Hamilton County, Tennessee

Hamilton County
County
Hamilton County Courthouse in Chattanooga
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35°11′N 85°10′W / 35.18°N 85.17°W / 35.18; -85.17
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
Founded	October 25, 1819
Named for	Alexander Hamilton[1]
Seat	Chattanooga
Largest city	Chattanooga
Government
• County Mayor	Weston Wamp (R)[2]
Area
• Total	576 sq mi (1,490 km2)
• Land	542 sq mi (1,400 km2)
• Water	33 sq mi (90 km2)  5.8%
Population  (2020)
• Total	366,207
• Estimate  (2023)	379,864
• Density	620/sq mi (240/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	www.hamiltontn.gov

Hamilton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located in the southern part of East Tennessee on the border with Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 366,207,^[3] making it the fourth-most populous county in Tennessee. Its county seat is Chattanooga, located along the Tennessee River.^[4] The county was named for Alexander Hamilton, the first secretary of the treasury.

Hamilton County is one of 95 counties within Tennessee.^[5] Hamilton County is part of the Chattanooga, TN-GA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county was created on October 25, 1819.^[6] Hamilton County expanded to meet the state line with Georgia after absorbing parts of three different counties including Bledsoe, Marion, and Rhea. Part of the traditional Cherokee homeland, the county was created after the Cherokee signed a treaty in 1817 with the United States and ceded land north of the Hiwassee River. In the 21st century, Hamilton County is the eighth-highest income Tennessee location by per capita income ($26,588).