A short, interesting history
Before Tennessee was a state, Greeneville was a capital. In 1785 it became the seat of the State of Franklin — a breakaway 14th state that governed itself for a few defiant years before quietly folding back into North Carolina. Greeneville is still the second-oldest town in Tennessee, and the only town spelled this way in the entire country.
The county has a habit of producing famous Americans. Davy Crockett was born along the Nolichucky River near Limestone in 1786. A young tailor named Andrew Johnson set up shop on the Greeneville square, got into local politics, and went on to become the 17th President of the United States — his home and tailor shop are now a National Historic Site.
Just outside town, Tusculum University (chartered 1794) is the oldest college in Tennessee. The Civil War left its mark too: Confederate cavalry general John Hunt Morgan was killed in Greeneville in 1864, and the Battle of Blue Springs was fought near Mosheim the year before.
Greene County by the numbers
A snapshot of the county today. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau and DataUSA.
~73,800
Residents
2025 estimate
28,400
Households
$56,200
Median household income
2024
$207,500
Median home value
2024
622
Square miles
≈67% rural
1783
Year founded
named for Gen. Nathanael Greene
The economy runs on manufacturing (the county's largest employer, with roughly 6,700 jobs), followed by retail and health care. It's a mostly rural county — about two-thirds of residents live outside the towns — anchored by Greeneville's historic downtown square.
Local guide
Explore the communities
From the county seat to the crossroads towns, every community in Greene County — with its story, its businesses, and what's happening there.
Greeneville
The county seat and historic heart of Greene County — once the capital of the lost State of Franklin, and President Andrew Johnson's hometown.
Learn more →Tusculum
Tennessee's first college town — home of Tusculum University (1794), the oldest college in the state.
Learn more →Mosheim
From Blue Springs to a growing Greene County town — German Lutheran roots, a Civil War battlefield, and the "World's Fastest Dirt Track."
Learn more →Baileyton
A small incorporated town at Interstate 81 exit 36 — the northern gateway to Greene County, built where an old pioneer road met a mountain pass.
Learn more →Limestone
Where Tennessee's frontier story comes alive — David Crockett's birthplace, an early Revolutionary fort, and one of the first schools west of the Appalachians.
Learn more →Chuckey
A Nolichucky River railroad community with some of the oldest farms in Tennessee — and a surprising link to the Wright brothers.
Learn more →Afton
An eastern Greene County crossroads — home of the Chuckey-Doak Black Knights, historic stone houses, and one of the county's largest manufacturers.
Learn more →Camp Creek
A community in the southern mountains of Greene County — home to Margarette Falls, deep frontier roots, and a story of remarkable resilience.
Learn more →Mohawk
A rural railroad community in the Lick Creek valley that once boasted one of East Tennessee's largest Chevrolet dealerships.
Learn more →Midway
A quiet rural community west of Mosheim — a former railroad village with a surprising high-tech industrial side.
Learn more →Bulls Gap
A historic railroad town in a mountain pass on Greene County's western edge — and the hometown of Hee Haw comedian Archie Campbell.
Learn more →