Union County, Tennessee

Union County Education, Geography, and History

Union County is a county located in the state of Tennessee. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 19,109.] Its county seat is Maynardville.

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

Etymology - Origin of Union County Name

Named possibly for the "union" of fragments of five counties, or for the strong feelings in eastern Tennessee for the preservation of the Federal Union.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

History of Union County

Created 1850 from Grainger, Claiborne, Campbell, Anderson and Knox counties; named possibly for the "union" of fragments of five counties, or for the strong feelings in eastern Tennessee for the preservation of the Federal Union.

Union County was formed in 1850 from Anderson, Campbell, Claiborne, Grainger and Knox counties. (Acts of Tennessee 1849-50, Chapter 61).

There was a fire at the Union County courthouse in 1869 and in the 1870s.

Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture
Union County was formed in 1850 from portions of Anderson, Campbell, Claiborne, Grainger, and Knox Counties. The enabling legislation was initially passed January 3, 1850, but due to legal challenges and complications the county was not formally created until January 23, 1856. Shortly thereafter, Union County began functioning as a county, and county court minutes and records have been kept from that time.

The county name derives from two possible sources. Dr. Robert H. White, Tennessee state historian from 1955 to 1970, believed that Union County was so named because it was a union of five segments of adjoining counties. Former Union County Schools Superintendent William H. Thomas suggested in 1961, however, that the name reflected the area's support for the federal union in the political debates of the period of the county's creation. Find more from the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture: UNION COUNTY

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 247 square miles (640 km²), of which, 224 square miles (579 km²) of it is land and 24 square miles (61 km²) of it (9.54%) is water.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Claiborne County (north)
• Grainger County (east)
• Knox County (south)
• Anderson County (southwest)
• Campbell County (northwest)

Education

Union County Alternative Center Grades 6-12

Union County High School

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