Formed January 1, 1844 (77th county)
Hancock County (6,659), Sneedville (1,272)
The red brick Neo-Classical courthouse was built in 1931 and is on a square at Main, Court, Church, and Jockey streets. Tennessee State Highway 33 is Main Street in this part of the town. Allen N. Dryden provided the building designs. The structure was renovated in 2006. The courthouse features columns and veterans’ memorials. The county was formed on January 1, 1844 from parts of Hawkins and Claiborne counties as the 77th county with Sneedville as the only county seat. The county is named for Declaration of Independence signer John Hancock. Sneedville is named for Congressman William H. Sneed.
Hancock County government consists of a sheriff, a County Mayor, and 17 Commissioners. Three Circuit Court Judges, Two Chancery Court Judges, and One General Court Judge serve Hancock, Greene, Hamblen, and Hawkins counties. Hancock County is on the northeast border with Virginia. Knoxville, Tennessee is southwest and Asheville, North Carolina is southeast of the county. The county center is in Sneedville .5 miles South-Southeast of the city center. The county is surrounded clockwise by Virginia and Hawkins, Grainger, and Claiborne counties.
The area of the county is 222 square miles. It is 87 out of 95 in the state. It ranks 92 out of 95 in population in the state. It has a density of 30.0 persons per square mile making it 91 out of 95 in the state. Hancock County has 19.1% of its population in its incorporated areas. There are no Interstates or United States Highways in the county. The county resembles a fat pistol pointing east. Sneedville is located west of center in the county. Sneedville is county seat and, as the only incorporated city, it is the largest city. It is 19.1% of the county population.
Sneedville
