JASPER, Tenn.
Location: Jasper, the county seat, is in the south central portion of Marion County near the Sequatchie River on U.S. Highway 41.
Size: 9.2 square miles
Incorporated: 1959
Population: 3,299 (2014 estimate)
Government: Mayor Paul W. Evans; aldermen Steve Looney, Leon Rash, Paul West and Mac Bumpus
Attractions: Jasper Regional History Museum, Chattanooga Skydiving Co. at the Marion County Airport on Airport Road
Schools: Jasper Elementary, Jasper Middle, Marion County High
Place in history: The building of Hales Bar Lock and Dam, the world's first multipurpose structure used as a dam and power source, turned Jasper into a boomtown. During the project to build the dam, which started in 1905, 3,000 men worked around the clock, seven days a week.
Famous landmark: A restored map from 1895 that hangs in the Marion County Courthouse is the oldest piece of history created in the community. It was drawn as an overview of the earliest settlers, Civil War and Indian history. Local historian Nonie Webb has published two historical books, the most recent, "The Cherokees and First Settlers: Volume II of Marion County." Libraries in Chattanooga and Jasper have copies available.
"One of the best things about living here is we have so many types of areas that surround us. We have woods, lakes, rivers and really beautiful seasons. People come to visit from all over."
– Rachel Nance, lifelong Jasper resident and saleswoman, server and cook as needed at Dutch Maid Bakery