Sullivan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee on its northeast border. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,163. Its county seat is Blountville. Sullivan County is part of the Kingsport–Bristol TN–VA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Kingsport–Johnson City–Bristol, TN–VA Combined Statistical Area, commonly known as the "Tri-Cities" region. Sullivan is Tennessee's second-oldest county;Sullivan County official website. Retrieved: November 6, 2013. it was established in 1779 when the area was still part of North Carolina. From 1784 to 1788, it was part of the extra-legal State of Franklin.J.D. Lewis, "North Carolina Counties from 1664 to Present ," 2004. Retrieved: April 7, 2013.
History Sullivan County was created in 1779 from a portion of Washington County, and named for John Sullivan, a Patriot general in the Revolutionary War.Tennessee's Counties , Tennessee Blue Book, 2006. Long Island of the Holston in Kingsport was long an important center for the Cherokee, who occupied much of this territory. Later in 1761 the British colonists built Fort Robinson on Long Island, following the fall of Fort Loudoun further to the south. This attracted other settlers, and the Sullivan area became one of the earliest areas of Tennessee to be settled by European Americans.Blythe Semmer, "Sullivan County ," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: April 7, 2013.
As political tensions rose prior to the American Civil War, Sullivan County was one of the few East Tennessee counties to support secession. It became known as the Little Confederacy. In Tennessee's June 1861 referendum, the county voted 1,586 to 627 in favor of secession.Oliver Perry Temple, East Tennessee and the Civil War (R. Clarke Company, 1899), p. 199.
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (3.8%) is water. The western portion of the county lies within the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, which are characterized by long, narrow ridges roughly oriented northeast-to-southwest. The northeastern end of Bays Mountain, part of the Ridge-and-Valley range, rises southwest of Kingsport. The eastern portion of the county lies within the Blue Ridge Mountains.Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, et al., "Ambient Air Monitoring Plan," Environmental Protection Agency website, July 1, 2010. Accessed: March 18, 2015. Holston Mountain, which at is the highest point in Sullivan, straddles the county's eastern boundary with Johnson County.
In Kingsport, the South Fork Holston River and the North Fork Holston River join to form the Holston River, one of the tributaries of the Tennessee River. The Watauga River, a tributary of the South Fork Holston, forms part of Sullivan's boundary with Washington County to the south. The North Fork Holston forms part of Sullivan's boundary with Hawkins County to the west. Fort Patrick Henry Dam and Boone Dam both create large artificial lakes along the South Fork Holston southeast of Kingsport.
Blountville, Sullivan's county seat, is Tennessee's only unincorporated county seat.
Morrell Cave Morrell Cave (also known as Worleys Cave) is a Tennessee State Natural Area. The cave has a surveyed length of , making it the second-longest cave in East Tennessee and the 177th longest cave in the United States.Larry E. Matthews, Caves of Knoxville and the Great Smoky Mountains (National Speleological Society, June 2008), pp. 253-276. Morrell Cave is located on the south side of the Holston River, east of Bluff City.
During the Civil War, the cave was a major source of saltpeter, the main ingredient of gunpowder. Significant evidence of this mining activity remains in the cave, including evidence of large amounts of saltpeter-bearing dirt having been removed, pick marks in the dirt, and an elaborate system of trails used by the miners. Cave historian Marion O. Smith has determined that two companies of the Confederate Nitre and Mining Bureau, District No. 7, were active in Sullivan County.Laurie Adams, "History of Morrell Cave, Part I" (Flittermouse Grotto of the National Speleological Society, August 1984).
Adjacent counties and independent city Scott County, Virginia (north) Washington County, Virginia (northeast) Bristol, Virginia (northeast) Johnson County (east) Carter County (southeast) Washington County (south) Hawkins County (west)
National protected areas Appalachian Trail (part) Cherokee National Forest (part)
State protected areas Morrell's Cave State Natural Area Rocky Mount State Historic Site Warriors' Path State Park
Other protected areas Bays Mountain Park (part)
Major highways
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Sullivan County, Tennessee – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)140,306139,678147,036148,033143,35497.46%97.27%96.07%94.39%90.64%Black or African American alone (NH)2,5942,5512,8683,2723,1971.80%1.78%1.87%2.09%2.02%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1463583223793500.10%0.25%0.21%0.24%0.22%Asian alone (NH)2444796448811,2700.17%0.33%0.42%0.56%0.80%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census192836xx0.01%0.02%0.02%Other race alone (NH)539921104570.04%0.01%0.06%0.07%0.29%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census9771,7995,951xx0.64%1.15%3.76%Hispanic or Latino (any race)6255211,0902,3213,5480.43%0.36%0.71%1.48%2.24%Total143,968143,596153,048156,823158,163 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census As of the 2020 census, there were 158,163 people, 67,853 households, and 44,284 families residing in the county. The median age was 45.7 years. 19.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.5 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 91.3% White, 2.1% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.0% from some other race, and 4.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.2% of the population.
73.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 26.5% lived in rural areas.
Of all households, 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them; 47.1% were married-couple households, 18.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 75,476 housing units, of which 10.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.7% were owner-occupied and 28.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.5%.
2010 census As of the 2010 United States census, there were 156,823 people living in the county. 95.1% were White, 2.1% Black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 0.6% of some other race and 1.3% of two or more races. 1.5% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).
2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 153,048 people, 63,556 households, and 44,806 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 69,052 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.55% White, 1.89% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. 0.71% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 63,556 households, out of which 28.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.10% were married couples living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.50% were non-families according to the United States Census Bureau. Of 63,556 households, 1,915 are unmarried partner households: 1,702 heterosexual, 97 same-sex male, 116 same-sex female. 26.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.84.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.80% under the age of 18, 7.30% from 18 to 24, 28.40% from 25 to 44, 26.50% from 45 to 64, and 15.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $33,529, and the median income for a family was $41,025. Males had a median income of $31,204 versus $21,653 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,202. About 9.70% of families and 12.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.10% of those under age 18 and 11.90% of those age 65 or over. Government Sullivan County, like all of Tennessee outside Nashville and Memphis, is heavily Republican, but, unlike most of East Tennessee, has not voted consistently Republican since the Civil War. Being one of only six counties in East Tennessee and the only county in Northeast Tennessee to support the Confederacy, Sullivan County mostly voted Democratic between the end of the Civil War and the mid-20th century, the only county in the northern two-thirds of East Tennessee to do so. The last Democratic presidential candidate to carry Sullivan County was southerner Jimmy Carter in 1976.
Richard Venable is the county mayor. The county commission has 24 members.Sullivan County Commissioner Information, official county website. Retrieved: April 7, 2013. Before 2010, commissioners were elected on a nonpartisan basis, but Sullivan County's commission election became a partisan election in 2010 after the county Republican Party decided to conduct a primary election for commission seats.John Osbourne, Partisan elections on tap for Sullivan County Commission , Kingsport Times News, November 20, 2009 The county elections also cover Circuit Court Judges, Chancellor, Criminal Court Judge, District Attorney General, Public Defender, County Trustee, General Session Judge, Sheriff, Circuit Court Clerk, County Clerk, Register of Deeds, Commissioner of Highways, County Attorney, and School Board.
Current composition of the Sullivan County Commission DistrictMemberLocation District 1 David Hayes (2022- ) Bristol, TN District 2 David Akard Bristol, TN Cheryl Harvey (2022- ) Bristol, TN Matt Slagle (2022- ) Bristol, TN District 3 Andrew Cross Bristol, TN District 4 Michael Cole Blountville, TN Joyce Crosswhite Blountville, TN Tony Leonard Bristol, TN District 5 Hershel Glover Bluff City, TN Dwight Kings Piney Flats, TN District 6 Daniel Horne (2022- ) Kingsport, TN Jessica Crowder Means (2022- ) Kingsport, TN Zane Vanover (2022- ) Kingsport, TN District 7 Sam Jones Kingsport, TN Travis Ward (2022 - ) Kingsport, TN District 8 Darlene Calton Kingsport, TN Mark Ireson (2022- ) Kingsport, TN District 9 Joe Carr (2022- ) Kingsport, TN Joseph McMurray (2022- ) Kingsport, TN District 10 Larry Crawford Kingsport, TN Gary Stidham Kingsport, TN District 11 John Gardner Kingsport, TN Hunter Locke Kingsport, TN Archie Pierce Kingsport, TN
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