Monteagle, Tennessee

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Monteagle is a town, in Grundy County, located atop a mountain in southeastern Tennessee. The population was 1,238 at the 2000 census.

Monteagle is most famous for the treacherous stretch of Interstate 24 that passes through the town. The interstate regularly shuts down in inclement weather, routing traffic onto U.S. Highway 41. The Highlander Folk School, long involved in the labor and civil rights movements, was located here from 1932 to 1961. Rosa Parks attended workshops there shortly before the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

[edit] Geography

Monteagle is located at 35°14′24″N, 85°50′4″W (35.239941, -85.834372)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 21.4 km² (8.2 mi²). 21.1 km² (8.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (1.33%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 1,238 people, 477 households, and 321 families residing in the town. The population density was 58.7/km² (152.2/mi²). There were 701 housing units at an average density of 33.3/km² (86.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.45% White, 1.37% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.73% Asian, 0.08% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.48% of the population.

There were 477 households out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the town the population was spread out with 19.5% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 25.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $24,464, and the median income for a family was $29,886. Males had a median income of $24,643 versus $17,708 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,983. About 21.7% of families and 25.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.4% of those under age 18 and 17.6% of those age 65 or over.