Unicoi County

county in Tennessee, United States

Key facts

Country: United States
State: Tennessee
Founded: March 23, 1875
Named after: Cherokee word for "fog-draped" or "hazy"
Seat: Erwin
Largest town: Erwin
Total: 186 sq mi (480 km )
Land: 186 sq mi (480 km )
Water: 0.3 sq mi (0.78 km ) 0.2%
Estimate 2025: 17,856
Density: 98/sq mi (38/km )
Time zone: UTC−5 ( Eastern )
Summer dst: UTC−4 ( EDT )

Article

Unicoi County (/ˈjuːnɪˌkɔɪ/) is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,928. Its county seat is Erwin. Unicoi is a Cherokee word meaning "white," "hazy," "fog-like," or "fog draped," and refers to the mist often seen in the foothills and mountains of this far northeast county. Unicoi County is part of the Johnson City metropolitan area, which is a component of the "Tri-Cities" region.

History