Ooltewah ( ) is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in

Hamilton County, Tennessee Hamilton County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located in the southern part of East Tennessee on the border with Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...

, United States. It is a community near

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...

. The population was 684 at the 2020 census. Ooltewah is an

enclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is so ...

in the city of Collegedale.

History

Ooltewah was the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of James County, a former Tennessee county that went bankrupt in 1919 and was subsequently incorporated into Hamilton County. The former

James County Courthouse The James County Courthouse is a historic building located in Ooltewah, Tennessee. It was built in 1913 as the third courthouse of the now defunct James County. It continued to function in that capacity until 1919, when James County went bankrup ...

located in the square in downtown Ooltewah is the community's major landmark. It is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. Alfred Cate (1822–1871), a resident of Ooltewah, was a prominent Southern Unionist and leader in the East Tennessee bridge-burning conspiracy. Cate and his men destroyed three Chattanooga-area railroad bridges on the night of November 8, 1861, in hopes of paving the way for a Union invasion of East Tennessee.Oliver Perry Temple,

Mary Boyce Temple Mary Boyce Temple (July 6, 1856 – May 16, 1929) was an American philanthropist and socialite, active primarily in Knoxville, Tennessee, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was the first president of the Ossoli Circle, the oldest ...

(ed.),
Alfred M. Cate
" ''Notable Men of Tennessee'' (Cosmopolitan Press, 1912), pp. 85-88. On November 24, 1863, the 4th Michigan Cavalry entered Ooltewah and captured seventeen Confederates, including two officers, and destroyed a train of four wagons. On the next day, the 4th Michigan Cavalry destroyed the Ooltewah railroad bridge, burned 4,000 pounds of flour, and captured a Confederate Lieutenant Colonel before moving on to

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

before nightfall.

Geography

Ooltewah is located at (35.066834, -85.081421). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total area of , all land.

Name

The word Ooltewah is possibly derived from ''ultiwa'', a Cherokee cognate of the

Muscogee The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek or just Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language; English: ), are a group of related Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands Here they waged war again ...

word ''italwa'', meaning "principal ground." Alternatively, it is perhaps derived from the Creek (Muscogee) words ''uwv-tawa'' (OO-U-TA-WA), meaning "water town." Locals attribute the name as translated "Owls Nest" or "Owls Roost" (CREEK - Opv-tawa OH-POO-TA-WA).

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 684 people, 337 households, and 195 families residing in the CDP.

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 687 people, 313 households, and 194 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 2,290 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 83.49%

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

, 11.93% Asian, 0.46% Native American, 0.84%

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.13% from other races, and 2.13% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.94% of the population. There were 2,153 households, out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.04. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.0 males. The median income for a household in the Ooltewah CDP was $92,243, and the median income for a family was $105,439. Males had a median income of $82,423 versus $61,036 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the CDP was $51,034. About 2.6% of families and 5.6% of the population were 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 ...

, including 9.0% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Ooltewah zip code is the site of Ooltewah High School, East Hamilton Middle/High School, Ooltewah Middle School, Hunter Middle School, Ooltewah Elementary School, Snow Hill Elementary School, Wolftever Creek Elementary School, and Wallace A. Smith Elementary School. East Hamilton Middle/High School split from Ooltewah High School due to a large student body. East Hamilton Middle/High School competes in Division 4A of the TSSAA, while Ooltewah competes in Division 5A of the TSSAA.

Notable people

* Mike Carter, Tennessee state legislator, lived in Ooltewah * Luther Roy, Major League Baseball pitcher, was born in Ooltewah * Sammy Seamster, NFL player, was born in Ooltewah * Jacques Smith, NFL player, was raised in Ooltewah

References

External links

{{authority control Census-designated places in Hamilton County, Tennessee Census-designated places in Tennessee Chattanooga metropolitan area Former county seats in Tennessee Tennessee placenames of Native American origin