Huntsville, Tennessee
Encyclopedia
Huntsville is a town in Scott County, Tennessee
, United States
. The population was 981 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
of Scott County.
at just over 10 miles (16.1 km) west of the plateau's eastern escarpment. Huntsville's southern boundary is located along a series of cliffs overlooking New River
, approximately 15 miles (24.1 km) upstream from the river's mouth along the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River
. Huntsville is surrounded by low mountains and hills that comprise the southern section of the Cumberland Mountains
.
Huntsville's town center is situated along Tennessee State Route 63 (Howard Baker Highway), although the town's municipal boundaries stretch westward to TN-63's junction with U.S. Route 27
. TN-63 intersects Interstate 75
approximately 15 miles (24.1 km) east of Huntsville, near the base of the Cumberland Plateau.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 3.3 square miles (8.5 km²), all of it land.
As of the census
of 2000, there were 981 people, 406 households, and 259 families residing in the town. The population density
was 295.3 people per square mile (114.1/km²). There were 441 housing units at an average density of 132.7 per square mile (51.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.94% White, 1.12% African American, 0.61% Native American, 0.10% Asian, and 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.31% of the population.
There were 406 households out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% were married couples
living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 12.1% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $20,069, and the median income for a family was $25,804. Males had a median income of $26,902 versus $19,375 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $16,469. About 17.2% of families and 24.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.9% of those under age 18 and 16.4% of those age 65 or over.
known only by the surname "Hunt." This long hunter camped under a rock shelter in the mid-18th century and later moved his family to the area. When Scott County was formed in 1849, Huntsville was chosen as the county seat due to the site's central location within the new county as well as an excellent spring that flowed across the property.
During the U.S. Civil War, Scott County was staunchly pro-Union
. In 1861, the county voted 541-19 against secession, the highest percentage of any county in Tennessee. In spite of fierce opposition from Scott and other East Tennessee counties, the ordinance passed and Tennessee seceded from the Union in June 1861. Later that year, Scott County voted unanimously to secede from Tennessee and formed the Independent State of Scott.
In 1906, a new courthouse square was built in Huntsville using a beige-colored native sandstone for the buildings' outer walls. Although the courthouse burned in 1946, two of these sandstone buildings remain— the First National Bank building and the Old Scott County Jail. Both have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
The Baker family, which arrived in the Huntsville area shortly after the Civil War, has been active in state and national politics for several decades. James F. Baker (1864–1934) was a successful attorney and newspaper publisher. Baker's son, Howard H. Baker, Sr. (1902–1964), was the Republican candidate for governor of Tennessee in 1938 and later served in the U.S. House of Representatives. Howard H. Baker, Jr.
(1925-), son of Howard Sr., was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1966 and gained national attention as Vice Chairman of the Senate Watergate Committee
in 1973. Baker later served as Senate Majority Leader (1981–1985) and White House Chief of Staff (1987–1988).
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 981 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Scott County.
Geography
Huntsville is located at 36°24′39"N 84°29′42"W (36.410732, -84.495124). The town is situated atop the Cumberland PlateauCumberland Plateau
The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia, part of Tennessee, and a small portion of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia . The terms "Allegheny Plateau" and the "Cumberland Plateau" both refer to the...
at just over 10 miles (16.1 km) west of the plateau's eastern escarpment. Huntsville's southern boundary is located along a series of cliffs overlooking New River
New River (Tennessee)
The New River is a tributary of the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Via the Big South Fork and the Cumberland and Ohio rivers, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed....
, approximately 15 miles (24.1 km) upstream from the river's mouth along the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River
Big South Fork of the Cumberland River
The Big South Fork of the Cumberland River is a river in Tennessee and Kentucky. It is a major drainage feature of the Cumberland Plateau, a major tributary of the Cumberland River system, a world-class whitewater canoeing and kayaking stream, and the major feature of the Big South Fork National...
. Huntsville is surrounded by low mountains and hills that comprise the southern section of the Cumberland Mountains
Cumberland Mountains
The Cumberland Mountains are a mountain range in the southeastern section of the Appalachian Mountains. They are located in southern West Virginia, western Virginia, eastern edges of Kentucky, and eastern middle Tennessee, including the Crab Orchard Mountains...
.
Huntsville's town center is situated along Tennessee State Route 63 (Howard Baker Highway), although the town's municipal boundaries stretch westward to TN-63's junction with U.S. Route 27
U.S. Route 27
U.S. Route 27 is a north–south United States highway in the southern and midwestern United States. The southern terminus is at US 1 in Miami, Florida. The northern terminus is at Interstate 69 in Fort Wayne, Indiana...
. TN-63 intersects 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...
approximately 15 miles (24.1 km) east of Huntsville, near the base of the Cumberland Plateau.
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 3.3 square miles (8.5 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
Census
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 981 people, 406 households, and 259 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 295.3 people per square mile (114.1/km²). There were 441 housing units at an average density of 132.7 per square mile (51.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.94% White, 1.12% African American, 0.61% Native American, 0.10% Asian, and 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.31% of the population.
There were 406 households out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% 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, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 12.1% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $20,069, and the median income for a family was $25,804. Males had a median income of $26,902 versus $19,375 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 $16,469. About 17.2% of families and 24.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.9% of those under age 18 and 16.4% of those age 65 or over.
History
Huntsville was named after a long hunterLonghunter
A Longhunter was an 18th-century explorer and hunter who made expeditions into the American frontier wilderness for as much as six months at a time...
known only by the surname "Hunt." This long hunter camped under a rock shelter in the mid-18th century and later moved his family to the area. When Scott County was formed in 1849, Huntsville was chosen as the county seat due to the site's central location within the new county as well as an excellent spring that flowed across the property.
During the U.S. Civil War, Scott County was staunchly pro-Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
. In 1861, the county voted 541-19 against secession, the highest percentage of any county in Tennessee. In spite of fierce opposition from Scott and other East Tennessee counties, the ordinance passed and Tennessee seceded from the Union in June 1861. Later that year, Scott County voted unanimously to secede from Tennessee and formed the Independent State of Scott.
In 1906, a new courthouse square was built in Huntsville using a beige-colored native sandstone for the buildings' outer walls. Although the courthouse burned in 1946, two of these sandstone buildings remain— the First National Bank building and the Old Scott County Jail. Both have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
The Baker family, which arrived in the Huntsville area shortly after the Civil War, has been active in state and national politics for several decades. James F. Baker (1864–1934) was a successful attorney and newspaper publisher. Baker's son, Howard H. Baker, Sr. (1902–1964), was the Republican candidate for governor of Tennessee in 1938 and later served in the U.S. House of Representatives. Howard H. Baker, Jr.
Howard Baker
Howard Henry Baker, Jr. is a former Senate Majority Leader, Republican U.S. Senator from Tennessee, White House Chief of Staff, and a former United States Ambassador to Japan.Known in Washington, D.C...
(1925-), son of Howard Sr., was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1966 and gained national attention as Vice Chairman of the Senate Watergate Committee
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement...
in 1973. Baker later served as Senate Majority Leader (1981–1985) and White House Chief of Staff (1987–1988).