Calhoun, Tennessee
Encyclopedia
Calhoun is a town in McMinn County, Tennessee
, United States
. The population was 496 at the 2000 census.
, which flows down from the Appalachian Mountains
to the east and empties into the Chickamauga Lake
impoundment of the Tennessee River
a few miles to the west. The river forms the boundary between McMinn County and Bradley County. The town of Charleston
is located across the river to the south, on the Bradley County side.
Calhoun is centered around the junction of U.S. Route 11
, which connects the town to Athens, Tennessee
to the north and Charleston and Cleveland
to the south, and State Route 163 (Bowater Road), which connects Calhoun to U.S. Route 411
in Delano to the east and Interstate 75
and Meigs County
to the west.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), of which, 1 square miles (2.6 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (4.67%) is water.
of 2000, there were 496 people, 205 households, and 148 families residing in the town. The population density
was 486.4 people per square mile (187.8/km²). There were 225 housing units at an average density of 220.6 per square mile (85.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.78% White, 0.81% African American, 1.01% Asian, and 0.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.43% of the population.
There were 205 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were married couples
living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the town the population was spread out with 22.6% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 29.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 101.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $38,438, and the median income for a family was $44,688. Males had a median income of $36,563 versus $20,333 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $19,984. About 5.3% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.
grandson of Nancy Ward
and a prominent figure in the formation of McMinn County. Walker operated a ferry along the Hiwassee River and helped contract the Cherokee Turnpike Company in 1806, which maintained the road between Knoxville and Georgia. In 1819, Walker helped negotiate the Calhoun Treaty, in which the Cherokee ceded the remaining lands between the Little Tennessee River
and the Hiwassee River, including what is now McMinn County. McMinn County was organized at Walker's house that same year. In 1820, Walker laid out the town of Calhoun, which he named for the Calhoun Treaty's chief U.S. negotiator, John C. Calhoun
. Walker would eventually be assassinated by two anti-removal Cherokees, who felt he had betrayed the Cherokee Nation.
There is one government building in the city which functions as the town's library, courthouse, police station, and fire station. Directly across the road from this building is a baseball field where Little League games are held.
On December 11, 1990, a heavy fog led to a crash involving 99 vehicles along Interstate 75 near Calhoun, killing 12 and injuring 42. As a result, the National Transportation Safety Board
has installed electronic speed limit signs equipped with fog sensors along the Calhoun section of the interstate.
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 496 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Calhoun is situated along the north bank of the Hiwassee RiverHiwassee River
The Hiwassee River has its headwaters on the north slope of Rocky Mountain in Towns County in northern Georgia and flows northward into North Carolina before turning westward into Tennessee, flowing into the Tennessee River a few miles west of State Route 58 in Meigs County, Tennessee...
, which flows down from the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
to the east and empties into the Chickamauga Lake
Chickamauga Lake
Chickamauga Lake is a United States reservoir along the Tennessee River created when the Chickamauga Dam, as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority, was completed in 1940. The lake stretches from Watts Bar Dam at mile 529.9 to Chickamauga Dam at mile 471.0 making the lake 58.9 miles long...
impoundment of the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
a few miles to the west. The river forms the boundary between McMinn County and Bradley County. The town of Charleston
Charleston, Tennessee
Charleston is a city in Bradley County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 651 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Cleveland, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
is located across the river to the south, on the Bradley County side.
Calhoun is centered around the junction of U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11 is a north–south United States highway extending 1,645 miles across the eastern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 90 in the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge in eastern New Orleans, Louisiana. The northern terminus is at the United...
, which connects the town to Athens, Tennessee
Athens, Tennessee
Athens is a city in McMinn County, Tennessee, United States. It is the county seat of McMinn County and the principal city of the Athens Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the larger Chattanooga-Cleveland-Athens Combined Statistical Area. The population was 13,220 at the 2000...
to the north and Charleston and Cleveland
Cleveland, Tennessee
Cleveland is a city in Bradley County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 41,285 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Bradley County...
to the south, and State Route 163 (Bowater Road), which connects Calhoun to U.S. Route 411
U.S. Route 411
U.S. Highway 411 is an alternate parallel-highway associated with U.S. Highway 11. U.S. 411 extends for about 313 miles from U.S. Route 78 in Leeds, Jefferson County, Alabama, to U.S. Highway 25 in Newport, Cocke County, Tennessee. U.S. 411 passes through the northeastern State of Alabama, the...
in Delano to the east and Interstate 75
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
and Meigs County
Meigs County, Tennessee
Meigs County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 11,753. Its county seat is Decatur.-History:Before 1819, the area that is now Meigs County was Cherokee territory. White settlers established ferries to cross the Tennessee River from Rhea County as...
to the west.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), of which, 1 square miles (2.6 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (4.67%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 496 people, 205 households, and 148 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 486.4 people per square mile (187.8/km²). There were 225 housing units at an average density of 220.6 per square mile (85.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.78% White, 0.81% African American, 1.01% Asian, and 0.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.43% of the population.
There were 205 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the town the population was spread out with 22.6% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 29.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 101.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $38,438, and the median income for a family was $44,688. Males had a median income of $36,563 versus $20,333 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $19,984. About 5.3% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.
History
The Calhoun area was settled by John Walker (c. 1770-1834), a part-CherokeeCherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
grandson of Nancy Ward
Nancy Ward
Nanyehi , known in English as Nancy Ward was a Ghigau, or Beloved Woman of the Cherokee Nation, which meant that she was allowed to sit in councils and to make decisions, along with the other Beloved Women, on pardons...
and a prominent figure in the formation of McMinn County. Walker operated a ferry along the Hiwassee River and helped contract the Cherokee Turnpike Company in 1806, which maintained the road between Knoxville and Georgia. In 1819, Walker helped negotiate the Calhoun Treaty, in which the Cherokee ceded the remaining lands between the Little Tennessee River
Little Tennessee River
The Little Tennessee River is a tributary of the Tennessee River, approximately 135 miles long, in the Appalachian Mountains in the southeastern United States.-Geography:...
and the Hiwassee River, including what is now McMinn County. McMinn County was organized at Walker's house that same year. In 1820, Walker laid out the town of Calhoun, which he named for the Calhoun Treaty's chief U.S. negotiator, John C. Calhoun
John C. Calhoun
John Caldwell Calhoun was a leading politician and political theorist from South Carolina during the first half of the 19th century. Calhoun eloquently spoke out on every issue of his day, but often changed positions. Calhoun began his political career as a nationalist, modernizer, and proponent...
. Walker would eventually be assassinated by two anti-removal Cherokees, who felt he had betrayed the Cherokee Nation.
Calhoun today
In 1954, the pulp and paper giant Bowater, Inc. (now AbitibiBowater) established a plant in Calhoun that soon grew to become one of the largest newsprint mills in North America. The mill, which dominates the western half of Calhoun, produces 750,000 metric tons of newsprint and specialty paper per year.There is one government building in the city which functions as the town's library, courthouse, police station, and fire station. Directly across the road from this building is a baseball field where Little League games are held.
On December 11, 1990, a heavy fog led to a crash involving 99 vehicles along Interstate 75 near Calhoun, killing 12 and injuring 42. As a result, the National Transportation Safety Board
National Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
has installed electronic speed limit signs equipped with fog sensors along the Calhoun section of the interstate.