Editing Erwin, Tennessee

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Erwin
| official_name      = 
| settlement_type    = [[Town]]
| nickname           = “The Town that Killed Mary”
| motto              = "Where the Mountains and the People Welcome You."<ref name="homepage">{{Cite web |title=Homepage |url=https://www.erwintn.org/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227004026/https://www.erwintn.org/ |archive-date=February 27, 2021 |access-date=February 24, 2021 |website=Town of Erwin}}</ref>

<!-- Images -->| image_skyline      = Erwin-Main-Street-tn1.jpg
| imagesize          = 250px
| image_caption      = View along Main Street in Erwin
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         = <!-- Maps -->
| image_map          = File:Unicoi County Tennessee Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Erwin Highlighted 4724360.svg
| mapsize            = 250px
| map_caption        = Location of Erwin in Unicoi County, Tennessee.
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = 
| pushpin_map        = USA Tennessee

<!-- 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  = [[Unicoi County, Tennessee|Unicoi]]

<!-- Government -->| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = [[Municipal Corporation]]
| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = Glenn White
| leader_title1      = Aldermen
| leader_name1       = Gary Chandler, James Hatcher, Michael Baker, Cathy Huskins, Angie Vaughn
| established_title  = Settled
| established_date   = 1780s<ref name="goforth">{{Cite book |last=Goforth |first=James A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8tYFr_QvbuIC&pg=PA1#v=onepage&q&f=false |title=Erwin, Tennessee: A Pictorial History 1891–1929 |date=2004 |publisher=Overmountain Press |pages=1–3}}</ref>
| established_title2 = Founded
| established_date2  = 1876<ref name="goforth" />
| established_title3 = Incorporated
| established_date3  = 1903<ref>{{Cite book |last=Darnell |first=Riley C. |author-link=Riley Darnell |url=https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/pub/blue_book/05-06/48-data.pdf |title=Tennessee Blue Book 2005-2006 |date=November 2005 |publisher=Tennessee Secretary of State |pages=618–625 |chapter=State, County, and Municipal Data}}</ref>
| named_for          = David J.N. Ervin, early resident<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tipton |first=A. Christine |date=2011 |title=Town of Erwin |url=http://www.erwintn.org/history/history.html |access-date=April 19, 2013 |website=ErwinTN.org}}</ref>

<!-- 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%3D%2747%27&outFields=NAME%2CSTATE%2CPLACE%2CAREALAND%2CAREAWATER%2CLSADC%2CCENTLAT%2CCENTLON&orderByFields=PLACE&returnGeometry=false&returnTrueCurves=false&f=json |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213081026/https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/5/query?where=STATE%3D%2747%27&outFields=NAME%2CSTATE%2CPLACE%2CAREALAND%2CAREAWATER%2CLSADC%2CCENTLAT%2CCENTLON&orderByFields=PLACE&returnGeometry=false&returnTrueCurves=false&f=json |archive-date=February 13, 2023 |access-date=October 15, 2022 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 10.70
| area_land_km2      = 10.69
| area_water_km2     = 0.01
| area_total_sq_mi   = 4.13
| area_land_sq_mi    = 4.13
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.01

<!-- Population -->| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = <ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly" />
| population_total   = 6083
| population_density_km2 = 569.20
| population_density_sq_mi = 1474.31

<!-- General information -->| timezone           = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset         = -5
| timezone_DST       = EDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -4
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 510
| elevation_ft       = 1673
| coordinates        = {{coord|36|8|42|N|82|24|39|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 37650
| area_code          = [[Area code 423|423]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 47-24360<ref name="GR2">{{Cite web |title=U.S. Census website |url=https://www.census.gov/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709054630/https://www.census.gov/ |archive-date=July 9, 2021 |access-date=January 31, 2008 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 1328148<ref name="GR3">{{Cite web |date=October 25, 2007 |title=US Board on Geographic Names |url=http://geonames.usgs.gov/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010202034200/http://geonames.usgs.gov/ |archive-date=February 2, 2001 |access-date=January 31, 2008 |publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]}}</ref>
| website            = [http://www.erwintn.org/ erwintn.org]
| footnotes          = 
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| pop_est_footnotes  = 
| population_est     = 
}}

'''Erwin''' is a town in and the [[county seat]] of [[Unicoi County, Tennessee]], United States.<ref name="GR6">{{Cite web |title=Find a County |url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=May 31, 2011 |access-date=June 7, 2011 |publisher=[[National Association of Counties]]}}</ref> The population was 6,083 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]]. It is part of the [[Johnson City metropolitan area]], which is a component of the "[[Tri-Cities, Tennessee|Tri-Cities]]" region.

==History==
The town of Erwin received its name by a mail mishap. On December 5, 1879, the name of the town was Ervin, in honor of D.J.N. Ervin, who had donated {{convert|15|acre|m2}} of land for the county seat. A typo made by post office officials caused the name to be recorded as Erwin. The mistake was never corrected.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}

===Railroads===
From 1890 to 2015 [[railroad operations]] contributed greatly to Erwin's economic and cultural identity.

The [[Charleston, Cincinnati and Chicago Railroad]] (the Triple C) was chartered in 1886 with its headquarters in Johnson City, Tennessee. Trains ran through Erwin in 1890, but by the end of the year, the company disbanded and all construction and operation ceased.

In 1893 the [[Ohio River and Charleston Railway]] (OR&C) purchased the assets of the Charleston Cincinnati & Chicago Railroad in receivership and attempted to complete and operate the line. It too failed and was placed in receivership.

In 1909 the [[Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway]] (CCO) was completed, running from [[Dante, Virginia]] to [[Spartanburg, South Carolina]], with its headquarters situated in Erwin. In 1915, this line was extended to [[Elkhorn City, Kentucky]], to connect with the [[Chesapeake and Ohio Railway]] (C&O). In 1924, its ownership and name was officially changed to the [[Clinchfield Railroad]] (CRR).

On Aug. 31, 1987 the C&O railroad merged into [[CSX Transportation]], which continued to maintain the Erwin rail yard. After acquiring 42% of [[Conrail]] in 1999, CSX became one of four major railroad systems in the nation and Erwin continued to host the rail yard, diesel shop, and car repair facility until 2015.

===Southern Potteries plant===
Between 1916 and 1957, the Southern Potteries plant operated in Erwin along Ohio Avenue.  The plant produced a hand-painted dishware known as [[Blue Ridge (dishware)|Blue Ridge]] that became popular nationwide in the late 1930s and 1940s.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}  Blue Ridge pieces are still popular items with collectors of antique dishware.<ref name=newbound>Betty Newbound and Bill Newbound, ''Southern Potteries Incorporated Blue Ridge Dinnerware'' (Collector Books, 1984), pp. 6-9.</ref>

===Elephant execution===
Erwin earned some notoriety in 1916 when the only known public [[execution]] of an [[elephant]] in Tennessee occurred in the community.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 17, 2017 |title=From the Archive: The Day They Hanged an Elephant in East Tennessee |url=http://blueridgecountry.com/archive/favorites/mary-the-elephant/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140723102500/http://blueridgecountry.com/archive/favorites/mary-the-elephant/ |archive-date=July 23, 2014 |access-date=July 22, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=August 16, 2016 |title=Murderous Mary, the elephant that was hanged for murder, 1916 - Rare Historical Photos |url=http://rarehistoricalphotos.com/murderous-mary-1916/}}</ref> [[Mary (elephant)|Mary]], an elephant in 'Sparks World Famous Shows' [[traveling circus]], had killed her handler, Walter Eldridge, in nearby [[Kingsport, Tennessee|Kingsport]] after the inexperienced trainer allegedly struck Mary on the head with a hook. News of a killer elephant spread via rumors and [[sensationalist]] news stories, and calls for Mary's execution began. Some towns announced they would turn the circus away if it showed up with the elephant. Mary's owner, Charlie Sparks, executed Mary by [[hanging]] in order to appease the crowds. Erwin was a little more than 35 miles south of Kingsport, and as home to the region's largest [[railway yard]] they happened to have a 100-ton [[crane car]] that could lift the five-ton elephant.<ref name="graveyard">{{Cite web |last=Emma Schkloven |date=November 13, 2019 |title=E.C. Glass brings bizarre true story to the stage in 'Elephant's Graveyard' |url=https://www.newsadvance.com/entertainment/arts/e-c-glass-brings-bizarre-true-story-to-the-stage/article_bca22a21-b00a-5c63-b644-bb23f84a163e.html |website=The News & Advance |language=en}}</ref> An estimated 2,500 people turned out at the local railway yard to see Mary hoisted by a crane to meet her demise. [[Playwright]] [[George Brant]] won the 2008 [[Keene Prize for Literature]] for his a one-act play titled “Elephant’s Graveyard”, depicting this story.<ref name="graveyard" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Elephant's Graveyard (full length version) |url=https://www.samuelfrench.com/p/1939/elephants-graveyard-full-length-version/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191115171120/https://www.samuelfrench.com/p/1939/elephants-graveyard-full-length-version/ |archive-date=November 15, 2019 |access-date=November 15, 2019 |website=Samuel French |language=en}}</ref>

In 2015 the town implemented a yearly festival and Elephant Art Auction; whereby, artists paint fiberglass elephant sculptures displayed around town that are then auctioned, with all proceeds donated exclusively to [[The Elephant Sanctuary (Hohenwald)|The Elephant Sanctuary]] in [[Hohenwald]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cory Turner & Clare Lombardo |date=May 15, 2019 |title=The Town That Hanged An Elephant Is Now Working To Save Them |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/05/15/722236763/the-town-that-hanged-an-elephant-is-now-working-to-save-them |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191114225425/https://www.npr.org/2019/05/15/722236763/the-town-that-hanged-an-elephant-is-now-working-to-save-them |archive-date=November 14, 2019 |access-date=November 15, 2019 |website=All Things Considered / NPR |language=en |format=Audio with transcript and photos}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Big Mary the Elephant |url=https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2985 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302042713/https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2985 |archive-date=March 2, 2024 |access-date=January 3, 2024 |website=Roadside America |language=en}}</ref>

===Erwin Expulsion of 1918===
On May 19, 1918, four of Erwin's white citizens attacked a Black man named Tom DeVert during a poker game. He fled and they pursued, shooting. In the chaos, a teenage white girl named Georgia Lee Collins, who was passing by, was hit by a bullet. Devert was murdered and posthumously accused of having assaulted Collins. A group of white men dragged his body to the rail yard powerhouse, where they forced the entire Black population of Erwin to stand and witness DeVert's body being burned on a pyre of railroad cross-ties. According to the ''[[Bristol Herald]]'' of May 21, 1918, "Men with pistols, shotguns, and clubs stood before the lined up negroes to prevent their running away, and as the last cross tie and the last dash of oil was thrown on the heap one of the men is reported to have turned to the cowering crowd and said, ‘Watch what we are going to do here. If any of you are left in town by tomorrow night, you will meet the same fate.'” At the height of this atrocity, the mob leaders planned to burn the homes of all of Erwin's Black citizens, but the local rail yard manager convinced them to forcibly evict them from the town instead. These residents, numbering 131 men, women, and children, were intimidated into abandoning their homes and goods and leaving at once.<ref name="tougaloo1">{{Cite web |last=Loewen |first=James |title=Erwin, TN |url=https://justice.tougaloo.edu/sundowntown/erwin-tn/ |access-date=October 24, 2024 |website=Sundown Towns in the United States}}</ref>
 
Throughout the 20th century, Erwin was considered a [[sundown town]]. The "Erwin Expulsion of 1918," as it has been called, led to the town becoming known as "the place where Blacks dare not go," according to an article in the ''Johnson City Press-Chronicle'' of June 17, 1979.<ref name="russell">{{Cite web |last=Russell |first=Carrie Archie |date=August 5, 2010 |title=Reckoning with a Violent and Lawless Past: A Study of Race, Violence and Reconciliation in Tennessee |url=https://etd.library.vanderbilt.edu/available/etd-07262010-142217/unrestricted/CarrieRussellDissertation.pdf}}</ref>{{Refn|"The Negro population, which was very small, was located in two areas in Unicoi County: Sam’s Gap, descended from slaves owned by Josiah Sams, and Erwin, where they were railroad laborers. In 1918, unrestrained, ghoulish, mob violence eradicated the Negro population in Unicoi County." Charles Edward Price Papers, Box 1, Folder 6, Blacks in Unicoi County, TN. Cited at <ref name=tougaloo1 />}}

===Rail yard closure===
In October 2015 CSX closed all operations in Erwin, and more than 300 people in the town were left without jobs. Town leaders attempted to fill the void by emphasizing a new identity for Erwin as an Appalachian tourist destination. This was the year that the Elephant Art Auction festivities began.

===Hurricane Helene flooding===
In September 2024, Erwin's riverside areas were heavily damaged by flooding as a result of [[Hurricane Helene]]. 58 people had to be rescued via helicopters from the roof of [[Unicoi County, Tennessee|Unicoi County]] Hospital in Erwin, with units from the [[Virginia State Police]] assisting, after the hospital was almost entirely submerged.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 27, 2024 |title=More than 50 people stranded on roof of Unicoi County Hospital |url=https://wcyb.com/news/local/patients-and-staff-stranded-on-roof-of-unicoi-county-hospital |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240927190701/https://wcyb.com/news/local/patients-and-staff-stranded-on-roof-of-unicoi-county-hospital |archive-date=September 27, 2024 |access-date=September 27, 2024 |website=WCYB}}</ref>

Part of a set of bridges on [[U.S. Route 23 in Tennessee|Interstate 26]] spanning the [[Nolichucky River]] in Erwin were completely washed away.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Miller |first=Jim |date=September 28, 2024 |title=Interstates 26, 40 Shut By Flood Waters |url=https://wgrv.com/2024/09/28/interstates-26-40-shut-by-flood-waters/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240929074914/https://wgrv.com/2024/09/28/interstates-26-40-shut-by-flood-waters/ |archive-date=September 29, 2024 |access-date=September 28, 2024 |work=[[WGRV (AM)|WGRV]] |location=Greeneville, Tennessee}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Lee |first=Murry |date=September 27, 2024 |title=TDOT: I-26 closed in Unicoi County due to flooding |url=https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/tdot-state-routes-in-northeast-tennessee-closed-due-to-trees-flooding/ |access-date=September 28, 2024 |work=WJHL-TV |location=Johnson City, Tennessee}}</ref>

==Geography==
Erwin is located at {{coord|36|8|42|N|82|24|39|W|type:city}} (36.145036, -82.410796),<ref name="GR1">{{Cite web |date=February 12, 2011 |title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990 |url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190824085937/https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html |archive-date=August 24, 2019 |access-date=April 23, 2011 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> The town is situated in a valley at the confluence of North Indian Creek, which approaches from the northeast, and the [[Nolichucky River]], which enters the valley from the mountains to the southeast.  Just before reaching Erwin, the Nolichucky passes through a narrow gorge popular with whitewater rafters.

[[File:2010-Nov-07-Nolichucky-River-Valley-East-Of-Erwin-TN.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The [[Nolichucky River]], approaching Erwin from the east, as seen from the [[Appalachian Trail]]]]

Erwin is surrounded by the [[Cherokee National Forest]], and mountains dominate the view in all directions.  Buffalo Mountain rises to the north, Rich Mountain rises to the west, and the [[Unaka Mountains]] rise to the south and east.

The [[Appalachian Trail]] passes east of Erwin.  The trail crosses the Nolichucky near the western end of the Nolichucky Gorge, at a place known as Unaka Springs. Nearby is "Moaning Rock", a large boulder near the trail that is supposed to be the site of a long ago murder of a stranger. According to local lore, the murdered man's spirit is still around, and if anyone stands on or even touches the rock, "...it moans as if under a heavy burden."<ref>[http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/499088052 Perry, Tristan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240929074916/https://search.worldcat.org/title/499088052 |date=September 29, 2024 }}. Ghostly Legends of the Appalachian Trail. Wever, Iowa: Quixote Press, 2008. Pages 19-30.</ref>

[[Interstate 26]] passes through western and southern Erwin.  [[Tennessee State Route 107]] (North Main Avenue) connects Erwin to [[Unicoi, Tennessee|Unicoi]] to the north and the [[Embreeville, Tennessee|Embreeville]] area and [[Washington County, Tennessee|Washington County]] to the west.  Tennessee State Route 395 connects Erwin with the rural parts of [[Mitchell County, North Carolina|Mitchell]] and [[Yancey County, North Carolina|Yancey]] counties to the east in North Carolina, crossing the Unakas at the {{convert|3100|ft|m|adj=on}} Indian Grave Gap (the road becomes [[North Carolina Highway 197]] at the state line).

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|3.5|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|3.5|sqmi|km2}} is land and 0.28% is water.

===Climate===
{{Weather box
|location = Erwin 1 W, Tennessee (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1979–present)
|single line = Y
|width = auto
|Jan record high F = 75
|Feb record high F = 82
|Mar record high F = 85
|Apr record high F = 90
|May record high F = 91
|Jun record high F = 101
|Jul record high F = 102
|Aug record high F = 101
|Sep record high F = 98
|Oct record high F = 92
|Nov record high F = 84
|Dec record high F = 78
|year record high F = 102
|Jan high F = 47.3
|Feb high F = 50.8
|Mar high F = 58.7
|Apr high F = 68.4
|May high F = 76.2
|Jun high F = 82.8
|Jul high F = 85.4
|Aug high F = 84.9
|Sep high F = 80.2
|Oct high F = 69.9
|Nov high F = 58.9
|Dec high F = 50.3
|year high F = 67.8
|Jan mean F = 35.9
|Feb mean F = 38.9
|Mar mean F = 45.8
|Apr mean F = 54.5
|May mean F = 63.0
|Jun mean F = 70.5
|Jul mean F = 73.8
|Aug mean F = 73.0
|Sep mean F = 67.6
|Oct mean F = 56.6
|Nov mean F = 45.7
|Dec mean F = 39.1
|year mean F = 55.4
|Jan low F = 24.5
|Feb low F = 26.9
|Mar low F = 33.0
|Apr low F = 40.7
|May low F = 49.8
|Jun low F = 58.1
|Jul low F = 62.2
|Aug low F = 61.1
|Sep low F = 55.0
|Oct low F = 43.3
|Nov low F = 32.5
|Dec low F = 28.0
|year low F = 42.9
|Jan record low F = -20
|Feb record low F = -11
|Mar record low F = -5
|Apr record low F = 19
|May record low F = 24
|Jun record low F = 37
|Jul record low F = 45
|Aug record low F = 45
|Sep record low F = 31
|Oct record low F = 22
|Nov record low F = 12
|Dec record low F = −5
|year record low F = -20
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 3.46
|Feb precipitation inch = 3.27
|Mar precipitation inch = 3.82
|Apr precipitation inch = 3.99
|May precipitation inch = 4.83
|Jun precipitation inch = 5.07
|Jul precipitation inch = 5.51
|Aug precipitation inch = 4.76
|Sep precipitation inch = 3.28
|Oct precipitation inch = 2.54
|Nov precipitation inch = 2.83
|Dec precipitation inch = 3.64
|year precipitation inch = 47.00
|Jan snow inch = 3.4
|Feb snow inch = 2.5
|Mar snow inch = 0.9
|Apr snow inch = 0.0
|May snow inch = 0.0
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.0
|Nov snow inch = 0.1
|Dec snow inch = 2.4
|year snow inch = 9.3
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 12.0
|Feb precipitation days = 11.0
|Mar precipitation days = 11.9
|Apr precipitation days = 10.9
|May precipitation days = 13.4
|Jun precipitation days = 13.3
|Jul precipitation days = 13.8
|Aug precipitation days = 12.3
|Sep precipitation days = 9.6
|Oct precipitation days = 8.4
|Nov precipitation days = 9.3
|Dec precipitation days = 11.6
|year precipitation days = 137.5
|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 2.3
|Feb snow days = 1.4
|Mar snow days = 0.9
|Apr snow days = 0.1
|May snow days = 0.0
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.0
|Nov snow days = 0.1
|Dec snow days = 1.2
|year snow days = 6.0
|source 1 = [[NOAA]]<ref name="NOAA">{{Cite web |title=NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data |url=https://www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=mrx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220617161055/https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=mrx |archive-date=June 17, 2022 |access-date=October 6, 2021 |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration}}</ref><ref name="NCEI">{{Cite web |title=Station: Erwin 1 W, TN |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00402934&format=pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006220507/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00402934&format=pdf |archive-date=October 6, 2021 |access-date=October 6, 2021 |website=U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020) |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration}}</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1910= 1149
|1920= 2965
|1930= 3623
|1940= 3350
|1950= 3387
|1960= 3210
|1970= 4715
|1980= 4739
|1990= 5015
|2000= 5610
|2010= 6097
|2020= 6083
|footnote=Sources:<ref name="GR9">{{Cite web |title=Census of Population and Housing: Decennial Censuses |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220717060613/https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html |archive-date=July 17, 2022 |access-date=March 4, 2012 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</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 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611010502/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012.html |archive-date=June 11, 2013 |access-date=December 11, 2013 |website=Population Estimates |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref><ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly">{{Cite web |title=Census Population API |url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=P1_001N,NAME&for=place:*&in=state:47&key=5ccd0821c15d9f4520e2dcc0f8d92b2ec9336108 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213085226/https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=P1_001N,NAME&for=place:*&in=state:47&key=5ccd0821c15d9f4520e2dcc0f8d92b2ec9336108 |archive-date=February 13, 2023 |access-date=October 15, 2022 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+Erwin racial composition<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US4724360&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211226161934/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US4724360&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2 |archive-date=December 26, 2021 |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)
| 5,417
| 89.05%
|-
!scope="row"| [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
| 19
| 0.31%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
| 10
| 0.16%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
| 11
| 0.18%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
| 185
| 3.04%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
| 441
| 7.25%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 6,083 people, 2,657 households, and 1,632 families residing in the town.

===2000 census===
At the [[2000 United States census|2000 census]] there were 5,610 people in 2,470 households, including 1,588 families, in the city. The population density was {{convert|1,582.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 2,645 housing units at an average density of {{convert|746.2|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census#2000 census|racial makeup]] of the city was 97.77% white, 0.05% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 1.02% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.00%.<ref name="GR2" />

Of the 2,470 households 23.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 33.6% of households were one person and 18.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.80.

The age distribution was 19.7% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 22.9% 65 or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.3 males.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 |url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/00_SF1/DP1/1600000US4724360 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213054904/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/00_SF1/DP1/1600000US4724360 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |access-date=November 22, 2017 |website=American FactFinder |publisher=U.S. Department of Commerce}}</ref>

The median household income was $29,644 and the median family income  was $37,813. Males had a median income of $31,894 versus $20,118 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,868. About 7.5% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 20.7% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.

==Economy and culture==
[[Nuclear Fuel Services]] has a major facility in Erwin. It began operation in 1957 as the Davison Chemical Division of [[W. R. Grace and Company]].<ref name="ATSDR">[http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/pha/NuclearFuelServices/NuclearFuelServicesPHA052907.pdf Public Health Assessment, Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc., Erwin, Unicoi County, Tennessee; EPA FACILITY ID: TND003095635] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080923084357/http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/pha/NuclearFuelServices/NuclearFuelServicesPHA052907.pdf |date=September 23, 2008 }}, Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry, May 29, 2007</ref> Production activities at the Erwin facility include preparing [[enriched uranium]] to be processed into [[nuclear reactor]] fuel, processing [[uranium hexafluoride]] into other [[uranium]] compounds,  and downblending high-enriched uranium to convert it to a low-enriched form for use in commercial nuclear reactors.  Historically the facility also worked with [[thorium]] compounds.<ref name=ATSDR/>

==Education==
All Unicoi County residents are in the [[Unicoi County School District]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=2020 Census - School District Reference Map: Unicoi County, TN |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st47_tn/schooldistrict_maps/c47171_unicoi/DC20SD_C47171.pdf |access-date=2024-06-24 |publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]}}</ref>

==Sports==
In 1940, the city hosted a [[Minor League Baseball]] team of the [[Appalachian League]] called the [[Erwin Mountaineers]].<ref name="BRcity">{{Cite web |title=Erwin, Tennessee Encyclopedia |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?city=Erwin&state=TN&country=US |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240929074916/https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?city=Erwin&state=TN&country=US |archive-date=September 29, 2024 |access-date=May 24, 2020 |website=Baseball-Reference |publisher=Sports Reference}}</ref> The same league's [[Erwin Aces]] played there in 1943 as did the [[Erwin Cubs]] in 1944, both as [[farm club]]s of the [[Chicago Cubs]].<ref name=BRcity/> The Aces won the 1943 [[List of Appalachian League champions|Appalachian League playoff championship]].<ref name="1943SCleague">{{Cite web |title=1943 Appalachian League Standings |url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/standings/l-APPY1/y-1943 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603150022/https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/standings/l-APPY1/y-1943 |archive-date=June 3, 2020 |access-date=May 24, 2020 |website=Stats Crew}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{official website|https://www.erwintn.org/}}
* [http://www.mtas.tennessee.edu/public/CHARTERS.nsf/0/38B473F114B8D512852568CC0061DAE3/$File/Erwin.cht.pdf?OpenElement Town charter] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127041456/http://www.mtas.tennessee.edu/public/CHARTERS.nsf/0/38B473F114B8D512852568CC0061DAE3/$File/Erwin.cht.pdf?OpenElement |date=January 27, 2016 }}

{{Unicoi County, Tennessee}}
{{Tennessee county seats}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Towns in Unicoi County, Tennessee]]
[[Category:County seats in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Expulsions of African Americans]]
[[Category:Sundown towns in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Johnson City metropolitan area, Tennessee]]
[[Category:Lynching deaths in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Racially motivated violence against African Americans in Tennessee]]