Formed May 27, 1870 (86th county)
Hamblen County (64,500), Morristown (30,428)
The 1874 white brick courthouse in Morristown was remodeled in 1956 and 1969. The structure is at Jackson, 2nd, Church and 1st streets. Tennessee State Highway 34 is 1st Street. Alexander C. Bruce designed this Classical Revival facility. The building was enlarged in 2000. The structure has a balcony and working clock tower. Veterans’ memorials are on the grounds. Hamblen County was established on May 27, 1870 from Jefferson, Grainger, and Greene counties as the 86th county. The county is named for settler Hezekiah Hamblen. The county seat is named for settler Gideon Morris. Morristown has always been the county seat.
Hamblen County government consists of a sheriff, a County Mayor, and 14 Commissioners. Three Circuit Court Judges, Two Chancery Court Judges, One General Court Judge, and One Juvenile Court Judge serve Hamblen, Greene, Hancock, and Hawkins counties. Hamblen County is in northeastern Tennessee. Knoxville, Tennessee is southwest and Asheville, North Carolina is southeast of the county. The county center is in Morristown .8 miles South of the city center. The county is surrounded clockwise by Hawkins, Greene, Cocke, Jefferson, and Grainger counties.
The area of the county is 161 square miles. It is 93 out of 95 in the state. It ranks 21 out of 95 in population in the state. It has a density of 400.6 persons per square mile making it 9 out of 95 in the state. Hamblen County has 47.2% of its population in its incorporated areas. Interstate Highway 81 cuts the southern tip of the county from Greene County, southeast, to Jefferson County, west. United States Highway 11 East parallels Interstate Highway 81 from Greene to Jefferson counties. United States Highway 25 East comes from the north, Grainger County, and goes to the southwest, Jefferson County. The county resembles a kidney bean. Morristown is located slightly west of center in the county and extends into Jefferson County. Morristown is the county seat and the largest city. It is 47.2% of the county population. This county is in the Morristown Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Morristown
White Pine
