Anderson County, Tennessee

Anderson County Education, Geography, and History

Anderson County is a county located in the state of Tennessee. Based on the 2010 census, its population was 75,129. Its county seat is Clinton.

Anderson County is included in the Knoxville, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Anderson County Name

Named in honor of Joseph Anderson (1757-1847), US senator, judge of the Superior Court of the Territory South of the River Ohio (later Tennessee) and US comptroller of the treasury.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

History of Anderson County

Anderson County is located in East Tennessee, one of the states three "grand divisions", and was formed in 1801 from Knox and Grainger counties; named in honor of Joseph Anderson (1757-1847), US senator, judge of the Superior Court of the Territory South of the River Ohio (later Tennessee) and US comptroller of the treasury.

Anderson County was formed in 1801 from parts of Knox and Grainger counties in 1801; neighboring Roane County, Tennessee, was also formed from a portion of Knox County, Tennessee, in 1801, making Anderson and Roane counties effectively called 'sister counties'. (Private Acts of Tennessee 1801, Chapter 45).

Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture
According to archaeological investigations, long before Tennessee became a state, Native Americans occupied lands in present-day Anderson County. Permanent white settlement dates to 1796, when Thomas Frost built a cabin. After statehood, settlements soon expanded, increased by the arrival of German immigrants in 1800. In December 1801 Anderson County was created from parts of Knox and Grainger Counties. The county was named after Joseph Anderson, a prominent US senator and former territorial judge in Knoxville. The first seat of government in Anderson County was Burrville, named after Vice-President Aaron Burr. After Burr killed Alexander Hamilton in their famous duel and became implicated in a land speculation scheme, the Tennessee General Assembly changed the name of the Anderson County seat to Clinton in honor of either Vice-President George Clinton or his nephew DeWitt Clinton. Find more from the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture: ANDERSON COUNTY

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 345 square miles (893 km²), of which, 338 square miles (874 km²) of it is land and 7 square miles (19 km²) of it (2.12%) is water.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Campbell County (north)
• Union County (northeast)
• Knox County (southeast)
• Roane County (southwest)
• Morgan County (west)
• Scott County (northwest)

Education

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