[2] Scott County is known for having seceded from Tennessee in protest of the state's decision to join the Confederacy during the Civil War, and subsequently forming The Free and Independent State of Scott.

It is named for U.S. Army General Winfield Scott, a hero of the Mexican War.

The proclamation was finally repealed, over a hundred years later, by Scott County in 1986.

A portion of State Route 297 connects Oneida with the Big South Fork Recreation Area.

1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]1990-2000[10] 2010-2014[11] }} As of the 2020 United States census, there were 21,850 people, 8,664 households, and 6,059 families residing in the county.

24.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Scott County, a part of the Cumberland Plateau, includes the majority of the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.

As of 2010, the largest self-reported ancestry groups in the county were:[15] Scott County School District (Website) Oneida Special School District (Website) Private schools Includes the Scott County Sheriff Department; Oneida and Winfield Police Department; a full-time ambulance service with two stations; a volunteer rescue squad; and nine volunteer fire stations placed throughout the county.