Editing Sequatchie County, Tennessee

{{short description|County in Tennessee, United States}}
{{Distinguish|Sequatchie, Tennessee}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox U.S. county
 | county               = Sequatchie County
 | state                = Tennessee
 | seal                 = 
 | founded              = December 9, 1857<ref name=tehc>Holly Anne Rine, "[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=1185 Sequatchie County]," ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture''. Retrieved: March 23, 2013.</ref>
 | named for            = [[Cherokee]] chief<ref>Larry Miller, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=zOzPQYkkbaAC&dq=sequatchie+named+cherokee&pg=PA239 Tennessee Place Names]'' (Indiana University Press, 2001), p. 239.</ref>
 | seat wl              = Dunlap
 | largest city wl      = Dunlap
 | area_total_sq_mi     = 266
 | area_land_sq_mi      = 266
 | area_water_sq_mi     = 0.2
 | area percentage      = 0.07%
 | census yr            = 2020
 | pop                  = 15826 {{increase}}
 | density_sq_mi        = 53
 | time zone            = Central
 | footnotes            = 
 | web                  = sequatchiecounty-tn.gov
 | ex image             = Sequatchie-county-ch-tn1.jpg
 | ex image cap         = Sequatchie County Courthouse in Dunlap
 | district             = 4th 
}}

'''Sequatchie County''' is a [[County (United States)|county]] located in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Tennessee]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population was 15,826.<ref>{{cite web|title=Census - Geography Profile: Sequatchie County, Tennessee|url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Sequatchie_County,_Tennessee?g=0500000US47153|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 7, 2023}}</ref> Its [[county seat]] is [[Dunlap, Tennessee|Dunlap]].<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> Sequatchie County is part of the [[Chattanooga, Tennessee|Chattanooga]], TN&ndash;[[Georgia (U.S. state)|GA]] [[Chattanooga metropolitan area|Metropolitan Statistical Area]].

==History==

Sequatchie County was created in 1857 from two districts of Marion County and one district of Bledsoe County. It was named for the Sequatchie Valley, which in turn had been named for a Cherokee chief. The word ''sequachee'' from {{Lang|chr|ᏏᏆ ᎤᏤᏥᏍᏘ}} {{Transliteration|chr|siqua utsedsdi}} in [[Cherokee language|Cherokee]] means 'opossum' or 'he grins.'<ref>"[http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/sep/18/sequatchie-valley-called-a-magnet-for/ Sequatchie Valley Called a 'Magnet' for Visitors]," ''Chattanooga Times Free Press'', September 18, 2011. Retrieved: November 5, 2013.</ref>  Settlers began arriving in what is now Sequatchie by the early 19th century, drawn to the area by the fertile land in the valley.<ref name=tehc />

At the outset of the Civil War, Sequatchie was divided over the issue of secession. On June 8, 1861, Sequatchie Countians voted in favor of Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession by a vote 153 to 100.<ref>Oliver Perry Temple, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=g8xYAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22The+detailed+vote+of+the+several+counties+was+as+follows%22&pg=PA199 East Tennessee and the Civil War]'' (R. Clarke Company, 1899), p. 199.</ref>  In October 1863, Confederate General [[Joseph Wheeler]] led a raid into Sequatchie, burning nearly a thousand wagons and capturing livestock.<ref name=tehc />

During the late 19th century, the Douglas Coal and Coke Company (later the Chattanooga Iron and Coal Corporation) conducted extensive mining activities in the Dunlap area. The company constructed 268 [[beehive oven]]s, now known as the [[Dunlap Coke Ovens]], to convert coal into [[coke (fuel)|coke]]. The ovens are now the focus of a local park.<ref name=tehc />

==Geography==
[[File:Sequatchie-valley-111-tn1.jpg|right|250px|thumb|View over Sequatchie County from an overlook off TN-111]]

According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|266|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|266|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|0.2|sqmi}} (0.07%) 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 14, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}}</ref>

Sequatchie is one of three counties (along with [[Bledsoe County, Tennessee|Bledsoe]] and [[Marion County, Tennessee|Marion]]) situated in the [[Sequatchie Valley]], a long, narrow valley running northeast-to-southwest across the eastern portion of the [[Cumberland Plateau]]. The county is flanked by the Plateau's [[Walden Ridge]] escarpment on the east. The [[Sequatchie River]], which spans the valley, passes through the county.

Two major highways, [[U.S. Route 127]] and [[Tennessee State Route 111]], intersect in Dunlap.

While the two other counties in the Sequatchie Valley, Bledsoe and Marion, are grouped with the [[East Tennessee]] grand division, Sequatchie is grouped with [[Middle Tennessee]].<ref name=tngenweb>TNGenWeb Project, [http://www.tngenweb.org/maps/tngrand3.htm Three Grand Divisions of Tennessee]. 1999. Retrieved: November 5, 2013.</ref>

===Adjacent counties===
*[[Van Buren County, Tennessee|Van Buren County]] (north)
*[[Bledsoe County, Tennessee|Bledsoe County]] (northeast)
*[[Hamilton County, Tennessee|Hamilton County]] (southeast/EST Border)
*[[Marion County, Tennessee|Marion County]] (southwest)
*[[Grundy County, Tennessee|Grundy County]] (west)
*[[Warren County, Tennessee|Warren County]] (northwest)

===State protected areas===
*[[Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park]] (part)
*[[North Chickamauga Creek Gorge State Park]] (part)
*Prentice Cooper State Forest (part)
*[[Savage Gulf State Park]] (part)

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1860= 2120
|1870= 2335
|1880= 2565
|1890= 3027
|1900= 3326
|1910= 4202
|1920= 3632
|1930= 4047
|1940= 5038
|1950= 5685
|1960= 5915
|1970= 6331
|1980= 8605
|1990= 8863
|2000= 11370
|2010= 14112
|2020= 15826
|estref=
|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 14, 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 14, 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 14, 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 14, 2015}}</ref> 2010-2014<ref name="QF">{{cite web|title=State & County QuickFacts|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/47/47153.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=December 7, 2013}}</ref> Its [[county seat]] is [[Dunlap, Tennessee|Dunlap]].<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>
}}
{{Stack|[[Image:USA Sequatchie County, Tennessee.csv age pyramid.svg|thumb|150px|left|Age pyramid Sequatchie County<ref>Based on 2000 [[census]] data</ref>]]}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+Sequatchie County racial composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US47153&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)
| 14,409
| 91.05%
|-
!scope="row"| [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
| 72
| 0.45%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
| 49
| 0.31%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
| 65
| 0.41%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
| 4
| 0.03%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
| 606
| 3.83%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
| 621
| 3.92%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 15,826 people, 5,528 households, and 4,192 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=May 14, 2011|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2010, there were 14,112 people, 4,463 households, and 3,311 families residing in the county. The population density was {{convert|43|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 4,916 housing units at an average density of {{convert|18|/mi2|/km2|adj=pre|units&nbsp;}}. The racial makeup of the county was 98.66% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 0.19% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 0.33% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 0.13% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 0.03% [[Race (United States Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.17% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.48% from two or more races. 0.82% of the population were [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race. Sequatchie County was mentioned as an "Extreme Whitopia" in [[Rich Benjamin]]'s book, ''[[Searching for Whitopia]]''.<ref>{{cite web|work=Richbenjamin.com|title=Searching for Whitopia|url=http://www.richbenjamin.com/whitopia.html|access-date=March 23, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121201063555/http://www.richbenjamin.com/whitopia.html|archive-date=December 1, 2012}}</ref>

There were 4,463 households, out of which 33.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.80% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.80% were non-families. 22.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.60% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 30.00% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 12.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,959, and the median income for a family was $36,435. Males had a median income of $27,535 versus $20,422 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the county was $16,468. About 13.50% of families and 16.50% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 21.50% of those under age 18 and 20.30% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==

Sequatchie County has a consolidated school system which is located in Dunlap. The system operates with a superintendent and an elected school board.

The Sequatchie County school system has three schools:

* Griffith Elementary School (grades: K–4th)
* [[Sequatchie County Middle School]] (grades: 5th–8th)
* [[Sequatchie County High School]] (grades: 9th–12th)

==Recreation==
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2021}}
Sequatchie County is known as "The Hang Gliding Capital of the East", due in part to the presence of an active [[hang gliding]] association, the Tennessee Tree Toppers. This group maintains a hang gliding ramp at Henson's Gap, along the eastern wall of the Sequatchie Valley, where favorable flying conditions allow these unpowered aircraft to fly well into northwestern Georgia and northeastern Alabama after launch. The gap is the site of numerous hang gliding competitions, and is a popular tourist attraction for aficionados of the sport from all over the world.

==Communities==
===City===
*[[Dunlap, Tennessee|Dunlap]] (county seat)

===Census-designated place===
*[[Lone Oak, Tennessee|Lone Oak]]

===Unincorporated communities===
*[[Brush Creek, Sequatchie, Tennessee|Brush Creek]]
*[[Cagle, Tennessee|Cagle]]
*[[Lewis Chapel, Tennessee|Lewis Chapel]]

==Media==

Sequatchie County is served by numerous local, regional and national media outlets which reach approximately one million people in four states including: [[Tennessee]], [[Alabama]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] and [[North Carolina]].

===Newspapers===
* The Dunlap Tribune: The periodical focuses its energy on highlighting events, sports and people in Dunlap, TN and Sequatchie County.

===Radio===
Sequatchie County is part of the Chattanooga [[Arbitron]] radio market. The following radio stations are licensed to cities within Sequatchie County:

;AM
* [[WSDQ]] 1190 [[AM broadcasting|AM]] – Country (Licensed to Dunlap)

;FM
* [[W227DM]] 93.3 - Country Roads 93.3 WSDQ (FM translator for WSDQ-AM Licensed to Dunlap)

==Notable people==
*[[Phil Douglas (baseball)|Phil Douglas]] (1890-1952), [[Major League Baseball]] player best known for playing with the [[1921 World Series]] winning [[1921 New York Giants season|New York Giants]].
*[[Dakota Hudson]] (1994–present), professional baseball player for St. Louis Cardinals
*[[James Israel Standifer|James Standifer]] (1779-1837), U.S. congressman<ref name=tehc />
*[[William Stone (Tennessee politician)|William Stone]] (1791-1853), U.S. congressman

==Politics==
{{PresHead|place=Sequatchie 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|6,522|1,292|76|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|5,855|1,298|99|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|4,441|1,053|200|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|3,541|1,489|123|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|3,610|1,717|110|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|2,951|1,986|46|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|2,169|1,648|70|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|1,391|1,598|309|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|1,381|1,754|424|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|1,659|1,196|14|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|1,785|1,238|19|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|1,512|1,509|31|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|1,065|1,733|44|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|1,298|629|83|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1968|American Independent|663|549|1,011|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|804|1,162|0|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|703|930|22|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1956|Democratic|683|859|14|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1952|Democratic|535|882|7|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|420|907|46|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|417|851|0|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|401|1,003|4|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|353|840|5|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|289|777|10|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1928|Democratic|298|383|0|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|247|374|5|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|509|545|3|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|238|335|6|Tennessee}}
{{PresFoot|1912|Democratic|139|354|122|Tennessee}}

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

==References==
<references />

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130316065720/http://www.sequatchiecounty-tn.gov/ Official site]
* [http://sequatchie.com/ Sequatchie County Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://www.sequatchieschools.net/ Sequatchie County Schools]
* [http://www.tngenweb.org/sequatchie Sequatchie County, TNGenWeb] - free genealogy resources for the county

{{Geographic Location
|Centre    = Sequatchie County, Tennessee
|North     = [[Van Buren County, Tennessee|Van Buren County]]
|Northeast = [[Bledsoe County, Tennessee|Bledsoe County]]
|East      =
|Southeast = [[Hamilton County, Tennessee|Hamilton County]]
|South     =
|Southwest = [[Marion County, Tennessee|Marion County]]
|West      = [[Grundy County, Tennessee|Grundy County]]
|Northwest = [[Warren County, Tennessee|Warren County]]
}}

{{Sequatchie County, Tennessee}}
{{Tennessee}}

{{coord|35.37|-85.41|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-TN_source:UScensus1990}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Sequatchie County, Tennessee| ]]
[[Category:1857 establishments in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Tennessee placenames of Native American origin]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1857]]
[[Category:Chattanooga metropolitan area counties]]
[[Category:Second Amendment sanctuaries in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Middle Tennessee]]