Grundy County, Tennessee

Grundy County, Tennessee
Grundy County Courthouse in Altamont
Location in the U.S. state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location in the U.S.
Founded	1844
Named for	Felix Grundy
Seat	Altamont
Largest city	Gruetli-Laager
Area
• Total	361 sq mi (935 km2)
• Land	361 sq mi (935 km2)
• Water	0.6 sq mi (2 km2), 0.2%
Population
• (2010)	13,703
• Density	38/sq mi (15/km²)
Congressional district	4th
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	grundycountytn.net

Grundy County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the population was 13,703. Its county seat is Altamont. The county is named in honor of Felix Grundy.

Grundy County has a rich history and today is the home of a vast recreational wilderness known as the South Cumberland State Park which offers extensive hiking, camping, and rock climbing. Most of Grundy County is atop the Cumberland Plateau averaging a height of around 1,800 feet above sea level. Many locations in the county offer beautiful vistas and grand waterfalls. The county seat of Grundy County is Altamont, founded in the 1840s.

Thirty years before the Civil War, the resort town of Beersheba Springs was founded around a natural mineral springs near the current site of a popular wilderness area known as the Savage Gulf. Visitors to the Savage Gulf are amazed by the beautiful views and extensive hiking trails. In the mid-1860, the town of Gruetli-Laager was formed by an immigrant population from Switzerland. Today many of the original family names are found amongst the local population. Today many people, on their way to Fiery Gizzard and Foster Falls, will pass through the quaint and friendly town of Tracy City. Tracy City is home to the Grundy County Historical Society which is located in the Tennessee Consolidated Coal Company Library & Research Center and is staffed daily by many local residents who assist visitors with tours of the museum and offer assistance for genealogical research. Near by Tracy City many visitors enjoy Grundy Lakes. The Grundy Lakes Park surrounds a series of mountain lakes and streams. The park offers swimming, picnic areas and a lengthy paved road used by runners and walkers. The lake is bordered by a honey comb of Coke Ovens that remain from when coal was mined in the area.