Tellico Plains, Tennessee
Tellico Plains, Tennessee Location within the state of Tennessee
Coordinates: 35°22′0″N 84°17′56″W / 35.36667, -84.29889
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
County	Monroe
Area
- Total	1.6 sq mi (4.0 km²)
- Land	1.6 sq mi (4.0 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	876 ft (267 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	859
- Density	549.8/sq mi (212.3/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	37385
Area code(s)	423
FIPS code	47-73260[1]
GNIS feature ID	1304037[2]

Tellico Plains is a town in Monroe County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 859 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Tellico Plains is located at 35°21′60″N, 84°17′56″W (35.366575, -84.298955)^[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.0 km²), all of it land.

The town is located on the Tellico River near the location where the river emerges from the higher peaks of the Appalachian Mountains and into the less rugged Ridge-and-valley Appalachians.

History

Tellico Plains occupies the former site of the Cherokee town of Great Tellico, which was one of the more important towns of the Overhill Cherokee during the 18th century. Two important roads met at Great Tellico, the Trading Path and the Warrior Path (Duncan 2003:242).

Nearby Coker Creek was the site of a minor gold rush during the late 1800s. The small crossroads (conveniently named "Coker Creek") is still the site of a gold-panning tourist attraction. Visitors can rent pans and receive professional instructions from the proprietor of the souvenir shop. Visitors can also explore the old gold mines in the surrounding hills in the hopes of findng a nugget with some of the famous yellow ore, although the mines are in a state of disrepair.

Gold mining still exists on at least one private plot located slightly to the southwest of the tourist attraction.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Tellico Plains became the base of operations for logging operations of the Tellico River basin, conducted by the Babcock Lumber Company.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 859 people, 393 households, and 227 families residing in the town. The population density was 549.8 people per square mile (212.6/km²). There were 446 housing units at an average density of 285.5/sq mi (110.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.74% White, 0.81% Native American, 0.81% Asian, 0.12% from other races, and 1.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.75% of the population.

There were 393 households out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% were non-families. 39.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the town the population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $18,750, and the median income for a family was $31,087. Males had a median income of $27,045 versus $18,333 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,234. About 19.2% of families and 24.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.2% of those under age 18 and 38.9% of those age 65 or over.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
2. ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
3. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

• Duncan, Barbara R. and Riggs, Brett H. Cherokee Heritage Trails Guidebook. University of North Carolina Press: Chapel Hill (2003). ISBN 0-8078-5457-3

External links

• Tellico Plains, Tennessee is at coordinates 35°21′60″N 84°17′56″W / 35.366575, -84.298955 (Tellico Plains, Tennessee)Coordinates: 35°21′60″N 84°17′56″W / 35.366575, -84.298955 (Tellico Plains, Tennessee)
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