Lake City, Tennessee
| Lake City, Tennessee (originally Coal Creek) | |
|---|---|
| City | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 36°13′27″N 84°9′21″W / 36.22417°N 84.15583°WCoordinates: 36°13′27″N 84°9′21″W / 36.22417°N 84.15583°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Tennessee |
| Counties | Anderson, Campbell |
| Founded | 1856[1] |
| Incorporated | 1939[2] |
| Named for | Norris Lake |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Timothy L. Sharp |
| • Vice Mayor | Micheal Lovely |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.6 sq mi (4.1 km2) |
| • Land | 1.6 sq mi (4.1 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 866 ft (264 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 1,781 |
| • Density | 1,121/sq mi (433.0/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 37769 |
| Area code(s) | 865 |
| FIPS code | 47-40240[3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1290479[4] |
| Website | www.lakecitytn.com |
Lake City is a city in Anderson and Campbell counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, northwest of Knoxville. The population was 1,781 at the 2010 census.[5] Most of the community is in Anderson County and is included in the Knoxville Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The town was originally known as Coal Creek, which is still the name of the stream that runs through the town. Coal Creek and the nearby town of Briceville were the site of a major lockout of coal miners in 1891, which resulted in the town of Coal Creek being occupied by the state militia for over a year after miners attempted to force an end to the use of unpaid convict labor in the mines. This labor struggle, known as the Coal Creek War, was eventually resolved in the coal miners' favor with the abolition of Tennessee's convict labor program. The Fraterville Mine disaster of 1902 occurred nearby, in the village of Fraterville.
Norris Dam is nearby. The name "Lake City" was adopted in 1936 after the completion of Norris Dam formed an artificial lake above the dam. Some area residents, including the nonprofit Coal Creek Watershed Foundation, have urged a return to the old name of "Coal Creek" to commemorate the community's heritage.[6]
Name change
In 2013, a business group proposed to establish a theme park in the city if the city name was changed to "Rocky Top" to take advantage of the song of that name.[6][7] On November 7, 2013, Lake City's city council voted to ask the Tennessee General Assembly to amend the city charter to adopt the proposed name.[6][8][9] The House of Bryant, which owns the copyright to the song, as well as multiple trademarks and copyrights associated with it, has objected to the name charge, asserting that it would violate intellectual property rights.[6][8]
Geography
Lake City is located in northern Anderson County at 36°13′27″N 84°9′21″W / 36.22417°N 84.15583°W (36.224234, -84.155902)[10]. It is the northern terminus of U.S. Route 441. Interstate 75 serves the city with two exits and leads south 24 miles (39 km) to Knoxville and north 32 miles (51 km) to the Kentucky state line at Jellico, Tennessee.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Lake City has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.1 km2), all land.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1940 | 1,520 | ||
| 1950 | 1,827 | 20.2% | |
| 1960 | 1,914 | 4.8% | |
| 1970 | 1,923 | 0.5% | |
| 1980 | 2,335 | 21.4% | |
| 1990 | 2,166 | −7.2% | |
| 2000 | 1,888 | −12.8% | |
| 2010 | 1,781 | −5.7% | |
| Est. 2012 | 1,778 | −0.2% | |
| Sources:[11][12] | |||
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 1,888 people, 815 households, and 485 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,186.1 people per square mile (458.5/km²). There were 900 housing units at an average density of 565.4 per square mile (218.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.78% White, 0.11% African American, 0.48% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.26% from other races, and 0.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.42% of the population.
There were 815 households out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.7% were married couples living together, 16.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.4% were non-families. 37.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.84.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 23.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 78.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $14,844, and the median income for a family was $21,895. Males had a median income of $25,469 versus $17,115 for females. The per capita income for the town was $10,615. About 31.8% of families and 32.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.7% of those under age 18 and 23.7% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
Lake City is the hometown of songwriter Dean Dillon, whose songs have become hits for singers including George Strait, Toby Keith, Keith Whitley, George Jones, and Kenny Chesney.[13] Lake City was also the birthplace of early twentieth century artist Catherine Wiley (1879–1958).[14] The Bates family, a mega-family with 19 children that has been featured in reality TV series, makes its home in Lake City.
See also
- SOCM, or Statewide Organization for Community Empowerment (formerly known as Save Our Cumberland Mountains), a grassroots group trying to ban mountaintop removal mining and bring green jobs to Tennessee, had its offices in Lake City for several years.
References
- ↑ Paul Hellman, Historical Gazetteer of the United States (Taylor and Francis, 2005), p. 1018.
- ↑ Tennessee Blue Book, 2005-2006, pp. 618-625.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Lake City city, Tennessee". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 John Huotari (November 7, 2013). "Lake City recommends Rocky Top name change, but receives copyright warning". Oak Ridge Today.
- ↑ Donna Smith (November 6, 2013). "From Lake City to Rocky Top? Developers make case to community". The Oak Ridger.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Lake City votes to change name to Rocky Top". WBIR-TV. November 7, 2013.
- ↑ Associated Press (November 8, 2013). "Depressed former mining town hopes to strike gold by changing name to Rocky Top, Tenn.". Washington Post.
- ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ↑ "Census of Population and Housing: Decennial Censuses". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
- ↑ "Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012". Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
- ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p71100/biography
- ↑ Elizabeth Moore, Anna Catherine Wiley. Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, 2002. Retrieved: 22 June 2010.
Further reading
- Tennessee's Coal Creek War: Another Fight for Freedom, Chris Cawood, ISBN 0-9642231-0-4
External links
- Lake City official website
- Coal Creek Watershed Foundation - Historical articles on the Coal Creek War and Fraterville Mine
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