Harriman is a city located primarily in Roane County, Tennessee, United States, with a small extension into Morgan County. The population of Harriman was 5,892 at the time of the 2020 census.
Geography
thumb|left|View along Crescent Avenue from [[Cornstalk Heights, with Walden Ridge in the background]]
Harriman is situated along the physiographic boundary between the Tennessee Valley region and the Cumberland Plateau region, with the Plateau—namely its Walden Ridge escarpment—rising several hundred feet above the city to the west. The Emory River enters the Tennessee Valley just west of Harriman at a pass known as Emory Gap, and forms an oxbow bend that surrounds the original section of Harriman.
U.S. Route 27, known as Roane Street in Harriman, runs north-to-south through the city along the base of Walden Ridge. Interstate 40 runs east-to-west through the city's southern section. Harriman's southwestern boundary, which it shares with Rockwood, is located along US-27 about a half-mile south of the road's intersection with I-40. The city's southeastern boundary runs along Pine Ridge, which overlooks the Kingston Fossil Plant. Harriman's northern boundary is near US-27's split with State Highway 61.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.86%, is water.
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Harriman is included in the Knoxville metropolitan area.
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Harriman had a population of 5,892, 2,578 households, and 1,408 families residing in the city.
The median age was 41.8 years, with 22.2% of residents under the age of 18 and 19.5% aged 65 years or older; for every 100 females there were 89.6 males and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 82.5 males.
There were 2,578 households in Harriman, of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 34.2% were married-couple households, 21.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 36.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 5,062 || 85.9%
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| Black or African American || 352 || 6.0%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 32 || 0.5%
|-
| Asian || 38 || 0.6%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 4 || 0.1%
|-
| Some other race || 35 || 0.6%
|-
| Two or more races || 369 || 6.3%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 115 || 2.0%
|}
2000 census
As of the census
The East Tennessee Land Company's plan was to purchase land, build a town based on prohibitionist and other reform movement principles, and establish subsidiary companies to attract industry. After a successful land auction in Harriman in 1890, the company established three subsidiaries: the East Tennessee Mining Company to administer the region's coal and iron extraction operations, the Harriman Coal & Iron Railroad Company to develop the local railroad system, and the Harriman Manufacturing Company to attract industries by providing start-up capital. By 1892, several rolling mills, factories, and other businesses had relocated to Harriman.
Development of Harriman
thumb|Commercial block along Roane Street, built in the 1890s
Harriman is named for Walter Harriman, a governor of New Hampshire whose son, Walter C. Harriman, was managing director of the East Tennessee Land Company. As a colonel (later general) in the Union Army during the Civil War, he had traveled on foot through the area with his 11th New Hampshire Regiment and camped for several days on the Emory River near the future site of the city. An elderly local later told the directors that Harriman had said that the site would be the perfect place for a town, and based on this conversation, the directors chose the name of "Harriman".
The site of Harriman was chosen primarily for its proximity to Emory Gap, where the Cincinnati Southern Railway joined the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway. The city, platted on Christmas Day in 1889, was laid out in a grid pattern that conformed to the Emory's oxbow bend at the base of Walden Ridge. The block bounded by Roane, Walden, Morgan, and Clinton streets was set aside for the city's public buildings (this block is now the location of the city hall, library, and fire department). Lots in the heights around Cumberland and Clinton streets (now Cornstalk Heights) were substantially larger, as it was expected that the city's wealthy and professional-class residents would buy homes here. The areas along the river (Emory Street) were for mills and residential areas for skilled laborers.
The initial land auction for Harriman was held in late February 1890, and was attended by over 4,000 prospective buyers from across the nation. Several hundred lots were sold, raising over $600,000. The most expensive lots were along Roane Street and in what is now Cornstalk Heights, most of which sold for over $2,000 apiece, while the lots closer to the river typically sold for less than $500 apiece. Shortly after the initial auction, the company platted several more lots outside the city in what is now the Walnut Hills and Oak View neighborhoods for the city's wage workers.
Harriman's K-12 public schools are operated by the Roane County school system:
- Bowers Elementary - grades K–5
- Harriman Middle - grades 6–8
- Harriman High School - grades 9–12
Institutions of higher education include the main campus of Roane State Community College (located just outside Harriman city limits) and the Tennessee College of Applied Technology - Harriman, located just north of the city.
Newspapers
Tennessee Magnet Publications
Sports
The city was home to a Minor League Baseball team called the Harriman Boosters that played in the Appalachian League in 1914.
Notable people
- Sharrieffa Barksdale (b. 1961), Olympic hurdler
- Robert K. Byrd (1823–1885), Union Army colonel and state senator
- Jeremaine Copeland (b. 1977), professional football player and coach
- Dixie Lee (1911–1952), singer and actress, first wife of Bing Crosby
- Jennifer Lien (b. 1974); actress
- J. C. Powell (1926–1988), academic, former president of Eastern Kentucky University
- Steve Summers, costume designer and creative director for Dolly Parton
References
External links
- City of Harriman official website
- "History of Harriman, Tennessee" (1893) by James Hayward
- City charter