Alpine is a small

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Overton County,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

, United States. It is served by the ZIP Code of 38543, for which the ZCTA had a population of 497 at the 2000 census. Alpine is part of the Cookeville, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Alpine was originally known as "Nettle Carrier," the name being derived from a

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, th ...

chief who lived in a nearby village. For most of its history, Alpine has been home to the Alpine Institute, a mission school that thrived at various times throughout the 19th and early-20th centuries. The Nettle Carrier post office was established in 1845, and the name was changed to "Alpine" (after the school) in 1921.Joseph Mayfield, "Overton County, Tennessee - Post Offices." ''History of Overton County, Tennessee'' (Dallas, Tex.: Curtis Media Corp., 1992), pp. 21-25.

Geography

Alpine is located in a narrow valley carved by Nettlecarrier Creek, which empties into the Obey River east of the community. The valley, situated in an area where the

Cumberland Plateau The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau in the Appalachian Mountains of the United States. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, and portions of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia. The terms " Al ...

gives way to the

Highland Rim The Highland Rim is a geographic term for the area in Tennessee surrounding the Central Basin. Nashville is largely surrounded by higher terrain in all directions. Geologically, the Central Basin is a dome. The Highland Rim is a cuesta surro ...

, is surrounded by hills and high ridges on all sides, most notably Alpine Mountain, which rises nearly above the community to the south. Tennessee Highway 52 provides the only major road access to Alpine, connecting the community with

Livingston Livingston may refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North American customs ...

about to the west and with Jamestown about to the east.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, 497 persons resided in the ZCTA, living in 290 housing units with a median age of 44.5 years old. The majority of the population rested within the 18-65 age range, at 394, while there were 83 persons over 65; the remaining population was children. At 248 men, males compose 49.9% of the population, with women making up 50.1% with 249. With 290 housing units, that makes for a housing density sitting at a mere .12/sq mi (.31/km). The racial makeup of the ZCTA was 98%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 1% American Indian and Alaskan Native, 0.2% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 1.2% of the population. The average household size was 2.32, 86.9% of the residents owned their home while 13.1% rented; in total occupying 214 (73.8%) of the 290 homes in Alpine. Of the 403 residents over 25 years of age, 197 held a

high school diploma A high school diploma or high school degree is a North American academic school leaving qualification awarded upon high school graduation. The high school diploma is typically obtained after a course of study lasting four years, from grade 9 to gra ...

or higher, while 19 held a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...

or higher. 79 residents were of civilian veteran status in Alpine, and 72 residents (between ages 21 and 64) were disabled. 203 residents over the age of 16 were employed, all traveling a mean time of 35 minutes to their place of employment. The median income for a household was $26,923, the median income for a family being $30,083, and

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

was at $16,824. 21 families and 91 persons were living below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Overton County, Tennessee Unincorporated communities in Tennessee Cookeville, Tennessee micropolitan area