Pigeon Forge is a popular tourist stop, its largest attraction being Dollywood, and the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park. U.S. 441 is the major highway through town, connecting to Interstate 75 in Sevierville to the northwest, and going past Gatlinburg through the park and to Cherokee, North Carolina to the southeast.
The city's official website is at http://www.cityofpigeonforge.com, and its tourism department at http://www.mypigeonforge.com.
Geography
Pigeon Forge is located at 35°47'38" North, 83°33'51" West (35.793946, -83.564124)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 30.0 km² (11.6 mi²). 30.0 km² (11.6 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 5,083 people, 2,021 households, and 1,402 families residing in the city. The population density is 169.5/km² (438.8/mi²). There are 2,799 housing units at an average density of 93.3/km² (241.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 94.71% White, 0.65% African American, 0.22% Native American, 1.28% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.93% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races. 3.70% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 2,021 households out of which 28.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% are married couples living together, 13.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% are non-families. 24.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.45 and the average family size is 2.89.
In the city the population is spread out with 22.5% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $30,746, and the median income for a family is $34,505. Males have a median income of $26,397 versus $21,370 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,621. 13.4% of the population and 10.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 15.2% are under the age of 18 and 6.7% are 65 or older.