Roane

Formed October 29, 1801 (20^th county)

Roane County (53,393), Kingston (5,947)

The columned dark red brick Modern structure was built in 1974.  It is on a square at Race, 3^rd, Cumberland, and 4^th streets.  United States Highway 70 is 1 block south of the courthouse.  Martin J. Lide is the building architect.  There was an 1853 courthouse earlier in Kingston, the only county seat.  The old courthouse sits west of the new structure.  The county was formed on October 29, 1801 from Knox County as the 20^th county.  Roane County is named for Governor Archibald Roane.  The county seat is named for Major Robert King, a local fort commander. 

Roane County government consists of a sheriff, a County Executive, and 15 Commissioners.  One Circuit Court Judge, One Chancery Court Judge, Two General Court Judges, and Two Juvenile Court Judges serve Roane, Loudon, Meigs, and Morgan counties.  Roane County is in the eastern part of the state.  Knoxville, Tennessee is northeast and Chattanooga, Tennessee is southwest of the county.  The Tennessee River flows through the county.  The county center is in Kingston 1.6 miles West of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Morgan, Anderson, Loudon, McMinn, Meigs, Rhea, and Cumberland counties. 

The area of the county is 361 square miles.  It is 63 out of 95 in the state.  It ranks 30 out of 95 in population in the state.  It has a density of 147.9 persons per square mile making it 24 out of 95 in the state.  Roane County has 41.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 40 passes east to west in the county from Loudon County to Cumberland County.  United States Highway 27 goes from the north, Morgan County, to the southwest, Rhea County.  United States Highway 70 parallels Interstate Highway 40 from Loudon to Cumberland counties.  The county resembles a flat bowl with the southwest corner missing.  Kingston is located near the center of the county.  Kingston is the county seat and the largest city.  Kingston is 11.1% of the county population.  The county is pronounced ROEN.  This county is in the Harriman Micropolitan Statistical Area.