Crossville, Tennessee Acreage: Your Land-Buying Guide

Crossville, Tennessee is the county seat of Cumberland County and part of the Crossville Micropolitan Statistical Area. Each year, tourists flocked to this charming town to catch a glimpse of The Minister’s Tree House, one of the largest (if not the largest) tree houses in the world. The famous tree house is a testament to the area’s natural beauty, with numerous lakes and parks in the surrounding area.

Crossville’s History

The city of Crossville first developed around an intersection of the Great Stage Road. This intersection connected Knoxville and Nashville, and the Kentucky Stock Road, which at the time, was a cattle drovers’ path that connected Kentucky with Middle Tennessee.

In 1800, Samuel Lambeth, a European-American settler, opened a store at the junction. Soon, a small community developed, and the settlement was known as Lambeth’s Crossroads. The store once stood at what is now the modern intersection of Stanley Street and Main Street. Sometime between the development of the community and 1830 (when the post office was established), the town had taken up a new name: Crossville. In 1850, a merchant from Sparta named James Scott purchased Lambeth’s store and renamed it to Scott’s Tavern.

Cumberland County was formed in 1856, and Crossville was named county seat because it was the closest city to the center of the county. Mr. Scott donated 40 acres to allow a town square and a court house to be built. During the Civil War, Crossville and Cumberland County as a whole suffered through constant pillaging. The well-developed roads in the area made the city accessible to both the Confederate and Union forces, as well as renegade guerrillas.

Because families and communities were divided, guerilla warfare was vicious in Crossville – nearly as vicious as if battles had taken place in the city itself. The county remained divided throughout the Civil War, and sent equal numbers of troops to both sides.

U.S. 70 helped the town flourish after World War I by connecting Crossville to nearby markets. After World War II, additional highways were built to further improve transportation in the area. The Cumberland Homesteads were built during the Great Depression as part of a federal government housing project. The homes provided small farms for several hundred families that were impoverished. The recreational area of the project is now the center of the Cumberland Mountain State Park.

Geography and Climate

Crossville is situated on top of the Cumberland Plateau among the Headquarters of the Obed River. Emory River is situated just northeast of Crossville, and there are several small lakes scattered on the outskirts of town, including Byrd Lake, Lake Holiday and Lake Tansi. Town itself is approximately 1,890 feet above sea level. Altogether, Crossville spans 20.3 mi.², and roughly 1.95% of that is water.

Originally, the town was developed at an intersection of two major roads that allowed settlers to move through the area. Today, Route 70 and Route 127 roughly follow these old roots, and connect travelers from east to west and north to south respectively.

The city is located just 80 miles north of Chattanooga, 35 miles east of Cookeville, and 70 miles west of Knoxville.
Residents of Crossville enjoy a favorable climate, with July’s average high being around 83°, in January, the high is around 43°. The average year-round temperature for the city is 65.5°. Each year, the city gets about 55.55 inches of precipitation, and 14.2 inches of snow.

Demographics and Population

As of the 2010 census, there are roughly 10,795 people living in the town. Over the last 15 years, the city has seen modest growth. In 2000, there were roughly 8,900 people living in Crossville. At the time, and the population density was about 609.2 people per square mile. In total, there were 3,795 households. In 2000, the median household income in the city was $25,796, and the median income for a family was $33,207. The per capita income for Crossville was $18,066. Crime is low in the area, too, which makes the town a draw for families.

Local Attractions

Although Crossville isn’t a bustling metropolis, it has a surprising number of attractions. The Minister’s Treehouse is both a treehouse and a church, and is believed to be one of the largest tree houses in the world. Unfortunately, this attraction closed down in 2012, and tourists still come to the area to see the treehouse. The United States Chess Federation corporate offices are located in town.

Crossville is the self-proclaimed “golf capital of Tennessee,” with 12 courses in total. The annual Highway 127 corridor sale is one of the largest yard sales in the world. The Cumberland County Playhouse is the only not-for-profit performing arts center in rural Tennessee, and it’s also one of the top 10 largest theaters in rural America. Each year, over 165,000 guests visit the theater.

Real Estate and Land Market

Crossville’s real estate market is thriving. Year-over-year, the median sale price for homes has increased $5,000, up 4.2%. As of October 2015, the median sales price for homes in Crossville was $125,000 and the average listing price was $199,957. Average price per square foot is also up year-over-year 2.7% at $77.

Looking at a few recent listings on the market:

* 3bd 2ba 1,956 sqft home on a 1.47 acre lot for $174,900
* 2bd 2ba 1,672 sqft home on 0.39 acres for $139,000
* 4bd 3ba 4,838 sqft home on 0.48 acres of waterfront land for $557,000
* 3bd 2ba 2,217 sqft home on a 1.32 acre lot for $229,900

As you can see, waterfront properties in Crossville sell for significantly more than the average home. Land prices in the area are dirt cheap, which makes this town a great choice to develop a new home or commercial property. Some of the following plots of land for sale in Crossville are currently available:

* 113.1 acres for $249,000
* 0.25 acre lot in a residential area for $14,900
* 0.53 acre, heavily-treed lot for $3,500

One of the most attractive things about Crossville is it’s a relatively close proximity to so many major cities. The town is less than a 2-hour drive from both Chattanooga and Knoxville, and about 40 minutes from Cookeville. With two major highways connecting the town to East and West Tennessee and North and South Tennessee, it’s a prime location for commercial development. Its beautiful scenery and low crime also make it an excellent choice for residential development. As the population continues to grow, the land in the area will become more valuable, so smart investors will want to get in now while prices are still low.