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46-690: Copperhill is a city in Polk County , Tennessee , United States. The population was 443 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Cleveland Metropolitan Statistical Area . Copperhill is located in a geological region known as the Copper Basin , which was the site of a major copper mining operation between the 1840s and 1987. Starting around the time of the Civil War , the production method for removing

92-575: A bait farm a few miles south of Benton, was unlicensed. It produced M-80 and M-100 fireworks, both illegal, and was the largest illegal fireworks operation in the United States to date. The Ocoee Whitewater Center was the site of the canoe slalom events for the 1996 Summer Olympics , based in Atlanta, Georgia . In April 2019, Polk County was the first county in Tennessee to become

138-408: A "gun sanctuary", or Second Amendment sanctuary . According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 442 square miles (1,140 km ), of which 435 square miles (1,130 km ) is land and 7.7 square miles (20 km ) (1.7%) is water. As the most southeastern county in Tennessee, it is the state's only county to share borders with both Georgia and North Carolina . Most of

184-647: A few years sooner than planned. In June 2005, the GPSC announced that 706 had nearly exhausted its capacity for new telephone exchange prefixes . On June 24, 2005, the NANPA assigned area code 762 for this purpose. However, the Columbus area was not large enough for its own area code, but was too large to stay in 706. For this reason, it was decided to make 762 an overlay, with permissive dialing allowed on September 3. On April 1, 2007, ten-digit dialing became mandatory in

230-469: A household in the city was $ 25,313, and the median income for a family was $ 28,365. Males had a median income of $ 23,125 versus $ 18,542 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 15,677. About 8.7% of families and 10.7% of the population were below the poverty line , including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to

276-547: A lesser extent than most counties in the region. However, during the Great Depression and World War II , this changed drastically, with Polk County giving 92.7% of the vote to Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944 (it swung hard to the GOP between 1944 and 1948). Today, Polk County is very conservative, giving nearly 80% of its popular vote to Donald Trump in 2016- although it did support Bill Clinton (D-AR) twice. Polk County

322-687: A major blow to the Confederacy. On November 29, 1864, a series of raids by Confederate bushwhacker John P. Gatewood in Polk County resulted in at least 16 deaths. The East Tennessee Power Company, later the Tennessee Electric Power Company (TEPCO), constructed two hydroelectric dams on the Ocoee River, Ocoee Dams 1 and 2 , which were completed in 1911 and 1913, respectively. TEPCO was later purchased by

368-510: A median income of $ 27,703 versus $ 21,010 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 16,025. About 9.70% of families and 13.00% of the population were below the poverty line , including 13.80% of those under age 18 and 18.40% of those age 65 or over. For most of its history, the mines in the Copper Basin were the largest source of employment in Polk County. As the copper mining industry began to decline, tourism associated with

414-642: A passage that became known as the Trail of Tears . Polk County was created by an act of the Tennessee General Assembly on November 23, 1839. The location for the county seat of Benton was chosen by an election held on February 4, 1840. Copper was discovered in Ducktown in 1843. By the 1850s, a large mining operation was underway in southeastern Polk County; the area became known as the Copper Basin . This operation continued until 1987, when

460-415: A small border with 770 to the north, but is almost surrounded by 478 to the south, east, and west. The major section of 706 wraps around from Rome in northwest Georgia, east through the mountains past Dahlonega , meeting its narrowest point at Toccoa , then broadening south to Athens and Augusta . It touches Alabama's area code 256 / 938 and 334 on the far west, Tennessee 's area code 423 on

506-657: A tourist attraction, with near daily rail excursions from Blue Ridge, Georgia , on the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway , and near daily rail excursions from The Gee Creek Wilderness on the Hiwassee River train route . Whitewater rafting on the Ocoee River also attracts many people and other outdoor activities such as Mountain Biking and Hiking are also popular in the area. The area was the host for

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552-470: Is served by Martin Campbell Field , a general aviation airport. The Chilhowee Gliderport is an FAA -licensed gliderport located near Benton. 35°08′N 84°31′W  /  35.13°N 84.52°W  / 35.13; -84.52 Area code 706 The numbering plan area (NPA) is divided into three disconnected geographical regions. A small section is in west-central Georgia, in

598-730: Is the county's highest point; west of Big Frog Mountain there is no higher point until the Black Hills of South Dakota or the Guadalupe Mountains of Texas . About 80% of the land area of Polk County is now part of the Cherokee National Forest , covering most of the Blue Ridge portion of the county except for the Copper Basin and other small tracts. Most of the Ridge-and-Valley portion of

644-407: The 2020 United States census , there were 443 people, 184 households, and 97 families residing in the city. As of the census of 2000, there were 511 people, 239 households, and 146 families residing in the city. The population density was 271.9 inhabitants per square mile (105.0/km). There were 274 housing units at an average density of 145.8 per square mile (56.3/km). The racial makeup of the city

690-926: The Chattanooga–Cleveland–Dalton, TN–GA–AL Combined Statistical Area . Prior to the settlement of the Europeans, Polk County was inhabited by the Cherokee, and before them, thousands of years of indigenous cultures. The portion of Polk County north of the Hiwassee River was ceded by the Cherokee Nation to the US in the Calhoun Treaty of 1819 . The rest of the county was part of the Ocoee District. The Cherokee were forcibly removed from here in 1838-1839 and taken to Indian Territory , in

736-515: The Köppen Climate Classification system, Copperhill has a humid subtropical climate , abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. 34°59′32″N 84°22′27″W  /  34.992108°N 84.374254°W  / 34.992108; -84.374254 Polk County, Tennessee Polk County is a county located in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee . As of the 2020 United States census , its population

782-561: The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), founded in 1933. It constructed an additional dam on this river, Ocoee Dam No. 3 , completed in 1943, as well as the powerhouse for Apalachia Dam on the Hiwassee River in northern Polk County, which was also completed in 1943. In 1973, a large music festival known as the "Midwest Monster Peace Jubilee and Music Festival", commonly known as the "Monster Peace Jubilee",

828-636: The Toccoa River in Georgia , and the Ocoee River in Tennessee , rather than the east/west state line, which cuts diagonally across streets (where it is marked with a blue line) and through buildings. There is a main downtown area, which the town shares with McCaysville, and it retains a historic feel of when it was thriving. The main street through town is Ocoee Street ( Tennessee State Route 68 ) which becomes Toccoa Street ( Georgia State Route 60 ) to

874-427: The whitewater portion of the 1996 Summer Olympics . Copperhill is located at 34°59′32″N 84°22′27″W  /  34.99222°N 84.37417°W  / 34.99222; -84.37417 (34.992108, -84.374254), situated in extreme southeast Tennessee, bordering North Georgia. Its twin city is McCaysville , Georgia , with the two situated as a single town aligned along a northwestward-flowing river, known as

920-471: The 706/762 territory. Despite the rapid growth in 706/762's main section (particularly the northern portion), it is nowhere near exhausting. Under current projections, it is expected to remain in its unusual, non-contiguous state until after 2049. Prior to 1990, area code 706 was used for dialing parts of the Baja California areas of Mexico from the United States. The 706/762 overlay serves

966-557: The Hiwassee also greatly increased. Today, tourism associated with rafting, kayaking, and canoeing the Hiwassee and Ocoee Rivers is the largest sector of Polk County's economy, drawing more than 250,000 people to the area annually. The Ocoee River is now the most rafted river in the United States, with about 250,000 visitors annually, and more than 100,000 people raft the Hiwaseee River each year. Both rivers are ranked as two of

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1012-514: The Ocoee and Hiwassee Rivers began to overtake the copper mines as the largest industry in the county. The first rafting company on the Hiwassee was established in 1969. The shutdown of Ocoee Dam No. 2 to repair the flume line in September 1976 first made possible the rafting of the river's rapids, and several rafting companies were established during this time up until 1983, when the reconstruction

1058-503: The Sulphur from the copper ore mined in the area required building bonfires, throwing in the ore, and burning off the Sulphur. This necessitated cutting most of the trees in the valley for the bonfires. The acid rain caused by the burning of the Sulphur inhibited additional vegetation from growing, and the topsoil consequently washed off the hilly terrain due to lack of vegetation to hold it. Though acid plants were later built to convert

1104-418: The Sulphur into a useful product, the result of the earlier activities was that for years, up until the 1980s, the area was denuded of any greenery, and the red clay soil remaining gave it a Martian appearance. The area has now been greatly reforested, due to a multimillion-dollar effort by the successor companies to the original copper company. The copper and acid plants have been permanently closed and most of

1150-469: The county is privately owned. The Ocoee River , site of whitewater slalom events in the Atlanta 1996 Summer Olympic Games , runs through Polk County and is vital to one of the county's major industries, whitewater rafting . The calmer Hiwassee River , a tributary of the Tennessee River which flows through northern Polk County, is also used for rafting and tubing . The Conasauga River ,

1196-440: The county. The population density was 38.7 people per square mile (14.9 people/km ). There were 7,991 housing units at an average density of 18.4 per square mile (7.1/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 97.53% White , 0.38% Native American , 0.30% African American , 0.14% Asian , 0.02% Pacific Islander , and 1.21% from two or more races . Those of Hispanic or Latino origins, regardless of race, constituted 1.38% of

1242-569: The east-southeast in McCaysville. A truss bridge over the river at the state line links them to Blue Ridge Drive ( Georgia 5 ) to the south-southwest. In the early morning hours of February 16, 1990, a major flood struck the towns, although it is now hard to see any damage from this flooding. The upstream Blue Ridge Dam was raised several feet by the Tennessee Valley Authority , thus greatly minimizing any potential future possible occurrence of flooding. There have been no further incidents with

1288-504: The few area codes that is not contiguous. BellSouth and the Georgia Public Service Commission knew that due to Atlanta's explosive growth, 404 was still on the brink of exhaustion even after the creation of 706. They had already planned to introduce 770 as the area code for Atlanta's suburban ring later in the 1990s. However, the return of the southern exurbs forced the GPSC to put 770 into service in 1995,

1334-408: The inner ring of Atlanta. It also included a number of southern exurbs of Atlanta. However, the residents of these areas felt chagrin at no longer being associated with 404. Shortly after 706 commenced service, BellSouth returned several of these areas to 404. The boundary was redrawn in such a way that isolated Columbus and the surrounding area from the rest of the 706 territory, making 706 one of

1380-746: The last mine closed. During the Civil War , Polk County was one of only six counties in East Tennessee to support the Confederacy , voting in favor of Tennessee's ordinance of secession in June 1861. During the war, the copper mines supplied about 90% of the Confederacy's copper; their capture by Union forces after the Confederate defeat at the Battles for Chattanooga in November 1863 proved

1426-643: The most visited tourist attractions in Tennessee. Public schools in Polk County are operated by the Polk County Schools district. High Schools include Copper Basin High School and Polk County High School . The district has one middle school, Chilhowee Middle. The district also has three elementary schools, Benton Elementary, South Polk Elementary and Copper Basin Elementary. Like East Tennessee, Polk has always leaned Republican, though to

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1472-504: The northwest, North Carolina 's area code 828 and Upstate South Carolina 's area code 864 to the north-northeast, and midlands area codes 803 and 839 to the east, and middle Georgia's 478 and metro Atlanta as above. When the North American Numbering Plan was created in 1947, the entire state of Georgia was assigned area code 404. On July 1, 1954, the southern portion of the state, from Macon southward,

1518-548: The only river in Tennessee that is not part of the Mississippi River Basin , is located in southwestern Polk County. Most of the population of Polk County lives in the Ridge-and-Valley western portion of the county and the Copper Basin. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 17,544 people, 7,383 households, and 5,239 families residing in the county. As of the census of 2010, there were 16,825 people, 6,653 households, and 4,755 families residing in

1564-400: The plant infrastructure already removed and sold overseas. Much of the scrap metals from the site have been removed and sold to China. Glenn Springs Holdings has cleaned and purified all the surrounding creeks and waterways, and water quality is now back to near pristine condition according to published EPA and Tennessee Department of Environmental Conservation studies. The town these days is

1610-400: The population. There were 6,653 households, out of which 26.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.60% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.30% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

1656-551: The region around Columbus . This is bordered by area code 334 to the west in Alabama , area code 478 to the east, area code 229 to the south, and metro Atlanta's 404 , 678 , 770 , and 470 . It does not border the landline area of 404, only the cellphone area. Additionally, the Yatesville rate center is in area codes 706 and 762, but not adjacent to any other rate centers in 706/762. The Yatesville rate center shares

1702-447: The religious communities, who believed the festival would bring much of the perceived rock music culture. The festival was eventually halted by the state circuit court, on the request of the district attorney, who said that the festival would constitute a public nuisance, due to drug, health, and traffic problems. On May 27, 1983, a massive explosion at a secret illegal fireworks factory killed eleven workers. The operation, located on

1748-545: The river flooding. As a result of the state line, homes and businesses on the Copperhill side of town have area code 423 , while those on the McCaysville side have area code 706 . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km), of which 1.9 square miles (4.9 km) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km) (2.08%) is water. As of

1794-513: The terrain of Polk County is mountainous, constituting part of the southern Blue Ridge Mountains , among the southern Appalachian Mountains . The western edge of the county is part of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , which comprise about one-sixth of the county's land area. The Copper Basin is located in the extreme southeastern part of Polk County. Big Frog Mountain , at an elevation of 4,224 ft (1,287 m),

1840-457: Was 17,544. Its county seat is Benton . The county was created on November 28, 1839, from parts of Bradley and McMinn counties, after final removal of most Cherokee from the region that year. The county was named after then-governor (and future president) James K. Polk . Polk County is included in the Cleveland, Tennessee Metropolitan Area Statistical Area , which is also included in

1886-420: Was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.96. In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.14% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 20 to 24, 10.20% from 25 to 34, 21.60% from 35 to 49, 21.70% from 50 to 64, and 17.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.5 years. In 2000, the median income for a household in the county was $ 29,643, and the median income for a family was $ 36,370. Males had

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1932-449: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.73. In the city, the population was spread out, with 18.2% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.4 males. The median income for

1978-465: Was 97.46% White , 0.20% Native American , and 2.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.98% of the population. There were 239 households, out of which 20.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.4% had someone living alone who

2024-411: Was complete. Before the reconstruction project was complete, a struggle ensued between TVA and the rafting companies over usage of the river, which culminated in a 1984 agreement with TVA to schedule periodic releases of water through the dam at certain times of the year to allow for whitewater rafting. This agreement, set to expire in 2019, was renewed in 2017. During the same time, commercial rafting of

2070-562: Was planned by Indiana-based promoter C.F. Manifest Inc. to take place on a 1,300-acre farm north of Benton on Labor Day of that year. The farm was owned by the county executive. (It has been redeveloped as the Chilhowee Gliderport .) Nicknamed "Polkstock" due to its resemblance to 1969's Woodstock in Bethel, New York , the event was expected to attract approximately 500,000 people. Locals strongly opposed it, especially members of

2116-480: Was split off with area code 912 . Area code 404 was limited to the northern half of the state, from the Tennessee and North Carolina state lines as far south as Columbus and Augusta. This configuration remained in place for 38 years. In 1992, almost all of the old 404 territory outside the Atlanta area was split off as area code 706. Originally, 706 consisted of a horseshoe-shaped region that completely wrapped around

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