Monteagle, Tennessee

Monteagle, Tennessee
Town
Location of Monteagle, Tennessee
Coordinates: 35°14′24″N 85°50′4″W / 35.24000°N 85.83444°W / 35.24000; -85.83444Coordinates: 35°14′24″N 85°50′4″W / 35.24000°N 85.83444°W / 35.24000; -85.83444
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
Counties	Grundy, Marion, Franklin
Founded	1870[1]
Incorporated	1962[2]
Named for	Eagles that once lived in the area[3]
Area
• Total	8.2 sq mi (21.4 km2)
• Land	8.1 sq mi (21.1 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)
Elevation	1,923 ft (586 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	1,192
• Density	152.2/sq mi (58.7/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	37356
Area code(s)	931, 423
FIPS code	47-49740[4]
GNIS feature ID	1314141[5]

Monteagle highway scene, circa 1941

Monteagle is a town in Franklin, Grundy, and Marion counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, in the Cumberland Plateau region of the southeastern part of the state. The population was 1,238 at the 2000 census – 804 of the town's 1,238 residents (64.9%) lived in Grundy County, 428 (34.6%) in Marion County, and 6 (0.5%) in Franklin County.^[6] The population at the 2010 census was 1,192.

The Marion County portion of Monteagle is part of the Chattanooga–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Franklin County portion is part of the Tullahoma, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Monteagle is most famous for the treacherous stretch of Interstate 24 that passes through the town. It is here that the highway passes over what is colloquially referred to as "The Monteagle" or "Monteagle Mountain", a section of the southern Cumberland Plateau which is a major landmark on the road between Chattanooga and Nashville. The interstate regularly shuts down in inclement weather, routing traffic onto U.S. Route 41. In the Jerry Reed song "The Legend", which is the opening track in the film Smokey and the Bandit, Reed tells the story of the Bandit miraculously surviving brake failure on the "Monteagle Grade." There is also a song called "Monteagle Mountain" by Johnny Cash on the album Boom Chicka Boom.

The town is home to the Monteagle Sunday School Assembly. 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.

Geography

Monteagle is located at 35°14′24″N 85°50′4″W / 35.24000°N 85.83444°W / 35.24000; -85.83444 (35.239941, -85.834372).^[7]

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

Demographics

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 1,238 people, 477 households, and 321 families residing in the town. The population density was 152.2 people per square mile (58.7/km²). There were 701 housing units at an average density of 86.2 per square mile (33.3/km²). 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.

Notable people

• Mary Anderson, inventor of the windshield wiper.
• Right Rev. William Millsaps is the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Missionary Church, a former member of the UECNA.
• William Alexander Percy bought Brinkwood, a summerhouse in Monteagle with Huger Jervey, a professor of International Law at Columbia University.^[11]

Places of interest

• DuBose Conference Center
• Monteagle Sunday School Assembly
• Home of the Highlander Folk School

References

External links

• Monteagle travel guide from Wikivoyage

Municipalities and communities of Marion County, Tennessee, United States County seat: Jasper Cities New Hope South Pittsburg Whitwell Towns Jasper Kimball Monteagle‡ Orme Powell's Crossroads Unincorporated communities Aetna Haletown Mineral Springs Sequatchie Suck Creek Whiteside Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

Municipalities and communities of Franklin County, Tennessee, United States County seat: Winchester Cities Cowan Decherd Tullahoma‡ Winchester Towns Estill Springs Huntland Monteagle‡ CDP Sewanee Unincorporated communities Beech Hill Belvidere Broadview Midway Shady Grove Sherwood Ghost town Awalt Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

Municipalities and communities of Grundy County, Tennessee, United States County seat: Altamont Cities Coalmont Gruetli-Laager Towns Altamont Beersheba Springs Monteagle‡ Palmer Tracy City CDP Pelham Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties