Jellico, Tennessee
| Jellico, Tennessee | |
|---|---|
| City | |
North Main Street
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 Jellico
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| Coordinates: 36°34′57″N 84°7′50″W / 36.58250°N 84.13056°WCoordinates: 36°34′57″N 84°7′50″W / 36.58250°N 84.13056°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Tennessee |
| County | Campbell |
| Founded | 1878 |
| Incorporated | 1883 |
| Named for | Jellico coal |
| Area | |
| • Total | 6.4 sq mi (16.5 km2) |
| • Land | 6.3 sq mi (16.3 km2) |
| • Water | 0.08 sq mi (0.2 km2) |
| Elevation | 982 ft (298 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 2,355 |
| • Density | 373/sq mi (144.2/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 37762 |
| Area code(s) | 423 |
| FIPS code | 47-38020 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1289336 |
| Website | www |
Jellico is a city in Campbell County, Tennessee, United States, on the state border with Kentucky, 58 miles (93 km) by road north of Knoxville. The population was 2,355 at the 2010 census.
The name "Jellico" is a regional corruption of "Angelica", an herb that grows in abundance in the surrounding mountains. The name was first applied to the mountains to the west and to the mountains' main drainage, Jellico Creek, which passes 5 miles (8 km) west of the city of Jellico and empties into the Cumberland River near Williamsburg, Kentucky.
In the early 1880s, a high quality bituminous coal was discovered in the Jellico Mountains, and with the completion of railroad tracks to the area in 1883, coal mines quickly sprang up throughout the area. The city of Jellico was initially founded as "Smithburg" in 1878, but changed its name to "Jellico" in 1883 to capitalize on the growing popularity of Jellico coal. The city was incorporated on March 7, 1883.
Throughout the 1890s and early 1900s, Jellico was one of the most productive coal fields in Kentucky and Tennessee. In 1906, a railroad car packed with dynamite exploded in Jellico, killing eight and destroying part of the town. The town quickly recovered, however, and many of the buildings in the Main Street area date from this period.
In 1971, Indian Mountain State Park was created at the site of a reclaimed strip mine in western Jellico. In 1999, much of North and South Main Street was placed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Jellico Commercial Historic District.
Jellico is located along the northern border of Tennessee at 36°34′57″N 84°7′50″W / 36.58250°N 84.13056°W (36.582627, -84.130608). The city is situated amidst the Cumberland Mountains in the valley of Elk Creek, which flows north into Kentucky. Jellico spans the western bases and slopes of three steep hills that split the Elk Creek valley from the larger Clear Fork valley to the east. A prominent knob known as Indian Mountain rises nearly 1,000 feet (300 m) above Jellico to the west, and is visible from most of the city. This mountain and an adjacent lake are now home to Indian Mountain State Park. The larger Jellico Mountain dominates the area beyond Indian Mountain to the west, and Pine Mountain dominates the area beyond the Clear Fork Valley to the east.
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