Formed October 6, 1783 (4th county)
Greene County (68,831), Greeneville (15,062)
The columns stand out on the 1916 yellow brick Neo-Classical courthouse. The courthouse is on Main and Depot streets. United States Highway 321 is Main Street in the town. Thomas S. Brown is the building designer. Veterans’ memorials are on the courthouse grounds. The county was created on October 6, 1783 from Washington County as the 4th county with Greeneville as the only county seat. Greene County and its county seat are named for American Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene.
Greene County government consists of a sheriff, a County Mayor, and 21 Commissioners. Three Circuit Court Judges, Two Chancery Court Judges, One General Court Judge, and One Juvenile Court Judge serve Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, and Hawkins counties. The county is on the northeast border with North Carolina. Knoxville, Tennessee is southwest and Asheville, North Carolina is southeast of the county. The county center is 2.2 miles North-Northeast of Greeneville. The county is surrounded clockwise by Hawkins, Washington, and Unicoi counties and North Carolina and Cocke and Hamblen counties.
The area of the county is 626 square miles. It is 7 out of 95 in the state. It ranks 19 out of 95 in population in the state. It has a density of 109.95 persons per square mile making it 30 out of 95 in the state. Greene County has 29.8% of its population in its incorporated areas. Interstate Highway 81 passes northeast to southwest in the county from Washington County to Hamblen County. United States Highway 11 East parallels Interstate Highway 81 from Washington to Hamblen counties. United States Highway 321 enters joined with United States Highway 11 East, splits and continues southwest into Cocke County. Andrew Johnson, the 17th President, is buried in this county. Greene County looks like a fat pistol pointing northeast. Greeneville is located in the southwest quarter of the county. Greeneville is the county seat and the largest city. It is 21.9% of the county population. This county is in the Greeneville Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Baileyton
Greeneville
Mosheim
Tusculum
