Scott County, Tennessee

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Scott County, Tennessee
Scott County Courthouse in Huntsville
Location in the state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location in the U.S.
Founded	1849
Named for	Winfield Scott
Seat	Huntsville
Largest town	Oneida
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	533 sq mi (1,380 km²) 532 sq mi (1,378 km²) 0.9 sq mi (2 km²), 0.2
Population  - (2020)  - Density	21,850 42/sq mi (16/km²)
Congressional district	3rd
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.scottcounty.com

Scott County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its county seat is Huntsville. Scott County is known for having seceded from Tennessee in protest of the state's decision to join the Confederacy during the Civil War, and subsequently forming The Free and Independent State of Scott.

History

Scott County was formed in 1849 from portions of Anderson, Campbell, Fentress and Morgan counties. It is named for U.S. Army General Winfield Scott, a hero of the Mexican War.

State of Scott

Main article: State of Scott

During the Civil War, the county was a Southern Unionist bastion, voting against secession from the Union in Tennessee's June 1861 referendum by a higher percentage (521 to 19, or 96%) than in any other Tennessee county. This sentiment was encouraged by a June 4, 1861, speech in Huntsville by U.S. Senator Andrew Johnson. In 1861, the county assembly officially enacted a resolution seceding from the state of Tennessee, and thus the Confederacy, forming the "Free and Independent State of Scott," also known simply as the "State of Scott." The county remained a pro-Union enclave throughout the war. Ulysses S. Grant received over 90% of the vote in Scott County during both the 1868 United States presidential election and the 1872 United States presidential election.

The proclamation was finally repealed, over a hundred years later, by Scott County in 1986.

Geography

Big South Fork of the Cumberland

US-27 at the Tennessee-Kentucky state line, looking south into Scott County

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 533 square miles (1,380 km²), of which 532 square miles (1,380 km²) is land and 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²) (0.2%) is water. The county is located in a relatively hilly area atop the Cumberland Plateau. In the southwestern part of the county, the Clear Fork and New River converge to form the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River, a major tributary of the Cumberland River, and the focus of a national river and recreation area.

U.S. Route 27 is the county's primary north–south road. State Route 63 connects Scott County with Campbell County to the east. State Route 52 connects Scott County with the Fentress County area to the west. A portion of State Route 297 connects Oneida with the Big South Fork Recreation Area. State Route 456 is another major road in the area.

Adjacent counties

• McCreary County, Kentucky (north)
• Campbell County (east)
• Anderson County (southeast)
• Morgan County (southwest)
• Fentress County (west/CST Border)
• Pickett County (northwest/CST Border)
• Wayne County, Kentucky (northwest)

National protected area

• Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area (part)

State protected areas

• North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area (part)
• Scott State Forest (part)
• Twin Arches State Natural Area (part)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	1,905		—
1860	3,519		84.7%
1870	4,054		15.2%
1880	6,021		48.5%
1890	9,794		62.7%
1900	11,077		13.1%
1910	12,947		16.9%
1920	13,411		3.6%
1930	14,080		5.0%
1940	15,966		13.4%
1950	17,362		8.7%
1960	15,413		−11.2%
1970	14,762		−4.2%
1980	19,259		30.5%
1990	18,358		−4.7%
2000	21,127		15.1%
2010	22,228		5.2%

1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2020 }}

Age pyramid Scott County

2020 census

Scott County racial composition

Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	20,957	95.91%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	32	0.15%
Native American	36	0.16%
Asian	51	0.23%
Other/Mixed	569	2.6%
Hispanic or Latino	205	0.94%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 21,850 people, 8,664 households, and 6,059 families residing in the county.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 21,127 people, 8,203 households and 6,012 families residing in the county. The population density was 40 per square mile (15/km²). There were 8,909 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.53% White, 0.09% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.10% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. 0.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 8,203 households, of which 35.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.20% were married couples living together, 11.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.70% were non-families. 24.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.02.

26.10% of the population were under the age of 18, 10.30% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 11.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 97.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.00 males.

The median household income was $24,093 and the median family income was $28,595. Males had a median income of $24,721 compared with $19,451 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,927. About 17.60% of families and 20.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.10% of those under age 18 and 17.10% of those age 65 or over.

Scott County, a part of the Cumberland Plateau, includes the majority of the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.

2010 ancestry

As of 2010, the largest self-reported ancestry groups in the county were:

• American - 18.1%
• English - 16.7%
• Irish - 8.4%
• German - 4.2%
• Scots-Irish - 3.2%
• Scottish - 2.0%
• Italian - 1.2%
• Polish - 1.1%

Education

Scott County School District (Website)

• Burchfield Elementary School; "The Rams" (Website) Archived February 3, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
• Farview Elementary School; "The Rebels" (Website) Archived March 28, 2022, at the Wayback Machine
• Huntsville Elementary School; "The Bears" (Website) Archived October 14, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
• Huntsville Middle School; "The Bears" (Website)
• Robbins Elementary School; "The Hawks" (Website)
• Scott High School; "The Highlanders" (Website) Archived November 2, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
• Winfield Elementary School; "The Bobcats" (Website) Archived July 23, 2020, at the Wayback Machine

Oneida Special School District (Website)

• Oneida Elementary School; "The Indians" (Website)
• Oneida Middle School; "The Indians" (Website)
• Oneida High School; "The Indians" (Website)

Private schools

• Landmark Christian School

Public safety

Includes the Scott County Sheriff Department; Oneida and Winfield Police Department; a full-time ambulance service with two stations; a volunteer rescue squad; and nine volunteer fire stations placed throughout the county.

Media

• The Independent Herald
• The Scott County News
• Hive 105, WBNT-FM

Communities

Towns

• Huntsville (county seat)
• Oneida
• Winfield

Census-designated places

• Elgin
• Helenwood
• Robbins

Unincorporated communities

• Isham
• Montgomery
• New River
• Rugby (partial)
• Winona

Politics

United States presidential election results for Scott County, Tennessee

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	8,004	88.42%	986	10.89%	62	0.68%
2016	6,044	84.85%	934	13.11%	145	2.04%
2012	5,117	76.74%	1,452	21.78%	99	1.48%
2008	4,931	72.70%	1,720	25.36%	132	1.95%
2004	4,509	59.11%	3,086	40.46%	33	0.43%
2000	3,579	54.10%	2,967	44.85%	69	1.04%
1996	2,646	46.94%	2,506	44.46%	485	8.60%
1992	3,011	46.91%	2,730	42.54%	677	10.55%
1988	2,562	61.10%	1,611	38.42%	20	0.48%
1984	3,107	62.63%	1,810	36.48%	44	0.89%
1980	3,014	62.38%	1,724	35.68%	94	1.95%
1976	2,432	51.42%	2,260	47.78%	38	0.80%
1972	2,775	79.24%	679	19.39%	48	1.37%
1968	2,406	58.24%	991	23.99%	734	17.77%
1964	2,406	54.52%	2,007	45.48%	0	0.00%
1960	3,301	74.84%	1,098	24.89%	12	0.27%
1956	3,282	79.10%	842	20.29%	25	0.60%
1952	3,274	73.82%	1,161	26.18%	0	0.00%
1948	2,016	66.67%	972	32.14%	36	1.19%
1944	1,971	69.60%	850	30.01%	11	0.39%
1940	2,187	59.93%	1,448	39.68%	14	0.38%
1936	2,012	70.67%	827	29.05%	8	0.28%
1932	1,890	64.29%	1,025	34.86%	25	0.85%
1928	2,700	91.59%	244	8.28%	4	0.14%
1924	1,611	77.71%	274	13.22%	188	9.07%
1920	2,537	90.54%	221	7.89%	44	1.57%
1916	1,486	82.24%	206	11.40%	115	6.36%
1912	123	7.49%	160	9.74%	1,359	82.76%
1908	1,932	89.99%	190	8.85%	25	1.16%
1904	1,567	90.26%	166	9.56%	3	0.17%
1900	1,498	89.59%	171	10.23%	3	0.18%
1896	1,691	88.67%	209	10.96%	7	0.37%
1892	1,198	83.43%	156	10.86%	82	5.71%
1888	1,418	89.46%	164	10.35%	3	0.19%
1884	969	88.17%	130	11.83%	0	0.00%
1880	582	82.09%	127	17.91%	0	0.00%

Notable people

• Howard Baker Sr.- U.S. Representative for Tennessee's 2nd congressional district.
• Howard Baker Jr. - U.S. senator from Tennessee; first Republican elected to the U.S. senate from Tennessee since Reconstruction.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Scott County, Tennessee

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Scott County, Tennessee

• Official website
• Scott County Chamber of Commerce
• Scott County at Curlie
• Scott Co, TN Genealogy
• Scott county Landforms

Template:Scott County, Tennessee