Polk County, Tennessee

Polk County
County
Polk County Courthouse in Benton
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35°08′N 84°31′W / 35.13°N 84.52°W / 35.13; -84.52
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
Founded	November 28, 1839
Named for	James K. Polk[1]
Seat	Benton
Largest town	Benton
Area
• Total	442 sq mi (1,140 km2)
• Land	435 sq mi (1,130 km2)
• Water	7.7 sq mi (20 km2)  1.7%
Population  (2020)
• Total	17,544
• Density	40.33/sq mi (15.57/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	www.polkgovernment.com

Polk County is a county located in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 17,544.^[2] Its county seat is Benton.^[3] The county was created on November 28, 1839, from parts of Bradley and McMinn counties, after final removal of most Cherokee from the region that year. The county was named after then-governor (and future president) James K. Polk. Polk County is included in the Cleveland, Tennessee Metropolitan Area Statistical Area, which is also included in the Chattanooga–Cleveland–Dalton, TN–GA–AL Combined Statistical Area.