Blaine, Tennessee

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox settlement Blaine, formerly known as Blaine's Crossroads,<ref name="burr"/> is a city in Grainger County, Tennessee, United States,<ref name="gnis"/> and a suburb of neighboring Knoxville.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is part of both the Knoxville Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Morristown Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,084 at the 2020 census.<ref name="Census 2010">Template:Cite web Template:Dead link Template:Cbignore</ref>

History

Blaine was originally known as Blaine's Crossroads (sometimes spelled "Blain"). During the early 19th century, it was located at the intersection of several important roads,<ref name="burr">David H. Burr, "Map of Kentucky and Tennessee Exhibiting the Post Offices, Post Roads, Canals, Rail Roads, etc.," The American Atlas (J. Arrowsmith: 1839). Accessed at the Library of Congress American Memory Collection, 2015.</ref> including the eastern terminus of the Emory Road (present day SR 61), which traversed northern Knox County,<ref>Tennessee Historical Commission marker 1B8, "Emory Road." Accessed: July 18, 2015.</ref> the northern terminus of Indian Ridge Road, and the Great Indian Warpath, present-day U.S. Route 11W.<ref name="burr"/> Shields' Station, a popular tavern and store, had been built in Blaine by the early 1830s. Blaine later served as a stop along the Knoxville and Bristol Railroad, also known as the Peavine Railroad, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.<ref>Carroll Van West, Tennessee's Historic Landscapes (University of Tennessee Press, 1995), p. 168.</ref>

During the American Civil War, Blaine's Crossroads served as the site of retreat of Confederate forces following General James Longstreet's victory in the Battle of Bean's Station.<ref name="bosse">Template:Cite web</ref> Longstreet and his forces attempted to siege westward into Blaine's Crossroads, as part of the Knoxville campaign to capture the city of Knoxville.<ref name="bosse"/> Union army forces retreating from Bean's Station moved into Blaine's Crossroads, making a stronger defense at the community for Union military forces.<ref name="bosse"/> Overmatched by the strength of the Union Army, Longstreet and his forces retreated at Blaine's Crossroads, ending the Confederacy's attempt at controlling Knoxville.<ref name="bosse"/>

Around 1890, a Pennsylvania native named Robert Blaine opened and operated a general store in the community. As the community grew, Blaine was chosen as the namesake of the city.<ref name="placename"/>

In the late 19th to the early 20th century, Blaine was a stop on the Knoxville and Bristol Railroad, commonly known by locals as the "Peavine Railroad."<ref name="peavine">Template:Cite book</ref> The line ran from the City of Morristown in Hamblen County, through the Richland Valley to the bedroom community of Corryton, north of Blaine in unincorporated Knox County.<ref name="peavine"/> With the creation of the railroad, Blaine saw a significant change from a small turnpike town, to a bustling railroad town.<ref name="peavine"/>

On December 31, 1952, country music singer Hank Williams was spotted during his last ride in Blaine following his departure from the Andrew Johnson Hotel in downtown Knoxville.<ref name="hanksr"/> Falling severely ill after a dinner at the hotel, Williams asked his driver, Charles Carr, drive him from Knoxville to Charleston, West Virginia for a concert in the same day.<ref name="hanksr"/> Arriving in Blaine, Williams' car was stopped by a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper for speeding.<ref name="hanksr"/> The state trooper had seen Williams lying motionless in the back of the car during the stop and assumed that he was dead.<ref name="hanksr"/> Carr insisted that Williams was sedated from a Knoxville doctor's order. The trooper fined Carr $25 for speeding, and later paid this fine at the Grainger County Courthouse in Rutledge.<ref name="hanksr">Template:Cite book</ref>

In 1978, waste management company Browning-Ferris Industries announced plans for a large sanitary landfill to service the needs of Knoxville in Blaine. The proposal would prompt community members to petition and vote to incorporate Blaine into a city in the same year. Blaine residents would also use acts of vandalism (notably arson) and violence against Browning-Ferris and construction companies contracted to build the landfill to oppose the project. The largest of these acts resulted in the destruction of the Knoxville office of Browning-Ferris via bomb, costing the company $50,000.<ref name="blast">Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2007, the city received $520,560 in funding from the Economic Development Administration, and $867,600 towards developing the city's sewage treatment system for proposed commercial and industrial sites.<ref name="EDA">Template:Cite web</ref> The project created nearly 175 jobs in the city and the potential of $12.525 million in private investment.<ref name="EDA"/> In 2010, the Blaine City Council moved forward with the sewer project despite previous hurdles with local opposition.<ref name="hurdle">Template:Cite news</ref>

Geography

Blaine is located in the southwest corner of Grainger County at Template:Coord (36.150854, -83.700443).<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> It is situated around the intersection of U.S. Route 11W (Rutledge Pike), Tennessee State Route 61, and Indian Ridge Road. The city is southeast of the point where Grainger, Knox, and Union counties meet. Clinch Mountain and adjacent ridges rise prominently to the north and northeast, and House Mountain is visible to the southwest.

It is Template:Convert southwest of Rutledge, the county seat, Template:Convert southeast of Maynardville, and Template:Convert northeast of Knoxville. Blaine is connected to Knoxville and Rutledge via U.S. Route 11W and Maynardville via TN-61.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of Template:Convert, all of it land.<ref name="Census 2010"/>

Demographics

Template:US Census population

2020 census

Blaine racial composition<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	1,942	93.19%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	20	0.96%
Native American	2	0.1%
Asian	7	0.34%
Pacific Islander	1	0.05%
Other/Mixed	69	3.31%
Hispanic or Latino	43	2.06%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,084 people, 815 households, and 613 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the census<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 1,585 people, 636 households, and 478 families residing in the town. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 680 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the town was 96.91% White, 1.07% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.63% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.01% of the population.

There were 636 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.7% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.2% 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 2.87.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.5% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,677, and the median income for a family was $35,417. Males had a median income of $26,213 versus $20,707 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,587. About 11.7% of families and 14.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.9% of those under age 18 and 27.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

In its retail and commercial markets, Blaine has a small amount of restaurants, stores and professional services. A Food City supermarket that opened in 2015,<ref name="culver">Template:Cite news</ref> is the only grocery store in Blaine.<ref name="businesses">Template:Cite web</ref>

Economic growth and development has appeared to make significant gains in the city after the construction of sewage treatment plant on the easternmost part of the city near the unincorporated community of Lea Springs.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Dead link</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Since the wastewater system project's completion in the early 2010s, Blaine has seen a massive boost in commercial development and population growth, both of which were contributed to the project, the planning of a business park site,<ref name="industrial">Template:Cite news</ref> and the city's proximity to Knoxville appealing to commuters.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Arts and culture

Historic sites

Lea Springs (located east of town in ZIP code)
Richland
Shields' Station
Janeway Cabin<ref name="bossecabin">Template:Cite web</ref>
Emory Road<ref name="raby">Template:Cite web</ref>

Government

Blaine uses the mayor-council system, which was established in 1978 when the city was incorporated. It is governed locally by a nine-member city council.<ref name="mtas"/>

The citizens elect the mayor and eight council members to four-year terms. The board elects a vice mayor from among the eight council members.

List of mayors

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J.W. Speegle, 1978-1980
Eddie Earl, 1980-1982
William Newman, 1982-1984
Billy Freeman, 1984-1987
W. Adrian Cameron, 1987-1989
Eddie Hamilton, 1989-1993
Vickie Vineyard, 1993-2005
Patsy McElhaney, 2005–2018
Marvin Braden, 2018–present

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Blaine is represented in the 35th District of the Tennessee House of Representatives by Jerry Sexton, a Republican.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

It is represented in the 8th District of the Tennessee Senate by Frank Niceley, also a Republican.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Blaine is represented in the United States House of Representatives by Republican Tim Burchett of the 2nd congressional district.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Infrastructure

Utilities

Knoxville Utilities Board provides electricity to Blaine and parts of its outskirts inside the Blaine zip code, 37709.<ref name="kub">Template:Cite web</ref>

Luttrell-Blaine-Corryton Utility District (LBCUD) provides municipal water services to Blaine.<ref name="lbcabout">Template:Cite web</ref>

The City of Blaine operates and owns its wastewater treatment system and plant, with the LBCUD contracted to perform the billing and collection for sewer services and its fees.<ref name="lbcsewer">Template:Cite web</ref>

Transportation

All U.S. routes and state routes in Blaine are maintained by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) in TDOT Region 1, which consists of 24 counties in East Tennessee.<ref name="tdot">Template:Cite web</ref> Streets, sidewalks, and greenways in the Blaine city limits are the City of Blaine Public Works Department.<ref name="citymap">Template:Cite web</ref>