More historic than 22% of U.S. towns · #145 of 177 in Tennessee. What drives it
Most of Unicoi was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. Below: maps from 1935 on and the census since 2000.
The Unicoi post office opened in 1890, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1994. Two smaller post offices, Limonite (1876) and Marbleeton (1889), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 3,519 in 20002020 census: 3,833136 years
How historic is Unicoi?
C−
More historic than 22% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Unicoi post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1994.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Unicoi’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Unicoi is more historic than 22% of U.S. towns, #145 of 177 in Tennessee. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Unicoi’s overall grade.
Tennessee towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Tennessee town has 6.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Unicoi’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (16% of Tennessee towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.2 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1994.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Unicoi’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Unicoi was originally known as "Greasy Cove." In 1851, the Swingle brothers opened a post office in the community, and named it "Swingleville." In 1876, Dr. F.H. Hannum obtained control of the post office, and changed its name to "Limonite." When the railroads arrived in the valley in the late 1880s, the name was changed to "Unicoi City," and later shortened to its current form. The town developed in the early 20th century as a shipping point for area mining and logging operations. In 1994, the municipal government of Johnson City would purchase the Buffalo Valley Golf Course located in upper Unicoi County for $1.52 million. Residents of Unicoi speculated that the purchase was a sign of Johnson City seeking to begin annexations into Unicoi. As a result, a community group gathered to incorporate Unicoi into a town by public referendum vote the following year to prevent potential annex…
The Unicoi post office opened in 1890, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1994.
How does Unicoi rank for history?
Unicoi is more historic than 22% of U.S. towns, #145 of 177 in Tennessee. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Unicoi?
6% of Unicoi’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.2 points), against a typical 4.9% for a Tennessee town; the median home was built in 1981.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (4), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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