Editing Altamont, Tennessee

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Altamont, Tennessee
|settlement_type          = [[Town]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    =

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = Grundy-County-Courthouse-Altamont-tn3.jpg
|imagesize                = 250px
|image_caption            = Grundy County Courthouse in Altamont
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               =

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map                = File:Grundy County Tennessee Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Altamont Highlighted 4700940.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of Altamont in Grundy County, Tennessee.
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             =

<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Tennessee]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Tennessee|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Grundy County, Tennessee|Grundy]]

<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|leader_title1            = 
|leader_name1             = 
|established_title        = Established
|established_date         = 1848
|established_title2       = Incorporated
|established_date2        = 1854<ref>''[http://www.state.tn.us/sos/bluebook/05-06/48-data.pdf Tennessee Blue Book]'', 2005-2006, pp. 618-625.</ref>
|named_for                = Fusion of ''alto'' ("altitude") and ''mont'' ("mountain")

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/5/query?where=STATE='47'&outFields=NAME,STATE,PLACE,AREALAND,AREAWATER,LSADC,CENTLAT,CENTLON&orderByFields=PLACE&returnGeometry=false&returnTrueCurves=false&f=json|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 15, 2022}}</ref>
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 51.35
|area_land_km2            = 51.35
|area_water_km2           = 0.00
|area_total_sq_mi         = 19.82
|area_land_sq_mi          = 19.82
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = <ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly"/>
|population_total         = 1117
|population_density_km2   = 21.75
|population_density_sq_mi = 56.35

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
|utc_offset               = -6
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -5
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_m              = 
|elevation_ft             = 1854
|coordinates              = {{coord|35|26|2|N|85|43|57|W|region:US-TN|display=inline}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 37301
|area_code                = [[Area code 931|931]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 47-00940<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |accessdate=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 1275640<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|1275640}}</ref>
|website                  = 
|footnotes                = 
|pop_est_as_of = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|population_est = 
}}
'''Altamont''' is a town in and the [[county seat]] of [[Grundy County, Tennessee]],<ref name="GR6">{{cite web| url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |accessdate=June 7, 2011 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archivedate=May 31, 2011 }}</ref> United States. The population was 1,117 at the 2020 census.<ref>Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, [https://www.tn.gov/ecd/pdf/StateProfile/2011certpop.pdf Certified Population of Tennessee Incorporated Municipalities and Counties] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140630192652/https://www.tn.gov/ecd/pdf/StateProfile/2011certpop.pdf |date=June 30, 2014 }}, State of Tennessee official website, July 14, 2011. Retrieved: December 6, 2013.</ref>

==History==
Altamont was established in 1848 as a county seat for Grundy County, which had been created in 1844. [[Northcutt|General Adrian Northcutt]], a prominent local farmer and military officer, was the prime advocate for the site's selection.<ref>Charles Sherrill, "[http://www.grundycountyhistory.org/01_Soc/Archives/1997_Path.pdf Grundy County in 1850] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726132755/http://www.grundycountyhistory.org/01_Soc/Archives/1997_Path.pdf |date=2011-07-26 }}." ''The Pathfinder'' vol. II, no. 2 (1997), 3.  Warning: Large .pdf file.</ref> The town's name comes from combining ''alto'' (meaning "altitude") and ''mont'' (meaning "mountain").<ref>William Ray Turner, Mona G. Moreland (ed.), "[http://www.grundycountyhistory.org/01_Soc/Archives/2002_Path.pdf Odds and Ends] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726133006/http://www.grundycountyhistory.org/01_Soc/Archives/2002_Path.pdf |date=2011-07-26 }}."  ''The Pathfinder'' vol. VII, no. 3 (2002), 1.  Warning: Large .pdf file.</ref>  Although the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] somewhat stunted the town's growth, by 1870 Altamont's population had grown to 217.<ref>Charles Sherrill, "[http://www.grundycountyhistory.org/01_Soc/Archives/1997_Path.pdf Grundy County in 1870] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726132755/http://www.grundycountyhistory.org/01_Soc/Archives/1997_Path.pdf |date=2011-07-26 }}."  ''The Pathfinder'' vol. II, no. 4 (1997), 21.</ref>

[[File:H.B. Northcutt House.JPG|left|210px|thumb|The Northcutt House, built in 1885]]

Altamont has one of the oldest [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|Mormon]] congregations in the southeastern United States.  The congregation was formed in the 1890s, and a Mormon chapel was built in Northcutt Cove just north of Altamont in 1909. Shortly thereafter, several members of the congregation migrated to Altamont. A Mormon chapel was completed along Main Street in 1947, and a newer chapel was completed just off Viola Road in 1981.<ref>Mary Tate Brooks, "[http://www.grundycountyhistory.org/01_Soc/Archives/1997_Path.pdf The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of Altamont, Tennessee] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726132755/http://www.grundycountyhistory.org/01_Soc/Archives/1997_Path.pdf |date=2011-07-26 }}."  ''The Pathfinder'' vol. II, no. 3 (1997), 7-9.  Warning: Large .pdf file.</ref>

In 1988, Altamont's school building was renovated and now houses the Altamont City Hall and the Altamont Library and Museum. The building was renamed the "Florence R. Scruggs Municipal Building" in 1996, after a long-time teacher at the school.<ref>Mary Tate Brooks, "[http://www.grundycountyhistory.org/01_Soc/Archives/1996_Path.pdf Women of Grundy County: Florence Rolling Scruggs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726133150/http://www.grundycountyhistory.org/01_Soc/Archives/1996_Path.pdf |date=2011-07-26 }}."  ''The Pathfinder'' vol. I, no. 3 (1996), 8.  Warning: Large .pdf file.</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Altamont-park-tn1.jpg|right|210px|thumb|Veterans' Park in Altamont]]
Altamont is located in north-central Grundy County at {{coord|35|26|2|N|85|43|57|W|type:city}} (35.433954, -85.732428).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> It is situated atop the southern [[Cumberland Plateau]] between the plateau's [[Highland Rim]] escarpment to the west and Savage Gulf to the east. The latter is a gorge sliced by the upper watershed of the [[Collins River]] (Altamont is part of this watershed) as the river descends from the plateau to the Highland Rim en route to its mouth at the [[Caney Fork]] in adjacent [[Warren County, Tennessee|Warren County]]. Altamont is surrounded by hills on all sides, and the central area of the town itself straddles a flattened-out hillslope.

Several state highways intersect at the center of Altamont. [[Tennessee State Route 56]] (Main Street) connects Altamont to [[Beersheba Springs, Tennessee|Beersheba Springs]] and [[McMinnville, Tennessee|McMinnville]] to the north and [[Coalmont, Tennessee|Coalmont]], [[Tracy City, Tennessee|Tracy City]] and [[Monteagle, Tennessee|Monteagle]] to the south. [[Tennessee State Route 108]], connects the town to [[Viola, Tennessee|Viola]] and McMinnville to the northwest and [[Whitwell, Tennessee|Whitwell]] to the southeast. [[Tennessee State Route 50]] connects Altamont to [[Pelham, Tennessee|Pelham]] and [[Interstate 24]] to the southwest.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|52.2|km2|order=flip}}, all land.<ref name="Census 2010">{{Cite web| url=http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US4700940| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Altamont town, Tennessee| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| work=American Factfinder| accessdate=February 24, 2017}}{{dead link|bot=medic|date=April 2020}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 110
|1890= 67
|1920= 114
|1930= 140
|1940= 238
|1950= 296
|1960= 552
|1970= 546
|1980= 679
|1990= 679
|2000= 1136
|2010= 1045
|2020= 1117
|footnote=Sources:<ref name="GR9">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=March 4, 2012|title=Census of Population and Housing: Decennial Censuses }}</ref><ref name=CensusPopEst>{{cite web|title=Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012.html|work=Population Estimates|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate=December 11, 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611010502/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012.html|archivedate=June 11, 2013}}</ref><ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly">{{cite web|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=P1_001N,NAME&for=place:*&in=state:47&key=5ccd0821c15d9f4520e2dcc0f8d92b2ec9336108|title=Census Population API|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 15, 2022}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+Altamont racial composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US4700940&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=December 26, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!scope="col"| Race
!scope="col"| Number
!scope="col"| Percentage
|-
!scope="row"| [[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
| 1,043
| 93.38%
|-
!scope="row"| [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
| 1
| 0.09%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
| 4
| 0.36%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
| 4
| 0.36%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
| 52
| 4.66%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
| 13
| 1.16%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 1,117 people, 362 households, and 240 families residing in the town.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 1,136 people, 400 households, and 309 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|51.5|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 438 housing units at an average density of 19.9 per square mile (7.7/km<sup>2</sup>). The racial makeup of the town was 97.89% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.09% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.53% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.09% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.88% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.53% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.02% of the population.
[[File:Altamont-city-hall-tn1.jpg|left|thumb|Altamont City Hall]]

There were 400 households, out of which 38.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.3% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.8% were non-families. 20.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 113.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $21,767, and the median income for a family was $25,000. Males had a median income of $26,944 versus $15,000 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $10,074. About 28.9% of families and 32.1% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 34.4% of those under age 18 and 32.4% of those age 65 or over.

==Notable people==
*[[Arlo Gilliam]], singer-songwriter

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Altamont, Tennessee}}
*[http://www.grundycountytn.net/ Grundy County, Tennessee]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304104827/http://www.mtas.tennessee.edu/public/CHARTERS.nsf/0/67F9DD0B31DD08EB852568CC0061DAE7/$File/ALTAMONT.CHT.pdf?OpenElement Town charter]

{{Grundy County, Tennessee}}
{{Tennessee county seats}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Grundy County, Tennessee]]
[[Category:Towns in Tennessee]]
[[Category:County seats in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1848]]