Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pigeon Forge is a city in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 5,083.

Pigeon Forge is a popular tourist stop, its largest attraction being Dollywood, and the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park. U.S. 441 is the major highway through town, connecting to Interstate 40 in Sevierville to the northwest, and going past Gatlinburg through the park and to Cherokee, North Carolina to the southeast. The Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame and Museum is also located in Pigeon Forge.

The name of the city itself refers to the Little Pigeon River, a river on which the city was first founded as a furnace and iron forge by Isaac Love in 1820.^[1]

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Attractions and events
- 3.1 Car and truck shows
4 External links

[edit] Geography

Pigeon Forge is located at 35°47′38″N, 83°33′51″W (35.793946, -83.564124)^GR1 on the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 30.0 km² (11.6 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 5,083 people, 2,021 households, and 1,402 families residing in the city. The population density was 169.5/km² (438.8/mi²). There were 2,799 housing units at an average density of 93.3/km² (241.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.71% White, 0.65% African American, 0.22% Native American, 1.28% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.93% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.70% of the population.

There were 2,021 households out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.5% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,746, and the median income for a family was $34,505. Males had a median income of $26,397 versus $21,370 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,621. About 10.0% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.2% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Attractions and events

Attractions and events abound in Pigeon Forge, including internationally-known Dollywood, the award-winning Country Tonite Theatre, the Miracle Theater and the numerous season based events held there like Winterfest. The natural beauty of the area due to its proximity to the Nationl Park and the attractions in the Pigeon Forge draw around 11 million people a year.^[2] The newest attractions are the Halsons Helicopter Museum and the Magic Beyond Belief Show featuring long time Pigeon Forge magician, Terry Evanswood.

[edit] Car and truck shows

Pigeon Forge has become the southeast mecca for car and truck enthusiasts. The calendar of car and truck show events runs from April through September and has included the following: