Cowan, Tennessee

Cowan, Tennessee
City
Businesses along Tennessee Avenue
Location of Cowan in Franklin County, Tennessee.
Coordinates: 35°10′0″N86°0′43″W / 35.16667°N 86.01194°W / 35.16667; -86.01194
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
County	Franklin
Area [1]
• Total	2.08 sq mi (5.38 km2)
• Land	2.08 sq mi (5.38 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation [2]	974 ft (297 m)
Population  (2020) [3]
• Total	1,759
• Density	846.49/sq mi (326.84/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	37318
Area code	931
FIPS code	47-17700 [4]
GNIS feature ID	1306151 [2]
Website	www.cityofcowan.com

Cowan is a city in Franklin County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,737 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Tullahoma, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The earliest settlers arrived in the Cowan area in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The home of one such settler, William Russell, served as the Franklin County Courthouse until the establishment of Winchester in 1810. ^[5] The town was named for Dr. James Benjamin Cowan, ^[6] a Civil War-era doctor whose family had lived in the area since the early 1800s. ^[7]

Cowan Railroad Museum

The town of Cowan dates from the mid-19th century and developed mostly as a railroad town. It was the site where several branch lines met the main Nashville to Chattanooga trunk of the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway which ran through the important Cowan Tunnel. As the last stop before the uphill climb onto the nearby Cumberland Plateau, pusher engines to assist trains in making the steep ascent were based there, and are still in use today. ^[5]

The town's economy declined with the importance of the railroad after U.S. Route 41A was built in the 1940s. The old passenger depot, built in 1904, ^[8] was restored as a museum, and is a focal point of the downtown area.

Geography

Cowan is located at 35°10′0″N86°0′43″W / 35.16667°N 86.01194°W / 35.16667; -86.01194 (35.166668, -86.011839). ^[9] The city is situated at the western base of the Cumberland Plateau, and is concentrated around the point where U.S. Route 41A crosses the CSX railroad tracks. The edge of the Plateau juts out in a series of ridges creating several small valleys in the area, including Hawkins Cove to the northeast and Keith Cove to the south. Cowan is drained by Boiling Fork Creek, a tributary of the Elk River.

US 41A (Cumberland Street) is the primary road in Cowan, connecting the city with Winchester and the Tims Ford Lake area to the west. To the east of Cowan, US 41A ascends nearly 1,000 feet (300 m) to the top of the Cumberland Plateau, where it passes through Sewanee and Monteagle. ^[2]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.2 km²), all land.

Climate

Climate data for Cowan, Tennessee (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1985–2023)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	77 (25)	80 (27)	85 (29)	89 (32)	95 (35)	104 (40)	105 (41)	103 (39)	99 (37)	94 (34)	86 (30)	76 (24)	105 (41)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	48.9 (9.4)	53.1 (11.7)	61.4 (16.3)	70.8 (21.6)	78.1 (25.6)	84.6 (29.2)	87.3 (30.7)	87.1 (30.6)	82.0 (27.8)	72.0 (22.2)	60.5 (15.8)	51.8 (11.0)	69.8 (21.0)
Daily mean °F (°C)	39.5 (4.2)	43.1 (6.2)	50.5 (10.3)	59.1 (15.1)	67.1 (19.5)	74.4 (23.6)	77.6 (25.3)	76.8 (24.9)	71.0 (21.7)	60.2 (15.7)	49.2 (9.6)	42.4 (5.8)	59.2 (15.1)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	30.2 (−1.0)	33.1 (0.6)	39.7 (4.3)	47.4 (8.6)	56.1 (13.4)	64.1 (17.8)	67.9 (19.9)	66.4 (19.1)	60.0 (15.6)	48.5 (9.2)	38.0 (3.3)	33.1 (0.6)	48.7 (9.3)
Record low °F (°C)	−2 (−19)	4 (−16)	8 (−13)	22 (−6)	31 (−1)	44 (7)	52 (11)	48 (9)	36 (2)	23 (−5)	13 (−11)	−5 (−21)	−5 (−21)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	4.78 (121)	5.40 (137)	5.76 (146)	5.06 (129)	4.77 (121)	5.20 (132)	4.68 (119)	3.91 (99)	4.27 (108)	3.43 (87)	4.66 (118)	5.75 (146)	57.67 (1,465)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	1.4 (3.6)	1.0 (2.5)	1.0 (2.5)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.7 (1.8)	4.1 (10)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	11.5	11.9	12.0	10.8	11.3	12.1	11.2	9.7	7.9	8.0	9.4	12.4	128.2
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)	1.1	1.3	0.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.6	3.7
Source: NOAA [10] [11]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	222		—
1890	624		181.1%
1930	1,367		—
1940	1,461		6.9%
1950	1,835		25.6%
1960	1,979		7.8%
1970	1,772		−10.5%
1980	1,790		1.0%
1990	1,738		−2.9%
2000	1,770		1.8%
2010	1,737		−1.9%
2020	1,759		1.3%
Sources: [12] [13] [3]

2020 census

Cowan racial composition ^[14]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	1,475	83.85%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	144	8.19%
Native American	3	0.17%
Asian	3	0.17%
Other/Mixed	92	5.23%
Hispanic or Latino	42	2.39%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,759 people, 624 households, and 341 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the census ^[4] of 2000, there were 1,770 people, 746 households, and 499 families residing in the city. The population density was 895.6 inhabitants per square mile (345.8/km²). There were 803 housing units at an average density of 406.3 per square mile (156.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.68% White, 9.44% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.79% from other races, and 1.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.36% of the population.

Street clock and Texaco station along US 41A in Cowan

There were 746 households, out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% were married couples living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.7% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,448, and the median income for a family was $33,882. Males had a median income of $27,321 versus $20,909 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,352. About 13.4% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.8% of those under the age of 18 and 11.4% of those 65 and older.

Notable people

• Jauan Jennings, former University of Tennessee and San Francisco 49ers wide receiver
• Mary Ann Montgomery, wife of Confederate Army General Nathan Bedford Forrest ^[15]

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Cowan, Tennessee
3. "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
4. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
5. John Abernathy Smith, "Franklin County," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: April 24, 2016.
6. Larry Miller, Tennessee Place Names (Indiana University Press, 2001), p. 53.
7. Jenny Lou and Jim Brock, "The Cowans of Franklin County," Cowan Railroad Museum website. Originally published in the Cowan Bell, June 19, 1975. Retrieved: April 24, 2016.
8. "History," Cowan Railroad Museum website. Retrieved: April 24, 2016.
9. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
10. "NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
11. "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
12. "Census of Population and Housing: Decennial Censuses". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved March 4, 2012.
13. "Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012". Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 11, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
14. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
15. "Cowan: Its History and Heritage" (PDF). VisitCowan.com. Retrieved February 7, 2024.

External links

• Visit Cowan - Cowan Commercial Club website
• Cowan Railroad Museum
• NC&StL Preservation Society
• City charter