History

In May 2002, the U.S. Census Bureau declared the region consisting of Morristown, Jefferson City, White Pine, and portions of Hamblen County and Jefferson County as an urbanized area. An urbanized area is defined as an area with a population of 50,000 or greater, and generally with a population density of approximately 1,000 people per square mile. The LAMTPO urbanized area population, based on the 2010 U.S. Census, is 59,355. Under federal regulations, all places that are designated as an urbanized area must form a Metropolitan Transportation Planning Organization. MTPOs were created in order to ensure that existing and future expenditures for transportation projects and programs were based on a comprehensive, cooperative, and continuing (3-C) planning process. Federal funding for transportation projects and programs are channeled through this planning process. LAMTPO and Cleveland, TN (also designated as an urbanized area in 2002) are the two newest MPOs within Tennessee, bringing the total number of MPOs within Tennessee to eleven (11).