Surgoinsville was incorporated in 1815, and was named for its founder, Major James Surguine, a French Huguenot.
Geography
Surgoinsville is located just northeast of the geographic center of Hawkins County, on the north side of the Holston River. U.S. Route 11W, a four-lane highway, passes through the northern part of the town, leading northeast to Kingsport and southwest to Rogersville, the Hawkins county seat. Tennessee State Route 346 is Surgoinville's Main Street, forming a business loop with US 11W. According to the United States Census Bureau, Surgoinsville has a total area of, of which are land and, or 0.63%, are water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,484 people, 614 households, and 453 families residing in the town. The population density was 367.2 people per square mile. There were 674 housing units at an average density of 166.8 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 98.18% White, 0.34% African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.27% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.55% of the population. There were 614 households out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.5% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.85. In the town, the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $35,391, and the median income for a family was $41,055. Males had a median income of $32,969 versus $20,739 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,015. About 5.6% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.5% of those under age 18 and 12.2% of those age 65 or over.
Although chartered in 1815, as indicated in the TennesseeBlue Book, the town for a time had no local government. Interested citizens in the early decades of the 20th century restarted the municipality, which is governed by a board of mayor and aldermen.
Infrastructure
A private water system serves the town and outlying areas, but the city has no public sewer connections or sewage treatment plant. Phipps Bend Industrial Park, one of the largest industrial parks in northeastern Tennessee, is located southeast of the town limits. It hosts a range of manufacturers and employs over 2,000 people.
