Editing Polk County, Tennessee

{{short description|County in Tennessee, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox U.S. county
 | county               = Polk County
 | state                = Tennessee
 | seal                 = Seal of Polk County, Tennessee.png
 | founded              = November 28, 1839
 | named for            = [[James K. Polk]]<ref name=tehc>Marian Bailey Presswood, "[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=1066 Polk County]," ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture''. Retrieved: March 19, 2013.</ref>
 | seat wl              = Benton
 | largest city wl      = Benton
 | city type            = town
 | area_total_sq_mi     = 442
 | area_land_sq_mi      = 435
 | area_water_sq_mi     = 7.7
 | area percentage      = 1.7%
 | census yr            = 2020
 | pop                  = 17544 {{increase}}
 | density_sq_mi        = 40.33
 | time zone            = Eastern
 | footnotes            = 
 | web                  = www.polkgovernment.com
 | ex image             = Polk-County-Courthouse-Benton-tn.jpg
 | ex image cap         = Polk County Courthouse in Benton
 | district             = 3rd 
}}

'''Polk County''' is a [[County (United States)|county]] located in the southeastern corner of the [[U.S. state]] of [[Tennessee]]. As of the [[2020 United States census]], its population was 17,544.<ref name="QF">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/polkcountytennessee/PST045216|title=State & County QuickFacts|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=December 7, 2013}}</ref> Its [[county seat]] is [[Benton, Tennessee|Benton]].<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> The county was created on November 28, 1839, from parts of [[Bradley County, Tennessee|Bradley]] and [[McMinn County, Tennessee|McMinn]] counties, after final [[Indian Removal|removal]] of most [[Cherokee]] from the region that year. The county was named after then-governor (and future president) [[James K. Polk]]. Polk County is included in the [[Cleveland, Tennessee Metropolitan Area|Cleveland, Tennessee Metropolitan Area Statistical Area]], which is also included in the [[Chattanooga–Cleveland–Dalton, TN–GA–AL Combined Statistical Area]].

==History==
Prior to the settlement of the Europeans, Polk County was inhabited by the Cherokee, and before them, thousands of years of indigenous cultures. The portion of Polk County north of the [[Hiwassee River]] was ceded by the [[Cherokee Nation (1794–1907)|Cherokee Nation]] to the US in the [[Calhoun Treaty of 1819]]. The rest of the county was part of the Ocoee District. The Cherokee were [[Cherokee removal|forcibly removed]] from here in 1838-1839 and taken to [[Indian Territory]], in a passage that became known as the [[Trail of Tears]].<ref name=tehc/>

Polk County was created by an act of the [[Tennessee General Assembly]] on November 23, 1839. The location for the county seat of Benton was chosen by an election held on February 4, 1840.<ref name=tehc/>

Copper was discovered in Ducktown in 1843. By the 1850s, a large mining operation was underway in southeastern Polk County; the area became known as the [[Copper Basin (Tennessee)|Copper Basin]]. This operation continued until 1987, when the last mine closed.

During the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], Polk County was one of only six counties in [[East Tennessee]] to support the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]], voting in favor of Tennessee's ordinance of secession in June 1861. During the war, the copper mines supplied about 90% of the Confederacy's copper; their capture by Union forces after the Confederate defeat at the [[Chattanooga Campaign|Battles for Chattanooga]] in November 1863 proved a major blow to the Confederacy. On November 29, 1864, a series of raids by Confederate bushwhacker John P. Gatewood in Polk County resulted in at least 16 deaths.<ref name=tehc/>

The East Tennessee Power Company, later the [[Tennessee Electric Power Company]] (TEPCO), constructed two [[hydroelectric dam]]s on the Ocoee River, Ocoee Dams [[Ocoee Dam No. 1|1]] and [[Ocoee Dam No. 2|2]], which were completed in 1911 and 1913, respectively.<ref>James B. Jones Jr.  [https://www.tntech.edu/wrc/DuckRiverManual/PRE__TVA.pdf ''Towards an Understanding of the History and Material Culture of Pre-TVA Hydroelectric Development in Tennessee, 1900-1933'']{{Dead link|date=May 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. Retrieved: January 22, 2009. PDF.</ref>

TEPCO was later purchased by the [[Tennessee Valley Authority]] (TVA), founded in 1933. It constructed an additional dam on this river, [[Ocoee Dam No. 3]], completed in 1943, as well as the [[power station|powerhouse]] for [[Apalachia Dam]] on the Hiwassee River in northern Polk County, which was also completed in 1943.<ref>Tennessee Valley Authority, ''The Hiwassee Valley Projects Volume 2: The Apalachia, Ocoee No. 3, Nottely, and Chatuge Projects'', Technical Report No. 5 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1948), pp. 1-13, 40, 47, 63, 295, 494.</ref>

In 1973, a large music festival known as the "Midwest Monster Peace Jubilee and Music Festival", commonly known as the "Monster Peace Jubilee", was planned by Indiana-based promoter C.F. Manifest Inc. to take place on a 1,300-acre farm north of Benton on Labor Day of that year. The farm was owned by the county executive. (It has been redeveloped as the [[Chilhowee Gliderport]].) Nicknamed "Polkstock" due to its resemblance to 1969's [[Woodstock]] in [[Bethel, New York]], the event was expected to attract approximately 500,000 people. Locals strongly opposed it, especially members of the religious communities, who believed the festival would bring much of the perceived rock music culture. The festival was eventually halted by the state circuit court, on the request of the district attorney, who said that the festival would constitute a public nuisance, due to drug, health, and traffic problems.<ref>{{cite news|date=August 24, 1973|title=Judge Orders Festival Halted|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/56528159/judge-orders-festival-halted/|work=[[Kingsport Times-News]]|location=Kingsport, Tennessee|agency=United Press International|access-date=February 3, 2019|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

On May 27, 1983, a [[Benton fireworks disaster|massive explosion]] at a secret illegal [[fireworks]] factory killed eleven workers. The operation, located on a [[fishing bait|bait farm]] a few miles south of Benton, was unlicensed. It produced [[M-80 (explosive)|M-80]] and [[M-100 (explosive)|M-100]] fireworks, both illegal, and was the largest illegal fireworks operation in the United States to date.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jefferson |first1=Jon|last2=Bass|first2=William|date=September 4, 2007 |title=Beyond The Body Farm: A Legendary Bone Detective Explores Murders, Mysteries, and the Revolution in Forensic Science |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zDTGENPVTs4C |publisher=Harper Collins |pages=67–86 |isbn=978-0060875282 |author-link=www.jeffersonbass.com|via=Google Books}}</ref>

The [[Ocoee Whitewater Center]] was the site of the [[canoe slalom]] events for the [[1996 Summer Olympics]], based in [[Atlanta|Atlanta, Georgia]].

In April 2019, Polk County was the first county in Tennessee to become a "gun sanctuary", or [[Second Amendment sanctuary]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bowers |first=Larry C. |url=http://clevelandbanner.com/stories/polk-is-first-county-in-state-to-be-gun-sanctuary,97645 |title=Polk is first county in state to be 'gun sanctuary' |date=April 21, 2019 |work=[[Cleveland Daily Banner]] |access-date=February 22, 2020}}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|442|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|435|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|7.7|sqmi}} (1.7%) 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 9, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}}</ref> As the most southeastern county in Tennessee, it is the state's only county to share borders with both [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] and [[North Carolina]].

Most of the terrain of Polk County is mountainous, constituting part of the southern [[Blue Ridge Mountains]], among the southern [[Appalachian Mountains]]. The western edge of the county is part of the [[Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians]], which comprise about one-sixth of the county's land area. The [[Copper Basin (Tennessee)|Copper Basin]] is located in the extreme southeastern part of Polk County. [[Big Frog Mountain]], at an elevation of {{cvt|4,224|ft|m}}, is the county's highest point; west of Big Frog Mountain there is no higher point until the [[Black Hills]] of [[South Dakota]] or the [[Guadalupe Mountains]] of [[Texas]]. About 80% of the land area of Polk County is now part of the [[Cherokee National Forest]], covering most of the Blue Ridge portion of the county except for the Copper Basin and other small tracts. Most of the Ridge-and-Valley portion of the county is privately owned.

The [[Toccoa/Ocoee River|Ocoee River]], site of [[Whitewater Slalom|whitewater slalom]] events in the [[Atlanta]] [[1996 Summer Olympic Games]], runs through Polk County and is vital to one of the county's major industries, [[whitewater rafting]]. The calmer [[Hiwassee River]], a tributary of the [[Tennessee River]] which flows through northern Polk County, is also used for [[rafting]] and [[tubing (recreation)|tubing]]. The [[Conasauga River]], the only river in Tennessee that is not part of the [[Mississippi River#Watershed|Mississippi River Basin]], is located in southwestern Polk County.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Carey|first=Bill|date=October 2017|title=Conasauga River nearly became important in Tennessee history|url=https://www.tnmagazine.org/conasauga-river-nearly-became-important-tennessee-history/|journal=Tennessee Magazine|access-date=June 23, 2020}}</ref> Most of the population of Polk County lives in the Ridge-and-Valley western portion of the county and the Copper Basin.

===Adjacent counties===
[[File:Ocoee Scenic Byway.jpg|right|220px|thumb|View from the Ocoee Scenic Byway]]
*[[Monroe County, Tennessee|Monroe County]] (northeast)
*[[Cherokee County, North Carolina]] (east)
*[[Fannin County, Georgia]] (southeast)
*[[Murray County, Georgia]] (southwest)
*[[Bradley County, Tennessee|Bradley County]] (west)
*[[McMinn County, Tennessee|McMinn County]] (northwest)

===National protected areas===
*[[Big Frog Wilderness]] (part)
*[[Cherokee National Forest]] (part)

===State protected areas===
*William L. Davenport Refuge
*[[Ducktown Basin Museum]] and [[Burra Burra Mine (Tennessee)|Burra Burra Mine]] (state historic site)
*[[Fourth Fractional Township]] Wildlife Management Area
*[[Hiwassee/Ocoee Scenic River State Park]]

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1840= 3570
|1850= 6338
|1860= 8726
|1870= 7369
|1880= 7269
|1890= 8361
|1900= 11357
|1910= 14116
|1920= 14243
|1930= 15686
|1940= 15473
|1950= 14074
|1960= 12160
|1970= 11669
|1980= 13602
|1990= 13643
|2000= 16050
|2010= 16825
|2020= 17544
|estyear=
|estimate=
|estref=<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=July 20, 2019}}</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 9, 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 9, 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 9, 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 9, 2015}}</ref> 2010-2014<ref name="QF"/>
}}
{{Stack|[[Image:USA Polk County, Tennessee.csv age pyramid.svg|thumb|left|150px|Age pyramid Polk County<ref>Based on 2010 [[census]] data</ref>]]}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+Polk County racial composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US47139&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=December 25, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!scope="col"| Race
!scope="col"| Number
!scope="col"| Percentage
|-
!scope="row"| [[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
| 16,313
| 92.98%
|-
!scope="row"| [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
| 61
| 0.35%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
| 59
| 0.34%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
| 33
| 0.19%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
| 10
| 0.06%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
| 771
| 4.39%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
| 297
| 1.69%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 17,544 people, 7,383 households, and 5,239 families residing in the county.

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR8">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=July 7, 2018|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2010, there were 16,825 people, 6,653 households, and 4,755 families residing in the county. The [[population density]] was {{convert|38.7|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people&nbsp;|people|}}. There were 7,991 housing units at an average density of {{convert|18.4|/mi2|/km2}}. The racial makeup of the county was 97.53% [[White Americans|White]], 0.38% [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]], 0.30% [[African Americans|African American]], 0.14% [[Asian Americans|Asian]], 0.02% [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]], and 1.21% from [[Multiracial Americans|two or more races]]. Those of [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] origins, regardless of race, constituted 1.38% of the population.

There were 6,653 households, out of which 26.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.60% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.30% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.14% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 20 to 24, 10.20% from 25 to 34, 21.60% from 35 to 49, 21.70% from 50 to 64, and 17.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.5 years.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the county was $29,643, and the median income for a family was $36,370. Males had a median income of $27,703 versus $21,010 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the county was $16,025. About 9.70% of families and 13.00% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 13.80% of those under age 18 and 18.40% of those age 65 or over.

==Economy==
For most of its history, the mines in the Copper Basin were the largest source of employment in Polk County.<ref>{{cite thesis|last=Brooks|first=Jeanne M.|date=April 17, 1990|title=Polk County: An Appalachian Perspective
|publisher=University of Tennessee Honors Thesis Projects|url=https://trace.tennessee.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1053&context=utk_chanhonoproj|access-date=June 29, 2020}}</ref> As the copper mining industry began to decline, tourism associated with the Ocoee and Hiwassee Rivers began to overtake the copper mines as the largest industry in the county.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://questexpeditions.com/the-history-of-the-ocoee-river-blog/|title=Copper Mines to Whitewater Rafting: Some River History in Polk County Tennessee|date=June 19, 2015 |publisher=Quest Expeditions|access-date=June 29, 2020}}</ref> The first rafting company on the Hiwassee was established in 1969.<ref name=blueway>{{cite web|url=https://www.hiwasseeblueway.com/2016/04/one-tamest-waterways-southeast-tennessee-beginners-experience-whitewater-fun/|title=One of the Tamest Waterways in Southeast Tennessee for Beginners to Experience Whitewater Fun|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=April 29, 2016|website=hiwasseeblueway.com|publisher=Hiwassee River Blueway|access-date=June 29, 2020}}</ref> The shutdown of Ocoee Dam No. 2 to repair the flume line in September 1976 first made possible the rafting of the river's rapids, and several rafting companies were established during this time up until 1983, when the reconstruction was complete.<ref name=blueridge>{{cite web|url=https://theblueridgehighlander.com/history/tennessee_mountains/ocoee_river/index.php|title=The History of Ocoee River in Polk County Tennessee|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=<!--Needed-->|website=Blueridgehighlander.com|access-date=June 29, 2020}}</ref> Before the reconstruction project was complete, a struggle ensued between TVA and the rafting companies over usage of the river, which culminated in a 1984 agreement with TVA to schedule periodic releases of water through the dam at certain times of the year to allow for whitewater rafting. This agreement, set to expire in 2019, was renewed in 2017.<ref>{{cite news|last=Ahillen|first=Steve|date=July 4, 2017|title=Ocoee celebrates new contract to keep whitewater flowing|url=https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/2017/07/04/ocoee-celebrates-new-contract-keep-whitewater-flowing/444297001/|work=[[Knoxville News Sentinel]]|access-date=June 29, 2020}}</ref> During the same time, commercial rafting of the Hiwassee also greatly increased. Today, tourism associated with rafting, kayaking, and canoeing the Hiwassee and Ocoee Rivers is the largest sector of Polk County's economy, drawing more than 250,000 people to the area annually.<ref>{{cite news|date=November 12, 2016|title=Ocoee River draws throngs of thrill-seeking rafters|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/environment/2016/11/12/ocoee-river-draws-throngs-thrill-seeking-rafters/90839398/|work=[[The Tennessean]]|access-date=June 29, 2020}}</ref> The Ocoee River is now the most rafted river in the United States, with about 250,000 visitors annually,<ref>{{cite news|last=Coco|first=Claudia|date=June 6, 2019|title=Rafting on the Ocoee River brings millions in revenue for Polk County|url=https://www.wrcbtv.com/story/40606983/rafting-on-the-ocoee-river-brings-millions-in-revenue-for-polk-co|work=[[WRCB-TV]]|location=Chattanooga, Tennessee|access-date=June 29, 2020}}</ref> and more than 100,000 people raft the Hiwaseee River each year.<ref name=blueway/> Both rivers are ranked as two of the most visited tourist attractions in Tennessee.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://traveltips.usatoday.com/top-ten-places-tennessee-100050.html|title=Top Ten Places to Go in Tennessee|first=Johnny |last=Kampis|work=USA Today |access-date=August 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150812153205/http://traveltips.usatoday.com/top-ten-places-tennessee-100050.html|archive-date=August 12, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Education==
Public schools in Polk County are operated by the Polk County Schools district. High Schools include [[Copper Basin High School]] and [[Polk County High School (Tennessee)|Polk County High School]]. The district has one middle school, Chilhowee Middle. The district also has three elementary schools, Benton Elementary, South Polk Elementary and Copper Basin Elementary.<ref>{{cite web |title=POLK CO SCHOOLS |url=http://polk-schools.businesscatalyst.com/schools.html |website=polk-schools.businesscatalyst.com |publisher=Polk County Board of Education |access-date=July 7, 2018 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Communities==
[[File:Ducktown-Main-Street-TN68-tn.jpg|right|210px|thumb|[[Ducktown, Tennessee|Ducktown]]]]

===Cities===
*[[Copperhill, Tennessee|Copperhill]]
*[[Ducktown, Tennessee|Ducktown]]

===Town===
*[[Benton, Tennessee|Benton]] (county seat)

=== Census-designated places ===

* [[Conasauga, Polk County, Tennessee|Conasauga]]
* [[Delano, Tennessee|Delano]] (shared with McMinn County)
* [[Farner, Tennessee|Farner]]
* [[Ocoee, Tennessee|Ocoee]]

=== Unincorporated Communities ===
{{div col}}
* [[Ball Play, Polk County, Tennessee|Ball Play]]
* [[Belltown, Polk County, Tennessee|Belltown]]
* [[Benton Springs, Tennessee|Benton Springs]]
* [[Benton Station, Tennessee|Benton Station]]
*[[Harbuck, Tennessee|Harbuck]]
*[[Oldfort, Tennessee|Oldfort]]
*[[Parksville, Tennessee|Parksville]]
*[[Reliance, Polk County, Tennessee|Reliance]]
* [[Turtletown, Tennessee|Turtletown]]
{{div col end}}

==Politics==
{{PresHead|place=Polk 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 12, 2018}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|7,302|1,356|69|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|6,792|1,492|76|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|5,097|1,252|171|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|4,108|1,856|95|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|4,267|2,124|110|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|3,924|2,724|52|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|2,907|2,574|113|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|1,910|2,450|410|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|1,584|2,583|443|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|2,297|2,073|21|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|2,785|2,112|63|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1980|Democratic|2,414|2,470|76|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|1,835|3,284|36|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|2,285|1,431|56|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|1,808|1,454|754|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|1,685|2,113|0|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1960|Republican|2,187|1,532|32|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|2,136|1,533|0|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|2,283|1,821|0|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1948|Republican|1,529|1,412|49|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|378|4,842|6|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|562|3,611|0|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|1,755|2,283|24|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|1,642|2,540|0|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|1,760|1,012|12|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1924|Republican|1,247|1,150|34|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1920|Republican|1,018|775|18|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1916|Republican|887|767|17|Tennessee}}
{{PresFoot|1912|Democratic|533|867|631|Tennessee}}
{{clear}}

Like East Tennessee, Polk has always leaned Republican, though to a lesser extent than most counties in the region. However, during the [[Great Depression]] and [[World War II]], this changed drastically, with Polk County giving 92.7% of the vote to [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] in 1944 (it swung hard to the GOP between 1944 and 1948). Today, Polk County is very conservative, giving nearly 80% of its popular vote to Donald Trump in 2016- although it did support [[Bill Clinton]] (D-AR) twice.

== Transportation ==
===Highways===
*[[File:US 64.svg|25px|link=U.S. Route 64]] [[U.S. Route 64 in Tennessee|US-64]]
*[[File:US 74.svg|25px|alt=|link=U.S. Route 74]] [[U.S. Route 74|US-74]] 
*[[File:US 411.svg|25px|link=U.S. Route 411]] [[U.S. Route 411|US-411]]
*[[File:Tennessee 40.svg|25px|alt=|link=Tennessee State Route 60]] [[Tennessee State Route 40|SR-40]]
*[[File:Tennessee 30.svg|25px|alt=|link=Tennessee State Route 40]] [[Tennessee State Route 40|SR-30]]
*[[File:Tennessee 68.svg|25px|alt=|link=Tennessee State Route 68]] [[Tennessee State Route 68|SR-68]]
*[[File:Secondary Tennessee 74.svg|25px|alt=|link=Tennessee State Route 74]] [[Tennessee State Route 74|SR-74]]
*[[File:Secondary Tennessee 123.svg|25px|alt=|link=Tennessee State Route 123]] [[Tennessee State Route 123|SR-123]]
*[[File:Secondary Tennessee 163.svg|25px|alt=|link=Tennessee State Route 163]] [[Tennessee State Route 163|SR-163]]
*[[File:Secondary Tennessee 313.svg|25px|alt=|link=Tennessee State Route 313]] [[Tennessee State Route 313|SR-313]]
*[[File:Secondary Tennessee 314.svg|25px|alt=|link=Tennessee State Route 314]] [[Tennessee State Route 314|SR-314]]
*[[File:Secondary Tennessee 315.svg|25px|alt=|link=Tennessee State Route 123]] [[Tennessee State Route|SR-315]]

===Air===
Polk County is served by [[Martin Campbell Field]], a [[general aviation]] airport.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/aeronautics/airports/COPPERHILL_14.htm|title=MARTIN CAMPBELL FIELD - 1A3|author=<!--Not stated-->|website=tdot.state.tn.us|publisher=[[Tennessee Department of Transportation]]|access-date=May 18, 2020|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130713085723/http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/aeronautics/airports/COPPERHILL_14.htm|archive-date=July 13, 2013}}</ref> The [[Chilhowee Gliderport]] is an [[Federal Aviation Administration|FAA]]-licensed gliderport located near Benton.<ref>{{FAA-airport|ID=92A|use=PU|own=PR|site=22865.*G}}</ref>

==Notable people==
*[[Stan Beaver]], musician.
*[[Landrum Bolling]], journalist.
*[[Joel Eaves]], basketball coach.
*[[G. Earl Guinn]], university president.
*[[Elizabeth Hamer Kegan]], librarian.
*[[John E. Hutton]], U.S. representative.
*[[J. Chris Newton]], politician.<ref>{{cite web |title=J. Chris Newton |url=http://www.capitol.tn.gov/house/archives/99GA/Members/h22.htm |website=capitol.tn.gov |publisher=Tennessee General Assembly|access-date=July 14, 2020}}</ref>

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

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

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.polkgovernment.com/ Official site]
* [http://www.ocoeecountry.com/ Polk County/Copper Basin Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://www.tngenweb.org/polk Polk County, TNGenWeb] - free genealogy resources for the county

{{Geographic Location
|Centre    = Polk County, Tennessee
|North     =
|Northeast = [[Monroe County, Tennessee|Monroe County]]
|East      = [[Cherokee County, North Carolina]]
|Southeast = [[Fannin County, Georgia]]
|South     =
|Southwest = [[Murray County, Georgia]]
|West      = [[Bradley County, Tennessee|Bradley County]]
|Northwest = [[McMinn County, Tennessee|McMinn County]]
}}

{{Polk County, Tennessee}}
{{Tennessee}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|35.13|-84.52|type:adm2nd_region:US-TN_source:UScensus1990|display=title}}

[[Category:Polk County, Tennessee| ]]
[[Category:1839 establishments in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1839]]
[[Category:Cleveland metropolitan area, Tennessee]]
[[Category:Second Amendment sanctuaries in Tennessee]]
[[Category:East Tennessee]]