The first recorded European settlement in the county was in 1783 when land near the fork of the French Broad and the Pigeon Rivers was cleared and cultivated.

The earliest European settlers were primarily Scots-Irish, Dutch, and Germans who came to the area over the mountains from the Carolinas or through Virginia from Pennsylvania and other northern states.

Located within the Appalachian and Great Smoky Mountains, it had difficult conditions for early settlers.

[9] English Mountain, a large ridge that peaks at 3,629 feet (1,106 m), dominates the western part of the county.

The Pigeon River flows northward across the county and empties into the French Broad north of Newport at Irish Bottoms.

The novel Christy and the television series of the same name are based on historical events, people, and localities of Cocke County.

The fictional small town of El Pano, where the novel begins, is based on the existing village of Del Rio, Tennessee.

Several area landmarks associated with the story are marked for visitors, including the site of the Ebenezer Mission in Chapel Hollow, which is located off the Old Fifteenth Rd., about 5 miles (8.0 km) from Del Rio.

Like all of Unionist East Tennessee, Cocke County has been overwhelmingly Republican ever since the Civil War.