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Feature article
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Bluff City’s history spans 200 years
By J.H. Osborne
The name of this Sullivan County town is one for the history books: several cite Bluff City as the city with the most name changes of any city in Tennessee.
Located south of Bristol and north of Piney Flats, Bluff City was first known as Shoate’s (or Chote’s) Ford at the time of the American Revolutionary War.
By 1800 lots had been laid out for the town of Middletown — some accounts say the name was derived from the fact it was at the halfway point between Roanoke and Knoxville.
By the late 1850s, the town’s name changed to Union — but with the onset of the Civil War it was soon changed to Zollicoffer in honor of a Confederate general.
At the end of the war the name reverted to Union, until the late 1880s, when it became Bluff City.
Today, the city’s picturesque Main Street is dotted with historic homes whose pedigrees span Bluff City’s more than 200-year timeline.
But housing choices in Bluff City now offer everything from mobile homes to upscale condominiums.
The community stretches along the banks of the South Holston River, at the upper end of Boone Lake, and a riverfront park and boardwalk offer a tranquil respite on summer evenings and weekends.
City governance is by an elected board of mayor and aldermen, and kindergarten through 12th-grade education is provided by the Sullivan County school system. Located in Bluff City are Bluff City Elementary and Bluff City Middle schools. Students go on from those schools to nearby Sullivan East High School.
Bluff City is home to the Tri-Cities Flea Market, on Highway 11E — and as for dining opportunities, one of the region’s best-known eateries is on the outskirts of town.
Ridgewood Barbecue, at 900 Elizabethton Highway, had been drawing pork-hungry crowds to Bluff City for generations.
Other restaurants in Bluff City include The Old Fashion Country Kitchen, Pizza Plus, The Red Rooster, River’s Way Kitchen, Subway and Santa Fe Grill.
Bluff City
2000 population -- 1,559
Total households -- 635
Own home -- 71%
Married couples with children -- 20%
Married couples with no children -- 35%
High school graduate or higher 73%
Bachelor’s degree or higher 15%
Per capita income $14,175
Note: Percentages have been rounded off.
Source: Census 2000
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