Carter County, Tennessee

Carter County, Tennessee
Carter County Courthouse in Elizabethton
Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
Coordinates: 36°18′N 82°07′W / 36.3°N 82.12°W / 36.3; -82.12
Country United States
State Tennessee
Founded1796
Named afterLandon Carter
SeatElizabethton
Largest cityElizabethton
Area
 • Total
348 sq mi (900 km2)
 • Land341 sq mi (880 km2)
 • Water6.4 sq mi (17 km2)  1.8%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
56,356
 • Estimate 
(2022)
56,410
 • Density165/sq mi (63.8/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district1st
Websitewww.cartercountytn.gov

Carter County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 56,356. Its county seat is Elizabethton. The county is named in honor of Landon Carter (1760–1800), an early settler active in the "Lost State of Franklin" 1784-1788 secession from the State of North Carolina. Carter County is part of the Johnson City, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City–KingsportBristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area, located in northeastern Tennessee.