Map of Unicoi County, Tennessee

Unicoi County (/ˈjuːnɪˌkɔɪ/) is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,928. Its county seat is Erwin. Unicoi is a Cherokee word meaning “white,” “hazy,” “fog-like,” or “fog draped,” and refers to the mist often seen in the foothills and mountains of this far northeast county. Unicoi County is part of the Johnson City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport–Bristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area, commonly known as the “Tri-Cities” region.

Unicoi County overview:
Name:	Unicoi County
FIPS code:	47-171
State:	Tennessee
Founded:	March 23, 1875
Named for:	Cherokee word for “fog-draped” or “hazy”
Seat:	Erwin
Largest town:	Erwin
Total Area:	186 sq mi (480 km²)
Land Area:	186 sq mi (480 km²)
Total Population:	17,928
Population Density:	98/sq mi (38/km²)
Time zone:	UTC−5 (Eastern)
Summer Time Zone (DST):	UTC−4 (EDT)
Website:	www.unicoicountytn.gov

Unicoi County location map. Where is Unicoi County?

Unicoi County location on the U.S. Map. Where is Unicoi County. — Location of Unicoi County in the the United States.

Unicoi County location on the Tennessee map. Where is Unicoi County. — Location of Unicoi County in Tennessee.

History

This area was long inhabited by indigenous peoples, including the historic Cherokee who encountered European and English traders and settlers. The mountainous terrain made it less attractive to subsistence farmers.

Unicoi County was created in 1875 from portions of Washington and Carter counties. Its first European-American settlers had arrived more than a century earlier but the population had been small. The county remained predominantly agrarian until the railroads were constructed in the area in the 1880s.

During the 1910s, the Clinchfield Railroad established a pottery in Erwin, which eventually incorporated under the name, “Southern Potteries.” This company produced a popular brand of dishware, commonly called Blue Ridge China, which featured hand-painted underglaze designs. While the company folded in the 1950s, Blue Ridge dishes remain popular with antique collectors.

In 1916, a circus elephant, Mary, was hanged in Erwin for killing her trainer. Hanging was chosen as the method of execution because the animal survived being shot. She was hanged by a railroad car crane. The hanging was the subject of a book, The Day They Hung the Elephant (1992), by Charles Edwin Price.

Unicoi County Road Map

Unicoi CountyStreet Map. — Street map of Unicoi County, Tennessee. Source: OpenStreetMap (OSM)

Unicoi CountyMap — Unicoi Countypolitical map.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 186 square miles (480 km), of which 186 square miles (480 km) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km) (0.2%) is water. It is the fifth-smallest county in Tennessee by total area. The Nolichucky River, which enters Unicoi County from North Carolina, is the county’s primary drainage.

Unicoi County is situated entirely within the Blue Ridge Mountains, specifically the Bald Mountains (south of the Nolichucky) and the Unaka Range (north of the Nolichucky). Big Bald, which at 5,516 feet (1,681 m) is the highest mountain in the Balds, is also Unicoi County’s high point. Traversed by the Appalachian Trail, the mountain is topped by a grassy bald, allowing a 360-degree view of the surrounding mountains.