Hamilton County, Tennessee: History and Information

Hamilton County is a county located in the state of Tennessee. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 336,463, making it the fourth-most populous county in Tennessee. Its county seat is Chattanooga. The county was named for Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury.

Hamilton County is part of the Chattanooga, TN-GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Hamilton County Name

Named in honor of Alexander Hamilton (1757-1804), American statesman, Revolutionary War soldier, member of the Continental Congress and secretary of the US treasury under President Washington.

Demographics:

History of Hamilton County

Created 1819 from Rhea County and Indian lands; named in honor of Alexander Hamilton (1757-1804), American statesman, Revolutionary War soldier, member of the Continental Congress and secretary of the US treasury under President Washington.

Hamilton County was formed in 1819 from Rhea County and Indian lands. (Private Acts of Tennessee 1819, Chapter 41).

James County was formed in 1871 from Bradley and Hamilton counties. It was abolished in 1919 and incorporated into Hamilton County where its records are held. The county seat was Ooltewah.

Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture
The Tennessee General Assembly created Hamilton County on October 25, 1819. Rhea, Marion, and Bledsoe Counties bounded the new county, and it extended south to the state line. The creation of the new county on the southwestern frontier was brought about by a treaty with the Cherokees in 1817. By the terms of the Hiwassee Purchase, the Indians yielded large sections of Alabama and Georgia, as well as the Sequatchie Valley and the area that became Hamilton County. Initially, Hamilton County did not extend south of the Tennessee River. This area, including the site of Cherokee Chief John Ross's landing in present-day Chattanooga, did not become a part of the county until the disputed Treaty of 1835 that led to Indian removal and the "Trail of Tears." The county was named in honor of Alexander Hamilton, secretary of the treasury in George Washington's administration. Hamilton was the name of the district of which this section had formerly been a part.

This beautiful region, where the Tennessee River winds through the convergence of several mountain ranges, was the last stronghold of the Cherokees. When their valiant effort to retain their homeland failed, Ross's Landing became one of the main staging areas for the trek west. Find more from the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture: HAMILTON COUNTY

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 576 square miles (1,491 km²), of which, 542 square miles (1,405 km²) of it is land and 33 square miles (86 km²) of it (5.78%) is water.

Neighboring Counties

Hamilton County is one of the few counties in the United States to border 10 other counties.

Education

Colleges and universities

Chattanooga State Community College
Covenant College
Southern Adventist University
Tennessee Temple University
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Richmont Graduate University

Tennessee State

Tennessee Counties

Hamilton County, Tennessee

Hamilton County Education, Geography, and History