Harrison is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 7,902 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chattanooga metropolitan area. Harrison Bay State Park, the Hamilton County Landfill, Bear Trace Golf Course, a course designed by Jack Nicklaus, and Skull Island, a recreational area owned by TVA, are all located in Harrison.
Geography
Harrison is located at (35.119296, -85.149487).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (20.57%) is water.
History
The town developed southeast of Vann's Ferry (Vann Town), a ferry crossing established by James Vann, a prominent Cherokee trader and planter. It was later named Harrison after President William Henry Harrison and became the seat of Hamilton County in 1840. The county seat was later moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, after the Civil War. The first post office was opened on June 16, 1841. In 1870 the Hamilton County Courthouse was moved from Harrison to Chattanooga.
Harrison's borders were once larger than today. When the Chickamauga Dam was completed on the Tennessee River by the Tennessee Valley Authority in 1940, much of the city was flooded, as portrayed in the 1960 movie Wild River. Some parts of the old city, such as old building foundations, roads, and guard rails, can still be seen, especially in and around Harrison Bay, named for the submerged town. Harrison Bay State Park is a TVA-built park in the area now.
Demographics
thumb|right|A street scene in Harrison in 1937.
2020 census
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+Harrison racial composition
!scope="col"| Race
!scope="col"| Number
!scope="col"| Percentage
|-
!scope="row"| White (non-Hispanic)
| 5,366
| 67.91%
|-
!scope="row"| Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
| 1,723
| 21.8%
|-
!scope="row"| Native American
| 15
| 0.19%
|-
!scope="row"| Asian
| 106
| 1.34%
|-
!scope="row"| Pacific Islander
| 3
| 0.04%
|-
!scope="row"| Other/Mixed
| 411
| 5.2%
|-
!scope="row"| Hispanic or Latino
| 278
| 3.52%
|}
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 7,902 people, 3,132 households, and 2,321 families residing in the CDP.
2000 census
As of the census Snow Hill Elementary School, Brown Middle School, Chattanooga Central High School, and Hamilton County High School.