Erwin, Tennessee
Location of Erwin, Tennessee
Coordinates: 36°8′42″N 82°24′39″W / 36.145, -82.41083
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
County	Unicoi
Area
- Total	3.6 sq mi (9.2 km²)
- Land	3.5 sq mi (9.2 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	1,673 ft (510 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	5,610
- Density	1,582.8/sq mi (611.1/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	37650
Area code(s)	423
FIPS code	47-24360[1]
GNIS feature ID	1328148[2]

Erwin is a city in and the county seat of Unicoi County, Tennessee, United States.^[3] The population was 5,610 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Erwin is located at 36°8′42″N, 82°24′39″W (36.145036, -82.410796)^[4].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.5 square miles (9.2 km²), of which, 3.5 square miles (9.2 km²) of it is land and 0.28% is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 5,610 people, 2,470 households, and 1,588 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,582.8 people per square mile (611.9/km²). There were 2,645 housing units at an average density of 746.2/sq mi (288.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.77% White, 0.05% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 1.02% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.00% of the population.

There were 2,470 households out of which 23.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.80.

In the city the population was spread out with 19.7% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 22.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 86.3 males. Forever, there were 82.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,644, and the median income for a family was $37,813. Males had a median income of $31,894 versus $20,118 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,868. About 7.5% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.7% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.

History

The town of Erwin received its name by a mail mishap. On December 5, 1879, the name of the town was Ervin, in honor of D.J.N. Ervin, who had donated 15 acres of land for the county seat. A typo made by post office officials caused the name to be recorded as Erwin. The mistake was never corrected.

Erwin earned some notoriety in 1916 when the first and only known public execution of an elephant in Tennessee occurred in the community. Mary had killed her handler, Wallter Eldridge, in nearby Kingsport. As home to the region's largest railway yard, Erwin was the only community with the means to carry out the death sentence. An estimated 2,500 people turned out at the local railway yard to see Mary hoisted by a crane and hanged by a chain around her neck. The first chain snapped, but a larger one was found and the peculiar task completed - she was hanged for half an hour before being declared dead.

Economy and culture

For northbound hikers, Erwin is mile 338 on the Appalachian Trail.

Nuclear Fuel Services has a major facility in Erwin. It began operation in 1957 as the Davison Chemical Division of the W.R. Grace Company.^[5] Production activities at the Erwin facility include preparing enriched uranium to be processed into nuclear reactor fuel, processing uranium hexafluoride into other uranium compounds, and downblending high-enriched uranium to convert it to a low-enriched form for use in commercial nuclear reactors. Historically the facility also worked with thorium compounds.^[5]

Erwin is host to a CSX rail yard, diesel shop, and car repair facility.

References

External links

• Erwin, Tennessee is at coordinates 36°08′42″N 82°24′39″W / 36.145036, -82.410796 (Erwin, Tennessee)Coordinates: 36°08′42″N 82°24′39″W / 36.145036, -82.410796 (Erwin, Tennessee)
• Erwin, Tennessee at the Open Directory Project

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Unicoi County, Tennessee
County seat: Erwin
City	Erwin
Town	Unicoi
Unincorporated communities	Banner Hill | Flag Pond