| County: | Carter County |
| State: | Tennessee |
| Seal: | Carter County tn seal.jpg |
| Founded Year: | 1796 |
| Seat Wl: | Elizabethton |
| Largest City Wl: | Elizabethton |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 348 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 341 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 6.4 |
| Area Percentage: | 1.8% |
| Census Yr: | 2020 |
| Pop: | 56356 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2022 |
| Population Est: | 56410 |
| Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Time Zone: | Eastern |
| Web: | www.cartercountytn.gov |
| Named For: | Landon Carter[1] |
| Ex Image: | Carter-County-Courthouse-tn2.jpg |
| Ex Image Cap: | Carter County Courthouse in Elizabethton |
| District: | 1st |
Carter County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 56,356.[2] Its county seat is Elizabethton.[3] The county is named in honor of Landon Carter (1760–1800), an early settler active in the "Lost State of Franklin" 1784-1788 secession from the State of North Carolina. Carter County is part of the Johnson City, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City - Kingsport - Bristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area, located in northeastern Tennessee.
The area was originally claimed by Britain as part of the Clarendon settlements of the Province of Carolina, although actually populated at the time by the Cherokee.
The area was part of (though seldom actually administered by) the following jurisdictions in its early history:
The county is named for General Landon Carter,[4] the son of John Carter of Virginia, who was "chairman of the court" of the first majority-rule system of American democracy, known as the Watauga Association of 1772. The association was the first permanent settlement established outside the original thirteen American colonies and included the area that is today's Carter County. In 1775, the Association was absorbed into North Carolina by petition, becoming known thereafter as the Washington District.
J. G. M. Ramsey records within his 1853 Annals of Tennessee that the State of Franklin established Wayne County from sections of both Washington County and a part of Wilkes County "lying west of the extreme heights of the or Mountains, into a separate and distinct county by the name of Wayne... This new county covered the same territory now embraced in the limits of Carter and Johnson counties."[5]
The county seat, Elizabethton, is named for Carter's wife, Elizabeth MacLin Carter.[6]
Like most East Tennessee counties, Carter Countians opposed secession on the eve of the Civil War. In Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession referendum on June 8, 1861, Carter Countians rejected secession by a vote of 1,343 to 86.[7] A railroad bridge at Carter's Depot (modern Watauga) was among those targeted by the East Tennessee bridge-burning conspiracy in November 1861.[8]
Carter County was served by the narrow gauge East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (The ET&WNC, nicknamed "Tweetsie") until the line ceased operations in 1950.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (1.8%) is water.[9]
Carter County is situated entirely within the Blue Ridge Mountains, specifically the Unaka Range and the Iron Mountains.[10] Roan Mountain, which at 6285feet is the highest point in Tennessee outside the Great Smoky Mountains, straddles the county's eastern border with North Carolina. The county's boundary with Sullivan County is defined as the ridgeline of Holston Mountain.
Carter County is served by the Carter County Sheriff's Office, located in Elizabethton. During the Local General Election on August 4, 2022, Mike Fraley overcame the Independent candidate to become Sheriff of Carter County. Sheriff Fraley took over Official Duties as Sheriff on September 1.[12] Sheriff Fraley's term will run September 1, 2022, to August 31, 2026. Its duties include patrol of the county and all jail and prisoner matters.[13]
The Elizabethton Police Department services the City of Elizabethton inside Carter County. As of 2018, the Chief of Police is Jason Shaw.[14]
| Number | Percentage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 51,790 | 91.9% | |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 702 | 1.25% | |
| Native American | 153 | 0.27% | |
| Asian | 231 | 0.41% | |
| Pacific Islander | 7 | 0.01% | |
| Other/Mixed | 2,292 | 4.07% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1,181 | 2.1% |
As of the census[15] of 2000, there were 56,742 people, 23,486 households, and 16,346 families residing in the county.[16] The population density was 166/mi2. There were 25,920 housing units at an average density of 76adj=preNaNadj=pre. The racial makeup of the county was 97.49% White, 1.00% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. 0.89% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 23,486 households, out of which 28.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.90% were married couples living together, 11.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.40% were non-families. 26.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.83.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.40% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $27,371, and the median income for a family was $33,825. Males had a median income of $26,394 versus $19,687 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,678. About 12.80% of families and 16.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.00% of those under age 18 and 16.00% of those age 65 or over.
Carter County is a Republican stronghold, and, like most of East Tennessee, has voted consistently Republican since the Civil War. Carter County is even more heavily Republican than many other counties in East Tennessee and has not been won by a Democratic presidential candidate since before the Civil War. Since then, only one Democrat, southerner Jimmy Carter in 1976 (who also won several traditionally Republican counties in East Tennessee), has received over 40% of the popular vote.
Most recent Carter County Mayor Rusty Barnett died on September 21, 2020.[17]