Sequatchie County, Tennessee

Sequatchie County
Sequatchie County
County
	Sequatchie County Courthouse in Dunlap
	Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
	Tennessee's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 35°22′N 85°25′W / 35.37°N 85.41°W
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
Founded	December 9, 1857
Named for	Cherokee chief
Seat	Dunlap
Largest city	Dunlap
Area
• Total	266 sq mi (690 km2)
• Land	266 sq mi (690 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2) 0.07%
Population (2020)
• Total	15,826
• Density	53/sq mi (20/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	4th
Website	sequatchiecounty-tn.gov

Sequatchie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,826.^[3] Its county seat is Dunlap.^[4] Sequatchie County is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Sequatchie County was created in 1857 from two districts of Marion County and one district of Bledsoe County. It was named for the Sequatchie Valley, which in turn had been named for a Cherokee chief. The word sequachee from ᏏᏆ ᎤᏤᏥᏍᏘ siqua utsedsdi in Cherokee means 'opossum' or 'he grins.'^[5] Settlers began arriving in what is now Sequatchie by the early 19th century, drawn to the area by the fertile land in the valley.^[1]

At the outset of the Civil War, Sequatchie was divided over the issue of secession. On June 8, 1861, Sequatchie Countians voted in favor of Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession by a vote 153 to 100.^[6] In October 1863, Confederate General Joseph Wheeler led a raid into Sequatchie, burning nearly a thousand wagons and capturing livestock.^[1]

During the late 19th century, the Douglas Coal and Coke Company (later the Chattanooga Iron and Coal Corporation) conducted extensive mining activities in the Dunlap area. The company constructed 268 beehive ovens, now known as the Dunlap Coke Ovens, to convert coal into coke. The ovens are now the focus of a local park.^[1]

Geography

View over Sequatchie County from an overlook off TN-111

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 266 square miles (690 km²), of which 266 square miles (690 km²) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) (0.07%) is water.^[7]

Sequatchie is one of three counties (along with Bledsoe and Marion) situated in the Sequatchie Valley, a long, narrow valley running northeast-to-southwest across the eastern portion of the Cumberland Plateau. The county is flanked by the Plateau's Walden Ridge escarpment on the east. The Sequatchie River, which spans the valley, passes through the county.

Two major highways, U.S. Route 127 and Tennessee State Route 111, intersect in Dunlap.

While the two other counties in the Sequatchie Valley, Bledsoe and Marion, are grouped with the East Tennessee grand division, Sequatchie is grouped with Middle Tennessee.^[8]

Adjacent counties

Van Buren County (north)
Bledsoe County (northeast)
Hamilton County (southeast/EST Border)
Marion County (southwest)
Grundy County (west)
Warren County (northwest)

State protected areas

North Chickamauga Creek State Natural Area (part)
Prentice Cooper State Forest (part)
Savage Gulf State Natural Area (part)
South Cumberland State Park (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	2,120	—
1870	2,335	10.1%
1880	2,565	9.9%
1890	3,027	18.0%
1900	3,326	9.9%
1910	4,202	26.3%
1920	3,632	−13.6%
1930	4,047	11.4%
1940	5,038	24.5%
1950	5,685	12.8%
1960	5,915	4.0%
1970	6,331	7.0%
1980	8,605	35.9%
1990	8,863	3.0%
2000	11,370	28.3%
2010	14,112	24.1%
2020	15,826	12.1%
U.S. Decennial Census^[9] 1790-1960^[10] 1900-1990^[11] 1990-2000^[12] 2010-2014^[13] Its county seat is Dunlap.^[4]

2020 census

Sequatchie County racial composition^[15]
Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	14,409	91.05%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	72	0.45%
Native American	49	0.31%
Asian	65	0.41%
Pacific Islander	4	0.03%
Other/Mixed	606	3.83%
Hispanic or Latino	621	3.92%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 15,826 people, 5,528 households, and 4,192 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the census^[16] of 2010, there were 14,112 people, 4,463 households, and 3,311 families residing in the county. The population density was 43 inhabitants per square mile (17/km²). There were 4,916 housing units at an average density of 18 units per square mile (6.9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.66% White, 0.19% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.48% from two or more races. 0.82% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Sequatchie County was mentioned as an "Extreme Whitopia" in Rich Benjamin's book, Searching for Whitopia.^[17]

There were 4,463 households, out of which 33.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.80% were married couples living together, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.80% were non-families. 22.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.60% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 30.00% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 12.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,959, and the median income for a family was $36,435. Males had a median income of $27,535 versus $20,422 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,468. About 13.50% of families and 16.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.50% of those under age 18 and 20.30% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Sequatchie County has a consolidated school system which is located in Dunlap. The system operates with a superintendent and an elected school board.

The Sequatchie County school system has three schools:

Griffith Elementary School (grades: K–4th)
Sequatchie County Middle School (grades: 5th–8th)
Sequatchie County High School (grades: 9th–12th)

Recreation

Sequatchie County is known as "The Hang Gliding Capital of the East", due in part to the presence of an active hang gliding association, the Tennessee Tree Toppers. This group maintains a hang gliding ramp at Henson's Gap, along the eastern wall of the Sequatchie Valley, where favorable flying conditions allow these unpowered aircraft to fly well into northwestern Georgia and northeastern Alabama after launch. The gap is the site of numerous hang gliding competitions, and is a popular tourist attraction for aficionados of the sport from all over the world.

Communities

City

Dunlap (county seat)

Census-designated place

Lone Oak

Unincorporated communities

Media

Sequatchie County is served by numerous local, regional and national media outlets which reach approximately one million people in four states including: Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina.

Newspapers

The Dunlap Tribune: The periodical focuses its energy on highlighting events, sports and people in Dunlap, TN and Sequatchie County.

Radio

Sequatchie County is part of the Chattanooga Arbitron radio market. The following radio stations are licensed to cities within Sequatchie County:

AM

WSDQ 1190 AM – Country (Licensed to Dunlap)

FM

W227DM 93.3 - Country Roads 93.3 WSDQ (FM translator for WSDQ-AM Licensed to Dunlap)

Notable people

Phil Douglas,(1890–1952), was a Major League Baseball player best remember for his time with the World Series Champion New York Giants.
Dakota Hudson (1994–present), professional baseball player for St. Louis Cardinals
James Standifer (1779–1837), U.S. congressman^[1]
William Stone (1791–1853), U.S. congressman

Politics

United States presidential election results for Sequatchie County, Tennessee^[18]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	5,855	80.74%	1,298	17.90%	99	1.37%
2016	4,441	77.99%	1,053	18.49%	200	3.51%
2012	3,541	68.72%	1,489	28.90%	123	2.39%
2008	3,610	66.40%	1,717	31.58%	110	2.02%
2004	2,951	59.22%	1,986	39.86%	46	0.92%
2000	2,169	55.80%	1,648	42.40%	70	1.80%
1996	1,391	42.18%	1,598	48.45%	309	9.37%
1992	1,381	38.80%	1,754	49.28%	424	11.91%
1988	1,659	57.83%	1,196	41.69%	14	0.49%
1984	1,785	58.68%	1,238	40.70%	19	0.62%
1980	1,512	49.54%	1,509	49.44%	31	1.02%
1976	1,065	37.47%	1,733	60.98%	44	1.55%
1972	1,298	64.58%	629	31.29%	83	4.13%
1968	663	29.82%	549	24.70%	1,011	45.48%
1964	804	40.90%	1,162	59.10%	0	0.00%
1960	703	42.48%	930	56.19%	22	1.33%
1956	683	43.89%	859	55.21%	14	0.90%
1952	535	37.57%	882	61.94%	7	0.49%
1948	420	30.59%	907	66.06%	46	3.35%
1944	417	32.89%	851	67.11%	0	0.00%
1940	401	28.48%	1,003	71.24%	4	0.28%
1936	353	29.47%	840	70.12%	5	0.42%
1932	289	26.86%	777	72.21%	10	0.93%
1928	298	43.76%	383	56.24%	0	0.00%
1924	247	39.46%	374	59.74%	5	0.80%
1920	509	48.16%	545	51.56%	3	0.28%
1916	238	41.11%	335	57.86%	6	1.04%
1912	139	22.60%	354	57.56%	122	19.84%

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Holly Anne Rine, "Sequatchie County," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: March 23, 2013.
^ Larry Miller, Tennessee Place Names (Indiana University Press, 2001), p. 239.
^ "Census - Geography Profile: Sequatchie County, Tennessee". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
^ "Sequatchie Valley Called a 'Magnet' for Visitors," Chattanooga Times Free Press, September 18, 2011. Retrieved: November 5, 2013.
^ Oliver Perry Temple, East Tennessee and the Civil War (R. Clarke Company, 1899), p. 199.
^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
^ TNGenWeb Project, Three Grand Divisions of Tennessee. 1999. Retrieved: November 5, 2013.
^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 14, 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 14, 2015.
^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
^ Based on 2000 census data
^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
^ "Searching for Whitopia". Richbenjamin.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 12, 2018.