Niota is a city in McMinn County, Tennessee, United States. The population was estimated at 772 in 2020 by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Niota Depot, built in 1854 for the East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad, is the oldest standing railroad depot in Tennessee. It currently serves as Niota City Hall.

In 1988, a group of women, later dubbed the “Golden Girls of Niota”, led a successful city council election campaign and became one of the first all-female city councils in the United States and the only one at the time. The group ran as the People’s Choice Party and was led by 78-year old Mayor Effie Lones, the oldest elected female official in the country at the time of her election. Every member of the Golden Girls was a grandmother. 4 of the candidates were elected via write-in votes, and they handed out sample ballots prior to Election Day to familiarize voters with the write-in process.

Geography

Niota is located at (35.514230, -84.547132). The city is situated along US Route 11 between Sweetwater and Athens. Tennessee State Route 309 connects the city with Interstate 75 to the west.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Niota had a population of 772, 345 households, and 255 families residing in the city. The median age was 43.3 years, 19.6% of residents were under the age of 18, and 21.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 101.0 males age 18 and over.

There were 345 households in Niota, of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 44.3% were married-couple households, 25.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

{| class="wikitable"

|+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 692 || 89.6%

|-

| Black or African American || 8 || 1.0%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 3 || 0.4%

|-

| Asian || 16 || 2.1%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 1 || 0.1%

|-

| Some other race || 10 || 1.3%

|-

| Two or more races || 42 || 5.4%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 25 || 3.2%

|}

2000 census

As of the census

Notable people

  • Harry T. Burn, member of the Tennessee General Assembly, was born in Niota and lived in the community throughout his life. He is best remembered as the state legislator whose vote secured the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, giving U.S. women the right to vote.
  • Alfred Cate, Tennessee state senator and Southern Unionist

References

  • — information on local government, elections, and link to charter