Greene County, Tennessee

Greene County, Tennessee
Greene County Courthouse in Greeneville
Location in the U.S. state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location in the U.S.
Founded	1783
Named for	Nathanael Greene
Seat	Greeneville
Largest town	Greeneville
Area
• Total	624 sq mi (1,616 km2)
• Land	622 sq mi (1,611 km2)
• Water	2.0 sq mi (5 km2), 0.3%
Population
• (2010)	68,831
• Density	111/sq mi (43/km²)
Congressional district	1st
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	greenecountytngov.com

Greene County is a county located on the eastern border of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the population was 68,831. Its county seat is Greeneville, and the current county mayor is David Loy Crum (R).

Greene County comprises the Greeneville, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Greene County developed from the "Nolichucky settlement," established by pioneer Jacob Brown on land leased in the early 1770s from the Cherokee people. The Nolichucky settlement was aligned with the Watauga settlement, centered in modern Elizabethton.

After the United States became independent, Greene County was formed in 1783 from the original Washington County, North Carolina, part of the former Washington District. The county is named for Major General Nathanael Greene (1742-1786), a major general in the Continental Army from Rhode Island. John Crockett, father of Davy Crockett, and his wife settled in the county near Limestone. Davy was born there in 1786. At the time, the area was part of the extra-legal state Franklin.

Greene County is the home of Tusculum College, the oldest college in Tennessee; the state's oldest Methodist congregation (the Ebenezer Methodist Church, near Chuckey), and the state's second oldest continuously cultivated farm (Elmwood Farm, part of the Earnest Farms Historic District). Revolutionary War veteran, and state legislator, Col. Joseph Hardin made Greene County his home for a period of time, serving as justice of the peace and as one of the original trustees of Tusculum (then Greeneville) College.