthouse in Tennessee
	Flag Seal
	Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
	Tennessee's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 36°26′N 82°57′W / 36.44°N 82.95°W
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
Founded	1787
Named for	Benjamin Hawkins
Seat	Rogersville
Largest city	Church Hill
Area
• Total	500 sq mi (1,000 km2)
• Land	487 sq mi (1,260 km2)
• Water	13 sq mi (30 km2) 2.5%
Population (2020)
• Total	56,721
• Density	117/sq mi (45/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	www.hawkinscountytn.gov

Hawkins County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 56,721.^[3] Its county seat is Rogersville,^[4] Hawkins County is part of the Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area, commonly known as the "Tri-Cities" region.

History

The land was given to William Armstrong as a land grant in the 1780s.^[5] Armstrong built Stony Point.^[5] Armstrong's landholding was established as a county in 1787.^[1]^[6] It was named for Benjamin Hawkins, a U.S. Senator from North Carolina, the state which it was a part of at that time.^[7] In 1797, Louis Philippe (who would become King of the French in 1830) visited Armstrong's estate.^[5]

During the American Civil War, Hawkins County saw combat. The Battle of Rogersville took place on November 6, 1863.

Since the 1940s, a 1,900-2,200 acre area western Hawkins County was proposed and planned as state park known as Poor Valley State Park in order to promote economic development efforts in the upper East Tennessee region, the plan would stall in the 1970s.^[8]^[9]

Law and government

The flag of Hawkins County, in front of the county courthouse.

Hawkins County is governed by a 21-member County Commission, whose members are elected from geographic districts. The chief executive officer of the county is the County Mayor.

Executive Branch

The Tennessee Constitution provides for the election of an executive officer – now referred to as the County Mayor – in each county. The County Mayor is elected by popular vote at the regular August election every four years, coinciding with the Governor's election, and may serve an unlimited number of terms. The County Mayor (formerly County Executive) is chief executive officer of the county. The County Mayor exercises a role of leadership in county government and is responsible for the county's fiscal management and other executive functions; however, the other principal officers of the county such as the Sheriff, Trustee, Assessor and most of the various Court Clerks are separately elected, responsible directly to the county's voters, and not under the direct supervision of the county mayor.

The County Mayor is the general agent of the county and may draw warrants upon the General Fund. The County Mayor has custody of county property not placed with other officers, and may also examine the accounts of county officers. The County Mayor is a nonvoting ex-officio member of the County Commission and of all its committees, and may be elected chairman of the county legislative body (a post that the County Mayor is not required to seek or accept). The County Mayor may call special meetings of the County Commission. Unless an optional general law or private act provides otherwise, the County Mayor compiles a budget for all county departments, offices, and agencies, which is presented to the County Commission.

The current Mayor of Hawkins County is Mark DeWitte (R-Rogersville).

Legislative Branch

Composition

The Hawkins County Board of Commissioners, also called the County Commission, is the legislative body of the County government and the primary policy-making body in the county. It consists of 14 elected members, two from each of the seven civil districts of Hawkins County. Each member serves a four-year term of office.

The County Commission operates with a committee structure; most Commission business is first considered by a committee of its members before coming to the full Commission. The County Clerk serves as the Secretary to the Board of Commissioners and is responsible for maintaining all official records of the meetings.

Powers and responsibilities

The most important function of the county legislative body is the annual adoption of a budget to allocate expenditures within the three major funds of county government - general, school, and highway - and any other funds (such as debt service) that may be in existence in that particular county. The county legislative body has considerable discretion in dealing with the budget for all funds except the school budget, which in most counties must be accepted or rejected as a whole. If rejected, the school board must continue to propose alternatives until a budget is adopted by both the county school board and the county legislative body.

The county legislative body sets a property tax rate which, along with revenues from other county taxes and fees as well as state and federal monies allocated to the county, are used to fund the budget. The county legislative body is subject to various restrictions in imposing most taxes (such as referendum approval or rate limits, for example), although these do not apply to the property tax. The University of Tennessee's County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS) publishes the County Revenue Manual to assist county officials in identifying sources of county revenue.

The county legislative body serves an important role in exercising local approval authority for private acts when the private act does not call for referendum approval. Private acts, which often give additional authority to counties, must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the members of the county legislative body or be approved by a referendum in order to become effective. The form of local approval required is specified in the private act. The county legislative body annually elects a chair and a chair pro tempore.

The county legislative body may elect the county executive or a member of the body to be the chair, although the county executive may refuse to serve. The county executive may veto most resolutions of the county legislative body, subject to a vote to override by a majority of the entire county legislative body. The county executive may break a tie vote while serving as chair of the county legislative body.

Another important function of the county legislative body is its role in electing county officers when there is a vacancy in an elected county office. The person elected by the county legislative body serves in the office for the remainder of the term or until a successor is elected, depending upon when the vacancy occurred. When filling a vacancy in a county office, the county legislative body must publish a notice in a newspaper of general circulation in the county at least one week prior to the meeting in which the vote will be taken. This notice must state the time, place and date of the meeting and the office to be filled. Also, members of the county legislative body must have at least ten days notice. The legislative body holds an open election to fill the vacancy and allows all citizens the privilege of offering as candidates.

Current members as of 2020

Source:^[10]

District 1: Allandale, Kingsport, & Mount Carmel
- John Gibson (Mount Carmel])
- Syble Vaughan-Trent (Kingsport)
District 2: Church Hill & McPheeter's Bend
- Jeff Barrett (Church Hill)
- Tom Kern (Church Hill)
District 3: Carter's Valley, Wallace, & Watterson
- Danny Alvis (Surgoinsville)
- Charles Thacker (Surgoinsville)
District 4: Dykes, Keplar, North Rogersville, Surgoinsville, & Upper Beech
- Josh Gilliam (Surgoinsville)
- Chad Britton (Rogersville)
District 5: Rogersville
- Glenda Davis (Rogersville)
- Jason Roach (Rogersville)
District 6: Bean Station, Mooresburg and West Rogersville
- Nancy Barker (Rogersville)
- Larry Clonce (Rogersville)
District 7: Bulls Gap, Cherokee, & St. Clair
- Jimmy Riley (Bulls Gap)
- Robbie Palmer (Rogersville)

Geography

Lower Big Creek Valley, viewed from the Amis House

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 500 square miles (1,300 km²), of which 487 square miles (1,260 km²) is land and 13 square miles (34 km²) (2.5%) is water.^[11]

Adjacent counties

Scott County, Virginia (north)
Sullivan County (east)
Washington County (southeast)
Greene County (south)
Hamblen County and Grainger County (southwest)
Hancock County (west)

State protected area

Kyles Ford Wildlife Management Area (part)

Other protected area

Bays Mountain Park (part)

Other historic sites

Amis House

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1800	6,563	—
1810	7,643	16.5%
1820	10,949	43.3%
1830	13,683	25.0%
1840	15,035	9.9%
1850	13,370	−11.1%
1860	16,162	20.9%
1870	15,837	−2.0%
1880	20,610	30.1%
1890	22,246	7.9%
1900	24,267	9.1%
1910	23,587	−2.8%
1920	22,918	−2.8%
1930	24,117	5.2%
1940	28,523	18.3%
1950	30,494	6.9%
1960	30,468	−0.1%
1970	33,726	10.7%
1980	43,751	29.7%
1990	44,565	1.9%
2000	53,563	20.2%
2010	56,833	6.1%
2020	56,721	−0.2%
U.S. Decennial Census^[12] 1790-1960^[13] 1900-1990^[14] 1990-2000^[15] 2010-2014^[3]

2020 census

Hawkins County racial composition^[18]
Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	52,824	93.13%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	671	1.18%
Native American	104	0.18%
Asian	256	0.45%
Pacific Islander	13	0.02%
Other/Mixed	1,964	3.46%
Hispanic or Latino	889	1.57%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 56,721 people, 23,135 households, and 15,917 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 56,833 people living in the county. 96.5% were White, 1.3% Black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% Native American, 0.4% of some other race and 1.1% of two or more races. 1.2% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). 47.0% were of American, 9.0% English, 8.0% German and 7.4% Irish ancestry.^[19]

2000 census

As of the census^[20] of 2000, there were 53,563 people, 21,936 households, and 15,925 families living in the county. The population density was 110 people per square mile (42 people/km²). There were 24,416 housing units at an average density of 50 units per square mile (19/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.24% White, 1.55% Black or African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. 0.78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 21,936 households, out of which 31.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.30% were married couples living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.40% were non-families. 24.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.30% under the, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 30.00% from 25 to 44, 25.90% from 45 to 64, and 13.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,300, and the median income for a family was $37,557. Males had a median income of $30,959 versus $22,082 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,073. About 12.70% of families and 15.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.40% of those under age 18 and 17.70% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

According to a data profile produced by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development in 2018,^[21] the top employers in the county are:

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	Hawkins County Board of Education	1,100
2	BAE Systems Inc.	850
3	AGC Flat Glass North America, Inc.	550
4	Barrette Outdoor Living, Inc.	500
5	Cooper-Standard Automotive	450
6	Hutchinson Sealing Systems	370
7	TRW Automotive	335
8	Walmart (Kingsport)	300
9	Sam Dong, Inc.	215
10	Baldor Electric Company	207

Transportation

Major highways

U.S. Route 11W
U.S. Route 11E
State Route 31
State Route 66
State Route 70, Trail of the Lonesome Pine
State Route 66
State Route 94
State Route 113
State Route 344
State Route 346
State Route 347

State Route 172 formerly went into Hawkins County, it now ends in Greene County at Interstate 81 exit 36 in the town of Baileyton.

Airports

The Hawkins County Airport is a county-owned public-use airport located six nautical miles (7 mi, 11 km) northeast of the central business district of Rogersville.^[22]

Communities

Unincorporated communities

In popular culture

The film, The River, was filmed in Hawkins County and the surrounding area. Universal Studios purchased four hundred forty acres of land for the movie.^[23]

The post-apocalyptic novel series "The Living Saga" (by Jaron McFall) takes place largely in Hawkins County. The main character, Cedric, is from Mooresburg and was a student at Cherokee High School in Rogersville.^[24]

Politics

United States presidential election results for Hawkins County, Tennessee^[25]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	20,405	82.20%	4,083	16.45%	336	1.35%
2016	16,648	80.14%	3,507	16.88%	619	2.98%
2012	14,382	72.50%	5,088	25.65%	367	1.85%
2008	14,756	70.13%	5,930	28.18%	354	1.68%
2004	13,447	66.46%	6,684	33.04%	102	0.50%
2000	10,071	58.90%	6,753	39.50%	274	1.60%
1996	8,164	51.21%	6,367	39.94%	1,410	8.85%
1992	7,758	47.64%	6,623	40.67%	1,904	11.69%
1988	9,356	63.88%	5,212	35.59%	78	0.53%
1984	9,863	66.67%	4,802	32.46%	128	0.87%
1980	7,836	57.92%	5,283	39.05%	410	3.03%
1976	6,407	51.62%	5,931	47.78%	74	0.60%
1972	7,791	72.31%	2,608	24.20%	376	3.49%
1968	6,217	60.78%	2,213	21.64%	1,798	17.58%
1964	5,712	57.68%	4,191	42.32%	0	0.00%
1960	7,010	72.48%	2,586	26.74%	76	0.79%
1956	6,916	68.04%	3,180	31.29%	68	0.67%
1952	5,295	68.19%	2,404	30.96%	66	0.85%
1948	3,637	62.50%	2,019	34.70%	163	2.80%
1944	3,692	67.64%	1,756	32.17%	10	0.18%
1940	3,314	60.72%	2,108	38.62%	36	0.66%
1936	3,300	59.04%	2,278	40.76%	11	0.20%
1932	2,890	54.51%	2,391	45.10%	21	0.40%
1928	2,965	71.33%	1,186	28.53%	6	0.14%
1924	2,600	61.22%	1,596	37.58%	51	1.20%
1920	2,650	65.11%	1,381	33.93%	39	0.96%
1916	1,739	60.03%	1,142	39.42%	16	0.55%
1912	828	32.70%	1,026	40.52%	678	26.78%

References

^ ^a ^b Henry R. Price, "Hawkins County," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: October 16, 2013.
^ Origins Of Tennessee County Names, Tennessee Blue Book 2005–2006, pages 508-513
^ ^a ^b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
^ ^a ^b ^c "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Stony Point". National Park Service. Retrieved May 11, 2018. With accompanying pictures
^ "Tennessee: Individual County Chronologies". Tennessee Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2007. Archived from the original on February 3, 2018. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 152.
^ Hodge, Tom (March 31, 1957). "Poor Valley State Park Proposed For ET Area". Johnson City Press. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
^ Johnston, Sheila (October 27, 1976). "Poor Valley Park: The Wait Goes On". Kingsport Times-News. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
^ "County Commission". Hawkins County, Tennessee. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved July 20, 2019.
^ Based on 2000 census data
^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
^ "American FactFinder". Archived from the original on January 8, 2015. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
^ "Hawkins County: County Profile Tool". Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. State of Tennessee. 2018. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
^ FAA Airport Form 5010 for RVN PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective August 25, 2011.
^ The River (1984) - IMDb, retrieved February 9, 2020
^ McFall, Jaron (October 2018). Surviving. ISBN 978-1719826563.
^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 10, 2018.