Etowah, Tennessee

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Coordinates: 35°19′46″N 84°31′42″W / 35.32944, -84.52833
Etowah
Location of Etowah, Tennessee
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
County	McMinn
Area
- Total	2.8 sq mi (7.2 km²)
- Land	2.8 sq mi (7.2 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	807 ft (246 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	3,663
- Density	1,321.8/sq mi (510.4/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	37331
Area code(s)	423
FIPS code	47-24480^[1]
GNIS feature ID	1328151^[2]

Etowah is a city in McMinn County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 3,663 at the 2000 census.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Education
5 Landmarks
6 Industry
7 Famous Residents
8 References
9 External links

[edit] History

Etowah was founded in 1906, primarily as a location for a depot on the Louisville & Nashville Railroad (L&N) line as part of a more direct route between Atlanta, Georgia and Cincinnati, Ohio. How the town received its name is not known for sure, but local folklore states that a train crew brought a sign reading "Etowah" from the Etowah River, and the name stuck. The word Etowah comes from a Creek word "Itawa" meaning "tribe" or "town."^[3]

[edit] Geography

Etowah is located at 35°19′46″N, 84°31′42″W (35.329579, -84.528196)^[4].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.2 km²), all of it land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 3,663 people, 1,545 households, and 979 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,321.8 people per square mile (510.6/km²). There were 1,769 housing units at an average density of 638.4/sq mi (246.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.42% White, 3.25% African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 1.09% from other races, and 1.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.13% of the population.

There were 1,545 households out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.4% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 23.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 85.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,117, and the median income for a family was $33,034. Males had a median income of $27,824 versus $18,882 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,298. About 7.4% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.6% of those under age 18 and 13.7% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Education

The city includes two K-8 elementary schools located within blocks of each other. Mountain View Elementary is part of the McMinn County School System. The other, Etowah City School, is administered by the city of Etowah.

[edit] Landmarks

The Historic L&N Depot museum in downtown Etowah is considered by many to be the only attraction in this small town. However, the historically African-American "Parkstown" neighborhood on the south side of Etowah has also seen renewed interest from tourists in recent years. Another cultural icon with a reputation reaching far beyond the boundaries of this small town is the Bargain Barn discount store. The most popular novelty products for sale at the Bargain Barn include giant jars of pickled eggs and boxes of familiar American breakfast cereals with Japanese labeling (ostensibly discounted due to a shipping error).

[edit] Industry

The newest plant (Plant number 6) of the ThyssenKrupp Waupaca corporation is located in Etowah. The plant makes quality grey and ductile steel components that are used in the automotive and farming markets. The foundry makes parts (such as control arms, differential covers and cases, and brake calipers) for the new Ford F-series heavy duty trucks, Dodge Caravan, Hummer H2, GMC Envoy, Chrysler 300C/Dodge Charger, and the Toyota Camry.