Union County, by Tennessee's standards, is a small county. With an approximate population of 20,000, we have not grown a great deal in the last few decades, or even during the 20th century. That seems like it is changing and will continue to change in the 21st century.
Union County's population changes as society changes. We have seen an influx of "Rust Belt" refugees, migrant workers and Norris Lake retirees.
We can be assured of these continued changes with increased urbanization, or, more accurately, increased sub-urbanization.
We have seen our homogeneous population shift and will continue to see this shift. Homogeneity often seems detrimental to populations--to their ideas, ethnicity and progress.
We haven't always seen great demographic change in our population, however.
This is an excerpt from, "From Hearth And Hoe: Union County, Tennessee 1910-1940" explaining our lack of diversity and growth:
"The English and the Scots-Irish were among the earliest settlers in the area which would become Union County, but they were supplemented by Germans, Dutch, Welsh, and other ethnic groups who were encouraged by the 'overhill' travelers to migrate to Tennessee.
"After the initial settlement of the county, the population remained largely homogeneous because of the isolation of the area. In 1880, for example, before the end of the third generation of settlement, only three residents of a population of over 10,000 were foreign born.
"The county experienced slow growth until the turn of the century, the population increasing only 12.5 percent during the 1890's. Emigration at the close of World War One reduced the population, but it was short-lived, because during the Depression years, people lost their jobs in Knoxville and northern cities and returned home."
As a teacher for 30 years, I have personally witnessed demographic changes in our student population. I have struggled with last names not native to Union County, accents not like my own, and even languages not native to me. You cannot, however, become mired in "nativism."
One thing is assured, our population will continue to change. Unlike the past century or decades, our modern society is a mobile one. Our economy is a growing one. Our ethnicity is evolving. The whole of Appalachia is now more diverse than ever, and will continue its diversification.