[5] Hamilton County is part of the Chattanooga, TN-GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

For thousands of years, indigenous cultures occupied this region, especially along the rivers and creeks.

The city that is now known as Chattanooga developed at Ross's Landing, a busy trading post recognized as the center of the Cherokee Nation.

If any Cherokee wished to stay in the area, the head of the family would have to leave the tribe and become an American citizen.

The 1835 Treaty of New Echota provided the U.S. government a legal basis for the forced removal of the Cherokee, opening their former lands for settlement.

[7][8] Some Cherokee leaders had agreed to this, in the belief that removal was inevitable and they could negotiate decent conditions for their people.

It was named after Alexander Hamilton,[9] an officer in the American Revolutionary War, member of the Continental Congress, the first U.S. secretary of treasury, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.

At the time of the 1820 census, the county counted 821 residents, including 16 blacks, 39 slaves, and about 100 Cherokee living on six reservations.

The original county seat was in the home of Hasten Poe, who owned a popular tavern located near those three men's farms.

[7][8] During the Civil War, Hamilton County was the site of an important saltpeter mine.

This material is the main ingredient of gunpowder and was obtained by leaching the earth from caves.

In May 1861, Cravens contracted with the Tennessee Military and Financial Board to deliver 20,000 pounds (9,100 kg) of saltpeter.

James County was established by the Tennessee General Assembly in January 1871 and was named after Jesse J.

[14] Raccoon Mountain Caverns is a show cave located 8 miles northwest of downtown Chattanooga.

It was originally explored in 1929 by Leo Lambert who developed trails and installed lights and opened the cave to the public on June 28, 1931.

[16] Areas such as Lookout Mountain including the famous Point Park, and Sunset Rock.

The chief of staff also serves as a point of contact for the county commission and other elected officials.

The office's main purpose is to assist the county mayor carry out his initiatives in an efficient and effective manner.

[19] The county clerk is elected to issue vehicle tags, marriage and business licenses, and other documents.

The citizens of Hamilton County elect commissioners for four year terms to represent their districts.

[26] The Chancery Court hears cases involving civil matters, including domestic relations, worker's compensation, estates, trusts, contracts, review of administrative action of governmental agencies and boards, collection of delinquent taxes, guardianships, and conservatorships, dissolution of partnerships and corporations, enforcement of liens, boundary lines, breach of contract, fraud, election contests, and other matters of a civil nature.

[25] The current circuit court judges are J.B. Bennett, Michael Dumitru, Marie Williams, and Kyle Hedrick.

[25] The current criminal court judges are Barry Steelman, Tom Greenholtz, and Don Poole.

[25] The current judges are Christie Mahn Sell, Alexander McVeagh, Clarence Shattuck, Lila Statom, and Gary Starnes.

Children are referred to the juvenile court for reasons of delinquency, status offenses, and dependency and neglect issues.

Recent past sheriffs:[34] As of the 2020 United States census, there were 366,207 people, 148,157 households, and 91,469 families residing in the county.

[49] In 2008, Republican John McCain defeated Democrat Barack Obama by a slightly smaller margin of 55% to 43%.

[51] Four years later in 2016, in businessman Donald Trump's sweep of Appalachia, Hamilton County furnished the GOP with a mildly increased margin of 55.3% to 38.8% for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

[52] In 2020, Joe Biden received the highest percentage of the popular vote of any Democratic presidential candidate since Jimmy Carter in 1976.

In 2024, the county backed Trump with 55.7% of the vote to 42.7% for Vice President Kamala Harris.