Anderson County is a county in Tennessee, United States, on the southwestern edge of the Cumberland Mountains, roughly 20 miles northwest of Knoxville. It had a population of 77,123 at the 2020 census and covers 345 square miles (890 km2) — 337 square miles (870 km2) of land and 7.6 square miles (20 km2) of water — centred near 36°07′N 84°12′W.
Clinton is the county seat, and its postal code is 37716. The county has three full incorporated cities (Clinton, Norris and part of Rocky Top), one town shared with neighbouring counties (Oliver Springs), two census-designated places (Andersonville and Briceville), and dozens of smaller unincorporated communities. Anderson County sits in the Eastern time zone; its FIPS code is 47001.
Towns & Villages in Anderson County
The table below lists Anderson County’s incorporated places, its two CDPs, and the unincorporated communities carried forward from the county’s historical settlement record — many of them former coal-camp names from the Coal Creek mining district or Oak Ridge’s original wartime neighbourhoods. Oak Ridge and Rocky Top are only partly in Anderson County; the balance of each lies in Roane and Campbell counties respectively. Population figures below are given only where verifiable at the place level; unknowns are marked —.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinton | City · seat | — | 37716 |
| Oak Ridge | City (partial) | — | 37830 |
| Norris | City | — | 37828 |
| Rocky Top | City (partial) | — | 37769 |
| Oliver Springs | Town (partial) | — | — |
| Andersonville | CDP | — | 37705 |
| Briceville | CDP | — | 37710 |
| Beech Grove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Belmont | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bethel | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Braytown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Buffalo | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bull Run | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Claxton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Clinch View | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Deep Springs | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Devonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dutch Valley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Edgemoor | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Elza | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Emory Valley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fork Mountain | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fraterville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gooseneck | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Granite | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Heiskell | Unincorp. (partial) | — | — |
| Ivory | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Jackson Square | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Marlow | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Medford | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Minersville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Norwood | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Robertsville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Scarboro | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Spring Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Stainville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Windrock | Unincorp. | — | — |
Andersonville, Norris and Rocky Top all sit within a few miles of one another along US-441/TN-61 north of Clinton and are sometimes confused by visitors; Andersonville is the small CDP nearest Norris Lake, while Rocky Top (renamed from Lake City in 2014) is the city further north toward Campbell County. Emory Valley, Robertsville, Scarboro and Jackson Square are historic Oak Ridge neighbourhood names dating to the Manhattan Project’s 1940s townsite plan, not separate villages.
ZIP Codes
- 37716 — Clinton
- 37830 — Oak Ridge
- 37828 — Norris
- 37769 — Rocky Top
- 37705 — Andersonville
- 37710 — Briceville
Oak Ridge also carries the 37831 PO-box-only ZIP, and Clinton carries the 37717 PO-box-only ZIP; the county’s smaller unincorporated communities are served by these same six delivery ZIPs rather than having offices of their own.
Geography
Anderson County lies on the southwestern flank of the Cumberland Mountains, where ridge-and-valley terrain gives way toward the Tennessee Valley. The Clinch River forms much of the county’s eastern and southern boundary, and Norris Lake — impounded behind Norris Dam on the Clinch — covers a large share of the county’s water area along its northeastern edge. Watts Bar Lake, on the Clinch’s lower stretch, touches the county’s southwestern corner near Oak Ridge.
Anderson County borders six other Tennessee counties: Campbell County to the north, Union County to the northeast, Knox County to the southeast, Roane County to the southwest, Morgan County to the west, and Scott County to the northwest.
Demographics
Anderson County had 77,123 residents at the 2020 census, for a density of roughly 229 people per square mile of land. Oak Ridge and Clinton are its two largest communities; Oak Ridge’s population is split between Anderson and Roane counties, with the larger share in Anderson. Tennessee’s statewide 2023 ACS median household income is $67,631; Anderson County, with its federal-lab workforce, has historically run above the state median, though a verified current county-level figure is not available for this profile.
Economy & Local Life
The county’s economy is anchored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Reservation, home to Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the Y-12 National Security Complex, both major regional employers dating to the World War II Manhattan Project. Tourism draws visitors to Norris Lake for boating and fishing, to the Museum of Appalachia near Clinton, and to the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge. The Anderson County Fair and Norris’s annual community events are among the county’s regular local gatherings.
History
Anderson County was organized on November 6, 1801, and named for Joseph Anderson, a U.S. senator from Tennessee at the time. The Coal Creek Valley around Briceville and Fraterville was a major coal-mining district in the late 1800s and early 1900s; the Fraterville Mine disaster of May 19, 1902, killed 216 miners and remains one of the deadliest mining accidents in American history. Construction of Norris Dam from 1933 to 1936, one of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s first projects, displaced roughly 2,900 families and created the planned town of Norris to house dam workers. In 1942 the federal government secretly acquired land in the county to build Oak Ridge as part of the Manhattan Project, and the city’s population grew to tens of thousands within a few years while remaining a closed, gated community until 1949.
Getting There
Interstate 75 crosses the western part of the county near Clinton, with US-25W and Tennessee State Route 61 serving as the main routes through the county’s towns.
- Knoxville — about 20 miles southeast
- Oak Ridge — about 8 miles south of Clinton
- Norris — about 6 miles northeast of Clinton
- Rocky Top — about 11 miles north of Clinton
The nearest commercial airport is McGhee Tyson Airport in Alcoa, southeast of Knoxville.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Anderson County, Tennessee?
It is in East Tennessee, on the southwestern edge of the Cumberland Mountains, about 20 miles northwest of Knoxville.
What is the population of Anderson County?
Anderson County had a population of 77,123 at the 2020 census.
How big is Anderson County?
The county covers 345 square miles (890 km2), including 7.6 square miles of water.
What is the county seat of Anderson County?
Clinton is the county seat.
How many towns and cities are in Anderson County?
The county has three full incorporated cities, one shared town, two CDPs, and roughly three dozen recognised unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Anderson County?
The main ZIP codes are 37716 (Clinton), 37830 (Oak Ridge), 37828 (Norris), 37769 (Rocky Top), 37705 (Andersonville) and 37710 (Briceville).
What is Anderson County known for?
It is best known as the home of Oak Ridge, the “Secret City” built for the Manhattan Project, and for Norris Dam and Norris Lake.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Tennessee.