Retire to Tennessee

Counties

Cocke County:

Before the arrival of European settlers, the area that is now Cocke County probably was inhabited by Cherokees. The first recorded European settlement in the county was in 1783 when land near the fork of the French Broad and Big Pigeon rivers was cleared and cultivated. The earliest European settlers were primarily Scots-Irish, Dutch, and Germans who came to the area over the mountains from the Carolinas or through Virginia from Pennsylvania and other northern states.

The county was established by an Act of the Tennessee General Assembly on October 9, 1797, from a part of Jefferson County, Tennessee. It was named for William Cocke, one of the state's first United States senators.

Cocke County Statistics:

Average year-round temperature/weather: 56.5°F

Average High Temperature: 68.8°F

Average Low Temperature: 44.2°F

Average Precipitation: 44”

Median price of homes:
$84,700

Cost of living:
Compared to the rest of the country, Cocke County's cost of living is 19.46% Lower than the U.S. average. 2008 cost of living index in Cocke County: 79.4 (low, U.S. average is 100)

Population of city/county and/or median age:
35,337 (2009)

Median age: 38.6

Recreational and Cultural:
Parks

Rattlesnake Branch Recreation Area

Houston Valley Recreation Area

French Broad Recreation Site

Education:
Elementary Schools K-8

Bridgeport Elementary School

Centerview Elementary School

Cosby Elementary School

Del Rio Elementary School

Edgemont Elementary School

Grassy Fork Elementary School

Northwest Elementary School

Parrottsville Elementary School

Smoky Mountain Elementary School

Newport Grammar School

High Schools 9-12

Cocke County High School

Vocational School

Cosby High School

Colleges and Universities

Walters State Community College in Morristown

Carson Newman College in Jefferson City

Tennessee Technology Center in Morristown

Medical Facilities:

Baptist Hospital of Cocke County

Laughlin Memorial Hospital in Greenville

St Mary's Jefferson Memorial Hospital in Jefferson City

Fort Sanders Sevier Medical Center in Sevierville

Additional Information:
Cities and towns

• Cosby (unincorporated)
• Del Rio (unincorporated)
• Hartford (unincorporated)
• Newport
• Parrottsville