Apison, Tennessee

Apison is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. It is a rural area east of the city of Chattanooga, and it is near Ooltewah, Collegedale, and north Georgia to the south. It is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, its population was 4,428.^[4]

Apison, Tennessee
Census-designated place
Apison Show map of Tennessee Apison Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 35°01′26″N 85°01′26″W
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
County	Hamilton
Area [1]
• Total	16.19 sq mi (41.93 km2)
• Land	16.18 sq mi (41.91 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Elevation [2]	860 ft (260 m)
Population  (2020)[3]
• Total	4,428
• Density	273.64/sq mi (105.65/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	37302
Area code	423
GNIS feature ID	1275817[2]

Apison is fifteen miles (24 km) from Enterprise South Industrial Park,^[5] the location of Volkswagen North America.

History

In 1881 the railroad came through a small settlement, now known as Apison, that had previously had its mail delivered by horse and buggy. The town then was known as O'Brian that was assigned by the railroad officials. The name was later changed because of another Tennessee town already having the same name. Due to the large deposits of Apison shale rock found along the railroad tracks, the town was renamed to its current name.^[6]

In 2001, the old Apison Elementary School was turned into a Tres Dias retreat center.^[7]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2020	4,428		—
U.S. Decennial Census[8]

2020 census

Apison racial composition^[9]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	3,717	83.94%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	99	2.24%
Native American	9	0.2%
Asian	84	1.9%
Pacific Islander	4	0.09%
Other/Mixed	228	5.15%
Hispanic or Latino	287	6.48%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,428 people, 987 households, and 803 families residing in the CDP.

Popular culture

Apison was depicted in the X-Files episode "The Field Where I Died."^[10]

Education

Apison Elementary School^[11] is located at 10433 East Brainerd Road. Middle school and high school students may attend either East Hamilton Middle School/High School, or Ooltewah Middle School/High School.