The word sequachee from ᏏᏆ ᎤᏤᏥᏍᏘ siqua utsedsdi in Cherokee means 'opossum' or 'he grins.

'[5] Settlers began arriving in what is now Sequatchie by the early 19th century, drawn to the area by the fertile land in the valley.

[6] In October 1863, Confederate General Joseph Wheeler led a raid into Sequatchie, burning nearly a thousand wagons and capturing livestock.

[8] As of the 2020 United States census, there were 15,826 people, 5,528 households, and 4,192 families residing in the county.

The Sequatchie County school system has three schools: Sequatchie County is known as "The Hang Gliding Capital of the East", due in part to the presence of an active hang gliding association, the Tennessee Tree Toppers.

This group maintains a hang gliding ramp at Henson's Gap, along the eastern wall of the Sequatchie Valley, where favorable flying conditions allow these unpowered aircraft to fly well into northwestern Georgia and northeastern Alabama after launch.

The gap is the site of numerous hang gliding competitions, and is a popular tourist attraction for aficionados of the sport from all over the world.

Sequatchie County is served by numerous local, regional and national media outlets which reach approximately one million people in four states including: Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina.

Sequatchie County is part of the Chattanooga Arbitron radio market.