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Roane County
Roane County
County
	Roane County Courthouse in Kingston
	Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
	Tennessee's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 35°52′12″N 84°30′06″W / 35.87°N 84.501666666667°W
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
Founded	1801
Named for	Archibald Roane
Seat	Kingston
Largest city	Kingston
Area
• Total	395 sq mi (1,020 km2)
• Land	361 sq mi (930 km2)
• Water	34 sq mi (90 km2) 8.7%
Population (2020)
• Total	53,404
• Density	150/sq mi (60/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	roanecountytn.gov

Roane County is a county of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 53,404.^[2] Its county seat is Kingston.^[3] Roane County is included in the Knoxville, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Roane County was formed in 1801, and named for Archibald Roane, the second Governor of Tennessee.^[1] Upon the creation of the Southwest Territory in 1790, the territory's governor, William Blount, initially wanted to locate the territorial capital at the mouth of the Clinch River, but was unable to obtain title to the land from the Cherokee. Kingston, Roane's county seat, is rooted in Fort Southwest Point, a frontier fort constructed in the early 1790s.^[1]

During the Civil War, Roane County, like many East Tennessee counties, was largely pro-Union. When Tennessee voted on the Ordinance of Secession on June 8, 1861, Roane Countians voted 1,568 to 454 in favor of remaining in the Union.^[4] In October 1861, Union guerrilla William B. Carter organized the East Tennessee bridge-burning conspiracy from a command post in Kingston.^[5] During the Knoxville Campaign in December 1863, a Union force led by General James G. Spears scattered a small Confederate force led by John R. Hart near Kingston.^[6]

In the years following the Civil War, Rockwood grew into a major iron and coal mining center with the establishment of the Roane Iron Company by General John T. Wilder. Iron ore and coal were mined on Walden Ridge and shipped to Rockwood, where the ore was converted into pig iron. The pig iron was then shipped to rolling mills in Knoxville or Chattanooga.^[1]

During the late 19th century, northern investors established two planned cities in Roane County— Cardiff and Harriman. Cardiff, located northeast of Rockwood, was planned as a company town to support several proposed mining industries in the area. Harriman was planned as a Temperance Town. Both ventures suffered critical setbacks as a result of the Panic of 1893. Harriman survived, but never grew in the manner its planners had envisioned, while Cardiff failed altogether.^[7] During World War II, the federal government created the city of Oak Ridge as a planned community as part of the Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb. As a result of the Project, both the K-25 gaseous diffusion plant and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory are located in the county.

Geography

Walden Ridge, with lower Roane County on the right

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 395 square miles (1,020 km²), of which 361 square miles (930 km²) is land and 34 square miles (88 km²) (8.7%) is water.^[8] Three rivers— the Tennessee River, the Clinch River, and the Emory River— pass through Roane County. The Emory empties into the Clinch near Kingston, and the Clinch empties into the Tennessee just downstream from Kingston. The rivers in Roane are mostly part of Watts Bar Lake.

Roane County straddles the geographical boundary between the Tennessee Valley and the Cumberland Plateau, with the latter's Walden Ridge escarpment visible from much of the county.

Adjacent counties

Morgan County (north)
Anderson County (northeast)
Knox County (east)
Loudon County (southeast)
McMinn County (south)
Meigs County (southwest)
Rhea County (southwest)
Cumberland County (west/CST Border)

State protected areas

Campbell Bend Barrens State Natural Area
Crowder Cemetery State Natural Area
Kingston Refuge
McGlothin-Largen Wildlife Management Area
Mount Roosevelt Wildlife Management Area (part)
Paint Rock Refuge
Watts Bar Wildlife Management Area

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1810	5,581	—
1820	7,895	41.5%
1830	11,341	43.6%
1840	10,948	−3.5%
1850	12,185	11.3%
1860	13,583	11.5%
1870	15,622	15.0%
1880	15,237	−2.5%
1890	17,418	14.3%
1900	22,738	30.5%
1910	22,860	0.5%
1920	24,624	7.7%
1930	24,477	−0.6%
1940	27,795	13.6%
1950	31,665	13.9%
1960	39,133	23.6%
1970	38,831	−0.8%
1980	48,425	24.7%
1990	47,227	−2.5%
2000	51,910	9.9%
2010	54,181	4.4%
2020	53,404	−1.4%
U.S. Decennial Census^[9] 1790-1960^[10] 1900-1990^[11] 1990-2000^[12] 2010-2014^[2]

2020 census

Roane County racial composition^[15]
Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	48,094	90.06%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	1,302	2.44%
Native American	161	0.3%
Asian	341	0.64%
Pacific Islander	19	0.04%
Other/Mixed	2,476	4.64%
Hispanic or Latino	1,011	1.89%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 53,404 people, 20,901 households, and 13,948 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the census^[16] of 2010, there were 54,181 people, 22,376 households, and 15,450 families residing in the county. The population density was 150 people per square mile (58 people/km²). There were 25,716 housing units at an average density of 71 units per square mile (27/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.4% White, 2.7% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.0003% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. 1.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 22,376 households, out of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 20.8% under the age of 18 and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.9 years. For every 100 females there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.85 males.

As of the census^[17] of 2000, the median income for a household in the county was $33,226, and the median income for a family was $41,399. Males had a median income of $32,204 versus $22,439 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,456. About 10.30% of families and 13.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.80% of those under age 18 and 13.80% of those age 65 or over.

The Census Bureau has defined the Harriman-Kingston-Rockwood area as a contiguous urban cluster.^[18]

Media

Several movies have been filmed in Roane County, including Boys of Summerville, That Evening Sun and October Sky. Roane County was the childhood home of actress Megan Fox, who lived in Kingston. She attended elementary school, took dance classes, and was on the swim team in Roane County. The 2010 film, Get Low, starring Bill Murray, Robert Duvall, and Sissy Spacek, was based on the true story of a Roane County man, Felix Breazeale. Breazeale was a local hermit who opted to throw himself a funeral while he was still alive. The funeral intrigued many, making it a gathering of thousands. Roane County has produced thousands of successful athletes. One of Roane County's most recent athletes is Tyler Thompson of Kingston. Thompson played Division I basketball in the Ohio Valley Conference for Tennessee Technological University.^[19]

Communities

Cities

Harriman (small part in Morgan County)
Kingston (county seat)
Oak Ridge (partial)
Rockwood
Lenoir City (partial)

Town

Oliver Springs (partial)

Unincorporated communities

Former communities

Politics

United States presidential election results for Roane County, Tennessee^[20]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	21,011	76.65%	6,073	22.15%	328	1.20%
2020	19,230	74.20%	6,043	23.32%	644	2.48%
2016	15,880	73.28%	4,837	22.32%	952	4.39%
2012	14,724	69.82%	6,018	28.53%	348	1.65%
2008	15,658	67.27%	7,224	31.04%	394	1.69%
2004	14,467	61.99%	8,706	37.30%	165	0.71%
2000	11,345	53.20%	9,575	44.90%	406	1.90%
1996	9,044	44.15%	9,744	47.57%	1,697	8.28%
1992	8,719	41.52%	9,812	46.73%	2,468	11.75%
1988	10,881	62.19%	6,535	37.35%	81	0.46%
1984	11,882	63.83%	6,623	35.58%	109	0.59%
1980	11,096	61.03%	6,473	35.60%	613	3.37%
1976	7,121	43.18%	9,216	55.89%	154	0.93%
1972	8,742	70.10%	3,433	27.53%	295	2.37%
1968	6,033	45.74%	3,258	24.70%	3,898	29.55%
1964	5,735	48.43%	6,108	51.57%	0	0.00%
1960	6,540	56.25%	4,953	42.60%	133	1.14%
1956	6,147	56.82%	4,531	41.88%	140	1.29%
1952	5,583	60.13%	3,702	39.87%	0	0.00%
1948	3,236	55.98%	2,306	39.89%	239	4.13%
1944	2,711	57.69%	1,971	41.95%	17	0.36%
1940	2,245	48.28%	2,384	51.27%	21	0.45%
1936	2,757	52.66%	2,467	47.13%	11	0.21%
1932	2,036	54.89%	1,625	43.81%	48	1.29%
1928	2,955	79.14%	755	20.22%	24	0.64%
1924	1,635	63.45%	795	30.85%	147	5.70%
1920	1,974	70.20%	838	29.80%	0	0.00%
1916	1,341	64.66%	667	32.16%	66	3.18%
1912	482	24.74%	570	29.26%	896	46.00%

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Jere Hall and Rachel Parker, "Roane County," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: March 21, 2013.
^ ^a ^b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
^ Oliver Perry Temple, East Tennessee and the Civil War (R. Clarke Company, 1899), p. 199.
^ David Madden, "Unionist Resistance to Confederate Occupation: The Bridge Burners of East Tennessee," East Tennessee Historical Society Publications, Vols. 52-53 (1980–1981), pp. 22-40.
^ Earl J. Hess, The Knoxville Campaign: Burnside and Longstreet in East Tennessee (University of Tennessee Press, 2012), p. 198.
^ John Benhart, Appalachian Aspirations: The Geography of Urbanization and Development in the Upper Tennessee River Valley, 1865-1900 (Knoxville, Tenn.: University of Tennessee Press, 2007), pp. 5-10.
^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
^ "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.
^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved July 20, 2018.
^ Based on 2000 census data
^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
^ "URBAN CLUSTER REFERENCE MAP: Harriman--Kingston--Rockwood, TN" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022.
^ "Tyler Thompson".
^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 12, 2018.

External links

Official site
Roane County News - Twice-weekly community newspaper covering Harriman, Kingston, Oliver Springs, Rockwood and Roane County, Tennessee
The Roane Alliance - Roane County's umbrella economic development organization over both public and private organizations, including the Roane County Chamber of Commerce and others, each with a separate board and budget.
Roane County Tennessee Family History Project - Provides scans and searchable transcriptions of old documents and books relating to history and genealogy of past or present Roane County families.
Roane County, TNGenWeb - free genealogy resources for the county