Wears Valley (sometimes spelled Wear Valley) is an unincorporated community in Sevier County, Tennessee that was formerly treated by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census county division. As of the 2000 Census, the population of Wears Valley was 6,486. Wears Valley is situated in a valley known as Wear Cove, which runs parallel to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Like other park border communities, the history and economy of the valley are intertwined with that of the Smokies. Both are named after Samuel Wear (1753–1817), a Revolutionary War veteran who erected a fort near the entrance to Wear Cove in what is now Pigeon Forge. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 6,486 people, 2,585 households, and 1,955 families residing in Wears Valley. The racial makeup of this area was 97.7% White, 0.4% Native American, 0.5% Asian, and 0.5% African American. Hispanics and Latinos comprise 1.8% of the population. Of the 2,585 households, 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.6% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.89. 77.8% of the population was 18 years of age or older with 12.3% being 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.2 years. The population was 49.9% male and 50.1% female. The median income for a household in the area was $34,479, and the median income for a family was $39,901. The per capita income was $17,422. About 9.1% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line. Geography Wears Valley is centered at (35.7139, -83.6531).State Topo Maps The community covers most of Wear Cove, with the national park boundary comprising the town's entire southern border and the Blount/Sevier county line providing its western border. U.S. Route 321 / Tennessee State Route 73 is the community's main road, connecting Townsend in the west with Pigeon Forge in east, where it merges with U.S. 441. This section of 321/73 is known as "Wears Valley Road". Line Springs Road connects Wears Valley Road with Little River Road inside the national park, crossing Wear Cove Gap between Cove Mountain and Roundtop and emerging at