Editing Loudon County, Tennessee

{{short description|County in Tennessee, United States}}
{{Redirect|Loudon County|the county in Virginia|Loudoun County, Virginia}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox U.S. county
 | county               = Loudon County
 | state                = Tennessee
 | founded              = 1870
 | named for            = [[Fort Loudoun (Tennessee)|Fort Loudoun]]<ref>[http://www.state.tn.us/sos/bluebook/05-06/44-counties.pdf Origins Of Tennessee County Names], ''[[Tennessee Blue Book]]'' 2005-2006, pages 508-513</ref>
 | seat wl              = Loudon
 | largest city         = [[Lenoir City, Tennessee|Lenoir City]] (population)<br />Loudon (area)
 | area_total_sq_mi     = 247
 | area_land_sq_mi      = 229
 | area_water_sq_mi     = 18
 | area percentage      = 7.3%
 | census yr            = 2020
 | pop                  = 54886 
 | pop_est_as_of        = 2023
 | population_est       = 60591 {{gain}}
 | density_sq_mi        = auto
 | web = www.loudoncounty-tn.gov
 | leader_name          = Rollen "Buddy" Bradshaw
 | leader_title   = County Mayor
 | ex image             = Loudon County, Tennessee Courthouse.JPG
 | ex image cap         = The Loudon County Courthouse in [[Loudon, Tennessee|Loudon]]
 | time zone           = Eastern
 | district             = 2nd }}

'''Loudon County''' is a [[County (United States)|county]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Tennessee]]. It is located in the central part of [[East Tennessee]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population was 54,886.<ref name="QF">{{cite web|title=State & County QuickFacts |url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/47/47105.html |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=December 3, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607143110/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/47/47105.html |archive-date=June 7, 2011 }}</ref> Its [[county seat]] is [[Loudon, Tennessee|Loudon]].<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=June 7, 2011|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref> Loudon County is included in the [[Knoxville, Tennessee|Knoxville]], TN [[Knoxville metropolitan area|Metropolitan Statistical Area]].

==History==
{{See also|Blair's Ferry Storehouse|Lenoir Cotton Mill}}
Loudon County was formed on May 27, 1870, from portions of [[Roane County, Tennessee|Roane]], [[Monroe County, Tennessee|Monroe]] and [[Blount County, Tennessee|Blount]] counties.<ref name=tehc>Joe Spence, "[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=810 Loudon County]," ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture''. Retrieved: October 22, 2013.</ref>  Originally, it was named Christiana County, but a few days later the name was changed to Loudon in honor of nearby colonial-era [[Fort Loudoun (Tennessee)|Fort Loudoun]]. The fort was named for [[John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun]] and a commander of British forces during the [[French and Indian Wars]]. In August 1870, the county officers were chosen. On September 5, 1870, the county court was organized at the Baptist Church in Loudon. This church became the temporary quarters of the county court until the new building, built by J. W. Clark & Brothers, was finished in 1872.<ref name=tehc /> 
[[Bussell Island]], at the mouth of the Little Tennessee River, was inhabited by Native Americans for several thousand years before the arrival of the region's first European settlers.<ref>M.R. Harrington, ''Cherokee and Earlier Remains on Upper Tennessee River'' (New York: Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, 1922), pp. 61–82.</ref>  The [[Overhill Cherokee]] village of [[Mialoquo (Cherokee town)|Mialoquo]] was located along the Little Tennessee near modern Tellico Village.<ref>Kurt Russ and Jefferson Chapman, ''Archaeological Investigations at the Eighteenth Century Overhill Cherokee Town of Mialoquo (40MR3)'' (University of Tennessee Department of Anthropology, Report of Investigations 37, 1983), pp. 16-18.</ref>  Fort Loudoun was constructed by the British near modern [[Vonore, Tennessee|Vonore]] in 1756, and was destroyed by the Cherokee four years later.
[[File:Loudon County Creation.svg|left|thumb|Loudon County was formed from parts of [[Roane County, Tennessee|Roane]], [[Monroe County, Tennessee|Monroe]] and [[Blount County, Tennessee|Blount]] counties.]]
One of the earliest American settlements in what is now Loudon County was a river port and ferry known as [[Morganton, Tennessee|Morganton]], once located on the banks of the Little Tennessee River near modern Greenback. Morganton thrived during the early 19th century, but declined with the rise of the railroad in the latter half of the century. The town's remnants were inundated by Tellico Lake in the 1970s.<ref>James Polhemus and Richard Polhemus, ''An Assessment of the Archaeological Potential of Townsite of Morganton in Loudon County, Tennessee'' (Knoxville, Tenn.: Tennessee Valley Authority, 1978), pp. 1-2.</ref>

Lenoir City is rooted in a plantation established by [[William Ballard Lenoir]] in 1810, which by the 1850s included a railroad stop known as Lenoir Station. The Lenoir City Company, established by Knoxville financiers [[Charles McClung McGhee]] and [[Edward J. Sanford]], platted modern Lenoir City in the 1890s.<ref>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. 74-79.</ref>

The town of Loudon began as a ferry and later steamboat stop known as Blair's Ferry, established by James Blair and his brother-in-law, John Hudson Carmichael, in the 1810s. The town changed its name to "Loudon" during the early 1850s, when it expanded following the arrival of the railroad.<ref>Benhart, ''Appalachian Aspirations'', pp. 23-25.</ref>  The railroad bridge at Loudon was one of eight bridges targeted for destruction by Union guerillas as part of the [[East Tennessee bridge-burning conspiracy]] in November 1861, at the outset of the Civil War. The bridge was too well-guarded by Confederate sentries, however, and the guerillas abandoned the effort.<ref>[[Oliver Perry Temple]], ''East Tennessee and the Civil War'' (Cincinnati: The Robert Clark Company, 1899), pp. 370–406.</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Philadelphia-Bacon-Creek-bridge-tn1.jpg|right|210px|thumb|Creek in [[Philadelphia, Tennessee|Philadelphia]]]]
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|247|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|229|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|18|sqmi}} (7.3%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_47.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 7, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}}</ref>

The [[Little Tennessee River]] joins the [[Tennessee River]] at Lenoir City. The lower part of the Little Tennessee River is part of Tellico Lake, created by [[Tellico Dam]] near the mouth of the river.  [[Fort Loudoun Dam]] spans the Tennessee River just upstream from its confluence with the Little Tennessee, creating Fort Loudoun Lake. The section of the river downstream from Fort Loudoun Dam is part of [[Watts Bar Dam|Watts Bar Lake]].

===Adjacent counties===
*[[Knox County, Tennessee|Knox County]] (northeast)
*[[Blount County, Tennessee|Blount County]] (east)
*[[Monroe County, Tennessee|Monroe County]] (south)
*[[McMinn County, Tennessee|McMinn County]] (southwest)
*[[Roane County, Tennessee|Roane County]] (northwest)

===State protected areas===
*Tellico Lake Wildlife Management Area (part)

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| 1880 = 9148
| 1890 = 9273
| 1900 = 10838
| 1910 = 13612
| 1920 = 16275
| 1930 = 17805
| 1940 = 19838
| 1950 = 23182
| 1960 = 23757
| 1970 = 24266
| 1980 = 28553
| 1990 = 31255
| 2000 = 39086
| 2010 = 48556
| 2020 = 54886
| estyear = 2023
| estimate = 60591
| estref = <ref name="USCensusEst2023">{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2023/counties/totals/co-est2023-pop.xlsx| title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023|publisher= United States Census Bureau|access-date=March 14, 2024}}</ref>
| align-fn = center
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 7, 2015}}</ref><br />1790-1960<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=April 7, 2015}}</ref> 1900-1990<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/tn190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|editor-last=Forstall|editor-first=Richard L.|date=March 27, 1995|access-date=April 7, 2015}}</ref><br />1990-2000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|date=April 2, 2001|access-date=April 7, 2015}}</ref> 2010-2014<ref name="QF"/>
}}
{{Stack|[[Image:USA Loudon County, Tennessee.csv age pyramid.svg|thumb|150px|left|Age pyramid Loudon County<ref>Based on [[2000 United States Census|2000 census]] data</ref>]]}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+Loudon County racial composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US47105&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)
| 46,419
| 84.57%
|-
!scope="row"| [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
| 578
| 1.05%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
| 95
| 0.17%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
| 450
| 0.82%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
| 2
| 0.0%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
| 1,986
| 3.62%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
| 5,356
| 9.76%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 54,886 people, 20,669 households, and 14,615 families residing in the county. Approximately, 30,449 people<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST5Y2022.S0601?g=050XX00US47105_160XX00US4743780 |access-date=February 29, 2024 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref> are native to the state.

===2010 census===
As of the census of [[2010 United States Census|2010]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=September 19, 2019|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> there were 48,556 people, 19,826 households, and 14,483 families living in the county. The population density was {{convert|212.03|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|persons&nbsp;|persons|}}. The housing unit density was {{convert|86.58|/mi2|/km2|adj=pre|units&nbsp;}}. The [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census#2010 census|racial makeup]] of the county was 95.35% [[White Americans|White]], 1.11% [[African Americans|African American]], 0.28% [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]], 0.59% [[Asian Americans|Asian]], 0.10% [[Pacific Islands Americans|Pacific Islander]], and 1.08% from [[Multiracial Americans|two or more races]]. 6.99% were [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] of any race.

Of the 19,826 households, 23.52% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 60.10% were married couples, 4.13% had a male householder with no wife present, 8.82% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.95% were non-families. 23.21% were one person and 11.17% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.82.

The age distribution was 20.32% under the age of 18, 58.19% ages 18 to 64, and 21.49% age 65 and older. The median age was 46.0 years. 50.93% of the population were females and 49.07% were males.

The [[Median household income in the US|median household income]] in the county was $49,343, and the [[median family income]] was $59,044. Males had a median income of $44,110, versus $29,441 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,046. About 9.2% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the [[Poverty line in the United States|poverty line]], including 23.8% of those under the age of 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 and over.

===2000 census===
At the [[2000 United States Census|2000 census]] there were 39,086 people, 15,944 households, and 11,798 families living in the county. The population density was {{convert|171|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people&nbsp;|people|}}. There were 17,277 housing units at an average density of {{convert|76|/mi2|/km2|adj=pre|units&nbsp;}}. The [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census#2000 census|racial makeup]] of the county was 95.90% White, 1.14% Black or African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.43% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. 2.29% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.<ref name="GR8">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=May 14, 2011|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
Of the 15,944 households 28.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.70% were married couples living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.00% were non-families. 22.80% of households were one person and 10.10% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.82.

The age distribution was 21.90% under the age of 18, 6.70% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 27.70% from 45 to 64, and 16.20% 65 or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.10 males.

The median household income was $40,401 and the median family income was $46,517. Males had a median income of $33,567 versus $23,164 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,061. About 6.90% of families and 10.00% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 12.80% of those under age 18 and 9.00% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
The public schools in all areas of the county except Lenoir City are operated by Loudon County Schools.

===Loudon County Schools===

* Loudon High School
* Greenback School (K-12)
* Fort Loudoun Middle School
* North Middle School
* Eaton Elementary School
* Highland Park Elementary School
* Loudon Elementary School
* Philadelphia Elementary School
* Steekee Elementary School
*Loudon County Technology Center

===Lenoir City Schools===
* Lenoir City High School
* Lenoir City Intermediate/Middle School
* Lenoir City Elementary School

==Communities==

===Cities===
*[[Greenback, Tennessee|Greenback]]
*[[Lenoir City, Tennessee|Lenoir City]]
*[[Loudon, Tennessee|Loudon]]
*[[Philadelphia, Tennessee|Philadelphia]]

===Towns===
*[[Farragut, Tennessee|Farragut]] (partial)

===Census-designated place===
*[[Rarity Bay, Tennessee|Rarity Bay]] (partly in [[Monroe County, Tennessee|Monroe Co.]])
*[[Tellico Village, Tennessee|Tellico Village]]

===Unincorporated communities===
*[[Dixie Lee Junction, Tennessee|Dixie Lee Junction]]
*[[Unitia, Tennessee|Unitia]]

==Politics==
Loudon County has long been a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. It has voted Republican in all but one presidential election since 1916, with the sole exception being 1976 when [[Jimmy Carter]] narrowly won the county.

{{PresHead|place=Loudon County, Tennessee|source=<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=March 11, 2018}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|25,226|7,625|358|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|21,713|6,948|686|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|17,610|4,919|862|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|16,707|5,058|308|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|15,815|6,058|311|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|14,041|5,708|115|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|10,266|5,905|235|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1996|Republican|7,097|5,552|1,081|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1992|Republican|6,444|5,414|1,652|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|7,122|3,480|77|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|7,113|3,227|65|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|6,382|3,699|295|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|4,458|4,683|92|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|5,357|1,604|170|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|4,299|1,581|1,996|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1964|Republican|4,148|3,365|0|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1960|Republican|5,356|2,722|103|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|4,583|2,844|97|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|4,311|2,138|32|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1948|Republican|2,605|1,673|237|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1944|Republican|3,147|1,632|8|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1940|Republican|2,226|2,068|23|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1936|Republican|2,343|2,146|18|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1932|Republican|1,817|1,629|57|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|2,127|589|3|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1924|Republican|1,533|703|66|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1920|Republican|1,872|686|17|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1916|Republican|698|423|3|Tennessee}}
{{PresFoot|1912|Democratic|322|415|354|Tennessee}}

==See also==
*[[National Register of Historic Places listings in Loudon County, Tennessee]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.loudoncounty-tn.gov Official site]
* [http://www.tngenweb.org/loudon Loudon County, TNGenWeb] - free genealogy resources for the county

{{Geographic Location
|Centre    = Loudon County, Tennessee
|North     =
|Northeast = [[Knox County, Tennessee|Knox County]]
|East      = [[Blount County, Tennessee|Blount County]]
|Southeast =
|South     = [[Monroe County, Tennessee|Monroe County]]
|Southwest = [[McMinn County, Tennessee|McMinn County]]
|West      =
|Northwest = [[Roane County, Tennessee|Roane County]]
}}

{{Loudon County, Tennessee}}
{{Knoxville Metro}}
{{Tennessee}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|35.73|-84.31|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-TN_source:UScensus1990}}

[[Category:Loudon County, Tennessee| ]]
[[Category:1870 establishments in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1870]]
[[Category:Knoxville metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Second Amendment sanctuaries in Tennessee]]
[[Category:East Tennessee]]