Editing Gatlinburg, Tennessee

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                     = Gatlinburg
| official_name            =
| settlement_type          = [[City]]
| image_skyline            = Gatlinburg, Tennessee IMG 6598.tif
| image_caption            = [[U.S. Route 441 in Tennessee|US 441]] in downtown Gatlinburg {{Abbr|c|circa}}. 2018
| image_flag               = Flag of Gatlinburg, Tennessee.svg
| image_seal               =
| image_blank_emblem       = Logo of Gatlinburg, Tennessee.png
| blank_emblem_type        = Logo
| nickname                 = "Gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains"<ref name="Ref-1">Rudy Abramson and Jean Haskell, ''Encyclopedia of Appalachia'' (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2006), 644.</ref>
| image_map                = File:Sevier County Tennessee Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Gatlinburg Highlighted 4728800.svg
| mapsize                  = 250px
| map_caption              = Location of Gatlinburg in Sevier County, Tennessee
| pushpin_map                     = Tennessee#USA
| pushpin_label                   = Gatlinburg
| pushpin_relief                  = yes
| coordinates              = {{coord|35|42|52|N|83|31|29|W|region:US-TN|display=it}}
| subdivision_type         = Country
| subdivision_name         = United States
| subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1        = [[Tennessee]]
| subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Tennessee|County]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Sevier County, Tennessee|Sevier]]
| established_title        = Settled
| established_date         = {{Abbr|c|circa}}. 1806
| established_title2       = Incorporated
| established_date2        = 1945<ref>''[http://www.state.tn.us/sos/bluebook/05-06/48-data.pdf Tennessee Blue Book]'', 2005-2006, pp. 618–625.</ref>
| named_for                = Radford Gatlin
| government_type          = City Manager-Commission
| leader_title             = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name              = Mike Werner
| 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_total_km2           = 26.97
| area_total_sq_mi         = 10.41
| area_land_km2            = 26.97
| area_land_sq_mi          = 10.41
| area_water_km2           = 0.00
| area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00
| unit_pref                = Imperial
| elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft             = 1450
| population_total         = 3577
| population_as_of         = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
| pop_est_as_of            =
| pop_est_footnotes        =
| population_est           =
| population_density_km2   = 132.61
| population_density_sq_mi = 343.48
| timezone                 = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|EST]]
| utc_offset               = −5
| timezone_DST             = EDT
| utc_offset_DST           = −4
| postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code              = 37738
| area_code                = [[Area code 865|865]]
| blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS]] code
| blank_info               = {{FIPS|47|28800}}<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
| blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info              = 2403685<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2403685}}</ref>
| website                  = {{URL|gatlinburgtn.gov}}
|population_footnotes = <ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly"/>
}}

'''Gatlinburg''' is a city in [[Sevier County, Tennessee]], United States. It is located {{convert|39|mi|km}} southeast of [[Knoxville, Tennessee|Knoxville]] and had a population of 3,577 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="USCensusEst2018">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.2018.html|title=Population and Housing Unit Estimates|access-date=August 3, 2019}}</ref> It is a popular mountain [[resort town]], as it rests on the border of [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]] along [[U.S. Route 441]].

==History==

===Early history===
[[File:Gatlinburg-ogle-cabin1.jpg|thumb|left|The William "Old Billy" and Martha Jane Huskey Ogle Cabin in Gatlinburg]]
[[File:Downtown Gatlinburg From Aquarium.JPG|thumb|right|Downtown Gatlinburg]]

For centuries, [[Cherokee]] hunters, as well as other Native American hunters before them, used a footpath known as the Indian Gap Trail to access the abundant game in the forests and coves of the Smokies.<ref>Michal Strutin, ''History Hikes of the Smokies'' (Gatlinburg: Great Smoky Mountains Association, 2003), pp. 322–323.</ref> This trail connected the [[Great Indian Warpath]] with Rutherford Indian Trace, following the West Fork of the Little Pigeon River from modern-day [[Sevierville]] through modern-day [[Pigeon Forge]], Gatlinburg, and the Sugarlands, crossing the crest of the Smokies along the slopes of Mount Collins, and descending into [[North Carolina]] along the banks of the [[Oconaluftee River]].<ref>Strutin, pp. 322–323.</ref> US-441 largely follows this same route today, although it crests at [[Newfound Gap]] rather than Indian Gap.

Although various 18th-century European and early American hunters and [[fur trappers]] probably traversed or camped in the flats where Gatlinburg is now situated, it was [[Edgefield, South Carolina]], native William Ogle (1751–1803) who first decided to permanently settle in the area.<ref>Gladys Trentham Russell, ''Smoky Mountain Family Album'' (Alcoa, Tennessee: Gladys Trentham Russell, 1984), pg. 6.</ref> With the help of the Cherokee, Ogle cut, hewed, and notched logs in the flats, planning to erect a [[log cabin|cabin]] the following year.<ref>Carson Brewer, ''Great Smoky Mountains National Park'' (Portland, Ore: Graphic Arts Center Publishing, 1993), pg. 18.</ref> He returned home to Edgefield to retrieve his family and grow one final crop for supplies. However, shortly after his arrival in Edgefield, a [[malaria]] epidemic swept the low country, and Ogle succumbed to the disease in 1803.<ref name="Ref-3">Russell, 6.</ref>

His widow, Martha Huskey Ogle (1756–1827), moved the family to Virginia, where she had relatives. Sometime around 1806, Martha Huskey Ogle made the journey over Indian Gap Trail to what is now Gatlinburg with her brother, Peter Huskey, her daughter, Rebecca, and her daughter's husband, James McCarter. William Ogle's notched logs awaited them,<ref name="Ref-3"/> and they erected a cabin near the confluence of Baskins Creek and the West Fork of the Little Pigeon shortly after their arrival.<ref name="Ref-1"/> The cabin still stands today near the heart of Gatlinburg. James and Rebecca McCarter settled in the Cartertown district of Gatlinburg.<ref>Zeno Wall, "Gatlinburg", ''Newport'' (Newport, Tennessee: Ideal Publishing Company, 1970), pg. 132.</ref>

[[File:White Oak Flats Cemetery.JPG|thumb|right|White Oak Flats Cemetery]]

In the decade following the arrival of the Ogles, McCarters, and Huskeys in what came to be known as '''White Oak Flats''', a steady stream of settlers moved into the area.<ref name="Ref-3"/> Most were veterans of the [[American Revolutionary War|American Revolution]] or [[War of 1812]] who had converted the {{convert|50|acre|m2|adj=on}} tracts they had received for service in war into deeds.<ref>Wall, 128.</ref> Among these early settlers were Timothy Reagan (c. 1750–1830), John Ownby Jr. (1791–1857), and Henry Bohanon (1760–1842).<ref>Donald Reagan, ''Smoky Mountain Clans'' (Gatlinburg: Donald B. Reagan, 1978), pg. 66.</ref><ref>Donald Reagan, ''Smoky Mountain Clans Volume 3'' (Gatlinburg: Donald B. Reagan, 1983), pp. 137–138.</ref> Their descendants still live in the area today.<ref>Russell, pp. 6–9.</ref>

===Radford Gatlin and the Civil War===
{{see also|East Tennessee bridge-burning conspiracy}}
In 1856, a post office was established in the general store of Radford Gatlin (c. 1798–1880), giving the town the name Gatlinburg.<ref name="Abramson, 644">Abramson, pg. 644.</ref> Even though the town bore his name, Gatlin, who didn't arrive in the flats until around 1854, constantly bickered with his neighbors.<ref>J.A. Sharp, "Radford Gatlin: Gatlinburg's First Tourist" [http://www.sevierlibrary.org/genealogy/drsharphis/gatlin.htm] Accessed: May 19, 2007. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026020720/http://www.sevierlibrary.org/genealogy/drsharphis/gatlin.htm|date=October 26, 2007}}</ref> By 1857, a full-blown feud had erupted between the Gatlins and the Ogles, probably over Gatlin's attempts to divert the town's main road. The eve of the [[U.S. Civil War]] found Gatlin, who became a [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] sympathizer, at odds with the residents of the flats, who were mostly pro-[[Union (American Civil War)|Union]], and he was forced out in 1859.<ref>Michael Frome, ''Strangers In High Places: The Story of the Great Smoky Mountains'' (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1994), pp. 123–124.</ref>

Despite its anti-slavery sentiments, Gatlinburg, like most Smoky communities, tried to remain neutral during the war. This changed when a company of Confederate Colonel [[William Holland Thomas]]' Legion occupied the town to protect the [[saltpeter]] mines at Alum Cave, near the Tennessee-North Carolina border. Federal forces marched south from [[Knoxville]] and Sevierville to drive out Thomas' men, who had built a small fort on Burg Hill.<ref>Wall, pp. 128–132.</ref> Lucinda Oakley Ogle, whose grandfather witnessed the ensuing skirmish, later recounted her grandfather's recollections:<blockquote>
... he told me about when he was a sixteen-year-old boy during the Civil War and would hide under a big cliff on Turkey Nest Ridge and watch the Blue Coats ride their horses around the graveyard hill, shooting their cannon toward Burg Hill where the Grey Coats had a fort and would ride their horses around the Burg Hill&nbsp;...<ref>Lucinda Oakley Ogle, Jerry Wear (editor), ''Sugarlands: A Lost Community In Sevier County, Tennessee'' (Sevierville, Tennessee: Sevierville Heritage Committee, 1986), pg. 57.</ref></blockquote>

As the Union forces converged on the town, the outnumbered Confederates were forced to retreat across the Smokies to North Carolina. Confederate forces did not return, although sporadic small raids continued until the end of the war.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}

===Early 20th century===
In the 1880s, the invention of the bandsaw and the logging railroad led to a boom in the lumber industry. As forests throughout the Southeastern United States were harvested, lumber companies pushed deeper into the mountain areas of the Appalachian highlands. In 1901, Colonel W.B. Townsend established the Little River Lumber Company in [[Tuckaleechee Cove]] to the west, and lumber interests began buying up logging rights to vast tracts of forest in the Smokies.<ref>Frome, pp. 165–166.</ref>

Andrew Jackson Huff (1878–1949), originally of [[Greene County, Tennessee|Greene County]], was a pivotal figure in Gatlinburg at this time. Huff erected a sawmill in Gatlinburg in 1900,<ref>Frome, pg. 161.</ref> and local residents began supplementing their income by providing lodging to loggers and other lumber company officials.<ref name="Abramson, 644"/> Tourists also began to trickle into the area, drawn to the Smokies by the writings of authors such as Mary Noailles Murfree and [[Horace Kephart]], who wrote extensively about the region's natural wonders.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}

In 1912, the [[Pi Beta Phi]] women's fraternity established a [[settlement school]] (now [[Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts]]) in Gatlinburg after a survey of the region found the town to be most in need of educational facilities in the area.<ref>Pearl Cashell Jackson, ''Pi Beta Phi Settlement School'' (University of Texas, 1927), pg. 14.</ref> Although skeptical locals were initially worried that the fraternity might be religious propagandists or opportunists, the school's enrollment grew from 33 to 134 in its first year of operation.<ref>Jackson, pp. 11, 39.</ref> Along with providing basic education to children in the area, the school's staff created a small market for local crafts.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}

Isolation in the region attracted folklorists such as [[Cecil Sharp]] of [[London]] to the area in the years following [[World War I]].<ref>Bishop, pp. 32–35</ref> Sharp's collection of Appalachian ballads was published in 1932.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}

===National park===
[[File:The Gatlinburg Trail Running Into the Town.JPG|thumb|right|Gatlinburg Trail entering Gatlinburg from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park]]

Extensive logging in the early 1900s led to increased calls by conservationists for federal action, and in 1911, Congress passed the [[Weeks Act]] to allow for the purchase of land for national forests. Authors such as Horace Kephart and Knoxville-area businesses began advocating for the creation of a [[national park]] in the Smokies that would be similar to [[Yellowstone]] or [[Yosemite]] in the Western United States. With the purchase of {{convert|76,000|acre|km2}} in the Little River Lumber Company tract in 1926, the movement quickly became a reality.<ref name="Frome, 166-191">Frome, 166–191.</ref>

Andrew Huff spearheaded the movement in the Gatlinburg area, and he opened the first hotel in Gatlinburg – the Mountain View Hotel – in 1916.<ref>Daniel Pierce, ''The Great Smokies: From Natural Habitat to National Park'' (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2000), 33.</ref> His son, Jack, established LeConte Lodge atop [[Mount Le Conte (Tennessee)|Mount Le Conte]] in 1926.<ref>Brewer, 110.</ref> In spite of resistance from lumberers at [[Elkmont, Tennessee|Elkmont]] and difficulties with the Tennessee legislature,<ref name="Frome, 166-191"/> Great Smoky Mountains National Park opened in 1934.

The park radically changed Gatlinburg. When the Pi Beta Phis arrived in 1912, Gatlinburg was a small hamlet with six houses, a blacksmith shop, a general store, a Baptist church, and a greater community of 600 individuals, most of whom lived in log cabins.<ref>Jackson, 11.</ref> In 1934, the first year the park was open, an estimated 40,000 visitors passed through the city. Within a year, this number had increased over twelvefold to 500,000.<ref name="Abramson, 644"/> From 1940 to 1950, the cost per acre of land in Gatlinburg increased from $50 ({{Inflation|index=US|value=50|start_year=1940|fmt=eq|r=-3}}) to $8,000 ({{Inflation|index=US|value=8,000|start_year=1950|fmt=eq|r=-3}}).<ref>North Callahan, ''Smoky Mountain Country'' (New York: Duell, Sloan & Pearce, 1952), 222.</ref>

While the park's arrival benefited Gatlinburg and made many of the town's residents wealthy, the tourism explosion led to problems with [[air quality]] and [[urban sprawl]]. Even in modern times, the town's infrastructure is often pushed to the limit on peak vacation days and must consistently adapt to accommodate the growing number of tourists.<ref name="Abramson, 644"/>

===Fire of 1992===
On the night of July 14, 1992, Gatlinburg gained national attention when an entire city block burned to the ground due to faulty wiring in a light fixture. The [[Ripley's Believe It or Not!]] museum was consumed by the fire, along with an arcade, haunted house, and souvenir shop. The blaze was stopped before it could consume the adjacent 32-story [[Gatlinburg Space Needle]]. Known to locals as "Rebel Corner," the block was completely rebuilt and reopened to visitors in 1995. Few artifacts from the Ripley's Museum were salvaged, and those that survived are marked with that designation in the new museum. The fire prompted new downtown building codes and a new downtown fire station. Ripley's has caught fire twice since it reopened, once in 2000 and again in 2003. Both of those fires, coincidentally, were caused by faulty light fixtures. The 2000 fire caused no damage, and the 2003 fire was contained to the building's exterior, with the museum suffering minimal damage, primarily cosmetic.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ci.gatlinburg.tn.us/fire/history.htm|title=History of the Gatlinburg's Fire Department|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061227182044/http://www.ci.gatlinburg.tn.us/fire/history.htm|archive-date=December 27, 2006}}</ref>

===Fire of 2016===
{{Main|2016 Great Smoky Mountains wildfires}}
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<!--- NOTE: Any information added to this section must be accompanied by a citation.  All non-cited additions will be removed --->

Starting in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park at [[Chimney Tops]] in November 2016, a moderately contained wildfire was compounded by very strong winds – with gusts recorded up to {{Convert|87|mph|km/h}} – and extremely dry conditions due to drought, causing it to spread down into Gatlinburg, [[Pigeon Forge, Tennessee|Pigeon Forge]], [[Pittman Center, Tennessee|Pittman Center]], and other nearby areas.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/2016/11/29/30-gatlinburg-structures-fire-tema/94584554/ |title=14,000 evacuated from Gatlinburg; fires still burning |last1=Vellucci|first1=Amy J.|last2=Satterfield|first2=Jamie|date=November 29, 2016 |website=knoxnews.com|access-date=November 29, 2016}}</ref> It forced mass evacuations, and Governor [[Bill Haslam]] ordered the National Guard to the area. The center of Gatlinburg's tourist district escaped heavy damage, but the surrounding wooded region was called "the apocalypse" by a fire department lieutenant.<ref>Amy Vellucci and Jamie Satterfield, "[http://www.wfaa.com/news/nation/tennessee-wildfires-its-the-apocalypse-on-both-sides-of-downtown/357757567 Tennessee Wildfires: 'It's the Apocalypse on Both Sides (of Downtown)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202042839/http://www.wfaa.com/news/nation/tennessee-wildfires-its-the-apocalypse-on-both-sides-of-downtown/357757567 |date=February 2, 2017 }},'" WFAA.com, November 29, 2016.</ref> Approximately 14,000 people were evacuated that evening, more than 2,400 structures were damaged or destroyed, and damages totaled more than $500 million. Fourteen people died in the fires, including local citizens and visiting tourists.

Following the fires, the town of Gatlinburg was shut down and considered a crime scene. The city reopened to residents only after a few days but maintained a strict curfew for more than a week, only reopening to the public after the curfew was lifted.<ref>"[http://wreg.com/2016/12/13/500m-in-damages-expected-due-to-gatlinburg-fires/ $500M in Damages Expected Due to Gatlinburg Fires]," ''News Channel 3'', December 13, 2016.</ref> In June 2017, the Sevier County district attorney dropped charges against two juveniles accused of starting the fire due to an inability to prove their actions led to the devastation that occurred in Gatlinburg five days later.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://fox2now.com/2017/06/30/arson-charges-dropped-against-teens-in-gatlinburg-wildfire/|title=Arson charges dropped against teens in Gatlinburg wildfire|website=Fox 2 Now St. Louis|date=June 30, 2017|access-date=June 16, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/tennessee/gatlinburg/2017/06/30/attorney-arson-charges-against-teens-fatal-gatlinburg-wildfire-dropped/442706001/|title=Arson charges against teens in fatal Gatlinburg wildfire dropped|website=Knox News|access-date=June 16, 2018}}</ref>

In May 2018, two Gatlinburg residents filed a $14.8 million lawsuit against the federal government for personal losses suffered in the fire.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thedailytimes.com/news/million-lawsuit-filed-in-deadly-gatlinburg-wildfires/article_dd5ab935-e43f-5b0f-8b1b-e87b68a1b304.html|title=$14.8 million lawsuit filed in deadly Gatlinburg wildfires|website=The Daily Times|date=May 25, 2018 |access-date=June 16, 2018}}</ref>

===Registered historic sites===
* [[First Methodist Church, Gatlinburg]]: Designed by [[Charles I. Barber]] in [[Late Gothic Revival]] style.<ref name="NRHP">{{Cite web|url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/SearchResults/81cbb0b8a2cc4e7f83912f4c6fb755d1?view=list|title=National Register of Historic Places – Gatlinburg|website=National Park Service – Digital Archive on NPGallery|access-date=June 23, 2018}}</ref>
* [[Settlement School Community Outreach Historic District]]: [[Pi Beta Phi]] established a settlement school in the area in 1912. This part of the designated historic district includes the Jennie Nicol Health Clinic Building, the Arrowcraft Shop, the Ogle Cabin, Cottage at the Creek, and Craftsman's Fair Grounds and School Playground.  The [[Settlement School Dormitories and Dwellings Historic District]] consists of Helmick House (Teacher's Cottage), Stuart Dormitory, Ruth Barrett Smith Staff House, Old Wood Studio, a chicken coop, and a stock barn.<ref name="NRHP"/>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|10.1|sqmi|km2}}, all of which is land. It is surrounded on all sides by high ridges, with the Le Conte and Sugarland Mountain [[massif]]s rising to the south, Cove Mountain to the west, Big Ridge to the northeast, and Grapeyard Ridge to the east. The main watershed is the West Fork of the [[Little Pigeon River (Tennessee)|Little Pigeon River]], which flows from its source on the slopes of [[Mount Collins]] to its junction with the Little Pigeon at [[Sevierville]].<ref name="Ref-2">{{cite web|url=http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=35.71417&lon=-83.51028&datum=nad27&u=4&layer=DRG&size=l&s=200|title=Topographic Map - TopoZone}}</ref>

U.S. Route 441 is the main traffic artery in Gatlinburg, running through the center of town from north to south. Farther along 441, [[Pigeon Forge, Tennessee|Pigeon Forge]] is approximately {{convert|6|mi|km}} to the north, and [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]] (viz. the [[Sugarlands]]) is approximately {{convert|2|mi|km}} to the south. TN-73 (Little River Road) forks off from 441 in the Sugarlands and heads west for roughly {{convert|25|mi|km}}, connecting the Gatlinburg area with [[Townsend, Tennessee|Townsend]] and [[Blount County, Tennessee|Blount County]]. [[U.S. Route 321]] enters Gatlinburg from Pigeon Forge and [[Wears Valley, Tennessee|Wears Valley]] to the north before turning east and connecting the city to [[Newport, Tennessee|Newport]] and [[Cosby, Tennessee|Cosby]].<ref name="Ref-2" />

===Climate===
Gatlinburg has a [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Koppen]]: ''Cfa'') with hot, humid summers and cool, wet winters. Precipitation is heavy year round, peaking in the months of May–July, with October being the driest month, with only {{Convert|3.19|in|mm}} of average precipitation Snowfall is lower in the valley, averaging about {{Convert|8|in|cm}} of annual snowfall.

{{Weather box |width=auto
| location = Gatlinburg, Tennessee, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1921–present
| single line = Y
| Jan record high F = 81
| Feb record high F = 85
| Mar record high F = 86
| Apr record high F = 93
| May record high F = 98
| Jun record high F = 106
| Jul record high F = 105
| Aug record high F = 100
| Sep record high F = 102
| Oct record high F = 94
| Nov record high F = 85
| Dec record high F = 80
| year record high F = 106

|Jan avg record high F = 68.9
|Feb avg record high F = 71.8
|Mar avg record high F = 79.0
|Apr avg record high F = 85.6
|May avg record high F = 86.6
|Jun avg record high F = 89.5
|Jul avg record high F = 90.8
|Aug avg record high F = 90.0
|Sep avg record high F = 88.0
|Oct avg record high F = 82.0
|Nov avg record high F = 75.8
|Dec avg record high F = 69.7
|year avg record high F = 92.1

| Jan high F = 46.6
| Feb high F = 50.8
| Mar high F = 59.2
| Apr high F = 68.8
| May high F = 74.8
| Jun high F = 80.2
| Jul high F = 82.9
| Aug high F = 81.9
| Sep high F = 77.5
| Oct high F = 68.5
| Nov high F = 58.1
| Dec high F = 49.5
| year high F = 66.6
| Jan mean F = 36.6
| Feb mean F = 39.9
| Mar mean F = 46.9
| Apr mean F = 55.4
| May mean F = 62.8
| Jun mean F = 69.5
| Jul mean F = 72.8
| Aug mean F = 71.8
| Sep mean F = 66.8
| Oct mean F = 56.4
| Nov mean F = 45.9
| Dec mean F = 39.5
| year mean F = 55.3
| Jan low F = 26.6
| Feb low F = 28.9
| Mar low F = 34.6
| Apr low F = 42.0
| May low F = 50.9
| Jun low F = 58.7
| Jul low F = 62.7
| Aug low F = 61.6
| Sep low F = 56.1
| Oct low F = 44.2
| Nov low F = 33.7
| Dec low F = 29.4
| year low F = 44.1

|Jan avg record low F = 8.2
|Feb avg record low F = 13.3
|Mar avg record low F = 19.9
|Apr avg record low F = 27.6
|May avg record low F = 36.0
|Jun avg record low F = 48.0
|Jul avg record low F = 54.9
|Aug avg record low F = 53.3
|Sep avg record low F = 43.1
|Oct avg record low F = 29.4
|Nov avg record low F = 21.0
|Dec avg record low F = 15.4
|year avg record low F = 5.4

| Jan record low F = -18
| Feb record low F = -13
| Mar record low F = -6
| Apr record low F = 16
| May record low F = 26
| Jun record low F = 33
| Jul record low F = 43
| Aug record low F = 40
| Sep record low F = 27
| Oct record low F = 15
| Nov record low F = 2
| Dec record low F = -12
| year record low F = -18
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch = 4.75
| Feb precipitation inch = 4.27
| Mar precipitation inch = 5.58
| Apr precipitation inch = 4.93
| May precipitation inch = 5.50
| Jun precipitation inch = 5.99
| Jul precipitation inch = 6.31
| Aug precipitation inch = 4.40
| Sep precipitation inch = 4.34
| Oct precipitation inch = 3.19
| Nov precipitation inch = 4.02
| Dec precipitation inch = 4.92
| year precipitation inch = 58.20
| Jan snow inch = 2.4
| Feb snow inch = 2.4
| Mar snow inch = 1.3
| 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 = 0.2
| Dec snow inch = 1.4
| year snow inch = 7.7
| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
| Jan precipitation days = 15.1
| Feb precipitation days = 14.5
| Mar precipitation days = 14.7
| Apr precipitation days = 12.5
| May precipitation days = 14.8
| Jun precipitation days = 15.1
| Jul precipitation days = 15.4
| Aug precipitation days = 13.8
| Sep precipitation days = 10.9
| Oct precipitation days = 9.9
| Nov precipitation days = 11.6
| Dec precipitation days = 15.2
| year precipitation days = 163.5
| unit snow days = 0.1 in
| Jan snow days = 2.0
| Feb snow days = 1.7
| Mar snow days = 0.9
| Apr snow days = 0.0
| 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 = 0.2
| Dec snow days = 1.0
| year snow days =
|source 1 = NOAA<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=mrx
| title = NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data
| publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
| accessdate = June 8, 2021
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00403420&format=pdf
| title = Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020
| publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
| accessdate = June 8, 2021
}}</ref> }}

[[File:Ober trails.jpg|thumb|right|285px|Snowy Ober Trails]]

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1950= 1301
|1960= 1764
|1970= 2329
|1980= 3210
|1990= 3417
|2000= 3382
|2010= 3944
|2020= 3577
|footnote=Sources:<ref name="GR9">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=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|access-date=December 11, 2013|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}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/1600000US4728800|title=American Fact Finder – 2010 Census – Gatlinburg, Tennessee|website=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=June 16, 2018|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213095856/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/1600000US4728800|archive-date=February 13, 2020|url-status=dead}}</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"
|+Gatlinburg racial composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US4728800&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)
| 2,735
| 76.46%
|-
!scope="row"| [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
| 15
| 0.42%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
| 13
| 0.36%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
| 71
| 1.98%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
| 4
| 0.11%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
| 104
| 2.91%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
| 635
| 17.75%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 3,577 people, 1,742 households, and 1,012 families residing in the city.

===2010 census===
As of the 2010 [[census]],<ref name=":0" /> Gatlinburg had 3,944 people, 1,681 households, and 1,019 families residing in the city with 5,825 housing units available. The racial makeup of the city was 85.3% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.6% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.4% American Indian/Alaska Native, 2.8% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.0% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 8.9% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.9% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race accounted for 15% of the population.

Of the 1,681 households, 22.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 44.1% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.4% were non-families. Individuals living alone accounted for 29.4% of the non-family households, and 11.3% of those living alone were 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33, and the average family size was 2.8.

The city's population consisted of 18.5% of individuals under the age of 20, 5.9% from 20 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 31.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.7 years. The ratio of males to females was almost equivalent at 1.02:1 (1,990 males to 1,954 females). For adult individuals 18 or older, the ratio of males to females was also very close at 1.03:1 (1,671 males to 1,628 females).

According to data in the 2012–2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for Gatlinburg,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/16_5YR/DP03/1600000US4728800|title=American Fact Finder – 2012–2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates – Gatlinburg, Tennessee|website=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=June 16, 2018|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213094705/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/16_5YR/DP03/1600000US4728800|archive-date=February 13, 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref> the [[median income]] for a household in Gatlinburg was estimated at $36,445, with an estimated median family income of $42,903. For individuals who were employed full-time, males had a median income of $30,159 versus $24,528 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $24,423, and 15% of the population and 5.8% of families had income levels below the [[poverty line]]. 13.8% of those under the age of 18 and 8.3% of those 65 years and older were living below the poverty line.

As of July 1, 2017, the 2017 estimated population of Gatlinburg had increased to 4,163.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2017/PEPANNRES/1620000US4728800|title=American Fact Finder – Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2017 – Gatlinburg, Tennessee|website=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=June 16, 2018|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213160905/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2017/PEPANNRES/1620000US4728800|archive-date=February 13, 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Economy==

===Tourism===
[[File:Gatlinburg2.JPG|thumb|right|Shops in Gatlinburg]]
[[File:Ober Gatlinburg.jpg|thumb|right|Ober Gatlinburg aerial tramway]]

As the [[gateway community]] for [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]], Gatlinburg is an important tourist destination in Tennessee, with many man-made attractions. The Gatlinburg Trolley, a privately funded public transit system, caters to area tourists.<ref>Gatlinburg (Tourist Town Guides) {{ISBN|978-0-9792043-2-6}}</ref> The Gatlinburg SkyLift takes visitors up {{Convert|1,800|ft|m}} to the top of Crockett Mountain,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gatlinburgskylift.com/|title=The Best Seat in Gatlinburg|website=gatlinburgskylift.com|access-date=June 16, 2018}}</ref> to the longest footbridge in the US which spans two mountains.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/2019/05/15/skybridge-gatlinburg-opens-tennessee-attraction-suspension-bridge-smokies/1188335001/|title=SkyBridge Gatlinburg: Take a walk across the longest footbridge in the US}}</ref>

[[Ober Gatlinburg|Ober Mountain]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Ober Gatlinburg - Home - Ober Gatlinburg - Gatlinburg, TN |url=http://www.obergatlinburg.com/}}</ref> is the only [[ski resort]] in the state. It has eight ski trails, three chair lifts, and a wildlife encounter area and is accessible by road or aerial tramway. Originally known as Ober Gatlinburg, it was rebranded following its purchase in 2022 by local entrepreneur Joe Baker.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wojcik |first=Sarah |title=Ober Gatlinburg Under New Ownership - Ski Area Management |url=https://www.saminfo.com/news/sam-headline-news/10198-ober-gatlinburg-under-new-ownership |access-date=July 18, 2023 |website=www.saminfo.com |language=en-gb}}</ref>

[[Gatlinburg Space Needle]] provides views of the Smoky Mountains.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gatlinburgspaceneedle.com/|title=Gatlinburg Space Needle|website=gatlinburgspaceneedle.com|access-date=June 16, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://iristheater.com/|title=Gatlingburg Space Needle – Iris Theater|website=iristheater.com|access-date=June 16, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.impossibilitiesshow.com/ |title=Home |website=impossibilitiesshow.com}}</ref>

The Gatlinburg Arts and Crafts Community is an 8-mile loop located on the north side of town that focuses on preserving traditional mountain crafts.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gatlinburgcrafts.com/ |title=Home |website=gatlinburgcrafts.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.visitmysmokies.com/blog/gatlinburg/dining-gatlinburg/restaurants-in-great-smoky-arts-and-crafts-community/|title = 6 Amazing Restaurants in the Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community|date = October 23, 2017}}</ref>

The Ripley's group of attractions includes Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies and a number of themed exhibits.

Theme parks [[Dollywood]] and [[Dollywood's Splash Country]]—both named for [[Dolly Parton]]—are located in nearby [[Pigeon Forge]].

Museums include the [[Museum of Salt and Pepper Shakers]].

Gatlinburg has numbered intersections in the core of the town. The numbers hang from traffic lights or signs and are written on official tourist maps.

During the Christmas season, the downtown area is decorated with lights for a "Winterfest Celebration", with a trolley service and shuttle bus available.<ref>{{cite web|title=Smoky Mountain Winterfest|url=http://smokymountainwinterfest.com/gatlinburg/|access-date=September 14, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://pigeonforgewinterfest.com/trolley-tours/|title=Winterfest Trolley Tours In Pigeon Forge & Gatlinburg|work=Pigeon Forge Winterfest|access-date=November 30, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref>
[[File:GatlinburgAerial.jpg|thumb|An aerial view of Downtown Gatlinburg in July 2023]]
Because of the ease of obtaining a [[marriage license]] in Tennessee, Gatlinburg is a popular destination for weddings and honeymoons.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gatlinburg.com/weddings/search.asp?subcategory=Chapels |title= Wedding Chapels in Tennessee - Gatlinburg Wedding Chapels|website=www.gatlinburg.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320175758/http://www.gatlinburg.com/weddings/search.asp?subcategory=Chapels |archive-date=March 20, 2012}}</ref>

===Convention Center===
The Gatlinburg Convention Center has over {{Convert|67,000|ft2|m2}} of exhibit space.

The Convention Center hosts the annual week-long [[Gatlinburg Regional]], the largest non-National [[Contract bridge|bridge]] tournament in the U.S., which attracts over 3,000 players.

== Law enforcement agencies ==
The Gatlinburg Police Department, sometimes referred to as "GPD", is the primary law enforcement organization serving Gatlinburg, Tennessee in the United States. The department has a staff of 45 officers and 10 support personnel. The department maintains a large force size for a small town primarily due to the large volume of tourists that pass through the area annually.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

==Notable people==
* [[Felice and Boudleaux Bryant]]: Songwriting duo, who lived in Gatlinburg from 1978 onward, where they wrote numerous songs such as [[Rocky Top]]. They lived in the Gatlinburg Inn, and afterwards in The Bryant House which still hosts a museum with their belongings.
* [[Travis Meadows]] (born 1965): A country music singer and [[songwriter]] who has written songs for stars like [[Eric Church]], [[Wynonna Judd]] and [[Dierks Bentley]], Meadows started his songwriting career while living in Gatlinburg.
* [[John Henninger Reagan|John Reagan]] (1818–1905): Born in Gatlinburg, Reagan moved to Texas as an adult and became a career politician who served in the [[Texas House of Representatives]], the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]], the [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]], and as Postmaster General and Secretary of the Treasury for the [[Confederate States of America]].

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Gatlinburg, Tennessee}}
{{wikivoyage|Gatlinburg}}
<!---- DO NOT ADD COMMERCIAL LINKS TO THIS SECTION WITHOUT FIRST SUGGESTING THEM ON THE TALK PAGE ---->
* {{Official website|gatlinburgtn.gov}}
* [http://www.gatlinburg.com/experience/ Gatlinburg Department of Tourism] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623064629/http://www.gatlinburg.com/experience/ |date=June 23, 2015 }}

{{Sevier County, Tennessee}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Gatlinburg, Tennessee| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Cities in Sevier County, Tennessee]]
[[Category:Communities of the Great Smoky Mountains]]
[[Category:1800s establishments in Tennessee]]